“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our

outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being

renewed day by day.”

2 Cor. 4:1,16

The phrase "lose heart" means to "be discouraged"

1) Consider some of the things he suffered -

cf. 2 Cor. 11:23-29

2) And yet note what he says in 2 Cor. 4:8-9

-- I.e., Paul says "we do not lose heart"!

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not

crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but

not destroyed.”

Strange,

because we do not experience near the

hardships Paul did.

Sad,

because as Paul wrote in Gal. 6:9

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for

in due season we shall reap if we do not lose

heart.”

Psa. 27:13-14

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be

dismayed, for I am your God. I will

strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold

you with my victorious right hand.

Therefore,

in this age of burnout and disloyalty, we need

to rediscover

Paul’s secret for remaining faithful

through all of the things he suffered for

preaching the gospel.

The word “duty” has become a nasty word in recent years.

“I quit going to church because I didn’t want to go

just out of duty.”

“I’m not going to stay in this marriage just out of a

sense of duty.”

“I quit reading the Bible and praying because I didn’t

want to do it just out of a sense of duty.”

“If it feels good, do it”

“If it doesn’t feel good, we should quit doing it.”

We think any time we go contrary to the way we feel,

we are being cheated or

we are acting hypocritical.

Everybody’s enthusiasm runs out on occasion.

The real test of your maturity is to keep going at times

even when you have lost the joy, but you do it out of a

sense of duty.

Cavitt Roberts said,

“Character is the ability to stay with a resolution

long after the mood in which the resolution was

made has left.”

“I slept and dreamed that life was beauty.

I woke and found that life was duty.”

Matt. 26:39

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face,

and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible,

let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I

will, but as thou wilt.”

John 9:4

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it

is day; the night is coming when no one can work.’

Do you know where his wife

was the day he died eight

years later?

She was at the hospital out of

love, commitment, and duty.

“I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians,

both to wise and to unwise.” (Rom. 1:14)

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear

God, and keep his commandments: for this is the

whole duty of man.” (Eccl. 12:13)

2 Cor. 4:3-4

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those

who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age

has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the

gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of

God, should shine on them.”

2 Tim. 2:26

“And that they may recover themselves out of the

snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at

his will.”

Predators, like lions, usually look for and attack the

animals that are alone and have wandered away from

the flock.

We do not have to be so vulnerable!

The protection of the flock is available.

“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and

to good works: not forsaking the assembling of

ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but

exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye

see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25)

“Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not

ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor. 2:11

First: he distorts the truth through false teachers so

that the gospel becomes confusing.

Second: he blinds the minds of unbelievers and

Christians through pride and pleasure so they cannot

see the light of the gospel.

Third: One of the Devil's favorite tools with Christians

is DISCOURAGEMENT!

You have to FIGHT discouragement with PRAYER, the

WORD and THANKSGIVING!

Then your faith will grow, the doubts will flee, and

you'll be on the road to victory!

A young girl was once asked if Satan did not tempt her

to do wrong things and how she kept from doing them.

The answer was: "Yes, I know he wants to get me, but

when Satan knocks at the door of my heart I just say,

`Jesus, won't You go to the door?' and when Satan

sees Jesus, he runs away every time."

2 Cor. 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly

we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being

renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving

for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes NOT on what is seen,

but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen

is eternal.

“There are three types of people in the world: those

who were born with handicaps, those who have

developed handicaps through injury or aging, and

those who are temporarily living in healthy bodies.”

If your focus is on this life only, then the older you get,

the more discouraged you will be, because no matter

how well you try to eat, or how much you exercise or

jog, you will still get older.

Eugene Christian wrote a book called

“How to Live to Be One hundred”—

he died at sixty-nine.

We will not faint or lose heart because even though

outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are

being renewed day by day.

Death is an appointment we all shall keep (Heb. 9:27),

unless we are living when Christ returns

(I Thess. 4:17).

Death is the doorway to a life of eternal happiness

(Phil. 1:21 (gain); Rev. 14:13 (rest))

We will not fear because “our light and momentary

troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far

outweighs them all.”

Men fear that which afflicts them and fear exaggerates

that which we perceive to be a threat to us.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out

fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one

who fears is not made perfect in love.” I John 4:18

We will be encouraged by a reward that is eternal for

“our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal

weight of glory”

While most people seek to gain the things which will

not last (Matt. 6:19-21), to hoard them and to look

greedily upon that;

the Christian understands the reward to be sought is

one that is eternal.

Keep in mind, that the things not seen are

reserved for those

who do not faint,

do not fear,

and do not focus on the temporal things of life.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for

whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap

corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the

Spirit reap everlasting life."

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in

due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.“

(Gal. 6:7-9)

Do Not Lose Heart!

Let us be encouraged to live

in view of eternity,

to look toward eternity,

and to keep our eyes focused

on those things not seen and

we will

not faint

nor

be discouraged.