Sermon for Sunday March 26th, 2006

Overcoming Discouragement by Jason Freeman

Nehemiah 4:6-4:14

Between now and Easter we will be looking at the 10 most destructive giants in life. These 10 giants are issues we all face but if left unchecked can cause unnecessary damage and keep us from knowing and experiencing the fullness of God’s presence and purpose in our lives.

Today we are going to look at the second giant in our series and that is the giant of discouragement. I think Discouragement is one of the easiest giants to catch and also one of the most difficult to overcome. It is so easy for us to catch because discouragement is so highly contagious and easily transmitted. It does not matter if you have followed Christ for a year or fifty years every one of us is prone to attack. And once it gets a hold on your life it can drag you down into despair and eventually into depression.

But there is good news: Discouragement is beatable. Like every other giant in our series it has weaknesses and if we learn to guard our hearts well we can ensure that when the time comes we will be prepared to face it.

Now to do this we will look into the life of Nehemiah and seek to discover the causes and the cure for discouragement.

In chapter 4 Nehemiah was at a tough moment in life. God had given him a vision and a plan to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and to renew the faith of the people. However like any project that God gives us, Nehemiah faced some huge obstacles. There were people that did not want to see God’s work completed, they did not want to see Jerusalem strengthen and they did not want to see the walls rebuilt. As a result they did everything in their power to stop it. They wanted Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem to become so discouraged by all their efforts that they would give up and surrender God’s plan.

In verse 6 the giant of disappointment appears and it comes at a very predictable moment. Read this verse with me…

“6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”

Circle the phrase, “half its height.”

Isn’t that the way it always happens? Right when you come to the halfway point discouragement sets in. When we start something new our excitement and enthusiasm for a project/ for a relationship/ for our faith carries us forward. But then we come to the point of no return, we reach the mid-way point and negative thoughts begin. We begin to examine our progress. What once seemed possible now looks impossible, the results that at first encouraged us now appear small and insignificant, the help we had in the beginning has started to fade and the finish line seems more distant then when we began.

Discouragement loves the mid-point. It loves the point of no return – the place where you can’t start over and you can’t quit (because the cost of failure is too great). The point where your accomplishments don’t seem to match the energy or resources you have spent.

When it comes to our faith, once you make a new commitment to God (to pray or to give or to serve) and begin taking steps to fulfill God’s plan Satan is waiting to attack. In verses 10-12 there are four things Satan will use to cause you to be discouraged and to keep you from reaching the goal God has given you/ your full potential.

Let me give you a new perspective on this passage by reading from the NLT,

“10 Then the people of Judah began to complain that the workers were becoming tired. There was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves. 11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, "Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work." 12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, "They will come from all directions and attack us!"

Not a very encouraging scene!

1. The first cause of discouragement is FATIGUE due to a loss of strength.

The number one cause for discouragement is often fatigue. We are just too tired, too worn-out.

Many commentators believe that the reason the rebuilding of the wall caught so much attention was because of their initial success. Nehemiah put together a work force that was so well prepared and highly motivated it caught the attention of everyone watching. Their speed and efficiency was remarkable and news spread quickly, their enemies became afraid and sought to halt their progress.

The other result of their success was an overworked labor force. In their excitement to protect themselves they did not recognize that their speed could become their greatest enemy. They were physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. They did not plan for a time of rest.

Isn’t that how it happens? It’s a new project, a new problem, a new solution, but once the newness wears off we wear down! Fatigue and discouragement always seem to meet in the middle. When we have been burning the candle at both ends and we don’t have the energy to complete what we started.

We need to learn to create margin in our lives and to check our energy level: spiritually, physically and emotionally so that fatigue does not set in.

2. The second cause of discouragement is FRUSTRATION due to a loss of vision.

Nehemiah said the problem was their perception; they believed there was too much rubble. The people had lost God’s vision for the wall in the piles of unfinished projects. Instead of seeing the big picture the workers focused on the mess/rubble of their lives.

