We Need Never Be Discouraged (Kannada) — Zac Poonen

Young Believers Overcoming the Evil One

I want to turn to a verse in Luke's gospel 22. As young people we must know how to overcome Satan. Okay before Luke 22 let me show you a verse in one John two. Then we'll come back. One John two verse fourteen in thirteen in the middle it says.

I've written unto you young men because you overcome the evil one. There are different things he writes in that verse to those who are spiritual fathers to young men and to those who are babies. And the thing is written to young men is you have overcome the evil one.

And again he writes to fathers and children and young men in the next verse and again he says to the young men because the Word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. So both times he says the main characteristic of young people is they overcome Satan.

Discouragement as Satan's Weapon

Now from your own experience you young people give me an answer what is Satan's greatest weapon which he uses against young people. What do you think. Can you speak loudly that I can hear it. Pride discrimination.

That's the answer I was looking for. I think all these answers are right. Young people can be tempted to pride. Particularly if you are gifted or clever or good-looking or rich or got a good job good salary very easy to become proud.

Condemnation and discouragement go together. That means you feel you're rotten you're useless. You're good for nothing. Now I believe the discouragement is one of Satan's main weapons. Because of this reason I know because when I was a young man the main reason why I was defeated so many times was because I was discouraged.

And nobody told me that this is a tactic of Satan first get you discouraged and then he can knock you down very easily. So if I had not got discouraged I may not have had the next fall. Because when you're discouraged you become very weak.

And discouragement comes because something did not work out the way you expected it to work out. And you know you expect something. It doesn't happen. You know as young people we have so many expectations and earthly things mean a lot to us when we are young.

I saw that in myself. I saw that in my poor boys as they grew up. Also you know little things like getting admission in one college you want to join now we all know that that college is not heaven. And if you don't get admission the college it doesn't mean you're going to hell.

Even you're young that means so much to you. You want to get into that college. It doesn't work out. You get discouraged or something you want to do it doesn't happen. Or you want to marry somebody and it doesn't work out and you're discouraged so many things like this we all know just like a college is not heaven marriage is also not heaven.

We know that Jesus and Paul were never married and but they were great men. And Timothy was a great man of God he was not married. But we know all that. But still when something doesn't work out the way we expect we get discouraged and we have to fight to overcome discouragement.

And what happens very often when we are discouraged we begin to think we are so far from God. What is the use. I'm already fallen. It doesn't matter if I fall again. I've already fallen so much. And then we fall again because the devil has made us think what does it mean.

I mean you've fallen. You're dirty in your clothes. It doesn't matter if it gets a little more dirty and we fall more and more and more and more. So we must know Satan's tactics that if you're discouraged it's very easy to keep falling into sin after that.

But if you can overcome that one sin discouragement there are many other sins you will not fall into. So if by the grace of God from now on you never get discouraged and you never condemn yourself. I'm not asking you never be proud because that may happen even without your thinking.

But discouragement and condemnation don't happen without thinking. So if you decide these two things I will never condemn myself. I will never be discouraged. Like you know I always say these are like two no entry roads.

Have you seen these signs on the no entry roads. There's a down arrow in one circle means you can come out of that road. And there's an up arrow with a cross saying you can't go into the road. So discouragement and condemnation these two signs are there.

You can come out but you can't go in. So please obey the traffic rules from today and remember what I said. You may fall into many other sins. I'm not saying you'll get victory from tomorrow. But you Lord.

I'm not going to be discouraged. I'm not going to condemn myself. Even if I fall 10 ,000 times. I'm not going to be discouraged. I'm not going to condemn myself. I'm not going to say I'm useless. I'm good for nothing because I'm not useless.

The Believer's Value Measured by Christ's Price

I'm very valuable to God. How do you decide the value of an item. Think of something you have in your house something small and something big. Is it by size. A wristwatch is very small. A newspaper is very big.

If there's a fire in your house which will you take out first. You know watch or the newspaper. So it's not size. It is not how much you use it. Also I think many of us may use a newspaper more than you use some golden or silver thing lying in the cupboard.

It's not how much you use it. How do you decide what is valuable in your house. How much you paid for it. That is what determines the value. How big or how beautiful or anything. You know I've seen sometimes pictures of people who buy some painting and they pay some lakhs of rupees.

And I look at that painting and I say this is such a useless painting. These paintings are all much better than this one. They pay so much money for this useless painting. It's all faded and all that.

