Defeated

The matter of discouragement is not to be taken lightly.  We know that if morale is low in a work place that there is less work that gets done.  Low morale in the home leads to an unhealthy family environment and so forth.  The enemy would love to keep our morale low when it comes to life and God matters.  Imagine the little amount of work that we would do in God’s name if we had low faith morale?  Yes, we have an enemy and if we want to know what type of person he is we can find out what the Bible tells us about him.

I Peter 5

 ⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

God has a great plan for us, and there will be struggles, but He is able to keep us from stumbling.  It is His joy to strengthen us.  It is His hope that we become more like Christ and fulfill the calling He has given us. 

Jude

 ²⁴ To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—

We will have trials, but God provides a way to “get out” if it is more than we can handle.  We don’t always get to decide if it is too much, but we have to rely on the fact that He knows what is best and will remove us at just the right time.  Trials can also prepare us and stretch us to make us more as God wants us to be.  However, we can bank on it never being too much.

I Corinthians 10

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

How do we know what God wants us to do?  The best thing is for us to draw close to Him, get to know Him better, listen to Him, and see what direction He is leading us.

James 4

 ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you.

In the midst of your trials and struggles…remember, our Father is more powerful!  Not only defeating or overpowering the enemy but making a spectacle of them.  We are not to be overcome because He overcame the enemy for us!

Colossians 2

¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.