“Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of beauty, unconcern for the needs of our fellowman, and unbelief in the promises of old. It is impatience with time, immaturity of thought, and impoliteness to God.” - William Ward
I heard the above quote this past Sunday while watching Christian television. I’m embarrassed to say I had never heard it before now. Anyone who knows me knows I love quotes and I feel like I should have had this quote a long time ago. Just like Bible scriptures, quotes can contain is so much depth and meaning to them. Like peeling away an onion layer---there is always something new to be found. I never thought about discouragement being the things mentioned above, but when you really take to time to stop and contemplate, it really is the truth.
I do realize that not everyone has had a good or decent past so, when they look back on it, they might find dissatisfaction with it. BUT, if they are a child of God, no matter what your past was you should be able to see or believe, that God has or will restore/redeem the time that was stolen (Joel 2:25). For those that aren’t happy with the present (I’m a former club member), remember as a man thinks, that he is (Proverbs 23:7). For those who aren’t anticipating the future with hope and excitement, all I have to say is REALLY?! Life has a way a changing for the good or bad in a matter of seconds. So why not choose to think positive and put your hope and trust in Someone who already knows the plans He has for you (Jeremiah 29:11) and just start believing that the better days are yet to come. Yes, I know I probably sound like a motivational speaker, whose name I’d rather not mention, but I promise you I’m not sitting here typing with a huge grin on my face. I’m typing and thinking that I will be tested on this and I will truly have to chew and swallow my own advice soon. With all of that being said, I’m sure you are wondering where all this is coming from. Well, glad you asked. My church is spending 4 weeks on a sermon series of Voice of Hope and hearing God’s voice. So with the sermon and the small group that accompanies it, it’s something that has been on the forefront of my mind the past couple of weeks. In the recent months and weeks l’ve been wanting to hear God’s voice more often and kept saying that I would start making the time, which I didn’t until the new year arrived. So the timing was perfect. I’ve been taking sermon notes the past couple of weeks, so I’ll share with you some of the highlights that you might want to take to heart.
*Hope doesn’t mean the same as a wish, wishes don’t sustain the human heart, hope does
*Our hope is in the salvation through Jesus Christ, which is our foundation
*Our confidence comes when we hear God’s voice speaking to us
*Our culture drowns out every voice that matters; don’t let other’s opinions shake you, stand firm on God’s voice
*If you don’t know what on God’s mind, you will be shaken by everyone else’s opinion; external voices are always a set-up for hopelessness and failure, the internal voice (Holy Spirit) is the one who provides hope
*Hope and purpose go hand and hand (Jeremiah 29:11)
*A hard heart will never have hope; our hearts must be soft and pliable to hear what God is saying
*Hope comes from agreement, not just hearing God’s voice
*The question isn’t can you hear from God, but can you get rid of some of the noise; need to make room to hear from God
*The role of the Bride/Church is to say “yes” to the Lord and obey/do what he says; ask God what burdens He has on His heart and have the heart to carry His burden as well (the poor, widow, orphan, shut in, etc.)
*Religion will always bypass the burden of God’s heart; but relationship centers around it (ex. Good Samaritan)
*We can’t speak for people we don’t even hear, we won’t be able to speak on behalf of a God we don’t even know
I leave you with something that I wrote last night during my small group meditation time, last night the scripture was on Psalm 86:11 “Teach me Your way, O Lord, I will walk in Your truth: unite my heart to fear Your name.”
Your truth is my guide, my light, my map. Without Your truth I truly am lost and clueless.
In Your name solace is found,
In Your name hope is found,
In Your name truth is found,
In Your name victory is found,
In Your name peace is found,
In Your name joy is found,
In Your name love is found,
In Your name confidence is found.
So, my question to you is what and/or whose voice are you currently listening to?
Until next time...
