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When You Feel Discouraged · Ian Green Audio Sermons

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Ministry of Ian Green, a place where faith is strengthened, hope is renewed, and the Word of God comes alive.
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  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're searching for answers, walking through a difficult season, or simply hungry to know God more deeply, you're in the right place.
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  SPEAKER_00: So take a moment, quiet your heart, and open your spirit.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into the Word of God together.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is Ian Green and this is today's message.
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  SPEAKER_00: When you feel discouraged.
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  SPEAKER_00: You're praying, you're believing, you're trying to do the right thing, you're trying to obey what you believe God has spoken to you, and yet, instead of everything getting easier, it seems to get harder.
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  SPEAKER_00: People begin to question you.
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  SPEAKER_00: People misunderstand you, and people tell you that what you're doing isn't going to work.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people will even tell you, I don't think that's God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Why are you doing that?
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  SPEAKER_00: Who told you to do that?
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  SPEAKER_00: You think you're something special, and if you're not careful, you can begin to question yourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can begin to question the calling.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can begin to question the vision.
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  SPEAKER_00: And eventually you can even begin to question God.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I want to encourage somebody today.
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  SPEAKER_00: Opposition does not always mean you're out of the will of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes opposition comes because you're in the will of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let's look at Nehemiah.
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  SPEAKER_00: God had put it in Nehemiah's heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
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  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah wasn't rebuilding the walls because he wanted fame.
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  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't doing it because he wanted recognition.
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  SPEAKER_00: He was doing it because God had burdened his heart to do it.
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  SPEAKER_00: But as soon as he started building, opposition came.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't confuse opposition with failure.
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  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah 4 tells us that when Sanbalat and Tobiah heard that the walls were being rebuilt, they became angry.
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  SPEAKER_00: They mocked the people, they ridiculed them.
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  SPEAKER_00: They questioned what they were doing.
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  SPEAKER_00: They tried to intimidate them and eventually they threatened them.
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  SPEAKER_00: Why?
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  SPEAKER_00: Because the work was progressing.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the enemy doesn't attack you because you're doing nothing.
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  SPEAKER_00: He attacks you because you're building something.
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  SPEAKER_00: There is something about a person who has decided, I'm going to do what God has called me to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the enemy doesn't like that.
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  SPEAKER_00: And one of the weapons he uses is discouragement.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because if he can't stop you physically, he'll try to stop you emotionally.
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  SPEAKER_00: He'll get you thinking, What's the point?
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  SPEAKER_00: Nobody appreciates this.
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  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I heard God wrong.
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  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'm wasting my time.
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  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I should just give up.
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  SPEAKER_00: But listen carefully, feeling discouraged is not the same thing as being defeated.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can feel discouraged and still keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can be tired and still be faithful.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can cry and still believe.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can have questions and still obey God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Be careful whose voice you allow to define your calling.
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  SPEAKER_00: One of the greatest dangers when you're trying to do what God has called you to do is allowing the wrong voices to become louder than God's voice.
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  SPEAKER_00: People have opinions, people have experiences, people have fears, people have limitations.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes people will judge what God is doing in your life based upon what they believe is possible.
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  SPEAKER_00: But God is not limited by somebody else's imagination.
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  SPEAKER_00: David understood this.
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  SPEAKER_00: When David went to fight Goliath, his own brother questioned him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Saul questioned him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Goliath mocked him, and everybody seemed to have an opinion, but David knew something.
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  SPEAKER_00: He knew what God had already done for him.
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  SPEAKER_00: David said essentially, the God who delivered me from the lion and the bear will deliver me from this Philistine.
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  SPEAKER_00: David wasn't depending upon the opinions of people.
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  SPEAKER_00: He was remembering the faithfulness of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes when people are trying to discourage you, you have to stop listening to what they're saying and start remembering what God has already done.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the doors he's opened.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the prayers he's answered.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the times he made away.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the times you thought it was impossible and God came through.
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  SPEAKER_00: Your history with God is evidence for your future with God.
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  SPEAKER_00: So don't let somebody else's discouragement become your disobedience.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is important.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes somebody else's fear can become your limitation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Somebody says, Oh, I wouldn't do that if I was you.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's too difficult.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's never going to work, or you should just leave it alone.
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  SPEAKER_00: And suddenly you begin backing away from something God told you to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: But here's the question: Did God tell you to do it?
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  SPEAKER_00: If God told you to do something, then you need to be careful about allowing people who didn't receive the instruction to determine whether you obey it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, that doesn't mean we ignore wise counsel.
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  SPEAKER_00: See, because the Bible tells us there is wisdom and counsel, but there is a difference between godly counsel and discouraging criticism.
