John 7
Discouragement Derails!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, June 15.
Do you ever feel discouraged and just want to quit?
In John 7:5, we learn this about Jesus’ ministry, “For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” In verse 1 we learn that Jesus stayed away from Judea because the Jewish authorities “were waiting to take his life.”
Have you ever felt like you could do so much more good if you had people in your corner who believed in you? If only you had more support and less opposition…
Jesus knew what it was like to have an unsupportive family, but He did not let that discourage Him from being faithful to do God’s will in His life. In fact, from a human perspective, Jesus had much more going against Him because not only was His family not believing in Him and the religious systems were actively against Him, but the support system He did have was composed of a ragamuffin group of followers that didn’t seem to get it half of the time.
Many people would have just quit and moved on! A lack of support, opposition, and being misunderstood are breeding grounds for discouragement. But Jesus kept His eyes on the Father, on God’s love for Him and God’s will for His life. That kept Jesus securely centered on who He was and why He was doing what He was doing. Jesus listened to the right voice!
Do you let discouragement derail you? Do you allow setbacks to prevent you from going forward? Do you focus on the ones who do not believe in you or the One who does believe in you?
Seize the moment and keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. When you are feeling discouraged and want to quit, get back in the yoke of Jesus and trust God to help you finish strong.
If you need any practical assistance or would like to receive a personal phone call, please dial the phone number below and someone from FBC will call you soon.