When You Feel Discouraged
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded (Hebrews 10:35 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Have you ever gone through [a period of discouragement]? Perhaps you’re
in one /right now. Believe me, I’ve been right there with you. I’ve
hidden /in the cave /with Elijah, under the gourd plant with Jonah, and
in the dessert with Moses.
Discouragement comes /when there is a gap /between what you expect and
what you experience—when there is a gap
between what you hoped would happen and what actually does happen.
* 의문사는 종절의 주어
what you hoped would happen ; 일어났으면 하고 희망하는 그것
you hoped (that) what would happen. 그것이 일어났으면 하고 희망한다
Discouragement can destroy your passion and undermine your purpose.
It can take root /because of what others say or
didn’t say—a mom //who
said too much or a dad who said too little.
* and (discouragement can) undermine your purpose
* it = discouragement
Unmet expectations can
become the breeding ground /for discouragement /to multiply and take
root.
We certainly see that /in Moses’s life. When Moses was forty years
old, he expected to be the deliverer for his people.
But [what he
experienced] was rejection and regret. Forty years later, when God
called him to lead the enslaved Israelites
out of Egypt, Moses argued:
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been
eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have
spoken /to your
servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” (Exod. 4:10).
* eloquent; fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing.
[This statement //that came /out of Moses’s stuttering lips] was simply
not true. As Stephen reminded us:
“Moses was educated /in all the wisdom
of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22).
Moses had defined himself /by his failure and was held hostage /by a
constant state of discouragement.
Oh friend, we need to be so careful
/to not do the same.
Discouragement causes many a believer to pull up a lawn chair in
cul-de-sac Christianity and refuse to venture out /to the
adventurous
faith. They mumble the words “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me
twice, shame on me” over their hopes and
dreams. They fill the gap
/between what they hope for and what they experience /with the false
belief //that dreams aren’t worth the effort.
*Define cul–de–sac: a street that is designed to connect to another street only at one end; the other end is dead end.
[What we tend to see as a permanent condition], God sees /as a
temporary situation.
[What you see as one of your greatest setbacks]
might be one of God’s incredible setups /for marvelous miracles to
occur.
* [What we tend to see as a permanent condition], God sees /as a
temporary situation.
God sees [What we tend to see as a permanent condition] /as a
temporary situation.
If you are meeting resistance /in your hopes and dreams, then
you’re most likely on the right track.
The devil wouldn’t mess with you
if you weren’t a menace to his plans and a valuable asset to God.
*likely 형용사
*mess with; to annoy, worry, or cause problems for someone
[What the devil really wants to do] is to steal your confidence, and [the best time /to rob you blind] is during a season of
disappointment.
* 관용어; to rob you blind 사정없이 강도질하다 (우리말의 눈뜨고 코배이는 상황과는 다름)
To "rob someone blind" means to rob that person /as though he or she were
blind and thus couldn't detect the robbery.
The implication is that the robbery is likely to be thorough and
devastating /because the robber has no fear of detection
and no need to
act in haste.
Guard your heart. Don’t be caught unaware and allow him to hold you
back, trip you up or slow you down.
*and (don't) allow him
*to hold you
back, (to) trip you up or (to) slow you down
The circumstances are, well, just
circumstantial—collateral damage in the real battle to take away your
confidence in Christ.
So don’t let the devil win. You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus!
*circumstance; a fact or event that makes a situation the way it is:
*collateral ; related but not in a direct or close way.
* Collateral damage is a general term for deaths, injuries, or other damage
inflicted on an unintended target. In military terminology, it is
frequently used for the incidental killing or wounding of non-combatants
or damage to non-combatant property during an attack on a legitimate military target.
Let go of [debilitating discouragement] and take hold of [your next assignment]!
*Verb; let go of - release, as from one's grip
* 동사구; take hold of ; to grasp
Let’s Pray
Dear God, I’ll admit that sometimes I get so discouraged I feel like I
can’t go on. When things don’t go /the way () I thought
they would, I just
want to quit. Help me to remember that my greatest setbacks might be
one of Your incredible setups
for marvelous miracles to occur. Give me
the God-confidence //that I need to keep moving forward in Your will.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
* 부사역할 명사구; /the way () I thought they would = I thought that they would go the way
*setback; a problem that makes progress more difficult or success less likely.