Can you remember back into your early childhood when someone did something or said something that left you hurt, despondent and discouraged? I think most of us can. But let me ask you something further; did those feelings repeat themselves over the years? Do you realize that that you may carry that spirit of discouragement with you all of your life unless it is recognized, uprooted and cast out? It remains an image within your thoughts, a part of you.

If you are one of the many people that find themselves often discouraged, intimidated, and feeling like a failure, this may be something you need to recognize. If you don’t deal with it, that spirit of discouragement will stay imbedded deep within you and prevent you from experiencing a joyous, confident, successful life.

Let’s take a look at what the word discouragement means. To discourage means to deprive of courage, to be disheartened, to obstruct by opposition or difficulty, to hinder or express disapproval. Deprivation! Dishearten! Opposition! Disapproval! Hinder! Not a very happy bunch is it?

Often these tendencies may be covered over for a time, but something that happens in your day-to-day experience can trigger this hidden spirit and cause discouragement to rise up and prevent you from expressing your God given joy and enthusiasm. All of a sudden you feel listless, tired and weak; and you think, ‘Now where did that come from? I have eaten well and had good rest, why am I so tired?’ The Bible tells me that ‘the joy of the Lord is my strength.’ (Nehemiah 8:10d KJV)

If you are intimidated, discouraged, depressed and feeling hopeless then you certainly don’t have the joy of the Lord. You have a feeling of heaviness, tiredness and the blahs! Lets dig further into this and learn how to throw discouragement out of our lives.

Most parents want their children to grow up to be successful and happy people. Yet it is in childhood that many of our problems begin. We find this counsel in Colossians 3:21 KJV; “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” I wonder if parents know how harmful it is to children when they constantly hear negative remarks rather than praises for what they do right. When children are praised for the little things they do well, it gives them encouragement. Likewise, if all they hear are downgrading, negative remarks it will build discouragement that can be carried throughout their life. Parents need to be reminded of this so they do not overstep their control.

It is one thing to have obedient children; it is quite another to suppress all the joy, enthusiasm, and vigor in the things that interest them. Acquiring a new level of under- standing requires some self-investigation and experience. I certainly do not mean the children should be left to run wild with no supervision. There must always be proper supervision, but parents do need to encourage children to explore things that interest them and encourage them in those endeavors. Always praise them for whatever they are able to accomplishment. A parent that throws a wet blanket on everything will cause that child to carry with them a feeling of hopelessness, failure and discouragement; this usually develops into depression.

Parents may put a damper on something the child has been successful in doing. Perhaps winning first place in a contest or having successfully accomplished a new project. The parents, in attempting to hold down the child’s thought that he is better than everyone else, will quell the child’s exuberance and cause him to gradually withdraw and give up, and this can sometimes lead to a feeling of just being a failure – never succeeding at anything, even when he does succeed.

On the other side of the coin are parents that constantly ride their children to be number one and then never give him an opportunity to live a balanced life. This can create an aggressive ‘know it all’ that the family cannot enjoy.

We must know that the greatest balance anyone can have is putting God first in our day and letting Him direct, lead and guide us. He is a God of perfect order, in whom there is no tumult or confusion. There are so many people today suffering with discouragement and depression so lets keep digging.

We know that all work and no play and relaxation causes us to become dull and uninteresting to others, and forms in us an unexpressive existence. Just how do we reach that balance, and have our children feel the freedom of total expression, without the intimidation of parental suppression? With our children, or even ourselves, just where do we draw the line as to what has gone too far and needs to be handled? At what point do we take command of a situation that seems to be getting out of control?

In Galatians 5:1 KJV we read, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” When you are deeply depressed or discouraged, is it easy to stand fast in the liberty of Christ? We are instructed not to be entangled with the yoke of bondage, but what if we are not aware of the yoke that has created that bondage? Where do we begin?

The first step is to ask God to throw His light upon the situation and reveal what it is that needs to be dealt with. God will reveal this to you. Then you need to obey James 4:7 KJV “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee.” How do you resist the devil? John 8:32 tells us we are to know (allow) the truth and the truth will set us free. If you will submit to God, and activate His Word by refusing the devil any place in you, he will flee. He may try to come back, but you have the God given authority to tell him to go. Remember, the name of Jesus is above the name of depression and discouragement. You have to know that when you tell depression and discouragement to bow before Jesus’ name and be gone from you, it will go. Why? Is it because you are so powerful? Of course not! However, the Word in you is Omnipotent -- all-powerful -- and when you speak His Word it does go forth with healing. Each time you stand firm and recognize when Satan is trying to rear his ugly head, and then tell him to go – in the name of Jesus – you are strengthening your stand, and it will eventually disappear for good.