I wonder how many of you have the kind of job where your work is never finished? If you do, you understand what frustration is like. The feeling that you are never free, you’re never out from under all the pressure - all the deadlines, you’re never able to relax and leave work behind. Those feelings can leave you trapped, they can cause you to loose sight of God’s plan.

In Ezra 4 we get another glimpse of what caused their frustration,

“4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose…” KJV

When does frustration usually happen?

According to this verse frustration is the result of lost purpose. The goal of frustration is to break you or to divide you. Satan wants you to feel lost and out of God’s will for your life. He wants you to feel worthless, helpless and insignificant to accomplish anything.

But let me tell you a secret, it’s a lie! As a child of God no matter what you have done in the past you are valuable. God has a purpose and plan for your life that far outweighs anything the world can offer. But we can’t get caught with our eyes in the rubble, we can’t get caught focusing on the unfinished projects and in the process forget what living for God means.

3. The third cause of discouragement is FAILURE due to a loss of confidence.

Once fatigue had taken it’s toll and frustration set in, the people failed. They lost confidence in themselves, in each other and ultimately in God.

At the end of verse 10 they said to themselves “…we cannot rebuild the wall."

This is the third stage of discouragement, a stage that always begins the same way. It begins with words like: It’s impossible, I can’t do it, I always fail, I never succeed. I will never amount to anything. Words that convince us there is no hope for the future. The truth is failure is never final. Failure is an opportunity to try again. Let me read a quote by President Theodore Roosevelt on failure:

“It’s not the critic that will count in the end. No, not the man that points out where others have stumbled and where others could have done better. Nope. The credit…belongs to one who is actually in the arena. The one who might come up short again and again because he knows that there is no effort without error or short comings. It is the one who knows the great devotion. He knows the triumph of achievement and who if he falls, he falls at least while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things even though you’re checkered with failure than to be with the poor souls who never enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

The question is not will you fail? The question we need to ask ourselves is, How well do I fail? When something is not accomplished on time or you don’t live up to your expectations, how do you respond? Do you give into self-pity? Do you blame yourself for circumstances that are outside of your control? Or Do you blame others? Do you get angry and allow your failure to impact the lives of everyone around you?

The truth is Failure is never final, instead with God it is always a door to new opportunities.

4. Fourthly, the last cause of discouragement is Fear due to a loss of security.

“11 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." 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

Whenever you build something for God there will always be someone who wants to stop you. When the wall began to go up Nehemiah’s enemies tried to stop the work. They started with coarse jokes, they escalated to biting criticism and when that failed they threatened them with death.

However it was not what their enemies did that produced fear, it was how they responded to the threat.

In verse 11, notice that it is says, “And also Our enemies said.”

The first step towards fear is listening to people who don’t speak for God. When we stop listening to God and start listening to God’s enemy we loose our sense of security. No one likes to be ridiculed, no one likes to be harshly criticized, no one likes to be threatened. Yet when it happens always consider the source. If it is not from God, it is a lie! Don’t listen to it, don’t dwell on it, God is still on your side.

Also notice in verse 12 who becomes afraid first, “Then the Jews who LIVED NEAR THEM came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

The ones who were afraid were the ones surrounded by negative people. Not everyone giving advice is worth listening to and not all criticism is equal. In fact there will be people in your life that would love to see you fail. There goal is keep you from experiencing God’s best. The only way to overcome people like that is to cut them from your life or to distance yourself and let them know how you feel.

As the old proverb goes, “If you want to soar with eagles, you can’t run with turkeys.”

Also notice that the ones who caused the most damaged were also a part of God’s family. I find that the most critical and unproductive words don’t come from the world but from people within the church. Christians can be more damaging to other Christians than the unbelieving world. Un-thoughtful saints have done more to derail God’s people than the prince of darkness himself.

That is why we each need to be careful about how we treat one another, whether it ‘s a committee meeting or a business meeting we need to examine what role we play in building others up or tearing others down. We need to look at whether our words and actions are aimed at encouragement or discouragement.

There is a pattern to discouragement, it begins with fatigue, it translates into frustration, it is multiplied by failure and it results in fear.

