Defeat The Virus of Discouragement By Matt Fore

2 Powerful Prescriptions To Defeat The Virus of Discouragement

When it came to medical advice, your Grandma’s ideas might have been skewed.

To be fair, it probably wasn’t her fault. Home remedies were passed down from Mt. Sinai through the family tree and they landed at your house. That’s why, as a kid, you lay in bed with a dirty sock around your neck. “There is nothing better for a sore throat.”

I’ll bet you didn’t know that a silver coin in a hardboiled egg can cure a bruise. When you think about all the money doctors have invested in medical school, it’s hard to believe they didn’t know about that. Or maybe they were out that day.

According to a Reader’s Digest article called, “11 Outrageous Folk Remedies to Avoid.” Diane Dragan shares the treasured secret. And it just might work. I can’t wait to slam my shin into the coffee table so I can give it a try.

In the days when trained physicians knew just barely more than grandma, people did the best they could with what they had to cure their ailments. The vast majority of physical maladies were self-treated and yet, somehow, the patients survived.

The Deadliest Virus

Today, in spite of the great advances in medicine and technology, there is a virus that has proven to be one of the deadliest of all time. That virus is “discouragement.”

Author Hal Lindsey is famous for saying,

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air but only one second without hope.”

In times of crisis, it’s the absence of hope that causes people to lose their will to live. In fact, according to statistics put out by The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, suicide was the tenth largest cause of deaths in 2019. Can you imagine the flood of discouragement since the pandemic of 2020?

For many, discouragement simply causes them to settle into a life of mediocrity. Life loses its excitement, its pizazz. They no longer have anything to look forward to.

The Antidote

At the risk of presenting logic to the point of being ridiculous, the answer to the problem of “no hope” is hope. Those who are living life on their own without a direct connection with a loving heavenly Father face challenges that can’t be overcome by human will and intervention. That very fact is what brings them to a place of hopelessness.

They must be encouraged to look beyond themselves to Christ who suffered death that they might experience His life.

For the children of God, their hope is in Him. There is no problem so complicated, no place so dark that our loving heavenly Father won’t reach them. In the words of King David,

“Though I make my bed in Sheol, behold Thou art there.”

The key then is to know how to access and inject the spiritual and mental encouragement in a way that is effective, fast acting and practical. Here are two methods that have been proven effective for the masses and for thousands of years:

Remember – Look Back in Thanksgiving

Have you ever been in an impossible situation that required divine intervention? I remember getting stuck in a snowstorm while driving up a mountain one cold and dangerous night. I barely made it to the side of the road.

In spite of the apparent impossibility, I prayed and witnessed the supernatural hand of God bring me up that mountain and safely home. Once there, I sat stunned in awe of what just happened.

Even now, when I’m in a tight spot and wonder if there’s any hope, I remember that.

Remembering is a powerful action against discouragement and it’s worked wonders down through the ages. What God did for others he’ll do for you. Just put your ability to remember into action as Asaph did in Psalm 77:11

“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; I will remember Thy wonders of old.”

Anticipate – Look Forward in Expectation

In the English language, when we say “hope” we usually mean something like “wish.” We “hope” our team wins and we “hope” it doesn’t rain.

In biblical languages, the word “hope” takes on a completely different meaning. It’s an action of anticipation or a waiting for something that is sure but has yet to take place.

A perfect example, and there are many, is found in Proverbs 10: 28,

“The hope of the righteous is gladness.”

If you are a child of God, His promises for you are all, “Yes.” His forgiveness is complete, His plans are good and He is busy about bringing you to a better place.

This is true whether you know it or not but encouragement rises when you intentionally focus your mind there and deliberately look forward to His goodness with anticipation.

With all the advancements in science and medicine, humankind has made incredible strides forward. Even still, no-one, in thousands of years, has found a cure for the soul. That solution is only available from man’s creator and is a surprisingly simple home remedy:

“Come to me all who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

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Matt Fore is a writer, speaker, sleight of hand artist, nut and the author of a new ebook called “Live the Happy -How to Worry Less and Laugh More.”  It’s packed with action steps as well as fun and funny stories to demonstrate God’s willingness to carry us through every daily obstacle so we can maintain a confidence in His goodness, resulting in peace of mind and even a smile.  You can find out more at LivetheHappy.com.

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