Are You Feeling

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Are You Feeling Down in the Dumps?
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Feeling Overwhelmed?

• Problems in the home?
• Problems at your job?
• Problems at school?
• Problems in our country?
• Problems in the church?

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Discouraged?

• because of ungodliness?
• because of apathy?
• because of burdens?
• because of loneliness?
• because of some other reason?

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Why Do We Get Discouraged?

• Because of Spiritual Failure

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Spiritual Failure

• I dont want to give in to temptation, but I
  keep committing the same sins over and over...
• God must not love me or care about me because I
  hate myself and am worthless to the cause of
  Christ...
• Who can serve God in times like these?

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Spiritual Failure

• Concerned with spiritual failure?
• Look at Peter!
• The apostle Peter could have remained discouraged
  because he failed his Lord so many times and
  especially when he denied him three times.
• (Luke 2254-61)

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Spiritual Failure

• While Judas hung himself, Peter wept bitterly,
  and 50 days later had the conviction to preach
  that Jesus Christ is the Son of God to those who
  were guilty of having Him crucified. (Acts 2)

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Are you discouraged because of spiritual failure?

• Join the club, we have all failed spiritually
• Sins of omission or commission-
• James 417 1 John 18 1 John 34

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• James 417
• Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to
  do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
• 1 John 18
• If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving
  ourselves and the truth is not in us.
• 1 John 34
• Everyone who practices sin also practices
  lawlessness and sin is lawlessness.

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Are you discouraged because of spiritual failure?

• Join the club, we have all failed spiritually
• sins of omission or commission-
• James 417 1 John 18 1 John 34
• I can do all things through Christ who
  strengthens me (Phil. 413).

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Why Do We Get Discouraged?

• Because of Spiritual Failure
• Because of Isolation - we think we are the only
  one serving God

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Thinking Im the only one?

• I am the only one serving God at school, on my
  job, at the gym, in my neighborhood, or in my
  hometown.
• You may feel lonely, isolated, frustrated and
  ready to quit.
• Join the club. So did the mightiest prophets of
  God.

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Thinking Im the only one?

• Certainly no one could be thinking that.
• Elijah did.
• After Jezebel had killed the prophets of the
  Lord, she threatened Elijah, and he ran away and
  requested that he might die. (1 Kings 191-4)

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Thinking Im the only one?

• When the Lord asked him what he was doing at
  Horeb, along with other things Elijah said, I
  alone am left and they seek my life, to take it
  away . (1 Kings 1910b)

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Thinking Im the only one?

• Did God let him die?
• No, God fed him and gave him encouragement.
• God told him that there were 7,000 that had not
  bowed the knee to Baal. (1 Kings
  1918)

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Thinking Im the only one?

• If you are thinking Im the only one serving
  God, you need to realize that there are
  thousands of Christians who have not bowed down
  to the ungodliness of this world and are living
  righteously today and God knows it.
  (Titus 211-12 2 Timothy 219)

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Why Do We Get Discouraged?

• Because of Spiritual Failure
• Because of Isolation - we think we are the only
  one serving God
• Because of Apathy- it seems like no one wants to
  study

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No One Listening to You?

• What if youd live in Noahs time?
• They thought about evil all the time and filled
  the earth with violence. (Genesis
  65, 11)

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No One Listening to You?

• He preached for at least 100 years and no one
  (except for 8 souls) wanted to repent of their
  sins in order to escape from the worldwide flood
  and be saved. (1 Peter 320)

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No One Listening to You?

• Did he ever think after a few years that no one
  wants to hear the truth and so Ill just quit?
• No, he kept preaching. (2 Peter
  25)

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No One Listening to You?

• Our job is not to get the results that we want
  because if it is, we might change or compromise
  the message or entice them with food, fun, or
  frolic.
• Our responsibility is to sow the seed, and God
  will give the increase. (1
  Corinthians 36ff)

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No One Listening to You?

• Are you inviting people to come to worship
  services?
• Are you inviting or encouraging your friends,
  neighbors, and loved ones to study the Bible?
• Do you show concern for their souls?

