THE DEVIL'S FAVORITE TOOL

It has been said that the devil, prospering as a result of war, and convinced that hell was already firmly established on earth, decided he no longer needed to work so hard and advertised most of his equipment for sale. However, he refused to part with one tool labeled "discouragement". He knew he would want it if he ever returned to active work.
Said he, "When I get people downhearted and discouraged, they soon give up trying to lead good lives and easily come under my power."


COMMENTARY

Why is it that discouragement is such a valued tool of our advesary? I believe it is powerful, in a negative way, because it can lead to so many other sins. When we become downhearted and discouraged we start to care less and less about living good lives or anything else for that matter. The depths of despair have often broken the strongest followers of Christ. Discouragement can lead to abandonment of the faith, despondency in life, depression or even suicide. No wonder it is a prized tool for our advesary.

If one is deeply discouraged he may even go to the point of questioning God. I have done this myself. There have been times in my life when I felt as if I was living right and doing all I could to make ends meet but one bad thing after another would happen. How can you really love me, O God, and allow these things to happen? Yes to be honest, I have cried out angrily at God more often than I would like to admit. I thank Him for His unconditional love and patience with me in these times. He understands. He does see what is going on in our hearts and thoughts in these tough times. Most importantly, He does care, even if it doesn't appear that way. It is very important to know, regardless of how you may feel, you are NOT alone. When you find yourself to the point of tears in your discouragement remember these comforting words:

"Record my misery;

list my tears on your scroll,

are they not in your record?"

(Pslams 56:8)

This is God's way of letting us know that He is with us and takes note of every single tear that we drop. He is so loving!

There are two definitions of discouragement from Webster's dictionary:
1. The act of making something less likely to happen, or making people less likely to do something
2. A feeling of having lost hope or confidence

Most people would refer to the second if asked what discouragement means. The first, definition, however, is one that our advesary probably appreciates more.

Think of it in military terms and this may help to understand what it does in the spiritual battlefield. Discouragement is like a heavy rock that one chooses to carry on the battlefield. With this heavy rock one must use both hands and it slows him down tremendously. With this rock one also cannot use their weapons to fight either. This makes for an easy target for the enemy. In the application I will go over how we can drop this rock.

We also need to understand that discouragement and pain is relative to each person. What I mean by this is that someone may come up to a discouraged person and say, "It could always be worse." More often than not, to those suffering, those words are bitter. While they do concede that, yes, it could be worse and even may be grateful for that, at the same time they may think, "It could also be much better, you just don't understand the pain I am feeling".

Sometimes what may appear to be the end of the world for one person would only be considered a small obstacle to another. I say this so that when you do deal with a person that is discouraged you should always realize that this person may be feeling much more pain than you imagine. Be delicate.

I sometimes think of the people of great faith in the bible. They are valiant and inspiring. Yet I often wonder, What about the moments that were not written about? For example, when I look at the life of Joseph in the Old Testament I would not be surprised if he often cried out to God, "Why, O God, Why? How could you let my brothers leave me for dead? Have me sold into slavery? Falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and imprisoned? I don't deserve these things."

Though we don't read of this he surely would have been justified had he done so. King David often cried out like this. I believe that even if Joseph or others did indeed question God, even angrily at times, they still kept believing regardless of how things looked on the outside. That is true faith, "..the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1) While they may have had times of doubt and fear, they kept believing and remained steadfast in their trust of the Lord in the long run.

"Permanance, perserverance, and persistance in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong souls from the weak." ~ Thomas Carlyle


APPLICATION

So how does one actually shun discouragement and walk in faith when everything is going so wrong? How do we find hope when we feel hopeless? How do we walk with courage when we feel so weak? What do you do at the point when you feel you have done all you can but things continue to go from bad to worse? How do you handle the pain of losing one you love? What do we do when all around we are consumed with fear, doubt, worry and stress? How can we "drop the rock of discouragement" as mentioned earlier?

I would like to recommend 4 steps to overcome discouragement in your life.
1. Right desire
2. Guard your heart
3. Pray
4. Believe and trust in God


Right desire- What I mean by this is that you must come to a place in which you see discouragement for what it really is and truly desire for God to remove it from you. Many people sadly will cling to things such as discouragement, fear, bitterness and pain even though they know they are bad for them. Somehow pain and discouragement become friends to them, false and destroying friends but friends nonetheless. Acknowledge that discouragement is not from God and that you no longer want it in your life! I see Jesus as a gentleman and He will never take from you that which you don't want to let go of. If your inner desire is to hold on to discouragement then it will not be removed. Desire for it to be removed!


Guard your heart- "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23) We must take captive the thoughts that come to our mind. When you find yourself thinking or saying things like, "All is lost, this is only going to get worse", or "I'm just a failure" and the like, STOP! Don't let those thoughts or wicked imaginations continue. As a man thinketh so he is. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (2Cor 10:5). Focus on positive thoughts...as difficult as it may be. "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, are of good report, if there be any virtue, if their be any praise, think on these things." (Phillipians 4:8) I understand it is a mental battle to take your focus off the things that are discouraging you but worrying and doubting never helped anyone. Let go and let God!


