Be Strong! Keep Going!

               

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord our God is with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

I started today (the day I’m writing this not sure when it will post) feeling completely discouraged. One thing came after another and motivation left like a slow leak in a tire. Before 11 am, I was tempted to categorize the whole a day as “a bad day”. It was the type of morning that needed a restart and made me come to an “I'll barely make it through today and try to start again tomorrow” conclusion. There was only one problem: I do not have a day to waste. 

God has been pushing me out of my comfort zone and it is requiring a lot of work. Thoughts of discouragement came to drown me and I began to think, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this?” “Does God have the wrong person?” “What would it really cost me to quit?” The temptation to embrace these thoughts came, but even for the moment they came, I was not able to make any progress. Immediately I knew on my heart these feelings of discouragement could lead me into a very unproductive, pity-filled day. 

God revealed to me that discouragement is a distraction. When you are discouraged you don’t put your best foot forward. Discouragement can completely slow down your momentum and even bring you to a complete stop if you let it. I am determined, (weaknesses, flaws and all) to go places in God. I really thought about how I did not have time for discouragement. Discouragement would cause me to give up and completely disobey what I know God is calling me to do.

I prayed and switched up my normal routine in order to refocus my motivation. I decided that even though discouragement knocked on my door, I was not going to invite it in. Discouragement was not going to hang out with me today. We are not friends. We are not even acquaintances as we have been so many times before. In this season, I do not have time to hang around with discouragement because we are not headed in the same direction. My hopes, goals, aspirations, and successes are not at the end of the path the discouragement leads to. As someone driving in the wrong direction, I had to reroute and make a u-turn.

At the end of the day, I am more encouraged than ever. Prayer and faith that God will fulfill His word truly changed my perspective and turned my day around. I went to journal about today but believe God is leading me to write this as a blog to bless others. 

Let me encourage you that discouragement is unfruitful and will not cause you to be productive. Recognize when it comes! Fight in prayer and in faith. Have your mind made up to reach your goals no matter how unqualified you may feel. Walk by faith not feelings. Feelings will fail but Jesus prayed ahead that our faith will not fail.

Pray with me "Lord, I thank You for the leading of Your Holy Spirit! I resist the temptation to be discouraged. I TRUST YOU. My focus is on You. I will obey You and apply my faith no matter how I feel at this moment. Discouragement will have no place in me. I will be strong and of good courage, because You will never leave me nor forsake me!