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Down But Not Out
Charles F. Stanley
When you’ve been knocked down, do you know how
to get back up again?
As human beings, we are all going to feel
defeated at some point in our lives.
But as followers of Jesus, we don’t have to
stay there. Learn how to persevere with the help of the Holy Spirit.
KEY PASSAGE: Acts 14:18-22
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES: Acts 7:57-58 | Acts 9:4-5 | Acts 14:10 | Romans 1:14-16 | Romans 8:35-39 | 2 Corinthians 5:5-8 | Philippians 1:15-16 | Philippians 4:11-13 | Hebrews 13:5
Do you remember the last time you felt down or
discouraged? What caused you to feel this way?
None of us want to experience this painful
emotion, but so many situations in life have the capacity to make us feel
hopeless and helpless.
Maybe we’re struggling with finances, health,
a relationship, or a job.
Sometimes discouragement comes because we feel
rejected, mistreated, or shut out by other people.
Whatever the cause, the most important issue
is how we respond to the situation.
Perhaps we’d like to give up and walk away or
blame God or someone else, but instead of simply reacting to our distress,
let’s consider how the Lord would have us respond.
The apostle Paul is an inspiring example of
someone who was down but not out.
When he and Barnabas were in Lystra preaching
the gospel of Jesus Christ, they healed a lame man and caused quite a stir in
the town (Acts 14:8-15).
The people thought they were gods, and Paul
and Barnabas had trouble convincing them not to offer sacrifices to them.
But when some Jews came from Antioch and
Iconium, they won over the crowds, who quickly turned on Paul and stoned him.
Supposing him to be dead, they dragged him out of the city (Acts 14:19).
Despite his obedience to God in preaching the
gospel, Paul suffered tremendously. He was in such bad shape that everyone
thought he was dead.
But the disciples stood around him — undoubtedly
praying — and amazingly, Paul got up and entered the city (verse 20).
He was down but not out.
In fact, the next day he was able to leave
Lystra and head to Derbe to continue preaching the gospel.
What helped Paul and can help us get up, too,
when we’re feeling down?
Christ’s teachings were filled with words of
encouragement on various subjects.
• Paul’s Conversion. No
matter what he faced, Paul kept going because he never got over his encounter
with Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts
9:4-5).
This was the turning point of his life, which
radically changed his goals. The light that flashed around him blinded his eyes
and caused him to fall to the ground, but Jesus didn’t leave him down.
He told Paul that he was His chosen instrument
to proclaim His name to the Gentiles. After his sight was restored, Paul
immediately began proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God.
• Whenever we’re discouraged, we should
remember our salvation experience because that’s the point where we began a
relationship with Jesus.
All our sins were forgiven, and our names were
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
No matter what we face in life, the
remembrance of God’s gracious salvation encourages us to get up, praise Him,
and continue serving Him.
• Paul’s
Conviction. Because he knew God’s purpose for his life, Paul didn’t
stay down.
He had been chosen and “appointed for the
defense of the gospel” (Philippians
1:16).
And through all his trials, Paul had also
learned that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him (Philippians 4:13).
We too have been called to be witnesses for
Jesus and to represent Him with our lives. This conviction, along with the
assurance of His strength, helps us get up when we’re down.
Many times, God uses these situations to equip
us to help others when they’re feeling discouraged.
• Paul’s Confidence. He had
complete trust in the Lord and the truths he’d learned from Him.
In Romans 8:38-39 he had written, “For I am
convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul knew that in his sufferings and trials — and
even in death — he could conquer through the One who loved him (verse 37).
If we’ve been saved by Jesus, we have this
same confidence.
Instead of staying down and feeling sorry for
ourselves, we should remember God’s unfailing love and promises.
Since the Holy Spirit lives within us, we
never have to pull ourselves up alone because He motivates and empowers us to
get up.
• Paul’s Courage. When Paul
was explaining to the Corinthians that death would one day be swallowed up by
life, he told them that the Holy Spirit was given to us as a pledge of this
reality (2 Corinthians 5:5-8).
That’s why stoning and possible death couldn’t
get him down. To die meant that he would be instantly present with the Lord.
God doesn’t promise us an easy life without
persecution, trouble, or pain.
However, the same Holy Spirit who gave Paul
courage also dwells within us, enabling us to face whatever situations come our
way.
• Paul’s Commitment. He
didn’t stay discouraged, because the Lord had given him a ministry to
accomplish.
He considered himself “under obligation”
to preach the gospel because “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes” (Romans 1:14, 16).
Like Paul, we too may face situations that get
us down temporarily, but we have no legitimate reason to stay down.
Having been saved by God, we are now committed
to live for Him for as long as He gives us life.
• Paul’s Companions. When he
was dragged out of the city after being stoned, his friends did not abandon him
but came and stood around him until he got up.
The next day, Paul left to preach at another
city, but he eventually returned to Lystra to strengthen these disciples and
encourage them to endure tribulations as he had (Acts 14:21-22).
We all need the encouragement of fellow
believers who will help us get on our feet again so we can finish carrying out
the work God has planned for us.
What should you do when you’re discouraged?
The next time you feel disheartened, remember
that you don’t have to stay there. Then try modeling your response after the apostle
Paul’s.
We sometimes think that we could never respond
as Paul did, but the Spirit who motivated and lifted him to his feet is the
same Spirit who dwells within us as well.
Paul’s life is a pattern for us to follow. And
in the same way, our confidence in the Lord in times of discouragement can
become an example for other believers who are feeling down because of the
difficulties they face.
RESPONSE
· What
kinds of situations cause you to feel discouraged? How do you usually respond?
· When
you’re feeling down, where is your focus? How would focusing on the Lord change
your response to discouragement?
· Who in
your life has been an example of perseverance through hardship? For whom are
you setting an example?
MEET DR. STANLEY
Charles F. Stanley is the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New
York Times best-selling author. While his teaching is transmitted
throughout the world to millions of people, Dr. Stanley has been said to
demonstrate a practical, keen awareness of people's needs and provide
Christ-centered, biblically-based principles for everyday life.
Dr. Stanley’s motivation is
best represented by the truth found in Acts 20:24, “Life is worth nothing
unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of
telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.” This is
because, as he says, “It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes
people’s lives.”
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