Are You Discouraged Today?

Are you discouraged today? We often defeat ourselves by being occupied with the difficulties of life along the way. However, God has made known to us the triumphant outcome of good over evil; and, instead of being harassed by the fiery darts which the Evil One now hurls against us, we ought to rest on the assuring promise that “the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). To strengthen the heart of Moses through his apparent failures in trying to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage under Egypt, the Lord pointed Moses forward to the goal: "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh" (Exodus 6:1). There was a lot that was to happen in between, but the Lord glanced over all that would intervene and went to the last act in the great drama which was just opening. He directed Moses to consider the successful outcome, when the great enemy of His people would be vanquished. Discouragement can be debilitating if we let it. But, it can be defeated by hope. "And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). Let's look at the end: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'" "He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” "He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death'" (Revelation 21:1-8). We need not defeat ourselves. We only need to look to the end, and to the One who will overcome!