More on discouragement..

I couldn't believe it when I flipped to my devotion this morning, the title is 'Discouragement'... God sure has His sense of humour...and He's not done SPEAKING to me about this topic. Yes, God is just so sweet!

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This is from 'Experiencing God Day-by-day' Devotional...
And he said "I have been very zealous for the Lord of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." - 1 Kings 19:14

Kingdom work can be challenging! You can give everything you have to God's service and come away exhausted. This is what happened to Elijah. *hmm...is this what's happening to me too?* God had just used Elijah to call down fire from heaven in a spectacular display of divine power. But Elijah's exhilaration was soon replaced by strenuous work followed by death threats, causing him to flee for his life. Now he was alone, exhausted and discouraged. *well, what i've done is nothing compared to Elijah's. But I sure feel bit lethargic after 2 years of cell-leading... guess I didn't fill up my 'tank' timely*

Again, God came to Elijah. *When I read this. I felt the warmth in my heart. The word came alive! He touched me again. God came to him and I know He's coming to me too!* This time, He came not in fire or in a loud, spectacular way, but in a still, small voice *exactly!*. God's servant was tired and God brought him comfort. Elijah's focus had shifted from God to God's enemies. He had allowed his circumstances to overwhelm him, leaving him disoriented to God and feeling alone. So, God encouraged him. God provided Elisha for him as a helper, friend and companion *Yes, He did send nice ppl along my path to encourage me - thanks Deborah, Mages, Shireen, Goh, Tze Ling....*

God removed Elijah from the activity for a time, so that he could rest and spend time with God. When the nation next saw Elijah, he was rejuvenated and refocused on God and His assignment.

If you are overwhelmed by kingdom work so that your focus is no longer on God but on all that there is to do, let Him comfort you. Listen to His gentle voice. He will encourage you and provide exactly what you need to prepare you for what comes next. If He needs to remove you from your work for a time, He will. He may place a friend or colabourer beside you to help carry the load. God knows exactly how to encourage you. Let Him do so. *Oh yes, He sure does! Thank you Lord!!!!!*

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I just felt so blessed so blessed....and so touched so touched.....ever since the prayer chain started, He has just been so SWEET and i'm so overwhelmed by His love! Thank you Lord!!!