YOU CAN FINISH WELL, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF DISCOURAGEMENT
"But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders. 6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work." Nehemiah 4:1-6.
Nehemiah was a man on a mission! A mission to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Walls helped to protect people and their households, as well as their blessings. Walls provided security for the people living in the cities. Walls serve as shield. An ancient city without a wall was exposed to attack. A broken wall makes an individual, family, church or city, to be vulnerable to the strike of the enemy. The children of Israel sinned, they rebelled against God, and He was angry with them. The enemies came, destroyed the Temple and the walls of Israel's cities. They took God's people into captivity. The first step to be taken for the Jews to return home is the rebuilding of the walls.
The mission was a divine mandate. God put it into the heart of Nehemiah, to take the long journey back home and rebuild the broken walls. Upon arriving at Jerusalem, he surveyed the city; accessed the damage and put a plan of action in place to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah rallied the people together and told them what God had put in his heart and shared his vision with them.
The walls were going up and that meant Jerusalem would soon be secure again. Progress on the wall brought out the enemy. The enemies of Israel did not like the idea. When they were half way, discouragement showed up. Sanballat was desperately angry at the progress on the wall. So also the circle of Israel's enemies was expanding. The enemies surrounded Jerusalem. They became incensed, angry and sarcastic. They felt threatened. The enemy began their psychological warfare.
"Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia." Ezra 4:1-5.
When the enemy failed to stop the work from outside, they tried to infiltrate and sabotage it from inside. Just like Nehemiah, Ezra also faced discouragement when he led the people of Judah to rebuild the Temple. According to Ezra 4:4, the enemy's campaign was somehow working because the builders hands were weakened. The children of Judah were greatly discouraged and troubled.
Background story:
This story takes place at the time of the return of Israel from captivity. Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon or the Assyrian Empire (Babylon was its capitol city). During their captivity Babylon fell to the Persian Empire. But the Jews enjoyed favourable status with the Persian Empire. This resulted in much jealousy among the people of the other conquered nations. Due to the favour the Jews enjoyed, King Araxerxes I (465-424 B.C.) granted a decree that allowed Nehemiah and Ezra to return to Jerusalem. They were given authority to return home, rebuild the destroyed Temple and the walls round about Jerusalem, under the protection of the Persian Empire. If the Jews must relocate and stay safe in their homeland, then the walls had to be rebuilt.
When Nehemiah and Ezra returned to Jerusalem, they found the land occupied. The people who occupied the land were from the land of the Amorites, Moabites and other surrounding nations. Thus, they were not happy when news got to them that, the Jews would return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and their Temple. Hence, the agenda of Israel's enemies was to make them give up.
Like the children of Israel, we also face discouragement and discouraging situations.
You are so excited and had your hopes up about a business idea, a dream, a vision, or a project. You're so hyped up! Suddenly, things are not going the way you've planned, Everything began falling apart. You are discouraged. You've lost your passion and drive. The discouragement destroyed the determination you had to succeed. Now, your dreams is gathering dust somewhere in the closets. That's the power of discouragement! It makes one to quit, to give up.
The dictionary defines discouragement as "a feeling of despair in the face of obstacles; or a state of distraught and loss of sense of enthusiasm, drive or courage." The word discouragement comes from the root word courage. The prefix dis- means “the opposite of.” So discouragement is the opposite of courage. Afflict, beat down, demoralize, depress, dismay, distress, frighten, intimidate, and trouble are synonyms of the word discourage. When you are discouraged, you have lost the motivation to press forward. It stop the completion of a divine assignment. Discouragement saps our strength to go on because hope and vision become clouded in the midst of life’s circumstance.
“Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-7, 9.
POINTS TO NOTE ABOUT DISCOURAGEMENT.
1. Anyone who desire to do a great thing will face opposition.
A doubting Thomas will always be able to poke holes through your vision. Satan will use frustration, discouragement, disappointment, and depression, to hinder. The attack is to make you lose your passion, drive, purpose and direction. The very fact that your idea, dreams or vision is divine will always arouse Satanic opposition. He will concentrate all his forces against you. Don't give in to the devil's agenda.
2. You must prayerfully discern every counsel.
The enemies of the Jews brought in counsellors to dissuade, deter, discourage and to confuse the people. Sift every counsel or advise prayerfully. Pray before making important decisions.
3. The obstacles you encounters in life don’t necessarily mean that God opposes your dreams.
Sometimes a closed door is being kept closed by an adversary. If you are doing God’s will, keep praying and keep pushing. The door will soon open.
4. Some people will criticize and oppose your dreams, vision or project because of envy.
Envy comes in when we feel we have a right to something that someone else has—and we feel they shouldn’t have it at all. We look at the spouse, anointing, job, car, house, wealth, experience, or success of another and resent that they have something we don’t. Envy has led people to steal or kill to make sure the thing they wanted was not enjoyed by someone else.
