Dont Let Discouragement Take Your Strength — Carter Conlon

The Debilitating Power of Discouragement

Don't let discouragement take your strength. How many this morning are fighting discouragement? Let me see your hands. Raise your hands. Be honest. Be honest. You're fighting discouragement. And I know in many cases, and there's hundreds of you, discouragement can be debilitating.

It can leave you standing still. It can leave you in a place of doubting God. And ultimately that's what the enemy of your soul would like to happen in your situation. You get so despondent, you begin to doubt the faithfulness of God and even the existence of God.

That's how deep it can go. That's how far. The enemy wants to go right to the core of your trust in God and take it from you. And he's got a weapon. It's called discouragement. It's worked very well. He hasn't had to refine it all these years.

It works so powerfully. It works so well. I want to talk to you today about discouragement. Forms of discouragement. How it can come to the most sincere of believers. Now folks, listen to me. Some of the greatest heroes of the faith, as a matter of fact, most of them in the Bible, suffered seasons of discouragement.

Times where the natural understanding has failed them. Opposition so fierce that only the presence of God could make a difference. Darkness so thick that there's nothing of the natural eye that could see the way through.

Sorrow so profound that the natural man couldn't get through it. That means that that part of us that is without God could not make it through to the other side. Discouragement comes to everyone. Especially those who love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

You will have to fight this battle. If you're not fighting it today, you will at some point, or various points in your life, have to go through this. But God sends his word in advance so that we don't go through without understanding.

The scripture says in the book of Psalms that we're to sing praises with understanding. And when this understanding finally gets a hold of the heart, we can lift our hands and glorify God whether or not we're on the mountaintop or we're in the valley of the shadow of death.

We can raise our hands because there's a core trust that has come into us. God is faithful. God is good. God saved me through the blood of his son Jesus Christ. I'm in the hand of the Father. No man can take me out of that hand.

I'm going through everything that life and hell throws my way. I'm going through it. I'm coming through the other side. David said, I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. And on the other side of that valley, there's a wonderful verse.

He said, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Father, I thank you, God, with all my heart. Lord, did you send your word to vanquish our enemies?

You send your word, Lord. That's all that needs to happen. It was your word that came at the beginning of all time and created the heavens and the earth. It was your word, Lord, that divided light from darkness.

It was your word, God. It was your word. Nothing but your word, Lord, that caused your people to be strengthened above those around them. Lord, God, I'm asking you, Lord, that you put the weight of heaven behind your word today.

My God, unlock every prison door. Pour the oil of healing into those that are wounded. They're laying in this journey, oh God, and they're not sure they can ever get up again. My Lord, my God, I'm asking you for the miraculous to happen in this sanctuary.

I'm asking you, God, to break the chains of hell. I'm asking you, God, to destroy the weapons of darkness. I'm asking you, Father, that there be a shadow of glory that is born in the soul, God, not something that comes from our natural effort, God, but it's born of the Spirit of God resident in the center of our very being.

Father, thank you for this, Lord. Thank you, God Almighty. I yield my body as a vessel in your hands today, Lord. Don't let me be note-bound. I pray, God, expand the borders of my understanding. Give me the very words that you want spoken in this sanctuary this morning.

And, Lord, God, we thank you in advance for what you're about to do. We praise you, God, with all of our hearts. I want those who are in despondency this morning to lift your hands and give praise to God this very moment.

Just give praise to God. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah. We won't leave here like we came in Jesus' name. Praise be to God. Isaiah chapter 40, please, Old Testament.

Waiting on the Lord for Renewed Strength

Isaiah chapter 40. We're going to begin to read it, verse 25. Don't let discouragement take your strength. Isaiah chapter 40, and verse 25. To whom, then, will you liken me, or shall I be equal, saith the Holy One?

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things, that brings out their hosts by number. He calls them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power, and not one faileth.

Now, here's what it says, essentially, in other translations. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and behold the stars. And look at the number of them, countless numbers of them. Yet God knows each one of them by name.

