Sermon Outline Title: Conquer Discouragement In Your Life
Bible Text: Psalm 42:5
Theme: Overcoming discouragement through faith in God
Big Idea: Discouragement is real and affects everyone, but by keeping our hope in God and continuing to do what’s right, we can overcome even the most difficult times in life.
1. Everyone Faces Discouragement—Even the Godly (Psalm 42:5)
a. David had it all but still struggled with deep discouragement
b. His own son Absalom overthrew him and drove him from the palace
c. Discouragement makes us question “Why is this happening to me?”
2. Three Questions to Ask in Discouraging Times (Ephesians 6:16)
a. Is God trying to get my attention and make me stronger?
b. Is Satan trying to stop me or make me bitter?
c. Am I reaping what I have sown through my own choices?
3. The Devil Is Behind Most of Our Discouragement (Garden of Eden)
a. Satan works against believers to steal their joy
b. He cannot take you from God’s hand, but he can make life hard
c. His goal is to make you give up and quit serving Jesus
4. David’s Solution: Keep Your Hope in God (Psalm 42:5, Galatians 6:9)
a. Keep praising and worshiping the Lord
b. Remember all the goodness of God in your life
c. Don’t be weary in well-doing—you will reap if you don’t faint
Illustration
Think about David—a king with everything the world could offer, yet his own son turned against him and drove him from his throne. He had every reason to give up, to wonder where God was, to let discouragement defeat him. But instead, he asked himself, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” and then he preached to himself: “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him.” When discouragement knocks at your door, you have a choice: will you look in the rearview mirror at your defeats, or will you look forward with faith at God’s faithfulness?
Alliterated Main Points
• Discouragement Tested (David’s Trial)
• Discouragement Questioned (Three Questions)
• Discouragement Defeated (Keep Doing Right)
Conclusion / Invitation
What is the best cure for the discouraging times in life? Just keep doing the right thing. Don’t give up on it, and the Lord Jesus will carry you through it. We have an enemy in this world who uses discouragement against us all the time. Don’t let the enemy win the battle of the mind. Live the life, do what’s right, keep your hand to the plow and your eyes on the Lord. Put your hope in God today—not in your circumstances, not in other people, but in the One who has the whole world in His hands and has you in His hands. Will you trust Him today, even when you’re discouraged?