By Andrea Merrell
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve …
Joshua 24:15 NIV
Are you discouraged? We all deal with discouragement to some degree, but sometimes we don’t realize the dark and dangerous path it puts us on. When we keep walking the wrong way, never stopping to deal with our emotions, heart issues, and our sin, we can be well on the way to a toxic spiritual life.
Discouragement is subtle. It begins by making you feel weary and maybe a little frustrated. Fatigue leads to stress and even fear. When left unchecked, discouragement grows into a sense of hopelessness and defeat and can spiral into full-blown depression.
Been there? I have, and it’s not a place I want to dwell … or even revisit.
Life is full of petty annoyances, but they’re like mud puddles. They might get you wet and dirty, but they’re not killers or life-changers—unless we allow them to be.
So, what’s the answer? When life turns sour and you find your foot in the mud, shake it off. Allow God’s Word to wash and cleanse you (Ephesians 5:26). We are told to choose the one we will serve. We can choose God’s way—peace, joy, love, encouragement—or we can choose to live in defeat.
If you’re dealing with a spirit of discouragement, turn to God and His powerful, life-changing, life-giving Word. He will set you free and put you on the right path.
(Photos courtesy of Morguefile and FreeDigitalPhotos.net/Stuart Miles.)
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