Sometimes these things take a little time and patience; after all, they have lived there for many years. They think they have a right to stay put! But you have the right and the authority to cast them out in Jesus’ name.

I know it may be buried deep and the hurt is still there, but every time he rears his head with a lie and a whisper, you must take your stand against Satan who is the one suggesting the hurt each time. Speak to that liar, “Satan, I resist you and every oppressive spirit in the name of Jesus. I resist the fear, discouragement, self pity, depression, failure, hopelessness, and I command you to go from me in the name of Jesus.”

(Isaiah 55:11 KJV) Thank you Father that your Word goes forth with healing and does not return void but accomplishes what you please and prospers where it is sent. (Jeremiah 1:12KJV) “Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”

Perhaps in our early life we ran into a problem when we tried to press forward and accomplish some feat. We were not encouraged, had anxious moments, and we felt failure and rejection when we did not accomplish what we thought we could do. But now that we are born again, we recognize Who our Father is, and we know that this heavenly Father never rejects or suppresses, but always encourages and leads us to progressive steps of success. Like any problem the solution lies in the fact that we cannot let Satan whisper into our thinking a spirit of intimidation. We really must take command of what we permit into our thoughts and actions.

So the question remains, just exactly what must I do to keep Satan out of my life?

A good start would be Isaiah 26:3,4. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”

We will contend with Satan as long as we fear what he might do or say. But when we look at James 4:7 we see the answer. “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee.” The first thing we have to learn to do is submit to God as the full authority over our life. Once we do that, then His strength and power well up within and we can resist the enemy and watch him flee. How do I resist him? You speak to him as though you could see him. ‘No you don’t Satan. You don’t fool me. You are an imposter and I refuse to believe your deceptive lies. Go from me in the name of Jesus.’ Then thank the Father that he has given His children a spirit of power and of love and a calm well-balanced mind. 2 Timothy 1:7KJV reads this way: “For God has not given us the

Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Keep that scripture tucked into your heart, and anytime the enemy tries to bring fear and intimidation into your spirit, speak the scripture out loud. It has power! Then rest in Him. He says in John 14: 27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Our heavenly Father continues to be our complete source, and that leaves Satan out of the picture “IF” we speak the Word of God to him. He will flee. But remember he is always out there whispering lies of despair and discouragement into our ears.

God gives us a wonderful Word in (Isaiah 42:1,4,6-8 KJV). “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles…He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law… I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”

Have you put yourself in a prison of despair and discouragement? That is really a choice you make; you do not have to remain there. Is it easy? No! But it is an exciting spiritual adventure to put God’s Word into action in your life and defeat the enemy. Don’t let Satan keep you bound up in a prison! Defeat him with the power of God’s Word.

Circumstances may try to persist, and the liar and deceiver will try to fool you with depression and frustration just to keep you from shinning forth the light of God and be His radiance here on earth. But you have only to remember to replace that bad seed that was planted so many years ago with the truth of who you are in Christ today and that spirit of depression and discouragement will lift. You can cut through and make firm, straight paths for your feet – safe, upright and happy paths that go in the right direction. In Jesus name we are set free from every evil work. We can praise God that the joy of the lord is our strength.

I think we have all received something in the mail that we did not order. Returning it was really no contest! We simply had the postman pick up the parcel and return it to the sender. Well, we can do the same thing when Satan sends us a whisper of depression, despair or discouragement. With the same ease and authority we can say, ‘No you don’t Satan. I’ll not receive any mail from you.’ And just return it right back to the sender. When we learn to do this repeatedly with the assurance that God did not send us any evil, we will be able to shake off any negative reactions without any effort.

So stand fast, go to the Word and speak to the liar instantly. Command forth God’s truth and watch the enemy flee. You will always have the victory when you know His Word, speak it forth, believe in the power of God’s Word and return the package of unwanted lies to the sender immediately. The choice is yours. Now go forth and rejoice in your victory!