Oh they say no. But this is repainted by a famous painter 400 years ago. This is a man called Leonardo da Vinci. He painted the Last Supper millions of rupees. I saw a picture of it once. It's so useless.

It looks that painting. I I won't even pay ten rupees for that. But these fellows pay millions of rupees and they keep security guards and all to protect it. Every painting in my house is better than that one.

It's so valuable for them. These people who collect stamps small dirty looking stamp lakhs of rupees. I've got more beautiful stamps than those ones you see value is determined by how much you paid for it.

The same building in some village cost hardly anything. The same building in some Bangalore cost so much. You understand that. Okay now my question is it's very important question. What is your value.

It's very important to find out. I'm not asking what your value is to your parents. Because parents can be good parents. Parents can be bad parents. Some parents can say I'm sick and tired of this child.

Some parents can say oh I love this daughter of mine so much. I'm not asking that. I'm asking what is your value to God. Are you valuable to God or not. What do you think. Why you don't know. I told you the reason just now little while ago your face may look as useless as that painting which is on that wall.

Some of you look in the mirror and you say oh no I don't look so beautiful. Look at me. I don't have any hair. I was like this when I was 22. I was starting getting bald. But my wife thought I was valuable but God thought I was more valuable.

You know it doesn't depend on your face. See you go to this man who has bought this million dollar painting. I better not tell him this is useless. I can't find anything good in it. Really honestly I say there's nothing in it.

It's useless. But this chap thinks it's million dollars. He has put it in a safe and security people watching it. I'm amazed. He sees a value in it which I don't see. I want to tell you however ugly you may look and however much you made a mess of your life you are however less other believers think about you.

Even if brother Zach thinks you are useless. That's not true. Because I don't think anybody is useless. I have learned now to think a little bit like God. I won't even look at a beggar as a useless person.

But God sees a value in you. You must never forget that. What is the reason? It's because of the price he paid for you. Some may look at this painting and that million dollar painting and say this looks much better.

I mean I'll tell you honestly I think this painting is much better than some of those paintings they sell in these big auctions. But that person paid so much money for it. So my opinion is unimportant.

And you know that my opinion about you also is not very important. What is God's opinion about you? No elder brother's opinion about you is important. God's opinion about you is very important. And in God's eyes you are valuable for one reason because of the price he paid for you.

See if you don't believe that you cannot overcome Satan. So let's turn to 1 Peter chapter 1 here it says in verse 18 you were redeemed. Redeemed means you were purchased or bought in the market. You were bought in the market.

God bought you. He didn't buy you with perishable things like silver and gold. How did he buy you? But with the precious blood of Christ. Verse 19 that verse teaches us that the blood of Jesus Christ is more valuable than all the silver and gold in the world.

See these people who kidnap little children. You know they don't kidnap children of poor people. Why do they kidnap children of some rich businessman. Why do they kidnap children of rich people. If you want your child alive you please pay one crore.

Go and put it in a suitcase and put it in so and so place so those people do it. They go and take that money and put it somewhere. Because the child is more precious than one crore. It's a small little child.

You can tell that man you can easily have another child like this through your wife. Why waste one crore. No no no. I know I can have ten more children. But this is a precious child. See the value of that child is so much to that father.

He is willing to take a loan and run his business at a loss. Then when he gets his child back he is so precious. Do you know that you were also kidnapped. Did you know that. And the price was not one crore to get you back.

It was the blood of Jesus Christ. And he paid it. What does that prove. It proves you are so valuable to God. And the devil is always trying to tell you you are not valuable to God. You know why. Because most people in all of our churches are not godly are not godly.

And because they are not godly they don't look upon you as a valuable person. They say if you don't want to listen go. No. You won't say that to your own child whom you paid one crore after kidnapping.

You can say that to all the people who come to your church because you don't care for them. You didn't even pay one rupee for them. But God will never say that. God will never say what you say because he paid the blood of his son.

And so many young people are discouraged because so many churches they don't place any value on them. They say yeah it doesn't matter if you come you come. If you don't come you don't come. Even if a person has got 10 children or 15 children he will not say I am willing to lose one of them.

Even if he has got 15 children he will pay one crore to ransom to get that one kidnapped baby back. You have to be a father or a mother to understand that. And you have to be God or Godly in order to understand the value of a believer.

