Hi Friends,
What's up?
Frank Viola here (a.k.a. Frankie V.)
In this update, I'm gonna get personal.
When I was in my early 20s, I remember hearing a preacher put everyone under a pile of guilt bewailing the sin of "discouragement."
He said that discouragement, and it's wicked cousin -- depression -- were akin to taking the mark of the beast.
According this preacher, if you ever get discouraged, you're pretty close to being exiled from the kingdom of God. "Christians are always to be joyful," he argued.
Well, back then I struggled with discouragement. And I will shamelessly admit that I still wrestle with it today. More than I'd like to.
Anyways, after I heard that sermon, I lived in terror for two weeks. I felt lower than a snake's belly in a west Texas canyon. No travel agent on the planet could handle the guilt trip I was on.
But then I stumbled across something in the New Testament that caused me to pick myself up off the ground.
I read that Paul of Tarsus had times of intense despair (2 Cor. 1:8). I mean flat-lined kinds of depression. He said he "despaired of life." Yikes!
Even Jesus experienced discouragement at times, as well as frustration (Luke 9:41). He wasn't exactly joyful at Gethsemane nor while He was put on trial. Not to mention the agonies of the cross.
So I don't get condemned when I face discouragement. Instead, I get on the mat and have a wrestling match with it whenever I feel its hand moving over my throat.
(In case you're wondering, the things I get discouraged about revolve around the pain and suffering I see all around me, the seeming triumph of evil over good in our world, the shallow things that countless Christians benightedly gravitate toward and make popular, etc.)
Anyways, here are 5 things I do to overcome discouragement when I feel it trying to take over my soul. I'm writing these out to ENcourage you. :-) They aren't in any particular order.
1. I review my gratitude list. In this list, I have written out the things that God has blessed me with. I review the list and "re-thank Him" for His many blessings. This is akin to looking at the full side of the glass. (It seems I'm naturally wired to first notice the empty side.)
2. I exercise. For me, this usually comes in the form of a walk outdoors. Sometimes it may include a short sprint (okay, sometimes I chase my cat around the house, but that still counts!). Exercising energizes our brains and balances out the neurotransmitters. It's a key to emotional well being as well as physical health, so I've learned.
3. I review my goals list. Each year, I write down 6 - 12 personal goals for the year, and I include the date when I desire to see each goal come to pass. Reviewing these goals gives me encouragement and hope for the future.
4. I encourage myself in the Lord. 1 Samuel 30:6 says,
"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."
In the Psalms, David often speaks to himself with the words "oh my soul," encouraging himself to give thanks to God. Yep, David is speaking to his own soul and telling it good things. For example,
"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 42:5).
5. I call a friend. This is especially good medicine for extroverts -- which I am. Extroverts derive energy by communicating with people where introverts derive energy by being alone.
Frankly (to be frank), not that I'm not frank, but you know what I mean! -- I wish I was an introvert. And I'm sure introverts wish they were extroverts, but I digress.
At the end of this update, I have a question for you about overcoming discouragement. So read on . . .
My Discipleship Course is Open Again & on BIG Discount Until Nov. 28th
Okay, so we wanted to precede all those Black-Friday/Cyber-Monday sales and give one now.
My first discipleship course, Living by the Indwelling Life of Christ, is open again for the next 9 days. And it's on big discount. (The price will go back up the next time it reopens.)
The course now comes in two different editions.
The Online Edition (which you can take online from any computer) and the Home Edition (which is a physical product that's shipped to your house).
I also plan to release my next discipleship course, A Deeper Journey into God's Eternal Purpose, in the Fall of 2015. Those who have the Indwelling Life course will get a 15% discount on the Eternal Purpose course when it releases.
Go here to check out the Living by the Indwelling Life of Christ course.
Those of you who want the Home Edition as a Christmas gift for someone else, no worries. Orders will be shipped priority mail so you'll get it in time.
But that's not all.
My Library (Box Set) is Discounted Until November 28th Also
In light of the holidays, we are discounting my entire library of 10 books for the next 7 days. Some of you wanted the box set for Christmas gifts to give to family and friends.
The retail price is $158. But you can have the entire set for only $77 until Black Friday, Nov. 28th.
(The box set is normally discounted at $87.)
Just go here to get the library at a discount.
Last but not least, if you've not yet subscribed to my podcast, do so here. There are presently 107 episodes and you have access to all of them when you subscribe. There's no charge.
Back to the topic of overcoming discouragement:
What do you do to overcome discouragement that I didn't mention in my list?
I plan to send a follow-up update in several days that will include your best responses along with a SPECIAL invitation to a live event next year. ;-)
Warmly,
fv
Psalm 115:1
P.S. Remember, my discipleship course closes on November 28th. It will revert back to the normal price when it reopens in several months.
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