Discouragement seems to be all around us. I don’t know many things I can look to these days and feel encouraged. For example, do our jobs really give us fulfilment and contentment? I have been working for over 27 years and in various companies and I cannot recall anyone who mentioned to me that their job truly satisfied them.

Satisfaction often times does not even come from close friends and family because of what might be taking place at any given moment. Spousal  conflicts, rebellious children, financial shortfalls and insecurities, or it can even be extended  to health challenges. I know a friend who awoke one day and was having back pains and had to undergo an operation. This was 4 months ago and he is still medically unfit to return to work. Things in this life WILL come to discourage us. Once you are living, this is one of the things that the world will present to you – CHALLENGES.

This is why the Apostle Paul told us:

1 Corinthians 15:19  If we only have hope in Christ in this life, we are of all men most miserable.

The Apostle was reminding us, as I am also doing now, that though we have hope in Jesus Christ this is good. But our hope extends beyond this life and reaches unto the eternal life to come. We hope for something which is beyond and bigger than this discouraging world which has little hope to offer and makes us miserable.

We must live in this world, but we cannot place our confidence in it, for it will pass away just as you and I. I firmly believe in the aforementioned truths and even if some of you don’t believe I am sure you can relate to the emptiness that life can ‘conjure up’. Even if this world brings us happiness it is for a time. We get a new job then a short while after we are dissatisfied, we get into a new relationship and happiness abounds only to feel deflated sometime soon after. Life can truly be like a pendulum which sometimes seems stuck on one side and that’s the side with difficulty and discouragement.

But I don’t want to sound like it’s all gloom and doom and make you feel that all is lost. Not so my friends, I bring you good news today. I bring you good news that you can hope on someone who is eternal and can truly bring you happiness and that is the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Christ will bring you inner peace and contentment and all you have to do is come and taste of Him.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good;  blessed is the one who takes refuge  in him.”

I tasted 25 years ago and have never looked back since. Were things always rosy on this journey? Truth be told, at many times I felt discouraged and wanted to give up. Discouragement got the better of me and sometimes won the battle but thank God it never won the war.

But you know what kept me many times? It was just thinking and reflecting on the peace and joy that the presence of God provided in my life when it first filled that emptiness. The joy and peace that He gave was like nothing else I had ever experienced or will ever experience. Thinking about letting go of this and going backwards to a discouraging world always gave me hope and encouragement to go on and hold on.

Today I want to tell believers in the Lord that they should not come out this spiritual race and stop running. If you are discouraged at this moment don’t think that changing lanes and moving unto the path of this world is the answer. The world has no answers for us! Keep moving forward with God and pressing into Him. Hold unto Him and He would hold unto you and don’t let anything pluck you out His hands (John 10:28).

For those of you who have never given your life over to the Lord Jesus Christ then let me ask you this. Are you fully contented and fulfilled in this life? Do you truly feel happy and satisfied with all this life has to give? Do you think the things you are trusting in will satisfy you in the end? If your answers to these questions are “No”, or you are unsure of your answer then it is time to try something different.

If you have tried so hard with this world and it still didn’t pay off then why not try Jesus? Come and taste of Him and get hope and be encouraged. Don’t delay and stay in your state, try Jesus and get Eternal Life and have someone at your side to encourage you to face every day.

PS: Dane Miller was last seen trying to encourage others while smiling and running in the lane God has appointed for him.

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller | Author

PS: I welcome your feedback on this blog post and encourage you to leave a comment below or subscribe/follow for new blog releases via email.