Enjoy Life Today

Defend yourself against disappointment by focusing on God and confessing His Word.

We all have been disappointed at one time or another. In fact, it would
be surprising if we went through an entire week without encountering
some kind of discouragement. Many Christians are lying along the
roadside of life devastated because they have not learned how to deal
with the problem.

It is not God’s will for you to live a disappointed, devastated or
oppressed life today—or any day. When you resist the devil at the onset
of your discouragement and learn to place your hope and confidence in
Jesus, you can live in His joy and peace.

Part of Jesus’ earthly ministry was to go about in the anointing of the
Holy Spirit and deliver all those who were oppressed by the devil. This
same power is available to us today. Through Jesus we can fight the
enemy’s attempts to weigh us down—if we don’t rebuke him, he will try to
destroy us.

When the devil makes one move toward us, we should keep ourselves so
spiritually tuned in that we discern what he is trying to do and back
him down. With the power Jesus made available to us, he has no choice
but to run.

Deuteronomy 30:19
teaches us that we have a choice: “I call heaven and earth to witness
this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the
blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your
descendants may live” (The Amplified Bible).

Happiness and joy come from within. Each day we can make the choice to
be filled with misery or have the joy of the Lord. Either we choose to
listen to the devil and allow him to make us miserable, or we choose to
withstand him so we can live in the fullness of life that God has
provided for us. We need to take the kingdom of God—righteousness, peace
and joy mentioned in Romans 14:17—by force. As soon as you feel disappointed, stop the devil.

We are to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12)
in our daily struggle against the enemy and in our own minds and
hearts. I have learned six strategies that we need to defeat Satan:
•Think aggressively. Don’t just sit around wishing your troubles
would disappear. Plan and calculate, like a general preparing for
battle, how to engage and defeat the enemy.
•Pray fervently. Hebrews 4:16
instructs us to approach God’s throne confidently and boldly. That
means aggressively! Don’t be bashful with God. Step forward with
confidence and tell Him what you need.
•Speak fearlessly. First Peter 4:11
tells us “whoever speaks [let him do it as one who utters] oracles of
God.” As the children of God, you and I are to have a spiritually
commanding voice against the forces of evil.
•
Give abundantly. The way we give is the way we receive (see Luke 6:38). No offering is too small and none too great. Give as God gives.
• Work intently. Whatever we put our hand to, we need to do it aggressively (see Eccl. 9:10). Don’t approach tasks with dread and a desire to escape. Stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit and get the job done.
•
Love unconditionally. As children of God, we must love others as God loves us, and that means sacrificially.

You can learn to defend yourself against disappointment by focusing on
God, meditating on His promises, confessing His Word, and submitting
yourself and your situation to Him in prayer. No matter what you have
lost or how bad you may feel, you still have the ability to direct your
thoughts away from the negative and toward the positive. In choosing to
be positive, you can replace devastation with hope and expectation.

Take an inventory of what you have left, not just what you’ve lost. This
keeps your mind in the present where God is. Remember, Jesus called
Himself, “I am,” not “I was” or “I will be.” He is here for you. Today
you can have joy!

Joyce Meyer is the author of nearly 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Power Thoughts (Hachette). She is the the host of Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs.