Tag: Discouragement

PUSH

Discouragement is one of Satan’s greatest tools. He knows if he can discourage us enough, we will quit.

Quitting seems easy but, is it really?

Will quitting help us reach the goal? Will it accomplish the will of God?

What happens to those who are following if leaders quit?

Discouragement is inevitably going to happen. How do we deal with it?

The antonym is encouragement. As interesting as it may sound, when we focus on encouraging others our own discouragement seems to disappear.

Remember to PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens!

God certainly knows how to aid His leaders in overcoming discouragement.

Discouragement and Distraction

Satan carries many tools in his arsenal, all designed to distract leaders from the great task before them.

Nothing seems more distracting than discouragement. Nehemiah would not allow any amount of discouragement, abuse, or intimidation to distract him from completing the work.

The devil seeks to discourage and distract us, attempting to cause us to give up.

Nehemiah noted, “We doing a great work and [we] cannot come down. Why should the work stop while [we] leave it and come down to you?” (Neh. 6:3)

Fight the urge! Stay the course! Do not be distracted! Do not give the devil opportunity!

Confidence

Confidence in one’s ability diminishes when leaders experience failure, suffer discouragement, or they are harshly criticized by others.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal” is the powerful thought expressed by Winston Churchill. Recognizing that the only time failure exists is when we give up helps us redirect our thinking when success is beyond our reach.

Suffering discouragement generally follows moments of failure. We begin to overcome discouragement by evaluating the cause and seeking help to address it.

Criticism, even when harshly given, provides growth benefits if we are able to see them in this way. Instead of “reacting,” we need to “act” appropriately as a spiritual leader.

Handling Adversity

Leadership will always suffer times when adversity creates discouragement. How do leaders survive these times and grow stronger? Consider:

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Knowing adversity will come helps in preparing beforehand.

Focus on an area of expertise. Discouragement is usually the result of feeling overwhelmed. Focus on one area at a time.

Learn the value of walking away. Sometimes taking a break from the situation and clearing your mind helps.

Seek counsel with other survivors. We can often better handle adversity in life through the encouragement of others.

Remember to seek the good in all situations.
Never forget the lessons learned that benefit you as a leader.

Surviving Discouragement

Leadership will always suffer times where difficulties create discouragement. How do leaders survive these times and grow stronger as leaders?

Here a few suggestions to consider.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Knowing adversity will come helps to prepare.

Focus on an area of expertise. We might phrase it more accurately, “One at a time.”

Learn the value of walking away. There are times when taking a break helps.

Seek counsel with other survivors. The experience of others can provide encouragement.

Remember to seek the good in all situations. Sometimes easier said than done, but helpful.

Learning how to survive when adversity exists makes leaders stronger.

Finding Our Strength (Part 1)

When the depths of discouragement engulf us, we seek the strength to endure and make the right decisions.

The answer is not always about knowing what scripture says, because simply knowing scripture does not help when the heart is in a dark place.

Likewise, it is not always about surrounding ourselves with friends because friends provide little comfort when our desire is to be alone.

Where does the strength come from when we face difficult times? How can we pull everything together to move forward?

Please read tomorrow’s post as I will discuss two possibilities.

Discouragement and Leadership

We learn a great deal from Nehemiah as a leader. He was a man of prayer, passionate for God and his people, courageous in the face of opposition, and he encountered discouragement but was not distracted.

Threats from external enemies, ridicule, and plots of ambush, make it easy to see how one could get discouraged. Nehemiah, however, was not distracted. The task was great, his faith was strong, and nothing kept him from finishing the objective.

Leaders can get discouraged.

Satan wants to discourage leaders so they will quit.

We must be determined, strong in faith, prayerful, passionate, courageous, and un-distracted when finishing the objective.

Focused on the Future

We all experience difficulties that create discouragement in life.

During these times, we need to remember that God has something better prepared for us.

Reflect on Paul’s reminder, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Co. 4:18).

Our God is great, worthy of our praise and trust.

“Let us press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

Growing Our Leadership

Growing pains can be…well, painful. There are times we get discouraged with growth as it brings challenges.

Thelma Davis said, “To get to the next level your spirit has to be stretched. Don’t be discouraged by the growing pains. Promotion is a process.”

The process is critical to achieving the desired result, and the more we keep our focus on that result, the more likely we are to succeed.

Consider this…
Be open to the stretching your heart and mind.
Stay focused and encouraged during the growing pains (remember the goal).
Remember patience is needed while experiencing the process.
Results speak for themselves and are worth it all.

Overcoming Challenges…

Internal and external challenges face every leader, which can cause them to question their ability, opportunity, position, and purpose in leadership.

Confidence in one’s ability diminishes when leaders experience failure, suffer discouragement, or when they are harshly criticized by others.

Remember that failure only exists when we give up.

Learn how to overcome discouragement with self-evaluation.

Instead of “reacting” to criticism, “act” with an appropriate response.

While these are limited ideas, overcoming the challenges is possible. Seek to walk the right path.