How to Defeat Discouragement
By Rick Warren
“It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up.” 2 Corinthians 4:1 (TLB)
Do you know that God loves you? Maybe you’ve heard that truth all your life!
But if you know God loves you, do you sense and recognize God’s love? When you stop believing you are loved by God, you can start to get discouraged. Why? Because if you don’t believe God loves you, then you can’t experience his grace and mercy.
The best way to defeat discouragement is to remember how much God loves you and to stay focused on that truth.
“It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1 TLB).
What is mercy? Mercy is when God gives you what you need, not what you deserve. Mercy is when God knows every mistake you’ve made and will ever make, and he still gives you every good thing in your life. God’s mercy is what keeps you going when you feel hopeless or worn down or discouraged.
A lot of people who have been Christians for a long time don’t sense God’s love because they only think God speaks to them in a critical voice. But if the voice you’re listening to is always negative, it’s not God.
God made you to love you. The number one purpose of your life is not for you to do good. The number one purpose of your life is not even for you to love God back.
The number one purpose of your life is to let God love you. When you do that and experience his mercy and grace, you’ll be free to pursue all that he has planned for your life.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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