Are you facing a time of fear, doubt, or discouragement? Today we are going to share three things you can do to escape those feelings and it won’t cost you anything but a few minutes of your day.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Watch the video of this teaching at https://www.celllifechurch.tv/escape-fear-doubt-and-discouragement/ or on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/sJeslRKqmLM
We have been pastors or spiritual counselors for people for a long time. People often come to us and share feelings of fear, doubt, and discouragement. I ask the same questions and share the same advice with most who come to me during these times. I learned these questions from the friend and pastor who led me to Jesus many years ago. I ask these two key questions, “How is your regular Bible reading going?” and “Tell me about your prayer life.”
We all have our dry spell moments in life. Time seems to get away from us all and we can’t find enough of it. We all go through them every now and again and we all have those times when we are fighting doubt and do not understand what God is doing. Many have those moments where they wonder if all they are living for is noticed or even worth it. These are all moments of fear, doubt, and discouragement.
There is something common about the answers I get from people when I ask about their prayer time and their time reading or listening to the Bible; it is lacking. Perspectives have shifted and often the person has lost sight of God’s plan and purpose for their life.
Three things will change your perspective on life and the world around you forever when you add them to your daily life. These three simple pieces of advice will change your life forever when put into practice sincerely. Everyone needs to add these three things to their morning routine and they are quite simple and only require a couple of minutes. These three things will push aside the fear, doubt, and discouragement in your life.
The first thing to do is to stand on God’s promises. There are two key pieces of scripture that we want you to print out, write out, or save a snapshot of and put in a prominent place so you will see them every day, first thing. The first is Jeremiah 29:11.
(11) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This was a promise to God’s people through the prophet Jeremiah after many years in captivity. God saw the plight of his people and wanted to let them know that no matter what, He had plans for a good future. The hardships they were enduring were not going to last forever and He was going to restore them.
We can stand on this promise. This promise holds true through the generations to everyone who calls God, Father, Lord, and Almighty. God does not want to harm you. He wants to see you succeed in whatever the plan and purpose He created you for. Stand on that promise.
The other promise we find in scripture is Romans 8:38-39.
(38) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, (39) neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Nothing! No fear, doubt, or discouragement can come between you and the Lord unless you let it. The key is knowing this scripture, believing it, and then standing on the promise it is.
Write these two passages of scripture on a piece of paper, take a screenshot of them on your mobile device, or print it out from your computer and put it in a place where you will see it every day without having to look for it. Tape them to your bathroom mirror or hang them in your kitchen. Make them the screensaver on your computer or the background on your mobile phone.
Each day recite these passages out loud. There is amazing power in speaking and also hearing the word of God spoken aloud. Speak it out with boldness and believe it. It won’t be long before you have the verses memorized. Don’t remove the reminder from wherever you put it when you do. It can’t remind you if it’s not there.
The second tool to remove fear, doubt, and discouragement from your life is to shift your focus from yourself and your circumstances and start to focus on what the Lord leads you to. Daily prayer is essential for the Christian. We must stay in communication with God. It is important to thank him for the many blessings he gives us, but it is also important to ask him to help you serve him in the way he made you. There is something I ask the Lord almost daily in prayer time.
Ask God to give you a measure of His compassion for those you come in contact with that day. If you already pray daily, add this to your daily prayer. If you don’t pray daily, or don’t know how to pray, just ask God. That’s all prayer is. Just talk to God like you would talk to a friend or brother.
When you ask God for a measure of His compassion you will start to feel for people around you. You will start caring about people that are in a tough place and your heart may even feel compelled to help them. By all means, help!
You are the hands and feet of Christ, so do what you believe the Lord is leading you to do. Help when the Holy Spirit prompts you. You don’t need anyone’s permission. You already have God’s permission. Jesus talks about that in Matthew 25:33-45. We are all called to help the people around us and be a witness of the love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness that Jesus brings.
When you allow the Lord to refocus your attention from yourself to others you will start to lose the fear, doubt, and discouragement that is building up in your life.
Third, ask God to let you see the world through His eyes. This goes along with the measure of compassion and they work hand in hand and should be part of your daily prayer time. When you combine the compassion of God with His view of the world, your world will be shaken. Don’t let that scare you, it’s a good thing. We need our world shaken from time to time.
When your world is shaken you are broken out of the ruts of life you find yourself in. You will start to see people around you in a different light. You will notice that you start to judge people less and care for them more.
You will see that some of the truly happiest people may not be the most financially secure. You will see those who appear to be the most successful on the outside are often the ones with the biggest fears and doubts. You will see the causes of people’s attitudes, both good and bad, and understand where the attitudes come from.
All of this, when joined with God’s compassion, and the knowledge that nothing can separate us from the love of God through Jesus, will bring a new dawning in your life. Your world will change in a great way. Your fear, doubt, and discouragement will melt away.
The dry spells and doubts will become far fewer and shorter in duration. You will find God whispering to your heart in ways that bring you joy and plant seeds of joy in those around you. The fear, doubt, and discouragement that are weighing you down will melt away.
There you have it. Three things you can do to make fear, doubt, and discouragement go away. Each day speak Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:38-39 aloud, ask the Lord for a measure of his compassion for those you come in contact with, and ask the Lord to see those you encounter the way he sees them. It’s simple. It just takes a little discipline to get going. Add this to your daily routine. It won’t take long before you see a big change in your life and in your heart. You will be a witness of the love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ in greater ways than you ever were before, and you will have a renewed outlook on life. You will be blessed, I guarantee it!
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