How to Prevail Over Life’s Disappointments
Scripture is New King James Version unless noted otherwise.
There are some primary things to understand when you want to address, how to prevail over life’s disappointments. We need to know how Satan uses disappoints to his advantage. And what we must do to defeat him- commit to the word of God and prayer.
Often, I will help my clients to develop some helpful coping techniques that have proven effective.
- Developing a good exercise routine
- Change to a healthy diet
- Getting enough rest
- Writing out the negative emotions
- Help someone in need
- Writing about things to be thankful for
- Developing a prayer schedule
- Developing a Bible study schedule
Admittedly, not everyone is open to these. These skills can stand together or separately. Each one could hold its own in a blog post. For now, I want to focus on two of them that have provided the most help to the most amount of people- Prayer and God’s word.
Let me ask you, “Where is your faith in relationship to all of life’s difficulties?”
When you’re dealing with the question of how to prevail over life’s disappointments, don’t marinate in negative self-pity. Remember, it’s a waste of time and energy top point blame. Implying guilt to someone or something other than yourself makes us feel victimized. With that being said, sometimes it is appropriate to put the blame where it belongs- on the enemy of God.
John 10:10: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.
We all experience disappointments on occasions. If you allow God to work in your life by going to Him and His word during the time of difficulty, you’ll discover yourself in an area of contentment. You can experience life abundantly, the way Christ intends.
As a result, you may realize God has chosen you as an overcome, and you will have defeated the devil’s efforts to put you down.
Galatians 6:9: And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Revelation 2:7: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
Where Is Your Faith?
Have faith to emerge as an overcome in all conditions. Do not become so weary that you lose heart or lose the faith that God has breathed into you.
Luke 8:22-25: But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
Here, Jesus began shows His disciples He has power and authority over every situation in existence. If we are to place our trust and faith in Jesus, He will be there for us irrespective of how hard or distressing the conditions we are facing appear to be. Wherein is your faith in relationship to all that you are going through?
Have you ever reached the place in which you cannot take it anymore?
Life’s Situations That Try Our Faith
What form of conditions and trials are trying your faith and seem impossible in your eyes?
- Financial problems
- God’s chastening
- The hardness of the way
- Numbers 21:4
- Marital problems
- Sickness, health or death
- Broken relationships
- Busy lifestyle
- Divine delay in God’s promises
- Emotional issues
- Family problems, children, etc.
In each of these areas, we are likely to find disappointment, difficulty, and heartache.
In which is your faith in each of those areas?
Jesus has given us authority and power over all the problems of life. He desires victory for us in all we do.
John 16:33: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
The problem is, we have an enemy who desires to exploit these areas in our lives, which can inflict us heartache. His goal is to make us weary and lose heart.
How To Prevail Over Life’s Disappointments-Satan’s Aim
We need to recognize; we have an enemy with an aim. He is like a thief who’s aim is to damage, steal, and kill.
John 10:10: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
Daniel 7:25: He shall speak pompous words against the Highest, shall persecute (wear out) the saints of the Highest, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
1. Satan’s Aim Is To Wear Us Down
Satan’s reason for attacking us in our minds in our innermost beings is to wear us down until we become spiritually weary and ‘faint’ in our minds. He is aware, that if our thoughts are vulnerable, we will be weak, and he will gain access to our minds and defeat us. How to prevail over life’s disappointments is to stay committed to Christ because the enemy wants to destroy us. He attacks us when we are vulnerable.
Becoming ‘spiritually weary’ is one of the riskiest positions we can take. Satan is intensifying his attacks on the Church. He will wear us out, literally. And unless you are aware of what is happening and prepare yourself for the battle, you cannot stand. You will live in a cycle of defeat.
Satan will attack through our circumstances so he can catch us in a net of defeat. In this cycle, he will bombard our mind with fear, worry, and doubt until you become spiritually weary. If you ‘faint’ in your mind, you will become discouraged, lose hope, resign yourself to accept your circumstances. Your discouragement will lead to disaster, this will spiritually immobilize you, and it will trap you in this vicious cycle of defeat.
