FEAR AND DISCOURAGEMENT ARE TWO GIANTS THAT MUST BE CONQUERED.
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the land before you, go up and possess it.
FEAR not, neither be
DISCOURAGED. (Deut. 1:21).
Here the Lord gave an all important caution for us to take heed. Before you can make any progress in life or any meaningful achievement and investment, fear and discouragement are two giants that must be conquered.
They are two mighty war instruments in the hands of the devil to fight your endeavors. How does fear and discouragement come into a person’s life?
Fear comes by what you see, while discouragement comes by what you hear. If the young boy David had focused on the height, stature and ammunition of Goliath, fear would have defeated him ever before the combat. If he had considered Goliaths threats and boasts, he would have been discouraged. Let’s see from the bible record what I am talking about.
“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weavers beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron, and one bearing a shield went before him.
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And the Philistine said unto David, am I a dog that you come to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David, come to me and I will give your flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field.” (1 Samuel 17:4-7, 43-44).
From what we learnt about the nature and language of this ingenerated Philistine champion is enough to create fear in any heart and discourage the heart from making any further advance, but not a man like David, who stood by his own life testimony. Hear what he told Saul the king of Israel,
“And David said unto Saul, thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he rose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him and slew him. Thy servant slew him both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he had defiled the armies of the living God. David said, moreover the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the bear. He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine”. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
Personal life testimonies are very important stimulant to a successful Christian living. “The people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploit”. Anybody who has tasted the gracious miracles of God cannot be frightened by what he sees or discouraged by what he hears.
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Supposing, you were at your wits end, a dangerous spot where all hope of living is gone, and suddenly, through God’s intervention you were saved, you would hardly doubt about God’s power to save in times of trouble. If you had been a hopeless drug addict and by the grace of God, you were delivered from the power of this hard drug, you will find it easier to believe that with God, nothing is impossible. Fear and discouragement gain entrance into the life of people they have no personal encounter with God.
Many Israelites who came out from Egypt did not enter the promise land because of what they saw and what they heard. In the book of Numbers 13:25-26, it was recorded that the spies returned from searching out the land after forty days and brought back word unto Moses and unto all the congregation. Take note of that clause “BROUGHT BACK WORD”.
Was it the word that builds up faith or the word that discourages the mind? If you are not careful about the words people bring to you, it may hinder you from possessing your own promise land. Apostle Paul made it clear that many of those people saw and tasted the miracle of God, for they drank from that spiritual rock and ate from that spiritual meat (manna from heaven) but were overthrown and destroyed in the wilderness, for God was not happy with their unbelief. Hear what they said in the book of Deuteronomy 1:28
“How shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged their heart saying the people is greater and taller than we, the cities are great and walled up to heaven, and more over we have seen the sons of Anakims there”.
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The word the spies brought back to them discouraged their heart and prevented them from possessing the promise land. Some people find it easier to believe what the word of God says about them. Don’t allow the words of your friends, relations, your boss in the office to discourage you, Israel you may end up perishing in the wilderness of this world. Never you allow the world of the specialist doctor about the infertility of your womb to discourage you. But like Caleb and Joshua you can say and sing.
“We are able to go up and take the country
To possess the land from Jordan to the sea
Though the giants may be on our way to hinder
God will surely give us victory”.