• A U.S. financial rescue plan, with modifications, seems likely


• FBI looks into 4 firms at center of economic turmoil


• Tight mortgage market hurts existing home sales


• S&P cuts WAMU rating further into junk territory

That's probably enough. Enough to cause anxiety or discouragement. These are just the financial headlines, I didn't even delve into the sea of other bad news we find in the media. All of these things are contributing factors that lead to discouragement. I am sensing a spirit of discouragement over people during these rough times. Even in our church family, there have been several discouraging things that have happened over the course of a month. Things like...sudden death, car accidents, cancers, people losing their jobs, homes, people finding it very hard to make ends meet. All of these lead to discouragement and I believe that God doesn't want this spirit to pervade over His people. But how do you get out of it?

Let me share a verse that has been invaluable to me over the years. A verse that has helped me when I face discouraging times. It's found in Psalm 42, which is a great Psalm to read and meditate on. The verse is verse 5, which states, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." It's crucial in our fight for faith and overcoming discouragement that we learn to preach he truth to ourselves. Read what Martin Lloyd-Jones says about this verse:
Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says,: “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.” (Spiritual Depression, 20-21)

I love it! On this side of the cross, this truth intensifies. We must learn to preach the truth of the Gospel to our souls. Listen self, "If God is for me, who can be against me?" Listen self, "My hope is not in the economy, my hope is in God who loves me and gave Himself for me!" Listen self, "nothing can separate me from the love of God!" So, if your soul is downcast, learn to preach the truth to your soul and watch your hope in God soar.

Putting our hope in God our Savior,

Pastor Tim

# posted by Pastor Tim @ 12:49 PM