Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Cor. 4:1)

Life can be rough, tough and down- right terrible sometimes.  Some of the things that we all have to go through as Christians are just plain awful. While it is true some of the things that happen to most of us is because of our own bad choices, a lot of the things that happen to us all is because we live in a fallen world that is filled with sin, and the world is full of people who do not confess or profess Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  You may be at a point in your life whereas you might feel that you just can’t take it anymore and it may seem to be absolutely no way out. As long as you have a relationship with God and stay in His lane, He will  always make a way out for you, so don’t worry!  Before you jump ship and give up, we’d like to encourage you to consider the sufferings of Paul and what he had to endure and how he chose to respond to the bad circumstances that he found himself in.  So, let’s have a look at Paul’s story;

Of the thirteen letters that came from the pen of the theologian of the New Testament, Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, none is more personal and intimate than the letter in our Bibles known as 2 Corinthians.  In this letter Paul opens his heart with a vulnerability that reveals all the stress marks of living on the edge.  He admits, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8,9).  His attitude was not the attitude of “Poor me!” Or “Look how much I have suffered!”  He writes, “Let no one take me for a fool,” yet he points out that life was not always easy. “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one,” he says, continuing, “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in dangers from rivers, in dangers from bandits, in dangers from my own countrymen,” and so forth (2 Cor. 11:16, 24-26). How much does it take to stop a person dead in his tracks? Whatever the answer, it took more than that to cause Paul to quit. But the question is, “Did this man have a corner on God’s strength?” And if he did, are there some insights that can help us when we feel driven into the corner by the bad circumstances of life?

In this same letter, Paul uses a phrase twice, “we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1, 16). The phrase, to lose heart, is an interesting one. Used only one other time in the New Testament, it defines what discouragement is: losing heart. The same word was used in an old first century manuscript when a woman is in labor in childbirth and despairs of ever bringing forth a child. Webster defines discouragement as that which causes one to weaken, to give up, and to despair. What causes people to lose heart today? We have found that there are usually three things that can be described that causes discouragement and those three things are; (1) Physical causes, (2) Emotional causes, and (3) Spiritual causes.

Briefly let’s consider them.
First, whenever a person struggles with their  health, with physical weariness, with sickness which persists, that individual may lose heart, wondering, “Will I ever get well again?” Then when we are disappointed, a marriage begins to fail, you may find that your finances are in shambles, and  it may cause you to think you face a hopeless situation, so you may begin to lose heart, and then finally, there are times when Satan opposes the child of God who strives to do right, and you may begin to wonder if it is worth the effort and so you begin to lose heart.  O.K., you can probably identify with these problems. But you may be wondering, okay so, what’s the solution? In this same passage where Paul says he does not lose heart, he gives it to us. In two words, he suggests renewal and perspective. Here is how he put it: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).  Renewal is one of, the great secrets which God has taught us through the seasons. Renewal means time in God’s Word, time alone with God, time to regain strength and time to renew your perspective, keeping the main things of life the main thing.  This is 1 of the solutions, the only way you can say with Paul, “Therefore we do not lose heart.” Paul does give a great solution, but along with Paul’s solution of renewal and perspective, we encourage you to pray and inquire of God to show you ways that you can gain the strength that He has promised to give you for each day so that you will be able to endure whatever situations that you may find yourself in. We’re sure it’s a prayer God will delight in answering for you, if you will simply ask Him! Won’t you ask Him today, after all, He is waiting to renew your strength when you place Him first and seek Him for the strength to make it!

Want to dig into God’s word and spend time with Him and seek Him for the strength to make it through? Remember to use the free resources below;

http://www.examen.me/

http://www.biblestudytools.com/