RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the great preachers of the nineteenth century, said he often had to deal with discouragement right before or after he preached. The greatest victories often produce the greatest moments of discouragement. No one is exempt from bouts of discouragement. It’s a part of life. The big question for each of us is how we deal with discouragement.
There are basically two approaches. First, we can go to God and “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Or you can talk yourself into a deeper state of discouragement, which eventually turns into depression and causes you to make bad decisions. Unfortunately, David chose the latter method after being continually hounded by Saul.
We can understand that David would feel discouraged and make the decisions he made. Saul continued to seek after him. David’s life was in constant jeopardy. David thought, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand” (1 Samuel 27:1). Because David thought in this manner, he ended up making some poor choices: “So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath” (v. 2).
We can learn some critical lessons from David’s bad decision. David made a decision based on discouragement. He was down and out. He felt he was about to be killed. There’s no indication in the Bible that God would allow Saul to kill David. But the young man who’d killed the giant now found a giant in his own heart. Worry and anxiety flooded his soul. He felt helpless and hopeless.
Times of turmoil and turbulence are not when to make critical decisions. You need to let the “peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). This means that God’s peace should lead us into the right decisions. Pressure, confusion, and doubt lead to disaster, but God’s peace leads to victory and confidence. David made his decision to go to Achish because of the turmoil in his life. So he stepped into even more difficulties.
David didn’t talk to God about his situation. He talked to himself. When you’re discouraged, it’s easy to talk yourself into a lot of things. David’s thought pattern went something like this: I’m going to die. Saul’s going to kill me. So my only hope is to leave this place. God didn’t tell him to leave. There’s no indication of God’s leadership in David’s choice. He simply talked himself into the decision.
Human nature is interesting. If we really want to, we can convince ourselves of just about anything. It’s even more fascinating to see how we convince ourselves of things we really don’t want to believe or wish to happen. We can manipulate our own actions and eventually those of others.
Discouragement is part of life. At one time or another, we all experience it. We just need to make sure we don’t make critical decisions based on that discouragement. We need to allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts. In those times of discouragement, we must determine to seek the face of God for His leadership. Seek God and seek the wise counsel of His people. Circumstances are often the source of our discouragement. They will change, but God doesn’t. Learn to wait upon the Lord. He has a way of changing our circumstances.