Here's how to avoid being disappointed

You cannot possibly be walking this earth and never been disappointed or discouraged.

Discouragement is real and has the potential to crush one’s spirit. In our little academic chats with comrades, I learned of a woman who was pursuing a PhD in a public university.

She was frustrated by her supervisor who wanted them to work with strings attached. After three fruitless years, she opted to transfer to another public university only to find her new university had sub-contracted her former supervisor to be a panellist in her proposal defence! Naturally, she failed. She gave up and is now doing business.

We cannot avoid disappointment but can learn to deal with it.  If I were this woman, I would have asked God for strength and transferred to a private university!

Here’s how to avoid disappointment:

Rejoice in the Lord! Yes, rejoice. The sole purpose behind the devil frustrating you is so that you may lose your joy. You see the moment you begin to entertain pitiful thoughts about yourself, you will feel low, inadequate, cursed.

The environment about you will change from one of joy to one of immense sorrow. So, you get this unforeseen dismissal letter and understandably, your first reaction is one of shock, anger, pity. You wonder what the future holds. But the day must rest and night must come alive. Yet when night comes, God assures us that there is joy in the morning. You must arise with new energy, new zeal, new gusto. You must not focus on what you have lost but what God has prepared for you.

Believe God. God is the only one who never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. When you comb through His promises, believe that He will grant that which He promised.

The moment you harbour doubt within your spirit, discouragement will set in. Believe that God is all-powerful and in control of our lives.

Mingle only with those with faith. There are people who can truly discourage. They carry tonnes of negative energy around them. Such people are faithless. Avoid them because at this point in time, you need people who will lift up your discouraged self . .  those who will inspire hope.

The word of God says two cannot walk together unless they agree. I have a relative I avoid like the plague. I never saw a person so obsessed with death.

I cannot recall a time when 90 per cent of our conversation did not dwell on who died when and how lovely the funeral service was.

Praise God! The more the enemy comes against you with spears and arrows, the more you raise your armour of praise and worship. King Jehoshaphat did exactly that and so did Paul and Silas.

King Jehoshaphat was discouraged when his kingdom was surrounded by enemy troops but God’s word that came and gave him encouragement. Together with the people, his task was only to praise God. The next day, his attackers all lay dead.

Pray without ceasing! He will come and save you. Enough said!