Overcoming Disappointment & Discouragement Christ Bore It All Isaiah 53:3–4 (AMP) 3 He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him. 4 But [in fact] He has borne our griefs, And He has carried our sorrows and pains; Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken, Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him]. Despised, rejected, a man of deep sorrows. Bore our griefs (sickness, weakness, distress). Carried our sorrows (pain, punishment). ✅ The Blood dealt with it! Redeemed from ALL griefs and sorrows. Key to Reigning Focus on who you are in Christ, not on failure. When you walk in righteousness → you reign in life. Lay it down → circumstances reign over you. Talk back to the devil: “It’s under the blood!” The Reality of the Pit Life has pits: anger, fear, anxiety, failure. Sometimes caused by us, sometimes by others. Pits are not permanent. ❤️ “He lifted me out of the slimy pit…” (Ps. 40:2) From Disappointment to Reappointment Disappointment = loss of expectation. Keeps us from purpose. Disappointment → Depression if left unchecked. ❤️ Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Prov. 13:12). ✅ God’s answer: Reappointment. Peter denied → Jesus reappointed: “Feed My sheep.” The Battlefield of the Mind Every pit starts with a thought. “Gird up the loins of your mind” 1 Peter 1:13 (AMP) So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Cast down imaginations 2 Corinthians 10:5 (AMP) We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ. Be prepared, focused, ready. Moses’ Pit: Anger Killed a man Smashed the tablets Struck the rock in anger ❌ Cost him the Promised Land. ✅ Yet God trusted him again: “Cut two tablets like the first ones.” (Ex. 34:1) The Test of Waiting Israel built a golden calf while waiting (Ex. 32). Waiting = test + rest. Standing isn’t inactivity—it’s obedience. ❤️ “Having done all, to stand…” (Eph. 6:13–14). Guarding the Seed Satan comes to steal the Word Mark 4:15 AMP 'These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ' Delay & frustration are designed to choke fruit. ✅ Guard the seed. ✅ Refuse guilt trips. ✅ Keep climbing out. Dream Again God’s promises fuel our dreams. Without promises, dreams die. Feed on His Word until vision returns. ❤️ 7700 promises—God does not lie! Your Team Needs You Enemy uses bitterness & regret to redefine you. Example: Joe Rantz – The Boys in the Boat Wounded, abandoned, resisted team rhythm. Had to let go of the past to sync with the crew. ❤️ Forgetting what is behind… pressing forward Philippians 3:13-14 AMP 'Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ' Refuse to Give Up The enemy can’t defeat those who won’t quit. Don’t live in broken pieces. Don’t stay in the pit. ✅ Press toward the promise! Disappointment is not your destiny. Failure is not final. The pit is not permanent. Guard the seed. Dream again. Bear fruit.