And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake 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.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Someone who is discouraged and lacks desire or hope to be encouraged cannot be encouraged or filled with the Spirit. You must have a strong desire to take solace and comfort in the presence of God, no matter what’s happening in your life or around you. One might say, but that person needs to be filled with the Spirit first, so the Spirit can encourage him. But that’s sense knowledge. There’s a way to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of God needs you to cooperate with Him to be filled. If you are down and depressed and you don’t talk yourself up, you are not going to be filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit, we need to learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord. You need to learn to talk to yourself in the Word. You may start with Psalms 27 and then go to Psalms 23. You are talking to yourself; you are encouraging yourself in the Lord. Remember when the Amalekites invaded Ziklag and burnt it down, at a time when David went to war; but when he and his men returned, the whole city had become a shadow of itself. Pressure mounted so much on David that he was almost going to be stoned to death. He wept sore and was discouraged so much so that there was no strength in him anymore. But David encouraged himself in the Lord. In that zone of discouragement, he didn’t hear God’s voice until he encouraged himself in the Lord, and he then inquired of the Lord. When people are discouraged, nothing good happens in their lives.
Beloved, have you suffered a loss in times past? Irrespective of the degree, don’t sit down like you are defeated. Don’t hang your head at a critical angle like there’s no hope for you. There’s hope for you. Talk yourself up, speak to yourself. When people are discouraged, they don’t even know the right thing to do. Is there something you’ve tried to do in your own strength again and again and you’ve failed? Why not let the Spirit of God do it in you; let Him do it for you. Cut ties with friends that discourage you. Why? You don’t need to be discouraged. Encourage yourself in the Lord, speak to yourself, hear a message that will minister encouragement to you, a word that will lift your spirit. Be encouraged and in that strength from within, start ministering to the Lord, giving thanks to God; and as you minister to the Lord, walk in humility and humble yourself before God, you will be filled with the Spirit. When you let the Spirit carry you, what God will do with your life will amaze you.
SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I refuse to be discouraged or frustrated. I encourage myself in the Lord as I minister to the Lord, and I am filled with the Spirit continually in Jesus’ Name!
Further Meditation:
Micah 6:8; Psalms 27:1.