The Five Deadly D's

Do you realize the Lord has a special plan just for you, His beloved? (Jer. 29:11) He does, however the enemy of your soul will do anything to stop you from achieving it. The LORD God is the Creator of all, sovereign Ruler of the universe, we must remember this. (Gen. 1:1; Psalm 103:19) I encourage you to learn, along with me, to take "dis"appointments, when they come our way, and turn them into "His" appointments; God uses these times as appointments with Him, to grow us closer to Him and in His ways. As a born again Christian, (John 3:3-7) you need to be prepared for the attacks of the enemy; his mission is to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) Some of you know this already, but it is always good to review and refresh our minds.

All behavior starts with a thought. Jesus warned that in your life you are going to have tribulations in the world, but not to worry for He has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

There are *five deadly "D's" the Christian must be aware of: Disappointment, Discouragement, Dejection, Despair, and Demoralization.

- Disappointment: When things do not turn out as you thought or planned. How you view the situation determines how you will act or react to it. TRUTH: There is a choice to be made. You can either allow the situation to get you down, becoming disappointed, or you can choose to see it from the view of your Sovereign Lord - as His appointment. (Rom. 8:28)

If you don't believe (or can't see) it's from the Lord, then you are set up to become discouraged.

- Discouragement: Being without courage; when you loose the courage to go on. The Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous... to not stray from His word, to meditate on it day and night. (Josh. 1:7,9) TRUTH: Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and yes, forever (Heb. 13:8). You too, if you desire to live a life of victory, can apply this same truth to your life.

You must know and deeply understand the word of God to embrace His truth with your whole heart. (This is why it is so vital to devote yourself to the study of His word, and daily ready of His word.) The LORD is with you as He was with Joshua, and He will protect you as well. (Matt. 28:20)

If you allow yourself to become discouraged, and do not refocus on the Lord at this time, nor accept your situation as God's appointment for you, then you face becoming dejected.

- Dejection: Is a lowness of spirit. It is when you start to believe the opinions of the world, (the lies of the devil, and the world around us) over what the word of the Lord says. TRUTH: The word of the Lord says that, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10 and see Isa. 61:3) If you are here, beloved, choose to bow your knee and believe the Lord.
Dejection causes you to become sad and miserable with your life, and causes you to spiral downward into despair.

- Despair: When you loose your hope. Despair causes you to think the situation is hopeless; you are hopeless.

TRUTH: Hope is God's promise to you, in His time. Your hope is knowing that you are heaven bound with Jesus for eternity. The hope of the glory of God is being in His presence forever.(John 3:16, 36; 6:40; 11:25-26)
The last of the deadly D's is demoralization.

- Demoralization: disorder, chaos, untrustworthy in spiritual matters. Brainwashed by Satan, (God does not love you after this.) weary, you feel you cannot go on. Precious one, even at this point there still is a way out. It will be hard, but you MUST believe what God says in His word. Seek out someone to pray with and for you through this time.

All of the D's can lead to depression, because self has become the focus rather than the Lord. Your eyes have moved from looking unto Jesus to the circumstances around you. But don't lose hope. There is something that can be done to refocus on Jesus.

First, you must come before the Father in prayer. (1 John 1:9) Secondly, choose to gain your thoughts captive, and think on worthy things (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Phil. 4:8) It is always good to seek out someone to pray with and for you during this time, the Father will tell you who to go to, ask Him.

God is at your side at all times just waiting for you to call to Him. Remember you are more than a conqueror through Jesus, and there is absolutely nothing that can separate you from His love for you. (Rom. 8:35-39). Greater is He who is in you, than he who is of the world. (1 John 4:4) May the Lord hide this truth deep in your heart.

Have a triumphant day in Jesus!
April

*Gleaned from Kay Arthur’s "As Silver Refined"