Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | A friend of mine had worked untiringly on a project, and finally it seemed there was a breakthrough and she would be able to put the project together. But then someone confronted her in a very abrasive manner and told her she was wrong, out of God’s will and that she should abandon the whole project. As the saying goes, she had the wind knocked out of her sails. Was God speaking to her through this person, or was this Satan trying to defeat the endeavor, she wondered.

Personally, I do not believe God wanted her to abandon the project. The Holy Spirit does not speak to us in an abrupt, abusive way. He is gentle with us, especially when our desire is to do His will. Yet, at times, we all experience discouraging circumstances. That’s when we must turn to God’s Word and find His promises to help us go on. Proverbs 24:16 says, “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” And Micah 7:8 warns those who oppose us, “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise.”

The apostle Paul certainly experienced discouraging times. He wrote, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT).

When life knocks you down, don’t quit or give up in discouragement. God may be guiding you to attack the problem from a different angle or with a different method.  But He will not abandon you. As Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (NLT).