THE "D" WORDS
by Kathy Pegram

 

Many of us face the D-words in our lives. These are the words that Satan uses on us to bring us down. You are probably familiar with some if not all of them. Discontent, doubt, depression, despair, and then of course deception. Before long our hearts, minds and lives are so full of negative images that everything that comes out of us is negative. We begin to withdraw into ourselves and before long we are consumed with the D-words. I wonder how many of us can recall saying "I just feel so discontented." Or "I doubt so and so will happen." Or, "I have been feeling so depressed lately." Or, "I just despair over things ever working out right for us." The D-Words, the keys that Satan uses so that he can use his biggest key on us Deception.

When you are going through the D's in your life, no one can really understand what you are going through. Your friends may try but unless they have lived through exactly what you are facing they will never understand your battle. God and God alone is the one to drive the D- Words from your life. The most important thing is to remember that God has not forgotten you. He knows everything that you are going through. He sees the D's trying to take over your life. Isaiah 51:12-13 says: “I, even I, am he that comforts you. Who are you, that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction?”

God sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us. He promised to supply all of our needs, and to make a way where there seemed to be no way. But, we still spend our time saying I'm so sad, I'm so worried, I'm so depressed, I'm so unhappy. And before long we begin to push God away, all we see any more are our problems, our sickness, our unhappiness. We no longer see Him in His power and glory. We doubt, we despair, we become depressed and discontent. We forget God has a plan for our lives.

The Bible tell us, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you...Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:3,4,10) and “...ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8)

Do we no longer believe that God can help us overcome everything in our lives? Are we like the children of Israel who saw miracle after miracle yet constantly acted as if God had forsaken them? Do we no longer believe that God will act just in time, in answer to our prayers of faith? If we were able to trust fully in God we wouldn't be so susceptible to the D's in our lives. We have become a generation that wallows in self-pity and self-condemnation. That's why we battle depression, discontentment, despair, and doubt. We become so wrapped up in our own selves we forget to keep our eyes upon God. That's when satan slips in and deceives. He begins to whisper in our ears all his lies and trickery. Stop and think about it, it seems when we are at our lowest that's when he loves to sneak in with his deception. He always knows who to put in our path to discourage us or bring us down. If we could ever recognize his trickery for what it is I believe we would be better able to confront the D words and overcome them.

I've looked up the definitions for these words. Just to show us how God does not want these things to be a part of our lives. He wants us to have faith, trust, joy, and contentment in our lives.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary: Despair's definition is: “To lose all hope; to be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat; complete loss of hope.” Synonyms for despair include hopelessness, despondency, discouragement..... Mark Twain described despair as "...a time when one's spirit is subdued and sad, one knows not why; when the past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a vanity and a burden, and the future but a way to death."

Despair is detrimental to our spiritual health. To be in despair is a slap in the face of God. "He that despairs degrades God" (Owen Felltham). "When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God" (Charles L. Allen). "It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent" (Jeremy Taylor). To be in despair renders one ineffective in helping others: "He that is fallen cannot help him that is down" (unknown). Clare Boothe Luce said, "There are no hopeless situations. There are only people who have grown hopeless about them." Charles Swindoll has said that "Surrendering to despair is man's favorite pastime. God offers a better plan, but it takes effort to grab it and faith to claim it."

We are told to hold fast to our hope ... "but Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast" (Heb 3:6). "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Heb. 10:23). "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure..." (Heb. 6:19). So don't despair – hold fast to your hope in Jesus Christ. He is hope for the hopeless!

Another ailment that afflicts many people is "discontentment." According to the American Heritage Dictionary, discontentment is defined as: “Absence of contentment; dissatisfaction; a restless longing for better circumstances. Those that are discontented also hurt others!” When we are discontent, we become grumblers and complainers affecting our friends, families, and brothers and sisters in Christ, ruining not only our own selves, but also those closest to us. Nothing destroys a friendship and congregation quicker than the grumbling and murmuring of those who are discontent. Such complaining is condemned in the Scriptures. 1 Cor. 10:10 says, “Do not grumble as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angels.” Philippians 2:14 says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” If we want to overcome discontentment, we must look to the One who helps us overcome the world.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary the following are definitions for depression: “The act of depressing or the state of being depressed. A reduction in physiological vigor or activity. The condition of feeling sad or despondent. A psychotic or neurotic condition characterized by an inability to concentrate insomnia, and feelings of extreme sadness, dejection, and hopelessness.” Depression, burnout, and stress are to the mind what sickness and disease are to the body. Depression is a growing problem today.

