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By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

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God Will Use Your Seasons of Discouragement

“I don’t know where you’re going to wind up in this crazy world. I don’t know whose life you’re going to touch more than you could imagine. I don’t know what influence you’re going to have on individuals more than you ever dreamed. But part of the effectiveness of your ministry will be the things you learn when you get discouraged. That will give you depth that you would not otherwise have. It’ll give you understanding. It’ll take away your tendency to criticize. It’ll give you a heart.”

Shift Your Perspective

It’s all about Elijah. And before we beat up on him, I tell you, that is such a common response when you’re discouraged. You start thinking of all the things that you’ve done, and how faithful you’ve been, and how right you’ve tried to be, and how strong, and under it all is how proud you are of that. Rather than, ‘Lord, the breath in my lungs comes from You. The pulse beat in my heart is from You. The ability to wake up in the morning and face the day is because of You. Your faithfulness is new every morning.’”

Choose Rest

“Do not overestimate God’s servants. Don’t overestimate your own strength. You need rest just like everybody else. You weren’t more spiritual because you skip times of sleep. I think it was Chafer, our founder, who made a statement something like this. ‘Sometimes it is more spiritual to get a good night’s sleep than to pray for another hour.’ Just go to bed. Just rest.”

Be on Guard After a Victory

Please remember this and please keep it ever in mind because thank God by His grace He will give us times of victory. I’m telling you, better than we ever deserve wonderful results or wonderful answer to prayer or a wonderful breakthrough or a magnificent provision of some financial need where we were facing an impossible situation or maybe as a result of your ministry just a groundswell of obvious spirit-led response and it’s a victory that’s like the crest of a wave and like the wave it can also crash. I have found that that is one of the most vulnerable times in my life, immediately following great victories.”

Turn to Friends in Times of Need

“Almost without exception, when I’ve been discouraged, I have felt all alone. And frequently it was my fault. There were a lot of people who would have come to bring encouragement and even been an advocate, come to my rescue. But you fight those kinds of battles alone, unfortunately, and that’s what Elijah does. Strong, healthy, honest, realistic friends with arms around us can help us through most of those tedious and tasteless hours.’”

Additional Resources

First, sign up for our Chuck’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you his best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-page checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.

Second, check out our new Preach The Word articles and video series on YouTube where we’re teaching Chuck’s best insights on this important calling.

Third, listen to Chuck’s messages to those in ministry through our Seminary Chapels page. For decades, he offered students at Dallas Theological Seminary his best thoughts on church leadership and ministry. Now, we have put them at your fingertips. Also, you can find them through this YouTube playlist we created for you.

Fourth, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.

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