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  SPEAKER_00: Wise counsel may challenge you, but it will point you towards truth.
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  SPEAKER_00: Discouragement simply tells you you can't, it's impossible.
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  SPEAKER_00: Give up, it's not worth it.
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  SPEAKER_00: You need to know the difference.
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  SPEAKER_00: So when you're discouraged, strengthen yourself in the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite scriptures concerning discouragement is found in 1 Samuel 30.
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  SPEAKER_00: David had experienced an enormous setback.
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  SPEAKER_00: The city had been burned, the people's families had been taken, and David's own men were so distressed that they began talking about stoning him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Imagine that.
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  SPEAKER_00: The people who had been following David were now talking about killing him.
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  SPEAKER_00: David was surrounded by discouragement.
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  SPEAKER_00: But the Bible says something remarkable.
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  SPEAKER_00: David encouraged himself in the Lord, his God.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's powerful.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes there won't be anybody around to encourage you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the people you thought would encourage you are the very people discouraging you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you have to learn how to get alone with God and say, Lord, I don't feel strong today.
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  SPEAKER_00: I don't understand what's happening.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm tired, I'm hurting, but I still trust you.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's encouragement.
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  SPEAKER_00: Encouragement isn't pretending everything is fine.
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  SPEAKER_00: Encouragement is reminding yourself that God is still God, even when everything doesn't feel fine.
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  SPEAKER_00: So, go back to what God said.
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  SPEAKER_00: When you're discouraged, don't make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's worth saying again.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Don't make permanent decisions based upon temporary emotions.
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  SPEAKER_00: You might feel like quitting today, but tomorrow you might wake up with renewed strength.
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  SPEAKER_00: You might feel like giving up tonight, but tomorrow God may open a door.
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  SPEAKER_00: You might think, maybe I should stop.
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  SPEAKER_00: But before you stop, go back to what God said.
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  SPEAKER_00: What did God put in your heart?
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  SPEAKER_00: What did you believe He told you?
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  SPEAKER_00: What did Scripture confirm?
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  SPEAKER_00: What has God been showing you?
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the best thing you can do when you're discouraged is to go back to the beginning.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember why you started.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the burden.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the vision.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the prayer.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't let today's opposition erase yesterday's revelation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus understands what it means to be misunderstood.
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  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately we look to Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus was misunderstood.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus was criticized.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus was rejected.
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  SPEAKER_00: People questioned his authority.
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  SPEAKER_00: People accused him.
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  SPEAKER_00: People said he was working by the power of Satan.
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  SPEAKER_00: Imagine that.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Son of God was doing the Father's will and people accused him of being of the devil.
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  SPEAKER_00: So if people misunderstand you, you're in good company.
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  SPEAKER_00: Hebrews 12 tells us to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: Why?
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  SPEAKER_00: Because he endured hostility from sinners against himself.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the writer says, consider him.
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  SPEAKER_00: In other words, when you're tired, look at Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: When you're misunderstood, look at Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: When you're criticized, look at Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: When you feel like giving up, look at Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus endured the cross, because he could see beyond the cross.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes you have to learn to see beyond your present circumstances.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't give up in the middle of the story.
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  SPEAKER_00: Galatians 6 9 says, Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
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  SPEAKER_00: Notice those words, if we faint not.
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  SPEAKER_00: There is a harvest connected to your perseverance.
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  SPEAKER_00: The enemy wants you to quit before the harvest.
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  SPEAKER_00: Think about a farmer.
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  SPEAKER_00: A farmer plants a seed, then nothing seems to happen.
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  SPEAKER_00: He doesn't dig the seed back up every morning to see whether it's growing.
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  SPEAKER_00: He waits, he waters, he works, he believes.
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  SPEAKER_00: And eventually something breaks through the soil.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some of you are in a season where you can't see anything happening, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening.
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  SPEAKER_00: God can be working underground.
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  SPEAKER_00: Just because you can't see the roots doesn't mean there aren't roots.
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  SPEAKER_00: Just because you can't see the fruit doesn't mean the seed is dead.
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  SPEAKER_00: Keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes God allows the opposition to show you what is really in you.
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  SPEAKER_00: You discover things about yourself in adversity that you don't discover in comfort.
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  SPEAKER_00: You discover whether you truly trust God.
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  SPEAKER_00: You discover whether you're doing it for God or for people's approval.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because if everybody applauds you, it's easy to keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: But what happens when nobody applauds?
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  SPEAKER_00: What happens when people criticize you?
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  SPEAKER_00: What happens when nobody understands?
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  SPEAKER_00: What happens when you don't receive recognition?
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  SPEAKER_00: Can you still say, Lord, I'll obey you?
