Sermonette: Discouragement
#FT22-07s
James Beaubelle
Given 16-Oct-22; 17 minutes
description: According to an old legend, the devil once advertised his tools for sale at a public auction, but one oddly shaped tool he refused to sell. When asked to explain, the devil answered, "I can spare my other tools, but I cannot spare this most useful implement I have. It is called discouragement, and with it I can work my way into hearts, otherwise inaccessible." Discouragement paralyzes one's efforts to overcome temptation or to lose patience in a trial, ultimately leading to deterioration or the destruction of faith. Faith and discouragement are opposed to each other. God is not the author of discouragement; it is a product of yielding to carnal human nature, a self-inflicted wound we create in our minds rather than choosing to trust God, who has time and again assured us that He has our backs. The evil spies in Numbers 13, having lost their faith, filled their fellow Israelites with a contagion of fear. Job, though experiencing horrendous trials, nevertheless held onto the assurance that his Redeemer lives and would eventually bring him through his painful trial (Job 19:25-27) into a joyful permanent relationship with his Creator. Ironically, the devil's tools have never been for sale, but free to anyone who would copy him and use them.