Hebrews 12:1-3: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
The Greek word for ‘faint’ means ‘to unloose; to relax and so, to make weak.’ Satan wants to weaken you. He wants us to become so overwhelmed by our circumstances, so weary fighting the battles, day after day in fulfilling the ministry God has given, that we faint … relax in your mind. He wants your mind to be spiritually tired and weak, so you will:
- Let up on your intensified prayer time
- Cut down on time you read and study the word
- Stop resisting his attacks
- Stop taking control of your thoughts
- Stop casting out doubt and unbelief
- Stop releasing your faith
- Stop walking in LOVE
Paul cautioned the Church not to let Satan get the upper hand. The method for this is to understand the strategy of the enemy.
The first method of attack is to get us confused about God’s word and character. Notice his first attack on humanity was to create doubt about God’s word and character (Genesis chapter 3).
Corinthians 11:3 (NIV): I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
The enemy labors to undermine our faith. He brings confusion to our minds. He knows the word of God. And is afraid of its power. He knows the power of prayer. So he didn’t want us believing the word or to live a life led by prayer. The enemy knows the practice of prayer. Bible study will transform us into mature believers.
If the devil can get us distracted by a problem-to let resentment guide our thinking or convince us to make a difficult situation seem larger than life-he has the upper hand. This will help him accomplish his purposes. Therefore, it is so important to let the word of God guide our thoughts. We must bind and cast down every thought, not in line with the word; See 2 Corinthians 10:5.
The enemy strives to disrupt our relationship with Christ by cutting the lines of communication. If we are not receiving the connection, we need from Christ; we will become weak. He attacks because our defenses are down.
Mark 3:27: No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
Satan can not enter a healthy Christian’s house and spoil the good deeds. So he first puts that strong Christian into bondage. This puts us into a weak state. Only then he will pollute the good deeds we accomplish for Christ.
Without a doubt, the enemy wears us down ultimately, destroying our testimony about our faith.
Daniel 7:25 (speaking of the devil): shall speak pompous words against the Highest, Shall persecute the saints of the Highest, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
Satan is a liar! He is the author of lies, see John 8:44. We see this in Genesis chapter 3. When he first spoke to humans; he speaks suspiciously of God’s word. He continued by speaking a lie with confidence as if it was the truth; tell the humans that they would not die. In John 8:44, we hear the writer explain that Satan avoids the fact. He is the epitome of evil. He wants to prevent us from knowing the truth.
Jesus explains this in Mark 4:1-9. His explanation He shows the word of God as being like a seed of faith. But Satan quickly comes to steal the truth from us.
If he can cause us to sin or even just become too busy doing God’s work (Galatians 6:9), he will try to implant lies into our minds and hearts. If he can keep us busy with good things so we are too tired to pray, or too sleepy to read the word of God as he pushes us near the cliffs of temptation, it will be an easy task for him to push us over the cliff. Beware of the good being the strategy of the enemy.
You may be at this dangerous point where you are spiritually weary, and you have ‘fainted’ in your mind. You may be so tired of the spiritual battles that you are ready to give up. You find resisting temptation tiresome. Your mind may be in constant turmoil-you may be at a point of depression, or severely oppressed by the enemy. WHATEVER strategy Satan uses to attack your mind, DON’T GIVE IN! God has made it possible for you to live in victory over ALL the power of the enemy. The moment you ‘faint in your mind’ and stop resisting his attacks, you are surrendering yourself into his hands. It defeats you when you do not fight.
2. Satan Feeds on Our Vulnerabilities
It is as if Satan feeds off of our weakness. When our minds are tired, he seems stronger. We know how to prevail over life’s disappointments is to remain committed to Christ because the enemy wants to destroy us. He does not fight fairly. He ambushes us when we have distractions.