How do you know when discouragement is getting control of your life?

The answer is: When you have an intense desire to run! When you feel the best solution is to escape, to find greener pastures and quite waters. Yet the reality is, if you don’t learn the lesson at one place, God will provide you with another opportunity. Sometimes we can jump from the frying pan and into the fire.

Lets look at how Nehemiah responds once discouragement has dug itself in.

NLT… 13 So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes! 15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.”

The answer to discouragement is found in understanding these verses. There are four things that God wants you to do.

1. The first step in overcoming discouragement is to REST and REORGANIZE your life.

In order to stop the spread of discouragement Nehemiah had to reorganize his work force and in the process he had to stop the work. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to get some rest. To stop what you are doing, to take a break from what is bringing you down and rest, to go into your room, close the door and breath in the silence. Forget the negative, begin thanking God for all the good things He has put in your life.

And once you have rested you need to reorganize. Discouragement does not mean you are doing the wrong things, but it might mean that you are doing them the wrong way. The tendency when we get discouraged is to give up on the dream/ the hope/ the vision and do something else.

Nehemiah did not give up, he just tried something different. What Nehemiah discovered was that the workers needed to be surrounded by family. They needed to do their work around people who loved and cared for them.

That might be the same thing God is saying to you. That you need to draw closer to God’s family, stop carrying your burdens on your own and get to know other people in the church. Plug into a small group, join the discussion tables before church, attend the Alpha course, attend a Men’s Night out, find out what the women of the church are doing. Get plugged into the family of God.

2. The second step in overcoming discouragement is to REMEMBER God is with you.

In verse 14 Nehemiah reminds them, "Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…”

The best way to overcome your discouragement is to focus on something bigger. It is easy to get caught with our eyes in the rubble. It’s easy to get lost in the responsibilities and duties of life. But that is not where life is found. Your life is more than making money, your life is more than being a good parent, husband or wife, your life is more than being a good Christian at church, your life is found in the worship and in the enjoyment of God.

Take your eyes off your fears and with all your strength focus on God. Corrie ten Boom who suffered in a Nazi death camp explained how to overcome discouragement by focusing on God, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest!”

When Jonah was discouraged because of his own failure he said,

"When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD.”

The point is your focus will determine your feelings. Where are you focused? On yourself? On your problems? Or on Christ?

3. The third step in overcoming discouragement is to RESIST being discouraged.

At the end of verse 14 Nehemiah encourages God’s people to fight!

“FIGHT for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

Don’t give into discouragement without a fight. We can’t always choose what we experience but we can choose how we respond. Discouragement is a disease that is easily caught but it does not have to become an epidemic. It can be resisted!

We are at war. Satan will use everything in his power to keep you from experiencing God’s best. To accomplish the task he will send a giant into your life, the giant of discouragement. And when he comes don’t let him in! Your are a child of God, you are an heir of the kingdom, you have been made perfect in Christ – Reject discouragement for what it is, a desperate attempt from a false messenger to steal from you your joy in Christ. Resist it!

4. The fourth step in overcoming discouragement is to Return to work.

Once the people had rested and reorganized their lives, once they had focused on the Lord and once they had strengthened their defenses, they returned to work. The goal of discouragement is to convince you that all hope is lost: that all your efforts are futile and your God is small! Demonstrate your commitment to Christ and return to the front lines.

And God says in Rev. 2:4-5, “…you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first…”

Discouragement is universal no one can escape it. Though some of us have a harder time overcoming its effects we all have to learn to resist it. There is a difference between being discouraged and discouragement having a hold on you. When you are discouraged you are still in control of your emotions but when discouragement has you it begins to take control of your life. The goal of discouragement is to make you unproductive for God and drag you down.

We need to recognize that discouragement is not from God. God might use your discouragement, but He does not want you to stay that way. Instead discouragement is an instrument of Satan. He will use the criticism of others, difficult circumstances and your own weaknesses to convince you that you are worthless and you will never amount to much. If you don’t learn to resist these thoughts and impulses you will eventually begin to believe it.