(6) Standing on the Promises?

(Note: This post is part of a series on defeating discouragement with faith and a study of Isaiah 41)


"But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.1 For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. 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.  (Isaiah 41:8-10)

After tearing down Israel’s false hope and misdirected faith, God points them to a trustworthy hope and a faith that flourishes. He reminds them that He has established an irrevocable covenant with Israel that they will be His people. God has promised His covenant love, presence, strength, help, and victory. There is no reason - no matter how fierce the opposition - for discouragement!

God has made these same promises to His Church . . . and more! In Christ we are promised eternal redemption (Heb. 12:5), I will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5), nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35), everything works together for good (Rom. 8:28), we are freely given every good and perfect gift (Rom. 8:32, Jas. 1:17), sufficient grace to face and glorify God in any challenge (2 Cor. 12:9), His power at work within us (Eph. 3:20), God will cause us to stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24). And this is just a sampling of God’s promises to His children.

Now that’s something to believe. This is a trustworthy hope and a reliable focus for your faith, and sure victory over discouragement. If we truly take God at His Word, we would have no fear, no worry, no anxiety, and no discouragement.

God says, “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.” So what does it mean when I am discouraged? It means I am not believing God.

But there’s more to it than that. To understand the depth of this, let’s consider a question. What is stealing? Well, stealing is taking something that does not belong to you. And stealing is a sin. Why? Because God commanded us, “Do not steal.”

So, what is discouragement when God commands us, “Do not be discouraged?” Let’s be consistent here no matter how much it hurts to admit it. Discouragement is sin.

Discouragement is an insult and dishonoring of the character of God, the faithfulness of God and the promises of God. Because we are commanded not to be discouraged, discouragement must be seen as a sin. At its core, discouragement is the sin of unbelief.

Never again can we take discouragement lightly as just something we all face, no big deal. We must call it what it is, what God calls it – sin. We must recognize and confess our unbelief, our failure to believe the promises of God. Confess, and choose to believe God, not what your circumstances and mind are telling you.