Shout Out -

Todays Shout-Out goes to one my best blogging friends (I have made so many dear friends blogging) 

joybug56 over at The Joy of Denim and Lace

The Joy of Denim and Lace

The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.

The Demon Named Discouragement

When one is discouraged the question "why" is almost always predominant in our thoughts and even sometimes finds it way out our mouth.

Discouragement = To deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit.

The darkness, hate and death of this world is a true fact.  For one to ignore, or try to pretend it is not there to eat at you day in and day out is but the evidence of a foolish heart.

I have struggled with discouragement now for about a month.  It started out a slight feeling and I paid "not much" attention to it and went on about my business and it continued to grow to where it is now a major battle to be encouraged in any degree.

I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself thinking unnatural thoughts.  Unnatural in that those are not my thoughts, feelings but yet they are so strong they wake me up in the middle of the night.

I finally realized this morning there is an out right war declared against me and I have been as a foolish woman, in thinking "this too will pass.".

Hitler in no way shape or form ever had any intention to be just a passing thought, feeling or enemy.  He had a sole purpose to destroy.  So know that the demon named discouragement has a sole purpose to destroy also!  Hitler was more merciful than the demon named discouragement.

I am realizing "slowly, but the recognition has come" that anger is the next level of this demon called discouragement.  I have slowly been becoming full of anger.  The first signs were irritability.

I do not want to spend much time glorifying the power of the enemy, named discouragement but I will say this final note on it.  It is a powerful sly enemy that creeps upon you while you are sleeping, or just not paying attention.   It will slowly convince you to stop praying, reading or studying your Bible.  It will bring you to a place that to go to church is a major decision to go!  It will cause you to break away from the strength of the brotherhood of brothers and sisters in Christ.

It will bring you down down down! 

Joshua is a man that I always think of when discouragement comes.  Jehovah God warned him over and over to not get discouraged, to not get dismayed, to not lose his strength.

Joshua 1:6 " Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them."

Verse 7 and 9  of the same chapter reiterates the need for Joshua to stay strong and be of a good courage.

Joshua had some pretty big shoes to wear and God was giving those shoes to him to wear.  Joshua did not choose to be Moses' successor.  God made that decision!

I love God's Word it is full of life, light and love.  God's Word is wisdom for mankind if we would but reach for it spite the many demons out there to oppose us every step of the way.

Verse two of chapter one you find God commanding Joshua to arise and go over "THIS JORDAN".   When you search out the Hebrew origin of the word "Jordan" you will find it was a place of humility.  A place that the children of Israel had to look beyond their own abilities and put total trust and dependency upon Jehovah God!  One of God's precepts is the truth of ascending and descending.  Jordan was a place to descend.

Discouragement would be one of the enemies awaiting the arrival of the children of Israel and also Joshua and US!  

How did Joshua fight discouragement? 

Joshua 1:8 " This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

James 1:22 "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

Joshua did not have an nonchalant attitude about being a doer of God's Law.  He did not lay out by the "creek with a long straw dangling from his mouth"...he did not lay up sleeping, eating or making merry....he was a doer of God's Word.   God used Joshua in bringing downs the walls of Jericho.  Do we realize that within our heart we have walls of Jericho that need to be brought down? 

The old testament was not added to God's Word just so we could have tales and fables to read to our children but it is alive with actual testimonies of men and women that trusted God to overcome the opposition of life's journey.

God commanded Joshua to "not" turn to the right or the left ....in others words, "stay on the straight and narrow".   How many times have I felt the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit within me to leave this daughter of darkness, called the television and go pray, but would not?  How many times have I sensed the presence of God tugging at me to go pick up my Bible and read but would not due to being to busy with household chores?

My disobedience, my choice to stay, or reject brought me to the empty place of strength and courage so  that the demon named discouragement could have a foot hold in my life.

God has promised us that He would not fail us, nor forsake us!  How can we be discouraged when we have so much to be thankful for? 

Discouragement I denounce you, I reject you, I choose life and not death this morning! Father thank you for the power of truth that comes to set us free from the captivity of discouragement.  Father I thank you this morning for liberty found in the Blood of Jesus Christ.  I thank you for the victory found upon the Cross of Jesus this morning.  Father as I rise and go over "THIS JORDAN"....I know that I shall taste the sweetness of your Light, Love and Life.

If you're in the mood for a good laugh, check out Rhondas other blog at: Sleepyeyed Rhon