5. Discouragement sets in when there is a gap between what you expect and what you get.
Unmet expectations can become the landing ground for discouragement to multiply and take root.
6. Discouragement can destroy passion and undermine your purpose.
It can take root because of what others say or didn’t say.
7. If you are facing resistance in your goals, then you’re most likely on the right track.
8. Discouragement erases, reduces or diminishes your courage.
Courage is the strength within us, that enables us to stand against all odds with a determination to reach our goals. It is the quality of mind or spirit that helps a person to face difficulty, danger, and pain without fear. Courage is a 'never give up' attitude! It is the ability to take progressive steps in the face of opposition. Courage does not count the number of failures or falls, it keep going forward. We can’t succeed in life without courage. We must stop looking around at the circumstances. We must look within and look up as we see God stirring up our courage.
9. Challenges are meant to serve as triggers to God’s anointing in your life.
10. There must be an expectation for there to be disappointment.
We frequently expect the unlikely from our nation, community, marriages, families, careers, churches, and life situations. Yet, our expectations will not always be met. When your expectations are not met, strive to communicate your feelings without hostility. Adjust your expectations.
11. Discouragement is contagious!
It is universal, recurring, and everyone gets it. Hanging around discouraged people affects you.
12. Discouragement subdues optimism and destroys hope.
13. If you don't deal with discouragement, it result into trust issues.
14. Discouragement creates fertile soil for the weeds of doubt, fear, unbelief, and compromise to grow.
15. Discouragement eats a hole in the hearts.
16. Discouragement comes in at the halfway point.
You are energised and passionate when you start a new project or ministry. But after awhile the newness of the project wears off. You get bored, tired and discouragement sets in.
17. The pursuit of your dreams is going to be a threat to someone else.
Sanballat and Tobiah had a vested interest. They didn’t want the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt. Sometimes you’re going to step on toes and challenge someone’s vested interest.
WHAT CAUSES DISCOURAGEMENT?
1. Exhaustion.
Tiredness can lead to discouragement. Discouragement shows up when we are weak and vulnerable. If left unchecked, it can steal our joy and hinder our ability to finish well.
2. Frustration.
The word frustrate means: to break, to annul, to do away, to fail, made void, to split, or to divide.
3. Failure.
"For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity." Proverbs 24:16. Sometimes your best laid plans fall apart. How do you react?
4. Fear.
The fear of criticism (What will they think?); the fear of responsibility (What if I can't handle this?); and the fear of failure (What if I don't succeed?) can cause a major discouragement.
5. Unmet expectations.
Job felt discouraged. Instead of comforting him, his wife and friends were blaming him for his misfortunes. We, too, can feel let down by friends and family. They don’t understand what we are going through or don’t offer to help as we wish they would.
6. The circumstances of life.
Elijah hoped that after all the miracles the Israelites saw performed on Mount Carmel, Ahab and Jezebel would repent and put God first, but they did not. King Ahab and Jezebel were as stubborn and hard hearted as always, and Elijah felt discouraged, exhausted, and told himself that his entire ministry was a waste. He became depressed. 1 Kings 19.
7. Unanswered prayers.
Nothing motivates like answered prayer. At the same time, nothing frustrates like unanswered prayer. The disciples of Jesus felt discouraged after He was crucified. They said, “We were hoping that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” Luke 24:21. They couldn’t see the bigger picture and felt disappointed and discouraged that Jesus did not fight for his Kingdom.
8. When we set personal high standards and failed to live up to them.
9. Betrayal.
10. Reproach, mockery and ridicule.
Whenever you attempt to do something great, you will always face ridicule. Notice how Sanballat called the Jews “feeble.” That word means “withered and miserable.”
DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT?
Here's what Nehemiah taught about defeating discouragement (Nehemiah 4):
1. Take sometime to rest.
If your body is weak, your mind, emotions and will be weakened. Sometimes the circumstances of life drain us, and we need to press pause, stop doing, and simply rest and refresh for a while. You will be more effective when you return to work.
2. Reorganize your life.
Try a new approach. Simplify your life. Don't waste time and energy on things that don't reflect what's most important to you. Freeing yourself from unnecessary tasks will encourage you.
3. Remember God will help you.
“I would have despaired unless I had believed I would see God in the land of the living” Psalm 27. If we are not in close trusting relationship with God, life’s troubles can become unbearable.
4. Refuse to doubt.
To doubt is to consider unlikely, to have uncertainties, to hesitate, to distrust, to speak words of unbelief and to be fearful of what God is asking us to do. Have faith in God; refuse to doubt.
