An Excerpt from Whose Voice Are You Listening To? How to Fight and Win the Daily Spiritual Battle by Colleen Orchanian
Satan’s Rule #10
Our Enemy wants the humans to do certain things. Our goal is to keep them from those actions, whatever they may be. When things go wrong, no matter how minor, make them think it’s hopeless. Under no circumstances should you let them gain strength because of the challenge. It’s better to convince them that our Enemy has put the obstacle in place because they are not supposed to move forward. We want to remain hidden. Convince them that, if it is His will, it should be easy. Since it is not easy, it must not be His will. It is really quite simple to convince them because they do not want to struggle. We are giving them a good way to do what they already want: give up! Remember that His slave (the one they call the Little Flower) rightly said that discouragement is the downfall of the soul, so let’s make the most of that.
I am a writer, authoring a blog, a podcast, and books. Sometimes I have a lot of ideas, but they make little sense. At those times, my writing seems more like a brain dump or a stream of consciousness. When I face a deadline and the words are not coming easily, I get discouraged. It’s too hard. I don’t know enough. I don’t even know what the message should be. Does this even make a difference to anyone? I should give up. That’s discouragement.
All of us experience discouragement in our lives. There is no happily ever after until we get to Heaven. Here on Earth, we will struggle. The enemy of our souls uses these struggles to attack us with discouragement. He wants to slow us down or get us to stop doing the things that bring us and others closer to God, whether that be prayer, receiving the sacraments, performing acts of service, maintaining patience in difficulties, or showing kindness to others who are not kind to us.
St. Juan Diego, the visionary who saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, faced discouragement. He was told by Our Lady to bring a message to the bishop, but Juan was a poor peasant farmer. When the bishop wouldn’t listen to him, Juan returned to Mary and explained the situation. It was then that she gave him the miraculous image on the tilma. Mary helped him overcome his discouragement and do God’s will. The miracle opened the eyes of the bishop and became the source of conversion for millions.
Like St. Juan Diego, we can become discouraged. We are certain that we are not capable of whatever God has asked us to do. But, also like this peasant saint, we bring that discouragement to God and trust in His grace.
Why do we get discouraged by obstacles? Sometimes we doubt ourselves. God often asks us to do something that we are not qualified for. We much prefer working within our unique skill sets, but God wants to stretch us. When we think we don’t know what we’re doing, we get discouraged. At the same time, it shows a lack of trust in God. If we expect to do it all ourselves, we will fail. If we know God is in charge and entrust our work to Him, we will not get discouraged.
Here are some situations that are likely to cause discouragement, when the enemy can slow us down or tempt us to give up:
- Overwhelming demands. My mother had eleven children. Sometimes she was discouraged. It was mass chaos every day. As a child, I thought it was fun, but as a parent, I now see how difficult it must have been for her. Many other people face overwhelming demands on a daily basis. Parents of special-needs children are often overwhelmed. Caregivers of elderly parents or loved ones with dementia can feel overwhelmed. We might wonder, How much more can one person take? Does God even care?
- Humiliations. When we are embarrassed, we wish we were invisible. We get discouraged by our failures and want to quit. That’s how I felt the first time I taught a business class. I was terrible, and afterwards I wanted to give up teaching. I didn’t want to face any of those people ever again. But I had to figure out what I had done wrong and return the next day to finish the workshop. I had to overcome discouragement, acknowledge my mistakes, and get back into the classroom.
- Roadblocks. Every apostolate or mission has challenges. We get frustrated, and the devil comes in to discourage us. Give up. It’s not meant to be. It’s not worth the trouble. We do not have to listen to that voice. Instead, we can surrender the problem to God. If this is His project, He will make it happen. St. Faustina was given a mission to spread the message of Divine Mercy. She faced countless roadblocks, which surely frustrated her. But in the end, this was God’s work, and she persevered—sometimes very boldly—until the mission was achieved.
- Rejection. I know several people who applied to seminary or the diaconate and were rejected. These are men who wanted to give their lives to the Lord and were told no or not yet. It feels like a slap in the face, and the devil is right there to attack with discouragement. You’re not good enough. You didn’t discern well. You are not called to this vocation. You have to start over and figure out what you are going to be. Maybe you should even leave the Church because they don’t want you.
- Lost causes. St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes. What are our lost causes? Who are our lost causes? We may get to the point of hopelessness and give up praying for them. When we stop praying, the devil has won the battle.
Why does the devil use discouragement? Because God has a plan for us, and the devil wants to block it. He does not want us to trust in God. He does not want us to see a difficulty resolved by God’s grace. He does not want us to pray in times of trouble. He does not want our mission to succeed. What is our mission? To bring ourselves and others to Heaven.
So, what do we do?
First, we must discern well God’s will for our lives. When facing hardship in a particular endeavor, we must prayerfully ask, is this from God or the devil? Maybe we have a great idea, but it did not come from God. Rather, it is a distraction from our true God-given mission, and the difficulties are coming because we are working on the wrong thing. Or perhaps we have discerned well what God wants, and the devil is throwing up obstacles to slow us down.
The first question is, What is God’s will for me right now?
There are two paths. If I discern that I am, in fact, doing God’s will, then I can know the discouragement is from the enemy, and I should keep pushing through the challenges. If I discern that I am not doing God’s will, then it is right and good to quit. It doesn’t make me a quitter (although that kind of spiritual attack is common). I am not quitting out of frustration or discouragement. Rather, I have discerned that God has something else for me.
Maybe we know we are doing God’s will, but it’s just so hard. How do we overcome discouragement? Don’t be afraid to ask for help, both from friends and from God. Confide in a trusted friend. Pray for the grace to persevere. And, as always, identify the lies you are hearing—about yourself, God, and others—and replace them with God’s truth.
If discouragement is a common attack for you, wonder why. Remember the three distortion attacks: distorted images of ourselves, of God, and of others. Which image is most distorted? Seek healing of that distortion so discouragement will be less effective in the future.
God calls us to work and pray. The devil uses discouragement to prevent both activities. We do not have to fall for that trick. We can reject the lies of discouragement and embrace the possibilities. God can accomplish miracles with the least gifted person. And when we succeed, we will know that it was by God’s power and not our own doing.
God’s Voice
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
“My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love.” (Jesus to St. Faustina)
Questions for prayer
How often do I experience discouragement? When is that attack most effective and why?
What trusted friend can help me through times of discouragement? How can I enlist their help?
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