He caused them to exist. He causes them to continue to shine. And not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

With this kind of knowledge, the Lord is saying through the prophet Isaiah, why then do you say that God doesn't see my struggle? Think about these things. And why do you say that God refuses to hear my case?

That I'm in a struggle such as, perhaps you might feel, and the enemy wants you to believe, that your struggle is deeper than anything anybody else has ever struggled with. But yet the scripture says, that no temptation taken you is strange, it's common to all men, and God will not allow you to be tested above that you're able to bear, but with that testing will make a way for you to escape that you may be able to bear it.

Have you not known, have you not heard, verse 28, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the heavens, of the ends of the earth, fainted not, neither is weary? There's no searching of his understanding.

He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might, he increases strength. Even youth shall faint and be weary, and the young man shall utterly fall. In other words, natural strength, there's a season where natural strength fails every man.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Now this context of waiting on the Lord, in the Old Testament, the word wait means to be bound together as if by twisting.

It's like when you take two twist ties, and you interweave them, and tie them together, that's the concept. It's you and I saying, God, your ways are higher than my ways. Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts.

Your life is eternal. Your faithfulness is great. You are altogether other than I am, or feel that I am in this moment. So God, I yield my life into your hands. And I'm asking you Lord to form the thoughts of my heart.

I'm asking you God to lead me and direct me in all of my paths, as I acknowledge you. It means bind together by twisting, to be gathered together, to be joined, to meet, to expect, to look for something patiently.

It means another kind of strength. It means you and I going into the presence of God and saying, Lord, my strength is not sufficient to get through this. I'm tired Lord. And I'm tired of trying to get through it.

And I can't get through it in my own strength. I need another kind of strength. You'd be surprised the number of wonderful saints of God in the scriptures that have gone through times of deep, deep discouragement.

Joshua’s Discouragement After Israel’s Defeat

Discouragement that could have taken their strength. Think for a moment about Joshua in the Old Testament. He was one of the spies that went in and he was one who came back with a report. The defense of our enemies is gone.

We are well able to take this land that God has promised to us. He was among those who had been in bondage. He was among those who had traveled this journey under the leadership of Moses. He was so ready to go into the promised land only to be sent back into the wilderness for many years because of the unbelief of many around him.

But yet having been schooled and trained by Moses, his time came when another generation was to cross over that river and go in and claim this land of promise. It's a type of our salvation, I suppose.

When we first come to Christ and the promises are so alive and they're so real. We are told that our sins are forgiven. We are told that we are new creations in Christ Jesus. We are told that prison doors have to open, blinded eyes must see, wounded hearts must be healed.

We cross that place of identifying with the death of Christ and we walk into this new land. And what before was impossible now becomes possible. They march around this walled city that cannot be called Jericho, that cannot be taken down by any of the devices of man.

They don't have sufficient weaponry to fight against this fortified city. God gives them a word and they begin to march around it in silence, which is a type of trusting that the word of God will be fulfilled in its season.

Folks, we don't have to figure it out, we just have to hear it and then we act upon it. And the Lord brings his word to pass in his season. And then on the last day, they march seven times around the city and then the Lord says, now shout through Joshua, shout, the time has come, shout to God.

And they shouted to God and that city came down. And what an incredible victory. There are some of you here today that you are in the sanctuary and you gave a momentary shout to the Lord and the Lord's already begun to take apart those walls that the enemy has tried to build around you.

He's already beginning to give you a victory that you could never possess in your own strength. It's something that comes from him and from him alone. Then, after this initial victory, after this initial place of triumphing over the seemingly impossible, Joshua comes to a place where his armies are overthrown by just a little force that comes against him.

And you see this same man, Joshua, is now on his face. He's before the Lord and discouragement has come into his heart. He's just begun this journey and the question arises, oh God, oh God, I've seen your power.

I know what you can do. And now our armies are running before this inferior force that's before us. And we've lost our strength. And here, listen to what Joshua says. I'll just read it to you in Joshua chapter 7, verse 6.