The more Godly you become the more you value God's children. I have learned to value God's children not only in our church. They are born again and they love Jesus. I may not agree with them. I may not be able to work with them.

But I value them because God values them. There may be 101 things in them. I don't agree with. But there may be many things in my own children I don't agree with. I have got 4 sons. I don't agree with everything that they do.

But they are all valuable to me. We don't have to agree with somebody for the person to be valuable. God doesn't value you because you agree with everything he says he values you because he paid the price his blood of his son to purchase you.

I want to tell you if you want to overcome Satan you have to learn how valuable you are to God. Otherwise you will never overcome discouragement. Let me show you another verse in the book of Zechariah.

You know where that is? Second last book of the old testament Zechariah chapter 2. You know you must know these lovely verses. Zechariah chapter 2 and verse 8 it says in the last part the Lord says he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.

Now do you know which is the most sensitive painful part of your body. You know what it is? It's the center of your eye that is the most painful part of your body. Any other part you touch you don't feel pain but that you just touch it.

It's very painful. And even by touch you can hurt it. You can cause an injury. So when the Lord wants to tell us how precious we are to him. When the Lord wants to tell us how precious we are to him he says if anybody touches you God says he is touching the apple of my eye.

I say Lord. Is that really true? Yeah it's true. It's true in the old testament. It is much more true in the new testament. It is much more true in the new testament. If you don't believe it then of course you will unnecessarily be discouraged.

Assurance of the Father's Love

Some of us are not sure whether we are really God's children. You know the difference between children in an orphanage and children in your home. In an orphanage there are 100 children and one Ayah or somebody supervises all of them.

They may clothe them, feed them, educate them everything. But it's not their mother. Those poor orphans grow up without any feeling of any father or mother. But a child in a home he doesn't feel like that.

An orphan is so insecure. Those orphans in that home may not sometimes sleep at night properly supposing. You go to that orphanage and you see one orphan sitting in the bed. Poor five year old orphan sitting afraid.

And you ask this boy why are you so afraid. Why are you going to sleep. He says when I was eating dinner I broke my plate. So I don't know what they will do to me tomorrow. Whether they will throw me out of the orphanage.

He is afraid. But think of your child broke a plate. Your five year old son broke a plate. You think he is going to sit in the bed at night. He won't even clean up the mess. He will just go to sleep because he knows he is loved.

My daddy and mummy won't throw me out just because I made a mistake like that do you know God is like that. Many of us don't know that. And the devil won't let you know that. Because when you know that you will never be discouraged again.

Trials, Riches, and Spiritual Dependence

You say then why does God allow us to go through so many trials so many difficulties. Why doesn't God make all his children the richest people in the world. Because money actually does not help us to come near God see we have had a church in Bangalore for 30 years now from 30 years experience I will tell you something.

We have some brothers who when they came to our church were so poor. I have been to their home it was 10 feet by 10 feet. They lived there with their children one room that is sitting room, kitchen, bedroom everything.

But they have been with us for many years. We have taught them to honor God and shown them God's ways. God has blessed them God has prospered them. God has gone well with them and their children and they have become rich.

They don't live in that small house now and they have become proud. And then they left the church because they don't need church or God so much. Now they will go to some church because they want religion.

But they were much much much closer to God when they were in that small room. And when I see their spiritual condition they may have cars and everything now but I see them on their way to hell. They were much better off when they were in that small room.

That is why God does not make many of his children rich. Because he knows that riches have a way of taking us away from God. I have seen that I have seen that again and again and again. I have seen that again and again and again.

Jesus said how difficult it is for a rich man to enter God's kingdom. Many times I used to go to God and ask this question. I said Lord we have got 30 -40 churches in India now and when I look around at all the people in all these churches we have a few rich people but 95 of them are so poor.

They are wonderful brothers and sisters. But why have you allowed only the poor people to come to our church. Some other churches have some rich people. I have been to some churches where almost everybody is a rich person and I have discovered that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter God's kingdom.

So when I go to a church and I find everybody is a rich person there I don't judge them. But I have a big question mark are these people really preaching the gospel in this church or it is some watered down useless gospel they are preaching.

So I am not discouraged because we don't have rich people. No God does not make many of his children rich because they go away from him. The other thing I began to look around I saw was all the good looking people were not in our church.

