A Walk Behind Enemy Lines
Why Discouragement is the Enemy's Most Effective Tool and How to Overcome It
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I am thrilled that you stopped by Serenity in Suffering! I hope you’ll stay awhile and find refreshment for your weary heart. My vision moved me to create a place where anyone could find Peace and Purpose in the Storms of life; a safe place to rest, find hope, encouragement, inspiration, and tools for personal growth in times of trial.
There is a battle I have fought for many months now. An occasional reprieve deceived me into thinking it was over, only to feel the heavy weight in my chest return. Perhaps you have felt this too. Discouragement, the name of my foe, seems benign enough: just a bit put by, or melancholy. Everyone suffers discouragement from time to time; it’s just a bump in the road on an otherwise routine journey. Be not deceived, this foe is far more insidious.
No one chooses discouragement. Though I believe one can choose to stay there.
Maybe, like me, you have felt “blind-sided” by discouragement. In a manner phlegmatic, I am positive, confident, and optimistic even when faced with difficulties. Yet, as I struggled to identify the oppression I felt, it took a few days before I realized discouragement had ambushed me again.
We must remember that nothing touches us without God’s permission. Not even the enemy of our souls has liberty to attack and oppress us; his chain only extends as far as God exacts.
Howard Hendricks accurately said, “Discouragement is the anesthetic that the devil uses on a person just before he reaches in and carves out his heart.”
Does that sound as sobering to you as it does to me? Does it bring new meaning to the description of the devil in I Peter 5:8?
Destination Discouragement
As I wrestled with discouragement again, I sensed an invitation to join God in a walk behind enemy lines, that is to see discouragement from the proper perspective. For the first time, God opened my eyes to better understand how discouragement is the most effective tool of the enemy of our souls.
God promises never to leave us nor forsake us, (Hebrews 13:5) and was present with me at other times of discouragement. But this time He chose to make His presence known while opening the eyes of my understanding. He guided me and allowed me to experience the darkness, confusion, and disillusionment of the subtle lies planted by the enemy.
He watched as fear took hold of my heart, and just as my unbelief began rendering familiar promises ineffective, God stepped in and revealed the truth to me through His Word.
The Dangers of Discouragement
Discouragement is a loss of perspective. Viewing it that way, is the reason I believe no one chooses discouragement. Choosing to perceive things incorrectly is not an intention we pursue with rational understanding. Yet, we can choose to keep the incorrect perspective, which is where the danger lies. Discouragement, based in lies, leads us to lose perspective. It’s also the reason why discouragement is dangerous. Discouragement not only clouds our view of the situation, but it also robs us of the very tools to defeat it.
Understanding discouragement through this lens makes the quote by Howard Hendricks so powerful. Discouragement’s effect on us is anesthetizing; in a literal sense, it paralyzes us, keeping us from moving in the direction we headed prior to encountering discouragement. When we fail in moving forward, fear sets in, and we second guess if we should move forward. Lies cloud our judgement, confusion results, and we lose hope. Discouragement fosters unbelief rendering the promises of God ineffective. We become weak, fearful, confused, and unarmed. In a word, “DEFEATED”.
Discouragement Disarmed
One alarming side of discouragement is confusion; it almost feels like insanity. You begin questioning things you never questioned before and fail in determining which way to go. That’s how it felt to me for several days. I tried stepping back, reminding myself of God’s calling on my life, and of my identity in Christ, yet it all somehow rang hollow— empty. Even though I prayed, sought clarity and direction, the lies appeared more real than the truth. After many days, I determined I had no words and chose Psalm 27 and prayed those words as my own. My faith flickered into sight.
I distinguished the lies and covered them with truth. Each step brought more light until the discouragement dissipated. Psalm 27 holds no magic powers, nor is it the only portion of scripture designed to dispel discouragement. But it revealed the source of my own discouragement and the lies which fueled it.
As God led me behind enemy lines, He used Psalm 27 to reveal the source of discouragement, the lies which fueled it, and the fount of my true Light and salvation. If you are battling discouragement, walk with me through Psalm 27, by opening your bible to the psalm and following the breadcrumbs I found along the way.