He says, Joshua rent his clothes, fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening. He and the elders of Israel put dust on their heads. Now this is a man of faith. He's on his face and the dust of the earth is on top of his head.

His clothes are rent. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought all this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side of Jordan.

These are not words of faith. These are the words of a discouraged man. These are the words of a man who's in the grip of disappointment. He's cast down to the ground. This is Joshua. This is the mighty man.

This is the general of God's army. Cast to the ground and he says, God, I wish we'd died on the other side of Jordan. These are not words of faith. But it's an honest cry. We say, well God surely could have taken offense at that cry.

But he doesn't take offense at an honest cry. Joshua was willing to go forward but he was dealing with the reality of the situation he found himself in. And Joshua said, O Lord, what shall I say when we have to turn our backs before our enemies?

Now Joshua didn't know that sometimes discouragement comes when something is hidden that God wants to get at. Something on your journey, on my journey, we have embraced something. We've taken it to our hearts.

We've taken it home. And the Lord knows it's going to take our strength away. And so suddenly we find ourselves unable to proceed until this thing is dealt with. And sometimes that's why discouragement comes.

Discouragement is not necessarily in your life right now because you have failed God. Or because you're an evil person. Or because God is angry with you. Discouragement can come because God loves you.

Whom the Lord loves, the scripture says, he chastens. And part of that chastening is he says stop. For this season, for this moment, you and I have to reckon together. And the Lord spoke to Joshua and he said, Get up off your face.

Why are you lying that way on the ground? Israel has sinned and they've transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. They've taken of the accursed thing and have stolen and dissembled also and put it among their own stuff.

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. You see, when you and I take to ourselves that which the Lord has forbidden, God in his mercy will stop us and allow discouragement to come into our hearts.

Hidden Sin and the Loss of Spiritual Strength

When we take a grievance, for example, into our heart, when the Lord says that we're not to do this. We're not to hold grudges against one another. We're not to live with willful bitterness in our heart but yet on the journey there comes a circumstance into our life and we say, Well, in spite of what God says, I feel justified to do this.

I feel justified to take this thing and we take it home. We hide it under our house. We're still there worshiping God. We still come to church and lift our hands. We still have the testimony of his life and righteousness but hidden beneath that tent, hidden beneath this tabernacle in a secret place is something that God said you will not touch this thing.

You don't take this thing to yourself because if you do it's going to weaken you before your enemies. When they had gone into Jericho, the Lord had said the silver is mine, the gold is mine, the brass is mine.

It belongs in the Lord's treasury. Everything else is to be destroyed. You touch nothing in this particular city. And this man, Achan, felt that he could take this. He coveted gold, silver and brass. He took it in a garment and he put it underneath his house and when he did this it brought weakness into the entire camp of Israel.

And folks, when you and I embrace something, even if we're very sincere in the embrace. Think of David for a moment. He wanted to take the ark of God back into Jerusalem. What a great idea this was. How pleased God must be with this procession.

So he gets a cart and he puts the ark on a cart. He gets the singers together and the scripture says they played with all their might and danced with all their might. And David must have been thinking how pleased God must be with this whole religious procession.

And yet right smack in the middle of it God reaches down when a presumptuous young man touched the ark and felt like he had to somehow support God and killed him right on the spot. Took his life. And David, the scripture says was so displeased that he was angry that day and went home and said how shall I bring the presence of God to me?

Can you imagine how discouraged he must have been? Can you imagine how discouragement must have been a very real part of his life at that moment? Discouragement comes when we take that which belongs to the Lord and put it among our own stuff.

Think about this for a moment. In Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 14 the Lord had a controversy with his people and he said the spoil of the poor is in your houses. In other words that which the Lord gave you to bring relief to the struggling, you've taken it home where it still remains hidden today.

How many people today are in the house of God? You have within you the good news of sins forgiven, hope available. You have the treasure of a new mind, a new heart, a new spirit. You have been given miraculous giftings of the Holy Ghost.

