These 4 Truths Give Solace When You’re Discouraged

Jan 31

Have you ever started a project you have never had the time to complete? Maybe you didn’t know how to start or felt that you didn’t have the necessary skill set to tackle the tasks. As a result, days and months chip away at this unfinished project until you’ve gotten so far down the road that you wonder if it is worth it to continue.

Could it be that you’ve lost motivation or the confidence that you can do it? The more you look at the evidence of yet another incomplete project, the more you feel like a failure. You proceed to sweep the pieces of your broken dream under the rug. But this happens when things are swept under the carpet: The rug gets bumps, and a bumpy rug can make your trip and fall. Consequently, everything comes crashing down, wigs go flying, legs go sprawling, and your confidence flies right out of the window.

There were times when I felt this way about my spiritual life. These are a few things that I have learned after reflecting on the times that I felt low in my spiritual experience. Here are 4 Truths to give you comfort when you are discouraged.

How does this happen?

I first noticed that it began with me becoming more inconsistent; I remember being so tired, that waking up before the day started was difficult. I would press the snooze button until it was too late to spend quality time with God. When time passed, I comforted myself by thinking that tomorrow was another day to start again.

This cycle continued until my devotional life went up in smoke; It felt like I was making the time to do everything else but spend time with the Lord. I made every excuse as to why I hadn’t met with him. “I was too tired to focus,” “when I get the timing right, I’ll start at the beginning of the week,” “I didn’t feel motivated today. Maybe I’ll try tomorrow”. This continued until I fell into a rut, and my holy life was like a ship without a sail. I knew I needed to get to a destination, but I had no real direction to stay the course.

I know that your patterns may be different from mine, but some underlying causes may be in the way of reaching back out to God.

Reason: 1 Fear

The first reason is fear. You may think that God is somewhere up there, living his best life, and doesn’t want to go back and forth with you. There is fear that God will reject you because you have not been consistent with him. You think God does not want to see or hear you because you have been away without speaking to him for so long.

Reason: 2 Guilt

The second reason may be something that carries a heavier load. Guilt. You feel guilty because you know you are supposed to spend time with God, but you don’t. He’s placed low on the priority list, and you think God will hold that against you. Your sins have caused a separation between you and God. You could have hidden, cherished, or unconfessed sin in your life, and you don’t want to come before God “again” to ask for forgiveness.

Reason 3: Shame

This brings us to the third reason why you may not want to come to God. Shame. Feelings of unworthiness plague you. It’s wrapped up with the cruel humiliation of going around the same mountain again. You doubt your ability to do your part to rekindle the relationship, maintain it, and get back to where you used to be. You may even doubt that God is even interested in, at the very least, having a relationship with you. This shame and doubt drag you further down the road, away from God and deeper into despair. It leaves you hanging by a thread of what used to be a blanket, a covering of warmth, safety, and security, and it leaves you without leaving a trace of how to get back there.

Reason 4: No Motivation

The final reason I’d like to highlight for not meeting with God is a lack of motivation. Maybe there are situations where you’ve prayed without ceasing. Still, your prayers seem to be bouncing back like an email sent to a non-existent address. It looks like you haven’t experienced God’s hand like others. Or it could be that you’ve experienced a tragedy or loss that you can’t make sense of. Whatever the reason, it eats away at your motivation, and it just does not seem worth it.

What happens now?

Here’s the thing: if you desire to return to God, to reacquaint yourself with Him as your friend and personal problem solver, there is something I would like you to remember. God is not like man. He’s not a human who will cut you off or reject you when you’ve made too many mistakes to forgive. Additionally, God does not mirror the thoughts of what you would do if someone were to sin against you. God’s love for you is much more than you can imagine, and he has so much in store for you. He understands far more than we can comprehend, and his patience is unwavering! “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

1. Make meeting with God a Priority

The most important thing to do is to start where you are and make it a priority. Make a daily date with the Lord, and choose a time and place to meet with him and talk with him every day. Consistency is key. Ask God to help you with your commitment and give you the desire to meet with him. To begin, it is easier to express gratitude than to apologize.

Firstly, I would suggest thanking God for being who he is, for what he has done, for sparing you, and for allowing you to feel the conviction in your heart to come to Him. The next step is to tell Him that you are sorry for not making Him a priority in your life, confess your sins, and repent from the ways that do not please Him. Ask him to give you the forgiveness He promised you in 1 John 1:9.

2. God is on your side

God will never leave you, and neither will he forsake you. Remember that you are not in a relationship alone. God will work with you and help you if you have a willing heart open to being obedient. Have an honest heart-to-heart with Him, and share what is going on in your life, your struggles, your pain, your doubts, and your fears. You will be surprised at His guidance, providence, and relief that He will supply in your journey.

3. Affirm Yourself in the Word

Get into the word and affirm yourself in His promises – find devotional material and good Christian books that will help you to grow in your experience. It is also essential to cultivate friendships with others in the body of Christ so that you can not only encourage each other in the Christian experience but share your experiences with others so they can come to know God.

4. God Loves You with an Unfailing Love

Finally, if you remember nothing else from this post, I want you to remember this. God loves you deeply. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Do not allow fear, guilt, shame, or doubt to hinder your journey. Establish and maintain a consistent connection with him, and he will reveal what an awesome friend he can be. The most amazing times of my life happened when I communicated with him. I would love for you to experience that connection deeper, too! Will you make a decision to have that talk with God today?

Read Romans 8:37-39

Prayer: 

Father, I want to thank you for being who you are; you are loving, kind, patient, and forgiving. I have kept my heart away from you for too long, and I am sorry. I want to do better. Help me to love and serve you in the way that I should. Please give me the desire, the motivation, and the courage to meet with you. I ask for your forgiveness for anything in my life that is not pleasing to you.

Help me give up any sin I have treasured in my heart. Remove all fear, guilt, shame, and doubt so I can fully see and experience your love. Father, I ask you to remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. One that it softened and sensitive to your voice, that I may be unquestioningly obedient to you. Thank you again for being my friend, confidant, and King in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Until next time,