What I consider the most dangerous challenge and the one that claims the most victims is discouragement. Discouragement can be seen as the last barrier to overcome before achieving lasting success. It is capable of destroying years of efforts and sacrifices, reducing them to nothing because a person who gives in to discouragement does not finish what they started. The Bible says of such a person that they are no different from a destroyer.

“The one who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys.” Proverbs 18:9.

The Bible thus encourages us to always see through what we undertake, at least as long as it depends on us. I think that if the Bible asks us to go all the way, it is because it knows we have the capacity to do so. This also means that the one who does not go all the way will have made the deliberate choice to stop because nothing has the power to stop someone who wants to go all the way. The only one who has the power to stop you is yourself.

I remember that every time I was prey to discouragement, I would call someone who had an ear to listen to my complaints and who would then show me why I had no reason to give in to discouragement. I used to encourage those going through such moments, but when I was concerned myself, what I said to others had to be preached to me by another counselor.

I want you to know that God has endowed you with extraordinary power and that no challenge is capable of defeating you as long as you do not let it. Decide never to let challenges defeat you because every victory won by challenges is a defeat for all of humanity.

Whenever you are prey to discouragement, take a little rest, ask for help, and then return to the battle until you achieve victory…

This text is an excerpt from the book “MASTERING THE ART OF SAVING” written by Dominique MBOG.

We invite you to read the following article “What You Manage to Save Is What Belongs to You.”