You have compassion that wasn't yours before. You have vision you didn't have. You have words of faith that were never part of your life. All these things have been given to you but you've taken them home and you've hidden them in your house.

You've taken this light of God you've put it under a bushel. And the question comes, have you done right with the spoils of Calvary? When Christ died he gave gifts to men. The scripture says he took captivity captive and gave giftings unto men.

When you and I came to Christ he gave us giftings we didn't have before. I remember the struggle I had when I first came to Christ. See I went to law school. I have an undergraduate law degree and it was my father's desire that I be a lawyer.

But I couldn't do it because of the fear that was in my life. You know my story. I mean to stand in a court room and make a presentation I would collapse and I knew that I could proceed no farther. And then not too long after graduating from that first degree I got saved.

The Holy Spirit came into my life and I was delivered from fear. And now the possibility was there that I could actually pursue what was in my heart to pursue. I could have taken the spoils of God as it is.

He gave me the ability to speak. I was no longer afraid of people. I could stand up and seemingly the words were there. Now it started as just as Warren Carr shared today it started as just a leaping into the arms of God and trusting him but God never failed me.

He was always there. And suddenly it became possible for me to pursue my dream again. And what a battle because on one hand I felt God calling me to preach the gospel. And on the other hand everything that everyone else at least expected that I should be was now within my grasp.

And I remember this terrible battle that went on in my soul for quite some time. On one hand being called to preach the gospel sensing that this is where the Lord wanted to take me. That I was being called to share what God had done in my life and bring this newness of life to others.

And on the other hand I could take this treasure of Calvary and now take it home and use it for myself. And I had all the reasonings in my mind. You know folks how it goes. What a good lawyer I'd make.

And how honest I'd be and how I could help people on the side. And I'm not saying anything against that. If God's called you to do those things then bless his name. But folks we can take this treasure of Christ and we can take it home.

And we can unrighteously deal with the spoils of Calvary. When Joshua, when this was finally revealed to Joshua that this this man had hidden something under his tent that was taking away the strength of the camp of Israel.

He took him into this valley of Achor. And the scripture says all of Israel stoned that family with stones because it wasn't just Achan. I believe his family was involved in this as well because there's no evidence they made any effort to stop him in this pursuit.

And it's the type of Joshua saying or you and I saying away with this wicked heart. Away with this part of me that would use the spoils of Christ's victory only for my own gain. Away with this. Away with this thinking that coming to Christ is just about me.

That coming to Christ is about how I can gain advantage in society. How I can be more wealthy. How I can be more powerful. How I can have a greater destiny. About how I. Away with this thinking. This is that type of thinking that goes into the place of victory and takes what belongs to God and takes it home and uses it for itself.

I thank God this morning that we have a testimony of a young man who had the courage to say Lord in spite of the fact that he had a good job. In spite of the fact there was a steady paycheck. In spite of the fact that everything seemed secure.

He had the courage to say Lord what would you have me to do? Is there somewhere else you want to lead me? Is there something else for my life? Folks we're not called to use the life of Christ for ourselves.

And there's such a focus on this in so much of our theology in our generation. And I do believe it's brought the church into a place of incredible weakness where we don't stand as we should before our enemies.

But I tell you the day that I'm willing to say and you're willing to say God what you've given me in Christ. What you've planted in me through the Holy Spirit. The giftings of God that you've given to me.

Oh God take these things Lord and may my life be used for your glory. God if it only seems small even in my sight. You're well able to multiply it and you can feed thousands with it. You've proven it in scripture.

Lord I just bring to you what I do have God. Use it for your glory. God no matter where it leads me. No matter what it costs me. And I want to tell you something folks. It's not easy. There are a lot of battles.

If you're going to go on with God. I don't know if it's ever going to be easy. There are seasons of refreshing. There are seasons of where glory just comes into your soul and all you want to do is sing and dance.

