There is a well known story that describes a time the devil decided to go out of business – imagine that! But as the fable goes, the devil would offer all of his tools for sale to whoever would pay his price. On the night of the sale they were all attractively displayed: Malice, Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Sensuality, and Deceit. A man who happened to stop by noticed another item. It was a harmless looking wedge-shaped tool and he noticed it had a lot of wear on it. The man asked the devil what it was, and he answered, “That is Discouragement.”
“Why do you have it priced so high?”
“Because,” replied the devil, “it is more useful to me than any of the others.”
“I can pry open and get inside a woman’s heart with discouragement, when I can not get near her with any other tool. Once inside her heart, I can use her in whatever way suits me best. Yes, the tool of discouragement is well worn because I use it with almost everyone. Very few people know it belongs to me.”
Discouragement is a powerful tool used by Satan and often we do not recognize that it comes directly from His workshop. Women pay a high price when they buy into the lies of the enemy of discouragement. The word “discourage” means to “deprive of courage, hope or confidence”, “to dishearten or dispirit”. When we feel discouraged, we feel like giving up. Are there days when you feel discouraged?
• Days when nothing you do seems to matter and you wonder why you bother
• Days when the struggles and trials of life weigh heavy upon your heart
• Days when life just seems too hard
• Days when the future appears hopeless
Like us, Elizabeth may have encountered many days of discouragement. Luke’s gospel teaches us that she and her husband were well advanced in years and childless. But despite her barrenness, Scripture also tells us that Elizabeth remained righteous before God, walking in all His commandments and ordinances. The Word describes her as blameless! Out of her heartbreak, sorrow and unanswered prayer, grew a woman who brought blessing and encouragement into the lives of others.
There are hidden treasures in Elizabeth’s life just waiting to be uncovered; moments that we want to examine and study closely to reap the benefits of her experience to discover how she became victorious over discouragement.