Overcoming the Big “D” of Discouragement (Pt. 3)
Most of my ministry week consists of having conversations with pastors and leaders in churches. I love pastors (I was one for 30 years), and I love ministering to them! As I speak to scores of pastors in a month’s time, there is a recurring theme. Pastors are discouraged! And so are their wives many times. The discouragement can result from a variety of reasons – it can be personal or ministry related…or both!
Discouragement has knocked many leaders out of the race. It can be so disabling. The mighty prophet Elijah wrestled with discouragement. Not only did he want to end his ministry, but he wanted to end his life! In our previous two blogs we examined:
In this blog we will uncover four causes of discouragement. Where is it coming from? You have to identify the true root of the discouragement before you can overcome it.
Four causes of discouragement
1. Foes – 1 Kings 19:1-2
Elijah got a death threat from King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel. It threw him into a complete tailspin. Satan loves to use people to discourage you. Proverbs 18:21 declares that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” People can cut you to pieces with their tongue (church-going people). Every pastor will face opposition. It’s a fact. Jesus did. Paul did. Peter did. And you will too! It does not matter how sincere or “right” you are. You will probably encounter people that despise you and may even want to destroy you. Sometimes it’s people within your own church!
What do we do when we face these kinds of people? My mind goes to 2 Timothy 4:14-15 where Paul mentions a man named Alexander.
“Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. May the Lord reward him according to his works. Beware of him, for he has greatly opposed our words.”
Do you ever feel “greatly opposed?” What do you do? Paul acknowledged it (he didn’t hide his head in the sand), and he warned others about this man. But he ultimately left it with God for God to take care of. This is exactly what we must do. We may have to confront people and warn others, but at the end of the day, we leave it with God! During my 30 year pastorate, I had people oppose me, lie about me, misrepresent me, slander me behind my back, and had supposed friends turn against me. But when I put my head on my pillow at night, I slept like a baby, because I simply refused to allow these people to rob me of my joy. My inner joy was not rooted in them and what they thought about me. My joy was rooted in Jesus, and my worth and value was found in Him. Jesus promised to give us a joy that no human being can take from us!
2. Fear – 1 Kings 19:3
Elijah did what any great prophet of God would do – he ran for his life! Seriously, Elijah was gripped with fear and decided to totally check out. Sometimes our fears do not make sense. Elijah just destroyed 450 prophets of Baal, yet one mean woman scared him into running. Fear is not always rational!
Memorize 2 Timothy 1:7 and say it often!
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind.”
The Bible says that fear has torment. Fear is of Satan and he can use it to bring great discouragement into our lives. Many times we fear things that will never happen (like Elijah). Each day, take your fears and leave them with Jesus.
“Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
3. Fatigue – 1 Kings 19:5-7
Elijah was a man that was overworked, over-wrought, and just plain physically exhausted and emotionally drained. He probably hadn’t eaten or slept in days. He collapsed under the tree and even got a little snappy with God.
Physical exhaustion leads to discouragement. We say silly things when we get tired and hungry. Sometimes we say hurtful things. When our spouse is physically exhausted and beat down, this isn’t the time to greet them at the door with a tool box and a “to do” list of jobs around the house. If your spouse has been up all night with the baby, the next morning isn’t the time to announce that everybody in the family is going to an all day prayer meeting.
You have to know your body and know when it needs rest. Pushing your body beyond reasonable limits will lead to a bad frame of mind and can lead to some serious discouragement and bad decisions.
If you are going through a rough time and discouraged, you must make sure you are getting proper rest. They have proven that the body gets the most beneficial rest and recharging from 10 PM to 2 AM. Those are the most advantageous sleeping hours. Pastors who are burning the candle at both ends are prime candidates for serious discouragement.
4. Frustration – 1 Kings 19:10
Elijah was very frustrated and felt like he was all alone and the only one who truly cared.
Have you ever felt this way? You can’t seem to get any help from anybody. You feel like you’re going at it alone, but others should be helping. You feel like they aren’t carrying their share of the load.
It is easy to get frustrated. Pastors get frustrated. Ever had thoughts like this? “I’m the only one that lifts a finger around here; the only one that cares how the church looks; the only one that works hard, the only one that is true and faithful; the only one that takes any pride in how the job turns out.”
Of course, this kind of frustration inevitably leads to discouragement. Are you frustrated? Is this the cause of your discouragement? You need to identify the source of your frustration before you can overcome it and solve the problem.
So be honest…are you discouraged? As you read this, did the Holy Spirit help you to identify the cause of your discouragement?
- Foes – Do you feel like you are constantly battling certain people?
- Fear – Are their fears that continue to plague you?
- Fatigue – Are you physically or mentally exhausted?
- Frustration – Are their constant irritations leading to discouragement?
In our next blog we will look at how to overcome the discouragement in our lives!