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A Spiritual Remedy For Discouragement And Doubt · WholeHeart Conversations

• 0:00
  Constance Lavonice: Have you ever questioned your ability, your usefulness, wanting to give up or quit?
• 0:09
  Constance Lavonice: Are you losing the desire to pursue the goals you once imagined?
• 0:14
  Constance Lavonice: Are you apathetic?
• 0:17
  Constance Lavonice: You may be discouraged.
• 0:20
  Constance Lavonice: Discouragement is the opposite of courage.
• 0:25
  Constance Lavonice: It affects your confidence.
• 0:28
  Constance Lavonice: It's mental and physical, and it's also spiritual.
• 0:34
  Constance Lavonice: Discouragement causes us to surrender.
• 0:38
  Constance Lavonice: But the Bible provides a spiritual remedy.
• 0:44
  Constance Lavonice: If you are new here, welcome.
• 0:47
  Constance Lavonice: You're listening to Whole Heart Conversations, a podcast for women where we discuss biblical faith, mental health, and whole heart, spirit, soul, and body resilience.
• 1:04
  Constance Lavonice: I'm your host, Constance Lavonice.
• 1:08
  Constance Lavonice: Sometimes we're discouraged when we have a lot of competing voices around us, the narratives that we hold in our minds, the voices of others around us, their expectations, their experiences, their values clashing with ours.
• 1:32
  Constance Lavonice: Also, what we focus on.
• 1:37
  Constance Lavonice: First, the narrative you're telling yourself about your ability, your usefulness, your impact.
• 1:49
  Constance Lavonice: Where did it start?
• 1:52
  Constance Lavonice: How does that narrative influence you?
• 1:57
  Constance Lavonice: Does it move you forward toward growth?
• 2:01
  Constance Lavonice: Or does it keep you stuck or constantly questioning or doubting?
• 2:08
  Constance Lavonice: Second, what voices are you listening to?
• 2:14
  Constance Lavonice: People around you?
• 2:17
  Constance Lavonice: Social media?
• 2:19
  Constance Lavonice: Social media can be very toxic, especially the messaging around women and their value.
• 2:30
  Constance Lavonice: Are you listening to the boss, the coworker, the skeptical friend?
• 2:36
  Constance Lavonice: Are they inspiring you or causing you to doubt?
• 2:41
  Constance Lavonice: Thirdly, what are you focused on?
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  Constance Lavonice: Because what we focus on, we magnify, and what we magnify, we manifest.
• 2:54
  Constance Lavonice: Proverbs 4 23 says, guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
• 3:07
  Constance Lavonice: We need to be intentional about what we allow to come into our minds and to remain in our minds.
• 3:18
  Constance Lavonice: The scripture that inspired this message comes from the book of John, chapter 16, verse 33.
• 3:29
  Constance Lavonice: Jesus is talking to his disciples, and he tells them, These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace.
• 3:41
  Constance Lavonice: In the world you have tribulation.
• 3:44
  Constance Lavonice: But take courage.
• 3:46
  Constance Lavonice: I have overcome the world.
• 3:50
  Constance Lavonice: Let's look at this scripture.
• 3:52
  Constance Lavonice: Jesus said, I have spoken to you.
• 3:57
  Constance Lavonice: Jesus spoke to the disciples, and he speaks to us now.
• 4:04
  Constance Lavonice: The Bible is alive and active, and the message is for us personally.
• 4:12
  Constance Lavonice: When Jesus says, I have spoken, that's a promise.
• 4:18
  Constance Lavonice: Every word from Jesus' mouth is a promise to us.
• 4:25
  Constance Lavonice: In the world, Jesus said, you will have tribulations, distresses, discouragement.
• 4:37
  Constance Lavonice: But he says, take courage.
• 4:41
  Constance Lavonice: Take courage is an action verb.
• 4:46
  Constance Lavonice: It's not passive.
• 4:48
  Constance Lavonice: It's intentional.
• 4:51
  Constance Lavonice: Take courage intentionally because it's rightfully yours in Christ.
• 5:01
  Constance Lavonice: Isaiah twenty six, three says, you, God, will keep him or her in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
• 5:19
  Constance Lavonice: The spiritual remedy for discouragement is to have a conscious awareness that you are walking with God, step by step, moment by moment, Jesus Christ in you.
• 5:43
  Constance Lavonice: Have a conscious awareness, which means to know.
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  Constance Lavonice: And how do you know when you're walking with someone?
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  Constance Lavonice: I walk with my husband during the week, and I see him, I sense his presence, and I feel his presence.
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  Constance Lavonice: It's the same with Jesus.
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  Constance Lavonice: When you wake up in the morning, know that God is with you.
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  Constance Lavonice: Talk to him, praise him, worship him.
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  Constance Lavonice: When you're brushing your teeth, getting dressed, driving, walking, studying, taking care of your children or your grandchildren.
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  Constance Lavonice: No.
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  Constance Lavonice: Kn O W, a conscious awareness that Christ is with you.
• 6:51
  Constance Lavonice: Christ has already overcome the world, and in him you will overcome discouragement.
• 7:01
  Constance Lavonice: So stay focused on Christ, a conscious awareness that he's in you and with you, and you have all of the power of his Holy Spirit to replace the negative narratives and voices around you, and to regain, to take the courage and confidence that's available to you in Christ.
• 7:35
  Constance Lavonice: And if this message resonated with you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and text the show and let me know what's on your heart so we can talk about it.