Discouraged and Afraid
Many believers are discouraged by the people around them, and they live in fear because of what others say and do. This discouragement and fear keep them from doing what they know they are supposed to do. Often, these Christians have made commitments to the Lord to be faithful to carry out His will in certain ways. God made it plain, but Satan thwarted the will of God by having others stand against them. This is why God's work doesn't move forward in our world today. Satan and his demons are good at using people and worldly powers to stop the work of the Lord. That is what happened in the time of Ezra, when the Lord aroused the people of Judah to return to Jerusalem and build the temple. (Ezra 4:4) King Cyrus gave his permission for the project, and he provided assistance. However, the people who were already in the land when the exiles returned discouraged the people of Judah. In fact, they made them afraid to build, so the work of God was stopped. I pray we will see this problem and know how to overcome our discouragement and fear, so God's work will prosper.
We should never be discouraged or afraid to do God's work that He has laid out for us. When God sends us, He directs us and empowers us. However, the discouragement can come upon us when we are rejected by other people. No one likes to be rejected and to have others make fun of us. To overcome this we must decide it is more important to please God than to please other people. We must get our self worth from our relationship with Jesus, not from what others think about us. Once we have made that switch in our heart, we will not be discouraged, but we will understand that they are just feeling guilty that they do not do the right things, and they are taking it out on us. We are here to help them turn to the Lord, and if we don't do our part, they may be separated from God forever. Also, we should not be afraid of what others can do to us. We are secure in Christ. Our sins are forgiven. God will reward our faithfulness to Him, especially if we are persecuted. If we are hurt, He will sustain us, and if we are killed, He will take us on to be with Him. Remember, life is not about the present. It is about eternity. Let's focus on our heavenly home, and on getting others to go there, too, and we will have nothing to fear.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 5-7.