Many Christians are more easily discouraged than they are able to be lifted up, they live their spiritual lives on a roller coaster, and base the majority of that life on the current circumstances surrounding them. They are easily brought to fear, they are easily led, either by themselves or the external actions of others, into a place of doubt, and doubt in the relative area of the provisions and care of the Lord is a sin.
The average Christian does not trust the Lord nearly as much as they say they do, for when trials come, they fear, when the daily routine is modified in a way that they see as detrimental, they question, the life of faith they espouse becomes one of mistrust. That is what doubt is, mistrust, we do not take God at His word, He has fulfilled all of His promises of the past, when we lay our head down at night, we can easily know that His promises and presence were visible in that day, but the future holds not near as much trust.
I learned at a very young age that words are an extremely powerful weapon, with them I, or you, can lift up and destroy in nearly the same breath, but I also learned that these words, whether negative or positive, are only applicable to those of weaker constitutions, those whose faith, whether it be in themselves or in Christ, is weak, only a façade, a storefront cover of the fear they hold inside. Solomon never prayed for wisdom, he prayed, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” (1 Kings 3:9) With wisdom comes knowledge, and when the knowledge of a thing is known, the fear of it dissipates, the possible outcomes are seen, and as the end of the matter approaches, we gain confidence in our ability to either direct or lean into the circumstances at hand, we learn not to fear.
This is the essence of faith, to trust without question, to accept the situation as from the hand of the Lord, and we find its pinnacle of trust in Phil. 1:21; “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” When a man determines that his life has no intrinsic value unless it is lived for Christ, he becomes unable to be discouraged, unable to be dissuaded, he becomes a man of God. Those moments of doubt and fear become less and less prevalent, in fact, they are not only expected, but welcomed, for they bring the opportunity to trust in Him even more.
As we grow in Christ, we die to self, far past the selfish ambitions, far past the desires of the flesh, beyond the reach of anything the world has to offer. No pain, no suffering hold us from what we have set our face toward, death itself becomes a welcome thought, for in the very next moment we will be in the presence of Christ. These are the reasons I said that many, if not most, that profess Him as Lord are easily discouraged, their main view still rest in the temporal, rarely do they contemplate the eternal, for they cannot get past that point of the fear of their own death, they cannot see clearly through the valley of the shadow of death, they will not die to self.
The pleasures of the world still have a strong grip on them, its cares and worries become their cares and worries, they struggle against the Holy Spirit and the comfort He offers. “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25) A bold statement from the Lord, one that says either He is everything, or we are nothing, and only the one who has been blessed with the knowledge of the word Sovereign and the only One it applies to can comprehend the truth of this verse, along with “I can of mine own self do nothing,” (John 5:30) should come the realization that those who trust in Christ should be able to trust in Him fully.
Many who call Him Lord are unable to contemplate the truth of these verses, the knowledge of the truth of His promises, for they will not face the fear, it is easier to hide, to doubt, to sin in this area. Every single person, save for two, have had to come to the conclusion of these truths though, and you will also. When that day arrives, when you take your last breath, you will either know unspeakable terror, or peaceful truth, the same truth you could have carried in you your entire life.
