The enemy has released the spirit of discouragement into the world, which has resulted in a high death and suicide rate. Young people are getting easily discouraged daily, getting pressured out of God’s will and divine timing, and getting into all sorts of shady, abominable, and gruesome practices.

When you see people backsliding here and there, one causative factor is discouragement. Discouragement can lead to backsliding if it is not properly handled. Another evidence of discouragement is unnecessary anger. When you see people who are easily provoked and so touchy, it’s a sign that something is wrong inside. Most of the time, if more inquiries are made, you’ll find out that they need help.

David and his men got home after a victorious battle, only to find out their own homeland had been raided by another adversary and their families had been taken captive. The Bible made us know that they cried and cried until there was no more energy left in them to cry. Everybody was practically discouraged. (‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30:3‬-4 )

When people lose courage, what happens next is that they become pitiful, feeling embattled and hopeless. This is why, until David encouraged himself in the Lord, there was no way forward. (1 Samuel 30:6–8) The moment he encouraged himself in the Lord, clarity set in, and a clear sense of direction was gained.

The last observable symptoms of discouragement are suicidal thoughts and tendencies. This is the height of discouragement. It happens when people begin to feel like all hope is lost, anticipate the worst happening to them, or interpret life as unfair. ‭‭(Jonah‬ ‭4:3‬)‭

What do you do when you’re discouraged?

– Encourage yourself in the Lord: Darkness goes away when you encourage yourself in the Lord. This is exactly what happened when David encouraged himself in the Lord; he could hear from God, and he gained clarity about his situation. 1 Samuel‬ ‭30:8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

– Praise God: When we praise God, we move him to fight for us. When we give God praise, he is overjoyed because we are giving him something he cannot give himself.