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  SPEAKER_00: That's maturity because eventually you realize I'm not doing this for people's applause, I'm doing it because I love God.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when your motivation becomes obedience rather than a recognition, people's opinions lose their power over you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Learn when to rest without quitting.
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  SPEAKER_00: There is another important lesson.
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  SPEAKER_00: Being discouraged doesn't necessarily mean you need to quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you simply need to rest.
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  SPEAKER_00: Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds.
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  SPEAKER_00: Even Jesus went away to pray.
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  SPEAKER_00: Even Elijah, after an incredible victory, became exhausted and discouraged.
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  SPEAKER_00: And God didn't condemn Elijah.
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  SPEAKER_00: God gave him rest, God gave him food, and God allowed him to recover.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we're trying to fight a spiritual battle when we're simply exhausted.
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  SPEAKER_00: So rest, pray, get into the word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Spend time with people who strengthen your faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: Take a breath, but don't confuse rest with quitting.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can pause without abandoning the assignment.
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  SPEAKER_00: God is your defender.
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  SPEAKER_00: Here's the final thing I want you to remember.
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  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to defend yourself against everybody.
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  SPEAKER_00: If God has called you, let God vindicate you.
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  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to answer every critic.
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  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to respond to every accusation.
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  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to convince everybody.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus didn't respond to every accusation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes your greatest response is simply keep walking, keep praying, keep serving, keep building, keep loving, keep obeying, and keep your heart right.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let God deal with the rest.
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  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah's enemies tried everything they could to stop the work, but eventually the wall was completed.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I love what Nehemiah 6.16 tells us.
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  SPEAKER_00: When the enemies heard that the wall had been finished, they realized that the work had been done with the help of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's the goal.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not everybody understands you, not everybody agrees with you, not everybody applauds you.
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  SPEAKER_00: But when the work is finished, people can look at it and say, God did that.
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  SPEAKER_00: So in conclusion, if you're discouraged today, I want you to hear this.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may be tired, don't quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may be misunderstood.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may be criticized, don't quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may not see the results yet.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Don't quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may even be wondering whether you heard correctly.
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  SPEAKER_00: Go back to him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Seek him again.
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  SPEAKER_00: Get into his word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Pray.
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  SPEAKER_00: Listen.
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  SPEAKER_00: But don't allow discouragement to make the decision for you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes the greatest breakthrough is waiting on the other side of your decision to keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: I love this scripture.
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  SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 41:10 says, Fear thou not, for I am with thee.
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  SPEAKER_00: Be not dismayed, for I am thy God.
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  SPEAKER_00: God doesn't say you will never become discouraged.
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  SPEAKER_00: He says, Don't be dismayed, I'm with you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that's the difference.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you know who holds tomorrow.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may not understand the opposition, but you know who called you.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may not see the outcome, but you know who is faithful.
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  SPEAKER_00: So lift up your head.
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  SPEAKER_00: Strengthen yourself in the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Go back on your knees, open your Bible, remember what God has done.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember what He said and keep walking.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because the enemy cannot stop what God has ordained unless you allow his discouragement to make you stop yourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: So today, make a decision.
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  SPEAKER_00: I will not quit.
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  SPEAKER_00: I will not allow people's opinions to become greater than God's word.
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  SPEAKER_00: I will not allow opposition to make me abandon obedience.
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  SPEAKER_00: I will not allow discouragement to have the final word, and I will encourage myself in the Lord, and by the grace of God I will keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: So let's close in prayer.
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  SPEAKER_00: Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for every person who is discouraged today, for the person who has been trying to do what you've called them to do, but they have faced opposition, criticism, rejection, and misunderstanding.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lord, I pray you will strengthen them right now.
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  SPEAKER_00: Give them wisdom to know your voice.
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  SPEAKER_00: Give them discernment to know which voices to listen to and which voices to ignore.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Heal the places where discouragement has wounded them, Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remind them of what you have already done.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remind them of your faithfulness and where they have become weary, give them new strength, Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Your word says that those who wait upon you shall renew their strength.
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  SPEAKER_00: So renew their strength today.
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  SPEAKER_00: Give them courage to keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: Give them grace to keep building.
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  SPEAKER_00: Give them faith to keep believing.
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  SPEAKER_00: And above all, Lord, help them to keep their eyes on Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let them know that they are not alone.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when they cannot see the way forward, remind them that you are the way.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' mighty name I pray, Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me today, and I pray that this message has encouraged you, strengthened your faith, and drawn you closer to God.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: If this ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider becoming a partner and helping us continue to share the Word of God and the message of hope with people around the world.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: You can find out more about supporting the ministry through the links provided.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember this God loves you and He has a purpose for your life, and He's always with you.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm Ian Green, God bless you, and I'll see you again soon.