How To Defeat Discouragement

The dictionary defines DISCOURAGE as “to deprive of courage, to deter, to dishearten, to hinder.”

I draw your attention to the book of Nehemiah because in it we will see the GIANT of discouragement in full display.

As we face our GIANTS it is important that we size our enemy up. Nehemiah helps us do that.

Nehemiah in a nutshell: The Babylonians had destroyed the holy city of Jerusalem nearly 100 years earlier—the city was still full of rubble and lay unprotected. Although the Temple had been rebuilt the walls around the city had not and that news broke Nehemiah’s heart—THE CUPBEARER to a king 900 miles away. Though born in captivity, his heart beat for home. After 4 months of praying and planning, Nehemiah was allowed to go home and help. Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah rallied the people to start rebuilding the wall and to get busy being who God called them to be.

We pick up the story in Nehemiah chapter 4 when the wall was about half done—GIANTS are everywhere. The Israelites are literally under attack from every side:
• From the North: Sanballat and the Samaritians
• From the South: Geshem and the Arabs
• From the West: The Ashdodites
• From the East: Tobiah and the Ammonites

Nehemiah tells us they formed a kind of dark alliance. That Dark Alliance used fear and discouragement to stop all progress.

Sizing This Giant Up
1. The Giant of Discouragement denies your potential.

Neh 4:1-2 (NIV) “When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

Neh 4:3 (NIV) “Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”

2.The Giant of Discouragement discounts your progress.

Neh 4:7-8 (NIV) “But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.”

Neh 4:10 “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

3. The Giant of Discouragement disregards your protection.

Neh 4:11 (NIV) “Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

Neh 4:12 (NIV) “Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

Where are you living? Where do you get your cues? If you spend too much time near the enemy you’ll start thinking like him. We’ve all met people that live as if God is weak. They live defeated lives because they’ve bought into a lie. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! If you are living in DEFEAT then you’re NOT spending enough time at THE FEET of Jesus. Greater is HE!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are living near the enemy and are getting your cues from him, you shouldn't be surprised that you are discouraged! The GIANT of DISCOURAGMENT wants you scared and sad—defeated and depressed. And you know what? It’s TIME YOU FACED HIM!

Let’s look at How to Defeat Discouragement:

1. Know your weak spots.

Neh 4:13 (NIV) “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.”

2. Know your strong GOD.

Neh 4:14a (NIV) “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome...”

3. Know you’re not alone.

Neh 4:14b (NIV) “...fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

I LOVE Nehemiah 6:15-16 (just look at how the tables have turned!): “...the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”

You can defeat discouragement and finsh what God has called you to do too!