Luke 4:13: Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
We recognize that the devil feeds on our weaknesses and delights in exploiting our inclined factors, so let’s observe these areas over again that have the capability of bringing weariness to our lives. These are all common causes of discouragement that make us weary in doing well:
- Financial difficulties
- God’s chastening
- The hardness of the way
- Numbers 21:4
- Marital problems
- Sickness, health or death
- Broken relationships
- Busy lifestyle
- Divine delay in God’s promises
- Emotional issues
- Family problems, children, etc.
Are you ready to drown in your sorrows because of the discouragement or sadness you feel in any of these areas?
We ought to realize the area where we want to give up. Then use the shield of faith and the belt of truth.
Ephesians 6:13-16: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Apply The Shield Of Faith
How To Prevail Over Life’s Disappointments- Apply The Shield of Faith
Now that we have got a vicious and unrelenting enemy who’s out to get us and to put on us down, what are some realistic approaches in which we can apply the shield of faith against him?
1 John 5:4: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith.
Understand Where is the Source of Your Faith
Hebrews 12:2:…looking unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The source of our faith is in Jesus Christ and what He has carried out for us. He is the Writer and Finisher of our faith and will continually be on our side no matter what (Hebrews 12:2).
Usually, amid life’s hardships, the accuser of the brethren comes to us and attempts to convince us we are unworthy of God’s help in our lives.
That is a lie of the enemy to prevent us from receiving the assist we want. You have got to know that if God is for you, who can be against you. This has to be the influential heart leader (Romans 8:31).
Romans 8:31: What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Isaiah 43:1-2: But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 40:31: But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
There are many Bible characters, who became weary and discouraged over their situations in life, but became overcomers, because they knew where their faith stood.
Moses Pleaded For God To Kill Him
When the people of Israel complained about eating manna all the time, Moses becomes so stressed he wanted to die. Moses stated, “If this is the way it’s going to be, please kill me here and now, for the burden is too heavy to carry” – Numbers 11:11-15. Moses’ preservation was in the fact that he was taking his burden to the source of his faith.
Joshua Wanted to Give Up
Joshua, the top-notch conqueror, was so discouraged and depressed at a point that he became prepared to stop and give up and wished he was back in the wilderness where there were not so many enemies.
But he took his burden to the source of his faith. He asked God for help. God informed him what to do and how to overcome-Joshua 7:7. We should do the same.
Apply The Word of Truth To Your Situation
We have the shield of faith to protect us from Satan’s fiery darts, but we also have the belt of truth and the sword of the Spirit to apply to our nonsecular arsenal (Ephesians 6).
Psalms 119:24-25: Your testimonies also are my delight And my counselors. My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.
Every one is liable to the various conditions that attacks our faith. It excludes none of us.
But we can extend the misery of the situation in our lives when we don’t apply the word of God to the circumstances.
When the word of God will not only revive our spirits, but it will make the crooked paths straight once again.
The word of God is the best tool to use in a stressful situation.
Romans 10:17: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Job understood the significance of being revived according to the word. He possibly experienced more hardship and disappointment than most people, and his testimony was that he esteemed God’s word more valuable than the food itself.
Job 23:11-12: My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12) I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Find God’s Purpose & Build Kingdom Character
Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
All the areas referred to in this message, plus others shows the possibilities for God’s purpose to return in our lives to a higher degree.
They represent opportunities to construct a godly character in our lives. While we approach those situations with a kingdom mentality and a heart of faith, God can bring forth joy amid the difficulty.
The joy of the Lord is our strength, which counteracts the devil’s tactic of wearing us down.
Nehemiah 8:10: … for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Romans 5:3-4: And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
What are a few virtues that God wants to develop in our lives amid these trying circumstances?
- Broken relationships—forgiveness,
- Busy lifestyle—priorities,
- Financial problems—the principle of giving and putting the kingdom first, etc.
James 1:2-4: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Psalms 138:7-8: Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Find Contentment In The Adversity
Philippians 4:11-13: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
When we’re capable of discovering contentment, it releases God’s hand of provision inside the midst of the trial.
Philippians 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