We have a few good looking people. I think all of you are quite good looking. Don't get offended with what I am saying. But so many people are not the good looking people are all in the cinemas and I realized that God has not made his children also very good looking.

And I said Lord why. The Lord said some of them may join the cinemas. Then thank God they didn't join the cinemas because cinema will not select them because they are not so good looking. So many things which we want.

If God gave it to us we would go astray from it. So one of the things you need to learn is Lord. I am thankful you made me just like this. When you stand in front of a mirror next time you say Lord how wise you were to give me this color of my skin the shape of my eyes and nose everything is also perfect.

The right height and you brought me to the right family this small house. Because of all these things I found you. I didn't go astray. You learn to thank God for all these things. I am not saying you shouldn't be rich.

God decides that. I know times when I have been extremely poor. When my wife and I were first married we also lived in 10 feet by 10 feet room because I had left my job. My income dropped 85 when I left my job to serve the Lord.

I am not like that today. Today God has given me plenty but I never looked for the plenty. If today God takes it away. Also I am happy I don't find my joy in that. My joy is in the Lord. Then it won't matter whether you are rich or poor.

So learn to be thankful for the way you are for the way God made you for the parents he gave you and the circumstances which brought you to this church to hear God's word. How is it you came here to hear these wonderful truths.

Do you know there are so many Christians in Hubli who don't hear these wonderful things you are hearing. How is it you happen to hear it. Is it because you are so clever. No it's because God has been good to you because he loves you.

He paid a price for you and he saw in your heart a desire for something more than you saw in other churches. And God said ok I will take you to the right place where your desire will be satisfied. And now we can go to Luke 22.

Satan's Limited Authority and God's Faithfulness in Testing

In Luke 22 we read about Satan wanting to attack one of God's children Satan and that was Simon Peter and Jesus warned Simon. Luke 22 verse 31 Simon Simon Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat.

Simon Simon Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat. First thing we need to understand is that Satan is not God's father. He can't do anything. Do you believe that all those who are awake please answer.

All those who are awake please answer. Yes. Can Satan touch you without God's permission. No. That's the first thing you must know. Satan cannot attack any of God's children in any way without God's permission.

So if some trial comes into your life don't be surprised. God has known it, he has permitted Satan to attack you. And not only that the Bible says he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability.

See 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13 it says here that he will not allow you. God is faithful will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will make a way of escape so you can endure it.

But with the temptation will make a way of escape so you can endure it. Ok. I think all of you have been to school. Most of you would have finished at least 10th standard. I want to ask you a question all those who are awake who are awake when you went for your examination in any class 1st standard, 2nd standard, 5th standard, 10th standard.

You got a question paper. Did you ever get a question paper. Which was for a higher class than you were in. Did you ever get a question paper. Did you ever get a question paper. Anybody got it like that.

Nobody. Not even one in 10 years of your school you never got it once. That's amazing. Is all perfect. Anybody here who had a perfect teacher. No how an imperfect teacher could give you never give you a question paper which is above your class.

If a teacher who is imperfect has that much sense you think your heavenly father will give you a question paper which is more than what you can handle. Impossible. So whenever you get a trial in your life you say lord i can handle this.

I can handle it. It may be difficult but you have already decided that i have already reached this class. So when you get a difficult trial that proves that god has got so much confidence in you. Supposing you get 11th standard question paper.

Oh i thought i was only in 5th standard. But this is 11th standard. That means i must actually be in 11th standard. Wonderful praise the lord. I never knew that i got so many promotions in my life. I forgot which standard i was in.

So remember that. Don't say oh god why have you given me this trial. Why that kindergarten student doesn't have all these trials. Because he is in kindergarten. You want to go back to kindergarten. No god has trusted you with a big testing.

Peter's Failure and the Priority of Unshaken Faith

So we read in luke 22 that simon was going to be tested and the test was satan said i am going to get one servant woman to ask him whether he knows jesus. She is going to ask peter whether he knows jesus.

Let's see whether peter is bold enough to say yes. Did peter pass the test. No retest. No one more retest. Three times he failed. Did jesus know he is going to fail. Did jesus know he is going to fail.

Yeah he said there verse 34. Today three times you will deny me. So supposing you knew that somebody is going to face a severe test. You know like children come to me and say uncle zach please pray for examinations.

I don't pray lord. Please help them to fail. No. I always say please help them to pass. Why didn't jesus pray peter. I am praying for you that you won't fail. Did he pray like that. He didn't pray that.