5. Develop an attitude of praise and worship.
Praise takes our minds off our situation and focuses them on God and His promises. It gives God the right to reign in our lives. We don't always see the finished product. Sometimes to get to the end we have to go through the difficulties. Praise accepts the present. It releases the power of God.
6. Find the source of your discouragement.
Sometimes it’s a goal that was not attained. It may be a despising remark of a friend, the feeling of carrying a heavy burden alone, or the lack of approval by an important person in your life.
7. Resist discouragement.
Fight back! What you refuse to confront you cannot conquer.
8. Look beyond your circumstances and emotions.
"Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills." Habakkuk 3:17–19.
Things happen and we can’t understand why. Often in our discouragement we look inward, to our problems, our frustrations, and our situation, when we need to look upward to God.
Choose faith over fear. Recognize that God is always with you, even in the midst of the most discouraging circumstances. Whenever you feel afraid, choose to trust God despite your fear.
9. Pray.
"Then I prayed, “Hear us, O our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in the presence of the builders.” Nehemiah 4:4-5.
The first thing that Nehemiah did after the opposition was that he prayed. Prayer was his initial response to being attacked. Come before the Lord in prayer. You do not have because you do not ask. You do not find because you do not seek. The door doesn’t open because you don’t knock Matthew 7:7–8. God already knows how discouraged you feel, but He wants you to talk to Him about your feelings and listen for how His Spirit guides you. Vent your anger and frustration to God and keep in mind that He cares about what you're going through. Ask Him for deliverance. Pray for strength to empower you to endure discouraging situations. Pray for discernment.
10. Keep working.
Nehemiah had three alternatives. When Sanballat, Tobias and the enemies of the Jews started opposing him with rumors, resistance and ridicule he could:
a) Give up.
b) Leave the wall and go fight them.
c) Keep building the wall and same time arm himself for a counter attack.
What did Nehemiah choose? “At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city, for the people had worked very hard.” Nehemiah 4:6. He didn’t allow his enemies to become the focus of the attention. He remained focused on the project.
Often, we waste precious time and energy trying to answer questions for people who really aren’t interested in answers. Without realizing it, we shift our attention away from our goals. Don’t let criticism distract you. Learn to expect it. Learn to pray about it, to learn from it, and most of all to work through it. Persistence is the ultimate test. Stick to your assignment.
11. Begin meditating frequently on the Scripture.
12. Think about the good things in life.
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8.
13. Have patience with yourself.
13. Spend quality time with encouragers.
Time in their presence will naturally make you feel better yourself. "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17.
14. Encourage yourself in the Lord.
Sometimes, no one will be able to encourage you. Turn to the Word of God. Open your Bible and read it. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4.
15. Never give up!
Keep holding on to God's promises. Keep pursuing your dreams. Don’t be discouraged. Keep your eyes on the prize. Do not quit halfway! Go all the way. There's a reward.
IN CONCLUSION:
If you are in the midst of a discouraging situation right now, ask God for help. Tell Him to turn your ashes into beauty, strength instead of fear, joy to replace mourning, and peace for despair.
It is a good thing to finish whatever you start. It's not good for a project to be abandoned midway. You can finish well. You may have had a bad start in life. You may have messed up along the way. You may have made mistakes. You may have regrets. But you can finish well and that is what matters most. Push past discouragement and discouraging situations around you. Move forward.
Perhaps you are discouraged in your spiritual life and it seems the right thing to do is to give up. But you can't quit. The situation you are facing now will soon come to an end. Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! It’s only a test. Don’t give up half way through your test. God will see you through. Your best is yet to come!
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you” Psalm 42:5-6.
HO, MY COMRADES! SEE THE SIGNAL, WAVING IN THE SKY! Author: P. P. Bliss (1870)
1 Ho! my comrades, see the signal,
Waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing,
Victory is nigh!
Refrain:
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”
Jesus signals still,
Wave the answer back to Heaven,
“By Thy grace we will.”
2 See the mighty host advancing,
Satan leading on;
Mighty men around us falling,
Courage almost gone. [Refrain]
3 See the glorious banner waving,
Hear the bugle blow;
In our Leader’s Name we triumph
Over every foe. [Refrain]
4 Fierce and long the battle rages,
But our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander,
Cheer, my comrades, cheer! [Refrain]
PRAYER POINTS AGAINST DISCOURAGEMENT
1. Every spirit of discouragement, I bind you now, in Jesus name.
2. Every good thing I have lost because of discouragement, I recover it, in Jesus name.
3. Every enemy of joy in my heart, fail woefully, in Jesus name.
4. I receive the power to finish well, in Jesus name.
5. O God my Father, strengthens my weak hands, in Jesus name.
6. Thank God for answering your prayers.
