Remember the Blood

By Associate Pastor Steven D. Niswonger

Scriptures: Psalm 23:5-6, Luke 22:41-44

Discouragement is the enemy of the Christian. Discouragement is a state of lessened courage…it is not simply the presence of fear. Courage, on the other hand, is not the absence of fear, but the strength to do what is right in the face of it. Christians must be a people of courage.

Why is discouragement dangerous? Because it usually comes when you have lost focus on the vision that God has given you. When this happens, you are often left looking inside yourself or to others for solutions to your problems, instead of looking to God. Discouragement is the result of weak faith, whether a momentary lapse or a life-long refusal to trust. When we look within to solve problems, we are faced with our own inability, which can lead to further discouragement. Problems seem deeper, mountains seem higher.

Discouragement happens to everybody…it is natural in humanity. However, it must be fought. Long-term discouragement will kill your vision. The Bible says, “without vision the people perish”. You will not last as a Christian without the vision and calling of God in your life.

So then, what can defeat discouragement? Having a cup that is running over with the presence of God. David said, “my cup runneth over.” There are two “cups” that we must know about, and two cups that we must have full to be successful.

David spoke of the Cup of Blessing. This is the cup that contains your salvation, protection, prosperity, God’s goodness, and His mercy. These are the blessings of God on His people. You keep this cup full through praise and worship…by “dwell(ing) in the house of the LORD forever”. In order to dwell in the house of the Lord, we all must fulfill our duties and assignments. This leads us to our other cup.

Jesus spoke of the Cup of Calling in Luke. We have God-ordained duties that God has assigned each of us. He provides the tools we need to complete the assignment…we don’t need to worry about how we will complete the job. God will give us every tool, except for desire. We must provide the desire to do the work of God.

For a moment, even Jesus struggled with the Cup of Calling in His life. Though He was fully God, He was also flesh. When flesh is called to sacrifice, it will try to preserve itself. Even in the flesh of Jesus. He possessed two wills as God robed in flesh. This is evident when He cries out, “not my will, but thine be done”. This was flesh crying out to Spirit. Since Jesus struggled, we should expect to struggle with discouragement and with the flesh. But, since Jesus fought against it and was victorious, we should also expect to fight against it and be victorious.

How did Jesus win the battle? What sparked His desire to fulfill His calling? He was praying so fervently that blood began to run down his face…it was when He remembered the blood that He won the battle. He remembered that this life is very temporary and that His actions had very real effect in eternity. When faced with discouragement, He went to fervent prayer.

We must also “remember the blood”. Remember that your choices have very real consequences. You are called of God to perform a purpose, to complete an assignment. What you do has eternal consequences, not only for you, but also for the world around you.

Saying “no” to ourselves…denying ourselves…when we think we see another way is most unnatural. However, when God asks a sacrifice, it serves a purpose…we can know that there is no other way to get the job done. It’s a matter of trust in Him.

What calling has God placed in your life? If you look deep enough, you will find it. Don’t hesitate to fulfill that calling. Provide the desire, and let God provide the rest. First, remember the blood.