Pray - "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." (1Peter 5:7). I cannot count the times that I have been under so much stress and filled with worry. The knotting feeling in my stomach wouldn't leave me. It was hard to go about the day without breaking down and crying. Then I woke up and realized I didn't have to carry my burdens alone. I knelt down and prayed. Honest heartfelt prayer, surrendering my fears and giving my burdens to the Lord. Some indescribable spiritual way all the fear left me time and time again. The situation or dire straits I was in did not change at all in that moment...on the outside. But on the inside I knew that it was now in the Lord's hands and all I could do is trust Him. No longer did I fear the worst, nor did I yet know what the outcome was to be. I did, however, know that I just prayed to a God who has a way to turn all things into good and that He would deliver me. I had peace, not the peace of the world but the peace that passeth all understanding.


Believe and trust God - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." (John 14:1) and "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) When Jesus tells us to not let our hearts be troubled it means we have a choice. We can either let it be troubled and doubt him or not let it be troubled and trust Him. What will you choose?

I know it is a very difficult thing to do at times. I also know that many times in my life when things have been so tough I let myself go through such unnecessary doubt and worry. Most of my worst fears never came to pass. But even if they did at times God always works all things together for good. Sometimes I had to go through those things to become stronger in my faith. Some of the events I have yet to see the positives but I trust God nonetheless. We may not get some things answered until after this life but we have to trust that He knows best! God often comes through in the last moment or shortly after failure. He tends to do that but I realize it is only so that I may learn to trust and believe in Him earlier next time.

"Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding the vision, and often just before the big achievement comes apparent failure and discouragement." ~Florence Scovel Shinn

So let's not let the horrible tool of discouragement work in our lives anymore. God is on our side and if God is for us who can be against us?
John Finley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Welcome! I am so grateful that you are here! I am an aspiring Christian writer and speaker. My primary goal is to share rare, beautiful and thought-provoking stories that impel my readers to become better people.

I endeavor to share hard-to-find stories that are rich in history, and have values and morals that adhere to Biblical standards. My stories come from various cultures, faiths and time periods. Some are contemporary, some are hundreds of years old and some come from ancient times.

I am working on a devotional book. It will be comprised of fifty-two chapters, one for each week of the year. I will share a story, write a commentary about it, add modern day applications and some Biblical passages to read and ponder for each story.

I attended Bethany Bible college and studied Theology/Church Ministries. I have served in various ministries. I spent a year as the Director of the Ranch with Centrum Ministries (a live-in men's discipleship ministry). I have served in men's ministries and children's ministries. I have also been on mission trips to Mexico and in the United States.

At a certain period in my life I drifted away from the Lord. I felt as if I was the only one truly stiving to live up to the Christian standards I was taught. I lived without compromise, I didn't go to the right or left, as best I knew. But I soon began to see that I couldn't find hardly any kindred spirits. Almost everyone I knew compromised here or there. Many would tell me you're overdoing it and being too religious. "You're too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use," I was told.

The Bible does tell us, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. I simply found the narrow road too difficult. I, like so many who bear the name Christian, decided I could create my own path that would give the outward illusion that I was a follower of Christ but would allow me to keep the sins I didn't want to let go of. Of course I would justify these sins by saying, "Everyone else does it," or even find scriptures I could twist to fit my own desires; a talent, Lucifer, is a master of, may I disturbingly add.

So I began to compromise, only a little at first, but in time I was no different from most of the unbelievers in the world. I can agree, sadly, with Paul in saying that I was, "the chief among sinners." I ashamedly can say that I have been so weak and given in to all manner of temptation. But praise be to God, who can work all things together for good, for in having tread through the mud, I understand and can relate to those who feel they are unworthy.

I would attend church at times during this period of hypocrisy. It was hard for me to even glance at a cross or any image of Jesus. I felt like a lover who had betrayed the one who faithfully and unconditionally loved him.

Though most put on their Sunday best and everyone seems to have it so together at church, once I became involved in ministry, I began to see that everyone had issues and struggles in their lives. Many of the families and couples that seemed perfect were, in fact, full of disorder and some on the brink of divorce or worse. Though it crushed my belief in the happiness and perfection of some, it consoled me to know that I wasn't alone in my struggles and inadequecies. This instilled in me a seed that I wanted to, someway or somehow, help others. A seed that God has kept alive and watered over the years.

Next, I came to a place in which I didn't want to just believe in what I was taught, I wanted to believe because I truly searched for the truth myself, with an open and unobjective approach. I delved into the study of the Bible, many other faiths, philosophies and belief systems. In my research and through much prayer I ended up once again, as a follower of Christ; but this time because I found the truth, not because I simply believed in what I was taught.

I found what I to believe, as truth, in many different sources. Some that many conservative Christians would say I could not and should not find truth from. To me truth is truth, no matter where it comes from. Whether it comes from Confucius, Lao Tzu,Ghandi, Abe Lincoln, Mark Twain, Hindu teachings, Muslim teachings, ancient Summerian texts, or the girl serving me at Starbucks I care not. As long as it adheres to the teachings and principles found in the Holy Bible, my standard, I will use it.


