Has Your Faith Been Detoured by an Angel of Light? Part 9: Discouragement By Mari

A SWORDS Study (Strong Women Of Rightly Divided Studies) (All caps for emphasis only)

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

One of the ways your faith can be detoured is by discouragement.

It is a deadly tool in Satan’s arsenal against the children of God.

Rom_8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 
Rom_8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

It is important to understand what discouragement, discouraged means to fully understand how this “feeling” is used against us! Sometimes for hours, or days or a whole lifetime!

VERB (USED WITH OBJECT) [DIS·COUR·AGED, DIS·COUR·AG·ING.]
Discourage: to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; to dishearten; dispirit
To dissuade (usually followed by from)
To obstruct by opposition or difficulty; hinder
To express or make clear disapproval of; frown upon: to discourage the expression of enthusiasm

VERB (USED WITHOUT OBJECT) [DIS·COUR·AGED, DIS·COUR·AG·ING.]
To become discouraged; a person who discourages easily

NOUN
An act or instance of discouraging
The state of being discouraged
Something that discourages: Poor health and poverty are grave discouragements.

Discouragement is often the result of fear or doubt. It could be fear of not being able to supply all one’s needs or the needs of family. It can come from constant attacks against one’s faith. It could be from health issues for ourselves or a loved one. There are really too MANY ways to list how discouragement may come about, but it is sure as the sun rising in the morning that one will suffer discouragement in their lives for one reason or another.

For the purpose of this study we will understand this from the Christian perspective, which is having our faith detoured by an angel of light or one of his ministers.

Believers who do NOT know who they are in Christ, do NOT know what the will of God is for their lives (but spend their life searching for His will when it is perfectly clear in the word of God). Instead they live a life that they believe should be filled with daily happiness and self-fulfillment and are most often affected by discouragement. Many Christian lives are disabled by lack of knowledge of God.

I believe we have a two-fold ministry as ambassadors of Christ.

1. As an ambassador of Christ we are to share the gospel with the unsaved. We EACH became an ambassador of Christ the moment we believed, because when we believed we were crucified with Christ. We now have a NEW life which we live by the faith of the Son of God who gave himself for us. We are secure eternally and we have this joy and security! We are to be good soldiers of Christ and realize that the life of a soldier is often enduring hardness.

We are in a spiritual battle, and God has given us all the tools we need, in armour, direction and all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. It is not a life about constant self-pleasure and fulfillment in pleasing men, but in pleasing God. We who believe know that we are not victims of circumstances, but that we can overcome and we want to please Him who chose us to be His soldiers.

1Co 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Gal_2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

2Ti_2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

2. As an ambassador of Christ we are to make all men see the fellowship of the mystery.

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Since this verse clearly says ALL men…I believe it means SAVED and UNSAVED alike.

Too many believers have never heard or been taught what is the fellowship of the mystery! They have never heard or been taught how to rightly divide the word of truth…or what that even means! Christians are encouraged to read the Bible…but how many are told that this studying shows themselves approved unto God, that they are a good workman and don’t have to be ashamed? How many are taught that their studying is to rightly divide the word of truth, or even what that means? Not many. Not enough.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The enemy, an angel of light uses lack of the knowledge of God to discourage you. He loves to hinder your growth by making everything else in life seem more important than reading your Bible. Than spending time praying and talking over what is going on with our Saviour God.

The enemy glories when he can encourage your feelings of being worthless because you have no idea who you are IN CHRIST! Worthless? Helpless? When you have FULL ACCESS TO THE GOD OF CREATION! Worthless…helpless? When your eternal salvation is secure! Worthless when YOU are the NEW CREATION as a member of the BODY OF CHRIST!

The enemy, an angel of light or one of his ministers exults when he can help you feel that you are all alone or can lose your salvation! Causing you to doubt about where is God when you are ill, or suffering or your loved ones are suffering in some way. When you begin to think He does not care for you and the circumstances you are going through! Such a lie!

The Son of God died for us…gave His life for us, His blood for us. He knows all and wants YOU to KNOW His peace, which you will find when you turn to Him in prayer and His word. Remember you are Christs! He bought you with a price.

1Co_6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

The angel of light uses your LACK of knowledge of the dispensation of grace to make you and your life seem hopeless, to lose your confidence, to dishearten you, to dispirit you.

That word dispirit…it means to deprive of spirit, hope, enthusiasm, to depress; to discourage you!

Discouragement is a terrible weapon of the enemy of God.
When we become dispirited we are walking in the flesh, no longer in the SPIRIT.

Our need is to turn to God who has given us ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places. We need to understand our hope is NOT in our physical circumstances, but in our God.

Rom_5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Eph_1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Col_1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

It is good to know that planet earth is NOT our home, we are aliens here. However we ARE ambassadors…meaning OUR home is in heaven, where we will go when our job here on earth is done! In the meantime we have been given a ministry, the ministry of reconciliation.

2Co_5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 
2Co_5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Please study the word of God to know who YOU are IN HIM! Once you know, it is harder to fall prey to this serious fiery dart, discouragement! Put on your armour daily!

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Do not be detoured by an angel of light or one of his minsters by discouragement. You are COMPLETE in Christ. Do not lose your focus because of PHYSICAL circumstances. They change. Your position in eternity does NOT!

His grace truly is sufficient! Glory in your infirmities that the POWER OF CHRIST may rest upon you.

2Co_12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES
“I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved … that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

– 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)