But I've been around long enough to know that another valley is coming. Another giant is coming my way. I've been around long enough to know that I'm going to have to fight again. I've been around long enough to know the dark nights of the soul are coming.

The difficult times come to every house. You're not exempt because you know Christ. But I'll tell you one thing. Those who know Christ we will get through. We will not be overpowered by what comes our way.

God’s Purpose in the Wilderness

The prophet Hosea God speaking through him about his children. He said then I'll win her back to me again. I'll lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. God says I'm going to lead my people in these last moments of time into a wilderness place.

And in that wilderness place I'm going to speak tenderly to my bride. And I will return her vineyards to her and transform the valley of Achor which means the valley of trouble. That was the place that Joshua finally dealt with this thing that was in the camp.

I'll transform this valley of trouble into a gateway of hope. She'll give herself to me there as she did long ago when she was young when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. The Lord says I'm going to reason with you now.

I'm going to call you into the work of Calvary. Oh folks some of you are discouraged because God is calling you. He's calling you into the work of Calvary and you've tried to stuff Christ into whatever your pursuit of life happens to be at this moment.

And the Lord says no that's not what I have for your life and that falls far short of the glory that I want to reveal through you. Would you have the courage today to say God what would you have me to do?

Would you just have the courage to just lay on the ground if you have to when you get home and say Lord what are you trying to say to me? My heart is open. Folks I'm just like you are. We're all the same.

There are times that the only way God's been able to get through to me has put me on my face. I've not been willing to hear otherwise. There are times that I've had to go into times, seasons of heartache just for God to be able to speak to me.

And suddenly in a moment of time, because he is faithful, that one area that he wants to deal with, that one thing that's going to hurt me in the future, he speaks it to my heart. And you know how you know it's God?

Immediately your strength comes back. Immediately your eyes are open. Immediately your strength is renewed. The scripture is like the eagles. You've been down as it is, unable to rise above the circumstance.

Forgiveness, Consequences, and David’s Restoration

And then suddenly the strength of God comes and lifts you out of it. I want you to think about King David for a moment. How discouragement came to him when he had to face the consequence of having sinned against what he knew to be right.

Sometimes discouragement comes because of sin. Now David had repented of his sin and he was forgiven and he knew it. But there are consequences to sin. When you and I ask God for forgiveness, let's put it this way.

You might have shot somebody. And you ask God to forgive you and he does. But the state will still punish you. And you will still go to jail. And you will still do your time for the crime that you've committed.

There are consequences to sin even though there is forgiveness for sin. You go out and commit adultery you're bringing pain into your house. You're bringing bruises into relationships. You're bringing heartache sometimes into your family for years to come down the road.

You're bringing destruction. There are consequences even though God will forgive your sin. And David sinned grievously against God. He committed adultery with another man's wife and then arranged for that man's murder so he could have that woman to himself.

And from that initial union there was a child born. And God the scripture says, smote that child or put a disease on that child. And that child was sick for seven days. The scripture says David went to his face before God.

Now you can just imagine what must have been in his heart. Oh God. It's my sin that brought this into my house. God it's my fault. Lay this sin against me and not against this innocent child that had nothing to do with this.

You can see Satan right there at his side saying give up. You've grieved God. And there's no hope for you in the future. It's all over for you David. What God had destined for your life to be is finished.

And there must have been a spiritual struggle in that man's mind in this time of distress and discouragement. He laid for many hours prostrate on the ground before God and Satan would have wanted to forever take his strength.

Now scripture doesn't tell us exactly what happened between him and God. Only that after the child died he was unable to leave the past behind. He took nourishment. He put off the garments of mourning and brought comfort to his house.

And God blessed him with new life and gave him a wonderful new son that God himself loved whose name was Solomon. The Lord will forgive sin. There are consequences to sin. And you and I must not be deceived in thinking that we can sin and somehow the wages of death will not become ours.

There are consequences to sin. But when you and I go to God he is faithful to forgive all of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, the scripture says. And God gave David the power to rise up.

