But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. (II Cor 7:6)
Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. (II Cor 2: 7)
“Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them? (Num 32:7)
Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. (Ezra 4:4)
They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination. (Neh. 6:9)
So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery. (Ex. 6:9)
After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them. (Num. 32:9)
Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!’ (Deut. 1:21)
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.” (Deut 31:8)
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:9)
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. (Josh 8:1)
“Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.” (Josh 10:25)
Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly. (I Chr. 28:20)
He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (II Chr.20:15)
“Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! (II Chr. 32:7)
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you.I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Is. 41:10)
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God! (Ps: 42:11 and Ps. 43:5; same lyric)Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. (Col 3:21)
I am convinced that one of the subtle schemes of the enemy is to bring discouragement to God’s people. Most of us are familiar with the many “Do not be afraid” or “fear not” verses, but there are many scriptures — 28 in the New Living Translation (NLT) reference discouragement in one way or another, the translation used for the above verses. (18 in the new NIV, 6 in the ESV, 5 in the NASB.)
I also wonder if much of our modern-day depression is really spiritual-warfare. Depression and discouragement seem to go hand-in-hand. The word depression is used sparingly in the above-mentioned translations…
After that, whenever the bad depression from God tormented Saul, David got out his harp and played. That would calm Saul down, and he would feel better as the moodiness lifted. (I Sam. 16:23, The Message)
…though the Bible being more literary and poetic than most other books, often refers to a broken heart:
I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people.Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. (Lamentations 2:11, NLT)
A glad heart makes a happy face;a broken heart crushes the spirit. (Prov 15:30 NLT)
Their insults have broken my heart,and I am in despair.If only one person would show some pity;if only one would turn and comfort me. (Ps. 69:20 NLT)
My heart is broken because of the false prophets,and my bones tremble.I stagger like a drunkard,like someone overcome by wine,because of the holy wordsthe Lord has spoken against them. (Jer. 23:9 NLT)
For myself, today an element of spiritual warfare to it which was more overt, but the feeling I was left with — or the thing that my emotions connected the dots to, the way you attribute someone in a dream to someone you know — was that of discouragement.
It can really eat away at you if you let it.
So don’t.
Christianity 201 