Psalm 27-The Lord is My Light and My Salvation
Verse 1 reminds you that the Lord is your light, your salvation and your stronghold, you have nothing to fear. You are helpless to defeat discouragement in your own strength.
Verses 2 and 3 reveal enemies and dark battles will come, evil will arise, but it is they, not you that will fall, and because of verse one, you have full confidence.
Verse 4 centers your desire on Christ; Him will you seek, freely dwelling with Him, inquiring of Him, beholding His beauty; with your heart set on these things, your vision cleared.
Verse 5 reminds you that in times of trouble Christ will hide you, set you on a rock, giving you rest in His perfect protection at all times. You can cease striving, struggling, trying to get it “right”.
Verse 6 speaks of the triumph over your enemies that God gives, and the praise you offer as a result. He will bring the victory.
Verse 7 encourages you to cry out to God and know He hears. You need not hesitate when confused and lost in discouragement to call to Him.
Verse 8 was the most beautiful for me. The psalm urges the reader to “seek God’s face”. The reader responds “my heart will seek your face”. The Hebrew renders it “my face will seek your face”. The very thought of His face looking into my face transforms discouragement into intimacy.
Verse 9 offers the realization of what life offers when God’s face is hidden: you feel His displeasure at disobedience. The remembrance of His salvation keeps you seeking Him when you lose your way in discouragement.
Verse 10 no matter who forsakes you, even your own family, God will welcome you. No matter how isolated you feel, He will receive you.
Verse 11 invites you to seek God to teach you His way, and to lead you in a plain path. When you lose your way, unable to see forward, He will guide you.
Verse 12 confirms God hears your pleas for rescue from those that slander and seek to do evil to you. He is your help when you are under attack.
Verse 13 reminds you that you would faint, you would fall, without belief in God’s goodness all around you.
Verse 14 brings the ultimate promise in times of discouragement: wait on God, your light and your salvation. He will come, He will strengthen, He will not forget you.
A walk behind enemy lines with God as my guide showed me how dangerous discouragement is to the believer. It opened my eyes to how vulnerable I am to discouragement and the need for quick recognition of it. While we may not choose discouragement, we often choose to remain there. When that happens, the results render us spiritually ineffective. Our relationship with God becomes distant, and our emotional well-being shaken.
The sooner we recognize discouragement, the sooner we can cry out for God’s help. The truth of God’s Word is the only remedy against the lies of discouragement planted by the evil one. Discouragement is far from benign, it is a powerful weapon meant to destroy both us and our work for God’s Kingdom.
Rooted in unbelief, discouragement must be counterattacked with the Word of God. Yes, we may feel weak and helpless, but we must not yield. Even when we have no words of our own, we can turn to the Word of God and pray those words back to God, believing He is our strength and portion forever. And in so doing, our soul is revived, our faith strengthened, and satan defeated.
More Encouragement…
Catch up at the blog: I woke up one day and found my life unrecognizable. So far removed from my original vision, my life story seemed to belong to someone else. Sitting that morning with the truth of a life I no longer recognized before God, grief spilled over in waves as I saw all the poor choices and wrong paths behind me leading to my current life season—
A Life You No Longer Recognize -Read HERE
Truly Grateful
Thank you to all who have purchased my books over the past several months! Your support has blessed and encouraged me!
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For new readers or those who haven’t yet purchased the books, you can find them on Amazon at these links:
A Passion for Christ: A Transformative Journey through the Passion of Christ to a Passion for Christ- order on Amazon HERE.
The Grace of Gratitude: A 21-Day Journey to a Heart Transformed by Grace- order on Amazon HERE.
"Discouragement is a loss of perspective." I agree, Donna. And I think it is also a spirit, and that refusing the ministry of discouragement and despair and calling for the Holy Spirit to minister to us changes the dynamics. "We wrestle not...but against..." is a reminder that not everything is from our soul, but from other influences that affect our soul.
"Discouragement not only clouds our view of the situation, but it also robs us of the very tools to defeat it." It is amazing how discouragement can paralyze us, keeping us from the very thing we need - God's Word - to move passed this feeling. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and thoughts, Donna. Praying the Lord continues to encourage your heart!