The demoralizers and the encouragers

THE DEMORALIZERS AND THE ENCOURAGERS

Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, “The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there—the descendants of Anak!”’ Deuteronomy 1:28 NLT

Two groups of people can see the same situation, yet respond in a different way. Some might respond in fear others in faith; some can encourage, while others will demoralize. In the previous passage, we read about the bad news that the ten spies reported after exploring the promised land. The Israelites were discouraged when they heard about the giants that were stronger than them, but Moses exhorted Israel and told them not to fear.

“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them! The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 1:29-30 NLT

There will always be negative people at work or school, which are considered the “demoralizers” and they will tell you: “You can’t do it”. “The situation in your family can’t be solved.” “My uncle died from that disease.” “You won’t be able to come out debt, just give up.” “You can’t have your own bank account because you’re an undocumented foreigner.”

However, thank God that there are people of faith identified as the “encouragers”. These kinds of individuals see the giants, but they know they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them, thus, they are driven to conquer their promised land. Get close to people who inspire you and move away from the demoralizers, because they will only delay the Lord’s will in your life.

“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them!  The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt.”  And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’ Deuteronomy 1:29-31 NLT

Look for a good church and join a House of Peace where you can meet encouragers and people of faith who believe more in the promises of the Almighty than in the bad news on television.

Think about it:

What kind of person are you? Are you an encourager or a demoralizer? How do you know?
What kind of friends do you have?