4 Tested Ways to Defuse the Ticking Bomb of Discouragement
Discouragement tried to sneak back into my soul this week. The big bully knew I was home sitting on the couch waiting, and so he whispered twisted lies in my ear as I sat in the quiet.
I wanted to hear from God. I had my Bible open and my pen in hand, but I could ‘t shut off the snarky voice in my head.
That’s never going to happen.
You are wasting your time praying again.
You are going to end up empty handed and hurt, so you should just give up.
And every second that I sat listening to the lies, I felt the tension rising like a ticking bomb getting reading to explode. I pictured my life in shambles with the tiny pieces scattered into a million defeats.
Discouragement is a dictator, and I can’t sit idly and expect to win the mental battle.
Ticking mental bombs can be defused with God’s help.
So, I started reading my Bible aloud, and I grabbed a pen. I circled the phrases jumping of the page with Truth and strength and hope.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:8, NLT)
Discouragement, be gone. This mind is yielded to God, not you.
To win the war against discouragement, I must arm myself with wisdom daily.
How about you? Is discouragement holding you captive right now? Maybe like me you are more focused on your chaos than on Christ. You are not alone. But, here’s the good news: God is on our side. With His help, we can pick up the pieces and persevere.
4 Ways to Defuse the Discouragement Bomb
Start Counting Your Blessings
Take note of His kindness to you. Remember His steadfast love will never leave you.
“The Lord is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love Him, but He destroys the wicked. I will praise the Lord, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:17-21, NLT)
Stop Feeding Your Fears
Attack your worries with worship. Re-focus your thoughts on God’s faithful character, not the chaos.
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:22-23, NIV)
Change Your Agenda
Create space for rest in your life and recharge. Don’t let busy rob you from intimacy with your God. Be still and wait for Him to work.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:5-7, NLT)
Continue Fueling Your Faith
Stay in the Word. Love your people. Pray with expectation. Put on your armor daily and stand strong.
“But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News…” (Colossians 1:23)
This week, I want to invite you to join me in a simple morning exercise to help you stop feeding your fears and start fueling your faith. Want to join me?
I’ve created a one-page printable with simple sentence prayers and Scriptures to help us surrender our busy day to God. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
As we slow down and savor His Word, our hearts will find strength in His love and faithfulness. A quiet confidence will replace frazzled busy. We’ll find peace as we surrender our day to our Savior.
Discouragement cannot beat us down if we fix our eyes on our undefeatable God.
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Oh, sweet Lyli…this is so clear and to the points. We all need reminding because the enemy comes prowling looking for our weaknesses and open wounds. Thanks you for this as I am in a vulnerable spot these days with my husband on hospice with terminal cancer. BUT…the LORD has walked with us each and every day drawing us closer to Him and to each other. He is giving us that peace that passes ALL understanding that is so beautiful. I have never experienced anything like this and I want to share it when I am able. So every couple of weeks, when God prompts me, I have been able to write on being Woven this journey that Ken and I are on. Bless you for giving me some strong stuff, dear friend.
Tears. You are so loved, beautiful friend.
God has been speaking to me lots through that Deuteronomy 31 verse in recent months. I’d never really noticed/read it before, but one day I hit upon it in a devotional I read, and I’ve been holding on to it ever since! And “stop feeding your fears.” Oh yes, I need to hear that!
A post chock full of goodness. We need to take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and fight back against discouragement.
“Don’t let busy rob you from intimacy with your God. ” This speaks to my life. It is too often that I allow my busy to overtake my day. Quiet time with God refuels my soul. I need to protect that! What a good perspective on fighting off discouragement! Thank you!
So practical. So true. The voices that come at us in our minds will be engaged by something–either cooperation or with truth. Thanks for encouraging me to use truth.
Thought of Faith&Friends when i read your post today – she lists five F’s which lead to discouragement. I tried ‘rassling my negative thoughts to the ground this week from the git-go (where is all this Western jargon coming from – oh, yes, we just signed up for a dude ranch, I’m reading News From the World, and we are watching Longmire – yep, that could do it) – by turning immediatly to thanking God, no matter what. Bless you, lyli and your big heart. How’s your family?
We are hanging in there. Holding on to Jesus.
Thanks for checking up on us, friend xo
Well said, Lyli! It fits with what I posted on Wednesday (A Costly Snare) dealing with lies we believe and catch us up away from the truth! Love it when several of us are hearing similar themes from the Lord. Let’s me sense major things He wants us to remember! Have a blessed weekend!
Lyli – this is such a good and powerful post. You hit the nail on the head with your points and your words. Thank you. This line “Discouragement is a dictator, and I can’t sit idly and expect to win the mental battle.” WOW so true and yet, we do tend to often sit idly by don’t we? I have been dealing with this little dictator voice in my head lately too – but it’s going down! Thanks for the encouragement. I have always loved your posts, they are so inspirational. Thanks for hosting 🙂
Thanks, Debbie. You bless me.
I needed this post!