I have spent countless hours reading and studying religious books and historical books over the years. Most from the earliest times to the period between the 1500's to the early 1900's. In my opinion they wrote differently in the past compared to many of the contemporary Christian writers of today. It isn't so much in the words they used or the styles the wrote. To me it seemed they had more passion and devotion in thier writings. They also seemed to have more of a genuine care and a sincere love for those they were writing to. It didn't matter to them if their book would become a best-seller or bring them fame and fortune. What mattered to them most was that their works would truly help their readers to become enlightened and lead them to become better and happier people. Knowing they were proclaiming the Gospel, in their own artistic way, was something they could take pride in.

I must admit that sometimes when I hear the biography of a preacher, writer or speaker I am inwardly repeled when they appear to have such a life of perfection. Many grew up in strong and healthy Christian families, they attended church regularly and never seemed to get into any real trouble. I think to myself, "How can this man or woman relate to me?" "They did it right, I did it wrong." "Can they understand what it is like to commit a sin over and over again when you know you shouldn't?" "If I was to be honest with them would they judge me for my past or the hypocrisy in my life?" I am not saying it is just to think this way, only that I often do, right or wrong. With some of the wisdom I have obtained in knowing people, I understand that even the best have weaknesses and shortcomings to work on. I am not afraid to share what I have done, knowing that as I decrease the Lord my increase!

Sometimes it is difficult for the average Joe to take instruction from one they feel cannot relate to their life. In humility I can say; that almost anything you are struggling with, I can relate. I have found myself in places and in situations where I felt just like the prodigal son in the midst of his folly. I often asked myself, "What are you doing in this place or with these kinds of people? You are better than this, and you have a loving Father who is waiting for you to come home."

I have two of the most wonderful and beautiful daughters in the world! I have shared many of these stories with them as they have grown into the amazing young women they are today. They have seen me at my best and at my worst and our love is deep and unbreakable. I went through a divorce about ten years ago and I won custody of them. I know the struggles of being a single parent. We have had times of plenty and endured times of suffering. I know what it is like to look in the cupboard on Monday and see just one box of macaroni and cheese left and realize that I don't get paid until Friday. I also know how God always came through and provided for us, when I deserved it and when I didn't. He remains faithful even when we don't. Our God is awesome!

I have had times of financial prosperity and abundance. I have also had times when I lost everything, wound up homeless and had literally nothing but my health and a flicker of hope that God would redeem me yet again.

Two years ago my daughters came to me in tears saying, "Daddy we love you so much but we are not happy in Florida, we want to go live with mommy for a while in Las Vegas." It absolutely broke my heart. I knew I had the legal right to say no, but I didn't want to force them to stay with me. I sadly let them go.

I went through a period of deep depression after that. I kept their bedrooms exactly how they left them. I began to isolate myself and drink alcohol more and more to cover my pain. I would sit in their rooms, with a bottle of wine and cry my eyes out wishing they were with me. I would peep through my shut blinds and see and hear their old friends running, laughing and playing...without my daughters. It was a heart-wrenching time for me.

About a year and a half after they left, I was launching a business I ran successfully in my younger years. It was an auto-delivery company and I would transport cars up and down the east coast. I began to receive calls from my daughters asking me to move and be with them. They would call in tears and plead with me to move to Las Vegas to be with them. With the ecomomy and job market being the worst in the entire country it was at first, a tough decision to make.

Finally I a question came to me that compelled me to move as soon as I could. The question was, "Would I risk sturggling financially and being with my daughters, or succeed with my business, and not be with them?" The anwer was simple and I am now residing in Las Vegas..with my beautiful daughters. And yes I am struggling, trying to find good paying employment. At just 17 years old I worked for a company in which I would drive around and sell frozen food products door to door. I am actually making about what I made all those years ago!

I believe that we can learn from all that we go through in our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. In losing my girls it helped me understand how God, our loving Father feels when His deeply loved children wander away from Him. I will never forget those times I cried until tears would not come out anymore. I wondered if I fell short in being a good and loving father to them. I always provided for them, went to their games, practices, plays. Even though I worked full-time I was very hands on and active in their lives unlike many parents these days. I tried to instill in them good values and morals. I loved them with my whole heart...but they left me!? It wasn't that they didn't love me either, they just wanted to try something different. How much that is like what I did to God!

Regarding my calling to serve my Lord and my God I have been like Jonah. I have always known that I have a gift from the Lord and that I am called to preach his Word. I have run from this for too many years. I chose not to serve or get involved in the some of the churches I attended because I believed that if you are going to serve the Lord in a ministry, you must be living a pure and holy life. Not that you must be perfect, for there is none perfect but Christ, but that you must be living up to the standards you profess as best you can. I also know that you can allow room for mistakes and sins that will come out here and there. I am not close to perfect and have a lifetime to continue working on my shortcomings. I am just a fellow pilgrim like you battling his way through life trying to make a positive impact on those who may come across my path.

If anyone actually reads this far thank you for your interest and taking the time to hear a little of my story. It is my hope and my prayer that the stories I write, along with the commentaries and applications may bless your life!

~J. Lawrence Finley ~ "A Follower of Christ"