Valley View Baptist Church

Tonight we continued with Part 2 of our Sunday Night Series, Stand Up and Fight!, with a sermon titled Fighting Against Discouragement.

Discouragement is a very real opponent in everyone's life. From the pulpit to the back pew, outside the doors of the church, into the workplace and our homes, discouragement is a formidable opponent. It is no respecter of persons. Both the unsaved and the saved will experience seasons of discouragement.

So how do we fight against such a foe? Tonight Pastor Justin shows us a battle plan for fighting back against discouragement. Using Nehemiah's plan, we can bust discouragement in the mouth and put it down for the count!

The Bible is very clear about Satan's motives. He is described as a lion who roams seeking someone who he can devour. He's a thief in the night to steal, kill, and destroy. And he has no higher value target than you; the child of God. He is coming with a vengeance. He's watching you, planning an attack, and he WILL attack you! You are the devil's desire!

This morning Pastor Justin shows us how Satan plans to attack you, and sift your faith, to test you and tempt you, much like he did Job. The more we know about the enemy and his attack plans, the better we can defend ourselves when the attacks come.

The Israelites stood upon a hill, overlooking Canaan, the land they had been promised by God. Moses sent 12 men into the land to scout it out, undoubtedly ready to take the land as their own. But when the spied returned, 10 of the 12 succumbed to their fears and gave negative reports. Only Joshua and Caleb faced their fears boldly, knowing that God was on their side.

Are you facing a fearful situation in your life today? Be more like Joshua and Caleb, cultivate a relationship with Him, and face your fears head on with the God of the Universe fighting for you!

We often hear about how Mercy and Grace go hand-in-hand. They are often used synonymously, but they are actually very different characteristics of God's character.

While Mercy means NOT receiving from God what we DO deserve (such as death for our disobedience), Grace means receiving from God what we DO NOT deserve (such as a second chance).

The Bible tells us of a throne room, where we can enter boldly, and experience God's Mercy and find the Grace to help us in times of need.

This morning we examined the Throne room of Grace and just what it means to us a Christians.

The Israelites were wandering through the desert, thirsty, and in a bind. They began complaining to Mosses, even wishing they were back in Egypt. Finally, the end of their drought was over. There was a well in sight and it had water in it.

But they spewed it from their mouths, for the water was bitter. They thought it was over, but it just got worse. They let the water make themselves bitter as well.

But God, many years before, had planted a tree nearby that would be the answer to their problems! God had provided a solution to their problem long before they had encountered it!

Are you going through a dry season of bitterness? Have you thought the end was in sight, only to see things get worse?

Have faith; we serve a God who is always one step ahead of us...

Trials and tribulations, true Biblical suffering, are inevitable. It doesn't matter what the slick haired preacher on your TV says, as a Christian, you WILL experience suffering and heartache. It's not a question of if, but a matter of when.

So the real questions are why do we encounter them, and how do we deal with them? Once you realize the great truths surrounding trials, you might just change the way you approach them.