Do Not Be Discouraged From Illness Battle

(My apologies for missing a couple of days. I am having a flare and just trying to take it moment by moment. Lisa)

Is is so easy to become discouraged when one illness after another stacks up. Linda reminds us where to turn when we feel overwhelmed. . .

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

I am so thankful that the Lord my God is with me, all day every day, no matter where I have to go or what I have to do. My God is with me He goes before me to prepare the way. He gives me wisdom and knowledge to do the tasks He has for me.

Sometimes it is hard to understand why things work out the way they do or why it seems like the answer is slow in coming. It is easy to be discouraged when you just don’t know what to do. But God is already at work. He knows where we are going and what we are facing. He provides strength for whatever we are facing and is right there to catch us and hold us up if we stumble or fall.

God’s promise that He made to Joshua that he would never leave him or forsake him holds true for us today. God is always with us ready to provide the strength and peace we need, all we have to do is reach out and take His hand.

Being strong and courageous isn’t always easy and neither is not being discouraged. When dealing with an ongoing illness and the fear of the unknown or with the financial issues that an illness can cause it is easy for fear to creep in and before you know it you are fearful or worried. Those are the times that just the simple words “Jesus help me” can and does make a difference.

Dealing with multiple illnesses for more than 35 years God has taught me this lesson over and over. I can look at so many times that God has been right there providing everything I need, a lot of the time before I even realize that I need it.

Sometimes I look back at a situation and am amazed at the way the Lord has worked everything out–a situation that I thought was so impossible, there was no way I could do what the Lord was leading me to do–or there was no way that this problem could have a good ending. But in the end God worked and the answer is so much better than I could ever imagine.

When I feel that discouraged and that I cannot begin to do the task set before me, and I pause to pray and ask for guidance God will remind me of his promise to Paul in Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

I love it when I have the opportunity to share that my strength comes the Lord. When the doctors or others say “I don’t know how you do it. You should not be able to do (whatever it is)” I can say it is through the strength that God gives.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that as we all face the unknown as to what the future holds–with the many different illnesses–that we will find peace and strength in the verse above. Help us to face the day, confident that we have nothing to fear. You are in control and so we have nothing to fear. Amen.

About the author:
Linda Aufrance lives in Phoenix with her wonderful husband of 38 years. She is blessed that her children and grandchildren lives close by and are all willing to provide love, help and support when needed. Her prayer is that others see the hope, peace and strength that can only come from God shine in and through her each day.

When you begin to feel discouraged, what do you do with these feelings? Call a friend, cry, pray, listen to uplifting music? How do you become strong and courageous?

Feeling discouraged? Here is a song that will uplift you, as Chris Tomlin sings, “Lord, I Need You.”