(2) Faith is the Victory

(Note: This is part of a seires of posts on defeating discouragment with faith)

All through scripture, the remedy offered for discouragement is faith. Meditate and take to heart these verses. As you read them, answer the questions, “Who is my God?” “What will characterize my life when I trust God.?” In fact, why not get out a sheet of paper and list your answers to these two questions as you meditate through these verses.

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8 NLT)

Those who are righteous will be long remembered. 7They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them. "They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. (Psalm 11 2:6-8 NLT)

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on vou because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV)

"But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a river bank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.  (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)

The one who trusts God and takes Him at His word will have no fear of bad news, but rather, they will be confident and fearless. Now that’s an incredible statement. No fear of bad news. Confident . . . fearless! Is that you?

The one who trusts will face foes triumphantly. This does not mean the victory is always assured, but it means we will be triumphant in faith, triumphant over fear.

We also see in these verses that there will be peace, blessing, and stability. We will not be hot and bothered when the heat is on, and not worried when everything dries up. Instead, we will continue to have a vibrant life and fruitfulness.

All this will come to us if God is our refuge. When we trust Him as the one who cares for us. When we see Him as our everlasting rock, our hope, and confidence.

Notice something very important. It is not the circumstances that change. The hope, confidence and victory over discouragement don’t come through a change in circumstances. They come from making God our confidence and hope. When we trust Him and His perfect plan, the circumstances may not change but we will still have confidence, we will still have hope because confidence and hope are not linked to the circumstances we are experiencing, they are anchored deep in our faith in the goodness and greatness of God.
 
If your faith was measured by your confidence, hope, and stbility, how would you do?  Not sure?  Not good?  Perhaps you need a fresh view of the glory of God.