Doubt, despair, and depression are all primary weapons used by satan in the battle against our minds. He redirects our focus on our problems instead of God's promises. We have to put our trust and faith in God. David was someone who suffered from depression, yet he was the apple of God's eye. Don't ever forget God knows what you are going through. he is right there with you. Don't let satan deceive you into thinking God doesn't care for you. Just look at the below verses of Scripture:

Psalm 42:5-8, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”

Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 61:1-4, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.”

Psalm 63:6-8, “When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

Finally, we come to doubt. According to the American Heritage Dictionary doubt is defined as: “To be undecided or skeptical about: To tend to disbelieve; distrust: To regard as unlikely: To suspect; fear.” You do not have to succumb to doubt. There is a place of trust in God, a place of faith, that can cause you to overcome doubt today. All throughout Scripture God has time and time again spoken in His Word to let you know that faith wins over doubt every time when you trust in Him. Doubt in contrary to what God's plan for your life is today. Read these Scriptures below and take courage.

 

Mark 11:22-24, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive {them}, and ye shall have {them}.”

Luke 12:29-31, “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Romans 4:20-21, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

Isaiah 46:10b,11b, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: ...I have spoken {it}, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed {it}, I will also do it.”

1 Thessalonians 5:24, “Faithful {is} he that calleth you, who also will do {it}.”

2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us- ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Psalm 18:30, “{As for} God, his way {is} perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he {is} a buckler to all those that trust in him.”

Isaiah 59:1, “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:”

As I look over these D-words I can see what a deceiver satan is. He brings depression, despair, doubt and discontent into our lives. We become so overwhelmed we basically begin to sink down and wallow in the negativity he throws our way. All the while he is whispering to us the deceiving words that God has forsaken us. We are failures with no hope. But you can look back over the scriptures and see God is our hope. He holds us in the palm of His hand. We are as safe in his love as a beloved child in his mother's arms. I look at David, Moses, Paul, Jonah , Peter, Elijah, etc. They had their battles, they went through their doubts, discontent, despair and depression. Yet God never turned his back on them. He saw then through all their doubts and fears.

Let me end by using Elijah and his Juniper tree. I believe he pretty much was letting the D- Words effect him. He had a great victory over the prophets of Baal, then wham a few verses later he is under a Juniper tree crying out to God to let him die because he is a failure. I think this tree symbolizes a place we all come to in our lives. Things are going along great and then the next thing we know we're under the Juniper tree crying out to God. We think we are failures, misfits, unappreciated, etc. It seems like when you are doing the best you can and you are giving your all for God the critics show up. We try to think of ways to change that will make others appreciate us more to no avail. And we just become more frustrated, angry, disappointed, and discouraged. Our problem is we are failing to put our trust in God. We are trying too hard to take matters into our own hands. We have got to understand that God is control. If God is not in control all we do is in vain.

It's time to focus on the will of God. Slow down and listen to His voice. God will never leave you or forsake you. Just remember there are others going through what you are going through. They experience the same doubts and fears you do. God has a plan for our lives. We have to trust Him that what He has planned for us is greater than anything we could ever imagine. So, when satan brings his handy keys your way and begins to shake them in your face. Don't let him deceive you. You are a child of the King. Don't let the D words rule your life! Instead think on these things:

Whatsoever things are true,
Whatsoever things are honorable,
Whatsoever things are just,
Whatsoever things are pure,
Whatsoever things are lovely,
Whatsoever things are of good report;
If there be any virtue,
And if there be any praise,
Think on these things.

 

Dear Lord, for those suffering from depression, doubt, discontentment and despair. I ask that you give them the courage and strength to trust you and allow the Holy Spirit to guide their lives. You are love and through your love all things are possible. In Jesus name we praise you. Amen

 

Love & Prayers,
Kathy