He said peter you are going to fail. But when you fail and you fail in the retest and you fail in the second retest also i am only praying you won't get discouraged. You see how wonderful if you understand that you learn something that it is more important not to get discouraged than even to fail.

What does it mean to be discouraged. That means you lose your faith. Oh god doesn't love me. So what did jesus pray for simon. Verse 32. I have prayed for you. What for i am not praying that you will pass in the test.

You are going to fail three times. But i am going to tell you i am praying that your faith will still be strong. At the end of that you will still say god still loves me. Imagine if some student comes to me and says brother zach next week is my exam.

Please pray for me. And i tell him you are going to fail. And october you will do the retest and you will fail again. And next march you will do a second retest and you will fail again. Now i pray for you.

He says don't pray for me. You already discouraged me. No i am praying that even when you fail you will still believe that god loves you. Why did jesus pray like that. Why is it written here. I will tell you why.

Because most of us have failed so many times. Maybe not in school but in our christian life. Yes or no retest failed. Second retest tenth retest failed. Then what happens. The lord says i am praying that your faith will not fail.

That you won't get discouraged there and say oh i am hopeless. You are not hopeless. 103 tests doesn't matter. I am valuable to god because he purchased me with the blood of jesus. I will never be discouraged.

I will always believe my father loves me. He wasted all his father's money. He failed in 1000 retests. Finally he comes back because of one reason. He comes back because he knows his father loves him.

That's all. Only one thing he knows i can't work and repay my father all the money i wasted. I can only go back and say dad i am not fit to be your son. Please put me in the servants quarters. I get some food.

Atleast he knew that his father will atleast accept him as a servant. But when he went back he discovered that his father's love was greater than that. His father accepted him as a son and said don't worry son it's all forgiven.

You know god's love is much greater than we think. We don't understand that love. It is so great. One day when we see jesus we will see what does faith mean. Faith means to believe. God still loves me.

Even though i have failed even though i have failed 10000 times. Even though the brothers and sisters in the church may not love me now they may have loved me. If i was successful they may have loved me because everybody in the church loves good wholehearted brothers and sisters.

But the wonderful thing about god is that he loves everybody. He hopes that you will be wholehearted. But if you fail he still loves you. And because he loved peter and peter believed it he repented so much that he finally became a wholehearted brother.

Restoration Through Honest Repentance

If peter had got discouraged gone back to his fishing. In fact he did get discouraged and he went in john chapter 21 to go back fishing. He said i have had enough of this being an apostle. I am a failure.

I am going back to my fishing. But he failed in his fishing also. And jesus was teaching him. You will fail everywhere unless you trust me. Come back. You will be an apostle. Don't worry if you fail because you failed peter you will now have a very tender heart towards other people who have failed.

I have made so many mistakes in my life. I have hated god so many times in my younger days that i can honestly say before god. I can never look down on a human being. No matter how much a young brother or sister has failed.

I can never look down on him. It is impossible. I have had brothers in our church come and confess to me the most horrible sins they have fallen into after coming to the church. I have not despised them.

I have had hope god can help you brother where they have been honest. But i have met other brothers who have tried to deceive me. They have fallen away. But those who are honest it has always gone well with them.

God has hope for you. If you are honest anyone who is honest god can lift you up from the deepest pit because you are valuable to him. Don't forget that. Don't ever forget that. Let's bow our heads in prayer.

Prayer for Perseverance and Encouragement

From now on you are going to overcome satan because the word of god remains in you. You will overcome satan in your life. And you are valuable in god's eyes. Don't be discouraged. Don't worry about what other people think about you.

It is enough that god loves you and you are valuable in his eyes. He will never allow you to be tested beyond your ability. He will guide you and lead you every step of the way. Heavenly father i thank you for these dear young people.

It is not easy for them to live a holy life in this wicked world. There are so many deceivers in the world and it is so difficult to find young people who are wholehearted. Please encourage these brothers and sisters that they will grow up to love you and fear you.

Many of them have difficult circumstances in their own homes. I don't know lord what they are. But i know that you will never allow them to be tested beyond their ability. And you will always give them grace to overcome.

And even if they have failed help them not to be discouraged that their faith will not fail. They will know that god loves them just as they are. Thank you father. I pray you will raise up these young brothers and sisters to be a mighty army for you in the future in jesus name.

Amen.