Model Mom says…
As we sit and watch the world around us, there is an ugly monster that has been rearing its head out of the shadows and that monster is discouragement. Yes, DISCOURAGEMENT!
Why discouragement and not hate, depression, lust, fear…etc. Well let me break it down for you.
Say you are suffering from depression; what are some of the emotions you are feeling? I can tell you that when I was battling depression, I felt alone but my kids were here…my goalfriends (the TRUE ones, cause ya’ll know….) were a phone call away…my sisters were only a call away yet I sat in that dark hole thinking: They are too busy, they don’t really care, they’ll think I’m silly, they won’t respect me as a thought leader anymore….and so I was discouraged from reaching out; thereby, staying in that dark hole.
There are many other feelings you may have but I bet you, you are hearing whispers in your ear…things like: you can’t or they won’t that stop you from calling out for help.
Maybe there is something else that is going on with you like loneliness, heartbreak, fear, or financial struggles. Maybe these emotions are tap-tap-tapping on your mental and you feel stuck or hopeless. Maybe you even feel like you can’t do it anymore and have contemplated suicide because the weight of emotions can feel like there MUST be something going on with the Earth’s gravitational pull!
If the enemy can discourage you from reaching out for help when you feel that tightening in your chest from loneliness, or anxiety or fear…he’s got you! You see discouragement is the enemy’s most widely used tool in his tool box!!
So how do we put the enemy in his place?
Perspective shift
Maintaining a right perspective is important in life. A wrong perspective produces wrong actions, and a right perspective produces right actions. I don’t know if you are a believer but I AM and It is our responsibility as believers to look at every situation from God’s view. We must ask ourselves:
- How does God view my life? (hint: You are God’s Workmanship)
- How does God view this situation I am facing right now?
- What is the big picture?
Asking ourselves these questions will help us keep our minds sound so that we can make wise and sound decisions that we will be proud of later.
A sound mind is a mind that has a right perspective. Once we shift our perspective by answering those questions, we can began to do an…
Emotional Shift
Okay, you do know that God gave us the gift of choice…we can choose life or death…Jesus said choose life! It’s crazy right, our lives are not our own and yet God has given them into our hands!!! One of the ways we choose life over death is in our emotional preferences and habits.
You must give up the right to whine, wallow, or regress (This doesn’t mean you’re not going to have some downs…just means you don’t commit to staying there!). You must embrace the beauty in the uncertainty, trust he created you for good works so why not shut down those lying whispers of discouragement dead in their tracks!!
You were created for good works and not for the works of the flesh or for the opinions of your emotions!
I am not telling you anything I haven’t been through, fought through, cried through, or crawled through!! He declares you his MASTERPIECE!! Every time you hear a whisper of discouragement….look at yourself, IN THE EYE, in the mirror…do you see that???
You are a MASTERPIECE, there’s no way the whispers could be true…right?!!! Even amid all of the feelings and emotions that naturally come, peace and calm can come over you as a result of receiving the mind of Christ.
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“Father, I pray that You give me a right perspective. Help me see every situation in my life from Your view. You have given to me a sound mind to enjoy in my everyday life, and I receive it now and thank You for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ”