THE FRUIT OF

DISCOURAGEMENT

 

 

Sadly, discouragement is an issue that each Christian deals with at some point in his/her life. It seems like discouragement is the one consistent attribute seen in the lives of so many today. Service for God seems to be suffering greatly today, partly due to discouragement. We must beware of falling prey to discouragement because of the awful fruit that it brings into our lives.

The Promise

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). This is one of the greatest promises that believers possess. The truth that God’s Word will bear fruit is a comfort to every Christian in active service for the Lord. Many times, it is this promise that keeps us going when all else seems to have failed. It is a great encouragement to know that the message we proclaim from the Word of God, either in the pulpit or in our daily walk, will accomplish that which is pleasing to God.

The Practice

No matter the greatness of this promise, each believer is susceptible to bouts of discouragement. Even the prophet Isaiah, the writer of this great promise, had his own times of doubt and discouragement. He cried out to God, Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed (Isaiah 53:1)? Isaiah had been preaching and prophesying for many years, yet there seemed to be no change in the overall attitude of the people of Judah. These circumstances were sure to bring discouragement, despite the promise.

At times it seems that the more we proclaim the truth of God’s Word, the more people oppose us. To combat this, we seek to become even more faithful to the Lord and His message, but this only seems to drive people away from the truth. The harder we attempt to stand for the right, the fewer people we see hearing and applying the truth in their own lives.

It is discouraging for the man of God to preach his heart out, and see no response to the invitation, when he knows that there are needs among the congregation. At this time we, like Isaiah, should cry out to God for encouragement and direction, but that is not generally what happens. Generally, God’s people will allow their discouragement to bear bitter fruit in their lives. How sad this is, when the victory is to be found, not in the fruit of discouragement, but in our faith in God (1 John 5:4).

The Product

As we consider the product, or fruit of discouragement, we must realize that discouragement effects everyone differently. No two people are exactly the same in the way that they handle disappointment and discouragement.

However, there are some general categories in which every person will fall. We see the various effects of discouragement in the lives of many great men of the Bible.

Discouragement’s doubt. John the Baptist was faithful to preach God’s message and prepare the way of the Lord before His face. He preached “without fear or favor,” as the saying goes. Yet, when he was thrown in prison for his faithfulness, discouragement set in.

The fruit of John’s discouragement was doubt. He sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another (Luke 7:19)? Remember, this is the same man who boldly proclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). How far he had fallen through the fruit of discouragement!

Discouragement’s debilitation. Simon Peter was still smarting from the knowledge that he wasn’t as capable and immovable as he thought. He had three times denied the Lord, even to the point of cursing and swearing, and the resurrection had not changed this discouraged feeling. Upon his return to Galilee, he simply gave up on the idea of following the Lord, and decided to go back to fishing (John 21:3).

Rather than waiting for the Lord with anxious expectation, as he should have done, he simply gave up on serving the Lord. Thank God that this discouragement was removed a short time later, and that Peter was without fear as he served the Lord in later years. This tells us that we can overcome discouragement and be useful to the Lord again. However, there are so many of God’s people who never get past this fruit of discouragement.

Discouragement’s destruction. Elijah was a prophet of God, yet he was called a man subject to like passions as we are (James 5:17). What a great triumph he enjoyed at Mount Carmel, as the prophets of Baal were shown for the frauds they were, and the Lord was proven to be the one true God.

Yet, very shortly after this great victory we find Elijah running for his life (1 Kings 19:1-3) when Jezebel threatens him for the victory God had given. He knew the great power of God, yet he became discouraged by these threats and left the service of the Lord.

But, Elijah did more than give up on the service of the Lord; he gave up on living (1 Kings 19:4). This discouragement led to a deep depression, and how many people today allow these same feelings to enter into their own hearts because of discouragement?

Discouragement’s detour. Abram had received a tremendous promise from God:

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).

The first step in the fulfillment of this promise was for Abram to have a son. But, more than ten years later, no son had yet been born to Abram and Sarai. When we consider that Abram was in his mid-80's by this time, we can understand the discouragement that set in.

Sarai, too, was discouraged by the time spent waiting for a child, so she devised a plan to accomplish God’s will, without putting any undo stress on the Lord.

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife (Genesis 16:1-3).

This idea was not in harmony with the will of God, nor was His approval sought for this plan of action. Discouragement had caused both Abram and Sarai to detour from what was right in order to accomplish God’s will. Look, too, at the outcome of this detour. Ishmael was not a help or a blessing to Abram. Ishmael was unacceptable to God, and many of his descendants have been hurtful to mankind. Consider the great sorrow caused by a little discouragement!

The same is true today.There are many who have been faithful to preach or witness for many years, but they have not seen the fruit. These good people have a right desire to see others saved, but they have become discouraged by the lack of results.

It is here that many good people detour from what is right in order to accomplish God’s will (1 Timothy 2:4). Some will err on the side of entertainment. These people have become discouraged by the fact that lost souls do not fill their churches for the preaching, so they bring in entertainment with the hopes of leading people to Christ through the fun at church.

This inevitably leads to compromise, and the purpose for which this detour was taken is not fulfilled. Others will err on the side of salesmanship. These people have become discouraged by the lack of professions from their personal witnessing, and they seek for modern ways to “close the net” and catch the souls of men for Christ.

These people generally leave out the necessity of repentance for salvation, and eventually make a game out of soulwinning. The fruit of personal evangelism becomes a competition between believers, and the real purpose of these efforts are lost in the game. This inevitably leads to many false professions and much confusion, not to mention that this rat race of soulwinning produces its own brand of discouragement.

The Principle

There is an overriding principle that we, as Christ’s servants and messengers, must understand: we are only Christ’s servants and messengers, not His magicians. We are not to take any detours in producing fruit for the glory of Jesus (John 15:16), nor are we to allow the type of fruit or the lack of fruit to discourage us from continuing our efforts for Him (Mark 16:15). Our purpose is to preach the Word, not win the world. The task of producing results is in the hand of God (John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 3;6-7).