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Overcome Discouragement

• Remember past victories which God has given you
  to overcome temptation and sin.

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Remember Victories!

• God had sustained Elijah through his trials.
• Elijah needed to recall how God gave him the
  victory over the prophets of Baal.
  (1 Kings 1836-39)

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Remember Victories!

• God has given us victory over our past sins when
  we humbly obeyed the gospel of Christ,
  (1 Cor. 69-11 Romans
  617-18) and we allowed
  Christ to rule our lives.
  (Colossians 315)

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Remember Victories!

• Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin,
• each victry will help you some other to win.
• Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
• look ever to Jesus, he will carry you thru.

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Remember Victories!

• How many times have you prayed to God and He
  answered your prayers and helped you to overcome
  some temptation that if you would have given in
  to it may have led to your death?
  (Drunk driving
  accident, fornication, abortion, AIDS, STDS,
  etc.)

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Remember Victories!

• How many times has Gods grace been sufficient
  for you to overcome your thorn in the flesh and
  you realized that when you were weak you were
  strong like the apostle Paul?
  (2 Corinthians 129-10)

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Remember Victories!

• So when you are discouraged thinking all is
  lost, count your many blessings, name them one by
  one! And it will surprise you what the Lord hath
  done.

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Overcome Discouragement

• Remember past victories which God has given you
  to overcome temptation and sin.
• Focus on Jesus, not your problem

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Focus on Jesus

• When Peter obeyed the Lords command, he walked
  on the water.
• But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and saw
  the waves he began to sink.
• But he remembered to ask the Lord to save him and
  He did. (Luke 1428-29)

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Focus on Jesus

• When we focus on our problems, we take our eyes
  off of Jesus and begin to sink in our spirits to
  doubt, worry and discouragement.
• We need to focus on Jesus instead.
• Why?

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Focus on Jesus

• Because he is the author and finisher of our
  faith, who because of his joy, endured the cross
  for you and me. If you focus on Jesus, you will
  not grow weary and discouraged.
  (Hebrews 122-3)

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Focus on Jesus

• Dont worry ... God will take care of you, thru
  everyday oer all the way, He will take care of
  you.
• So cast all your care upon Him because He cares
  for you. (1 Peter 57)

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Focus on Jesus

• We should never be discouraged, take it to the
  Lord in prayer
• Dont worry, pray, and God has promised you that
  you will have the peace that passes all
  understanding. (Philippians 46-7)

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Overcome Discouragement

• Remember past victories which God has given you
  to overcome temptation and sin.
• Focus on Jesus, not your problem
• Realize God still has work for you to do

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Realize theres work to do

• God still had work for Elijah to do when he
  desired to quit. (1 Kings 19)
• God has work for us to do also.
• We have been created in Christ Jesus for good
  works. (Ephesians 210)

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Realize theres work to do

• We need to press on towards the goal of heaven,
  rather than focusing on the failures of the past
  or on the problems that we presently face.
  (Philippians 312-14)

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Realize theres work to do

• We must be prepared for every work that God has
  given us to do. (2 Timothy 221)
  
• That means we must take advantage of the
  opportunities that we have to do good to all
  people and especially the household of the faith.
  (Galatians 610)

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Realize theres work to do

• Each day Ill do a golden deed
• by helping those who are in need,
• my life on earth is but a span,
• and so Ill do the best I can

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Overcome Discouragement

• Remember past victories which God has given you
  to overcome temptation and sin.
• Focus on Jesus, not your problem
• Realize God still has work for you to do
• Encourage be encouraged!

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Encourage!!

• We all need to get daily encouragement from each
  other because we might fall away from Gods will
  and be hardened in our sins.

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Encourage!!

• Take care, brethren, that there not be in any
  one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls
  away from the living God. But encourage one
  another day after day, as long as it is still
  called "Today," so that none of you will be
  hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews
  312-13)

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Encourage!!

• Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
  without wavering, for He who promised is
  faithful and let us consider how to stimulate
  one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking
  our own assembling together, as is the habit of
  some, but encouraging one another and all the
  more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews
  1023-25)

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Don't Get Stuck Down in the Dumps!
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