Discouragement is a powerful force that can paralyse, demotivate and cause is to limit who we can be. Ever had it hit you? You would not be human if you had not! What makes you feel at the end of the day that maybe you need to do something else. How is it that our buttons are pushed so that we feel that we need a new career, need to give up on working on a difficult relationship or are just in need of being somewhere that values you more. And anyway, how do you know that you are not merely being discouraged but it truly is time to change? You could be simply banging your head against a brick wall and it is time to admit that you need to move on.

If we are in what we are doing for what we can get out of it. If we have a hidden urge to earn approval. If success is what gives us self-worth, it’s very difficult to distinguish between discouragement and the the voice of wisdom telling us to move on.

‘But’, you may ask ‘How do I get to the place when these hidden drives are not clouding my view? Well it may not be easy, but I have become convinced that the way is straight forward, even if I do not always follow it myself! It primarily involves two uncomfortable thoughts, thoughts that I find are best explored with others that you can trust to be both loving and honest with you. They are the humility to see where I have

Yesterday, one woman, came up to me after a prophetic workshop session, obviously moved by the time. She said

I came to this conference thinking, what am I doing? Is God really active around me, in fact, does he exist?

The time of using Psalm 23 for a springboard for people hearing God for each other had deeply moved her. Total strangers had said things that not only connected with exactly what she was going through, but had left her with the clear message that God knows all about her, is watching, IS involved and loves her.

But we were only teaching people to run better youth cells!! I am slllooooowwwwly learning that you cannot put God in a box. He never merely wants us to mundanely do things. He always seems to want to take what might think is ordinary and do something extra-ordinary through it.

Sometimes I get discouraged, sometimes I wonder if it is all worth it, sometimes I wonder if I should just do something else ( I am sure that you never think like that! ). And then things happen like yesterday.