And God will give you the power to rise up. You might be suffering from the consequence of sin. But don't let the devil rub your face in it forever. There's forgiveness David was able to say. Out of the depths I cried unto thee, O Lord.

If thou, Lord, marked iniquities, who could stand? But there's forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. And with the Lord is mercy. And with him is plenteous redemption. Thanks be to God. No matter how difficult it may be today.

No matter what you've done. You can still get up. You can still put off the garments of mourning. You can still put on the garments of praise. You can still take nourishment from the word of God. You can still go in and comfort your house.

God’s Sovereign Purpose in Suffering

And God says I will bring life and blessing into your life for the days ahead. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. Discouragement can come when we fail to realize that there's a divine purpose even in the darkest moments of our lives.

I want to say that again. Discouragement can come when we fail to realize that there is a divine purpose even when we're going through the darkest moments of our lives. Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 8, we were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life.

Paul's saying it was so tough. We faced such violent opposition. It was so hard this journey in this particular leg of our journey that we despaired of life. That sounds a lot like discouragement to me.

It sounds a lot you know one of the most erroneous teachings alive in the body of Christ today is that when you come to Jesus all your troubles are gone. That everything is just going to be glory and roses from here till the time we get to heaven.

No, you've never even known there's a hell until you come to Christ. One of the things that has kept me, a pastor came to me when I was a young Christian. I'll never forget his words. He said, Carter, when things come into your life that you don't understand, he said number one, remember this, God has allowed it.

And he said number two, if God has allowed it, there is a reason and a purpose to it. And God's intents towards us are for good and not for evil, to bring us to a desired end. I never forgot that. Those words have come back to me time and again when things have been difficult.

When my oldest son was burned into fire. When my house burned to the ground. When I was sick and having to breathe through an oxygen tank in the mornings. When pain was a very present part of my everyday life.

When I went into my office for almost three years running and I would weep every day over the state of my children and my own house and what I felt God was promising me for the future. These things could have overwhelmed me.

Except for the thought that God, even in the darkest of times, there's a sovereign and a divine purpose. Oh God, I will not accuse you of being unfaithful to me. I will not doubt your faithfulness to me, oh God.

God has enabled me over the years to raise my hands in some pretty difficult situations and to say, Lord, I don't understand it. But I thank you Lord, I don't have to understand it. You don't have to reveal it to me.

You're under no obligation to tell me why this has come into my life. But oh God, I trust that you are working out something in me that is going to come out for good on the other side. Praise God. If I've had to go through, I've not suffered as much as others.

I've suffered more than some and not as much as others. But the suffering that I have endured over the years, if it's all been just for this morning, if it's all been just to be able to tell you that God is faithful, if it's all been just to be able to tell you, you will not be swallowed by the flood, you will not be burnt by the fire, you will not be overpowered by your enemies, you will not be boxed in by the walls of darkness.

You will go through in the power of God. You will make it through to the other side. You will have a song in your heart to glorify God. Then it's been worth it, folks. It's been worth it. It's been worth it.

The Lord told me one time, he said if you want to form a weapon, you don't pour molten lead into a hammock. You don't pour it into a place of laziness. You don't pour it into a place where there's no trouble, no trial.

No. You want to make a weapon, you put it on an anvil and you hammer the thing until it's sharp and it can be used in the hand of God. No, sir. No, sir. No, sir. We will not be stopped as the Church of Jesus Christ.

We will not fall under the lies of the enemy that there is no purpose to suffering. There is no purpose to the things that we have to go through. Think if the Apostle Paul had fallen to discouragement.

If the Apostle Paul had not learned the lessons in Asia, then when he was in the belly of that ship in the midst of the storm, where slaves are dying all around him, where conditions are deplorable, where he's being governed and guided by the ignorance of men who won't listen to the voice of God, it would be so easy for any man, a normal man, to become discouraged.

To hang his head in despondency and just whisper death. No. But Paul waited on the Lord. He said God, intertwine your life with mine. Show me the reasons for these things. And in the bowels of hell, Paul began to pray.