“Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.” — Exodus 6:9
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Moses was sent by God to be His agent and ambassador to free the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 6:6, the Lord told Moses to tell them He would bring them out of slavery, free and redeem them “with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Sadly, we see in Exodus 6:9, “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.”
Even Jesus (in His humanity) was discouraged in the Garden of Gethsemane when He told His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38).
It’s one thing to be discouraged. It’s another thing to live in discouragement. When we allow discouragement to linger and affect our mood, energy and focus, we must recognize it for what it is: a tool of the enemy to bench us and render us ineffective and unproductive in our walk with the Lord.
To get back in the game, we must reject the lies of the enemy and move forward trusting in God’s promises. Throughout Exodus 6, God made promises that the Israelites ignored (read them for yourself)!
Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” The only way to defeat discouragement is to know, appreciate and stand on God’s promises. We all must learn what it means for ourselves to trust in Jesus and depend upon His Word.
— Jerry Birch, Cleveland Cavaliers chaplain
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