Overcoming Discouragement - Why You Can’t Give Up

I know sometimes you didn't grow up with people counting on you but I want you to know

your Heavenly Father and your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, they're counting on you.

They're counting on you to get to the end of the roads.

Jesus and He who doors to the end shall be saved, so endure it's the big deal to Jesus.

He said anybody who puts their hands to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom.

You're not suitable because the kingdom of God is not a kingdom that gives up, amen.

Welcome to the CityLight Church Podcast, thanks for joining us today, as we look into God's

Word and discover the hope and truth that He has for us.

If you want to connect with CityLight Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com,

that citylightnyc.com.

Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already

working in our hearts and minds.

As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you

are surrounded by His grace, and that He has a real hope and a future for you.

Well, we have a special guest for you today, Pastor Maurice Johnson from Winners Church is

here with us.

It was an amazing first service so you're in for a treat.

This man has been my friend since 2002 when CityLight was about a month old.

We had our first lunch and haven't stopped having lunches since.

I didn't even realize I was going to come out so funny, but now I see the humor in it.

Seems like I planned that joke, because sometimes funny just happens.

I consider him one of my best friends.

He wouldn't say the same.

I even called him my best friend and said, well, you're not my best friend.

I said, who do you have?

He listed a couple of other guys.

I'm not impressed at all, but apparently somehow they're better to him than I am.

But the Lord will deal with him in due time.

But He is.

He's an amazing man and you know, who can you call that close friend?

It takes time, doesn't it?

It takes time.

They had to have seen you at your worst and walked with you through some things, which Pastor

Maurice has.

I love him dearly.

He's a great friend of our family and this church, so won't you welcome Pastor Maurice

Johnson.

He's going to bring the word to the Lord to you this morning.

We're so happy to have you here.

Is that the deliberate, so slow stroll, just a...

Thank you, Pastor.

Oh, okay.

All right.

Praise God.

Good morning, everybody.

Now, we warmed up.

It's the second service.

So we got to get wild up in this one.

All right.

First of all, I just realized I didn't thank Pastor Boyan for the invitation, so thank you.

Pastor Bo.

As y'all know him, I appreciate the invitation.

Thank you for your confidence in me.

And I'm so glad that his wife and his first born is in the house.

This kid is amazing.

He reminds me so much of his mom.

And the princess reminds me so much of her dad.

When Pastor Bo's mom was in the first service, she says, no, she's like me.

Okay.

But she's a boy I just like me.

So she's like him.

I say, yeah, that's it.

Amazing kids.

Amazing kids.

Amazing family.

You really are blessed to have a first family like this.

You really are blessed where what you're seeing in the public is what is happening in the

private.

Amen.

I was telling Pastor Boyan, I didn't mean to say this, but I was at their house one day

and I was hanging out with him and then his wife came in, she got the kids and he said

something to his son and I was just observing and I noticed that his son's physical body

language and response to his father were so positive.

Boyan gave a little slight correction and he gave his dad a hug.

You don't see kids doing that.

So there must be something that this man and this woman is doing with their children to

make the response so positively to their parents.

Amen.

Can we give them a hand as great parents?

And another thing I told Pastor Boyan before that, I said, you can always know what's going

on by looking at the kids.

These kids are so happy, free.

I said, oh, this is amazing.

And Boyan thanked me for this compliment, but you can look at the children and you can

know what's happening in the home.

So this is a blessed and a holy home.

Amen.

Praise God.

Thank God for them.

All right.

Let's get into this word.

I'm going to be teaching you today about overcoming discouragement and the title of my

message is why you can't give up.

At the last service, one young man walked up to me, I don't know who he is.

He said, I was going to give up, but now he's not.

Amen.

And three people give their life to Christ, so when we said it about that, praise God.

And if you're in here, you have an opportunity at the end of the service to say yes to Jesus.

So one of the major weapons, master weapon of the devil against the church against human

beings in general is this thing called discouragement.

We've all faced it.

We've all dealt with it, but I believe that people in the body of Christ need to deal with

it even better now.

Now I know people have chemical imbalances and all that stuff, but there's too much discouragement

in the kingdom.

I hear it in Christians' talk, I hear it in people's pulpits, even some too much negativity.

You know, I put up a post recently that the church is not failing, and any prophet who

says his failing has not heard from heaven, because if the church is failing, Jesus is failing,

because Jesus is the head of the church.

And a lot of people was like, oh yeah, that's awesome.

There's one guy, he's a friend of mine, actually, pastor, who lives in another state, and

he put up this whole thing, what about this scripture, this scripture, and I didn't even

answer.

He's asking me a question, but I know he wants to engage in the argument.

I didn't answer, but guess what?

I went back, he put two more posts up, going nuts.

No, the church is not, the church is failing, what about this?

I was like, I said, I see the grace and positivity is a mirror to your judgment.

People think that grace is just because it's an easy peasy message, no.

It also is a mirror to people who have a heart of judgment.

And if somebody's saying the church is not failing, gets you going crazy, something

is wrong on the inside.

If you are more geared towards negativity than positivity, something is wrong on the inside.

I'm even watching my speech, my thinking, my feelings about things, and I'm correcting

it where it needs to be corrected, because God is calling for us to be positive.

His kingdom is positive, not negative, and negative is noisiering, not only to me but

to the Lord.

Amen?

So we're going to be a positive people, right?

We're going to be encouraged people, right?

Somebody say no more discouragement.

One of the things that devil wants you to give up on is your marriage, your career goals,

you improving your health.

He's trying to do that with me, hey guys, I've lost 20 pounds, so praise the guy.

Pass the boy, pass the boy losing weight, come on, look at him, is that amazing?

Give him a hand, come on.

Once the mall is losing weight, we're all losing weight.

They both try and look like their wives.

Oh wow, I'm not married, so the jokes that are on me, hey man, they've got beautiful

wives and great shape and they're trying to now come in line, glory to God.

Amen, it's my thank you Jesus.

God, my kids in line, not the husband's coming along.

No but there's different things that the devil wants you to give up on relationships,

getting married, whatever.

That's his MO, but we're not going to let him and his demons dictate to us how we live

our lives, how we think, even how we feel.

Amen?

There's a scripture where David is depressed, downcast, and he says this, why are you cast

down on my soul?

Hope in God, King James says, hope that one God.

You know what he did?

He used the power of his words, which you guys have been learning about, pass a bow

teaching on faith, to tell his soul, which is the mind, the will, and the emotions, how

to act.

We have to give back to the spirit man, our born again spirit, telling our soul what to

do.

If David could do it under the old covenant and get out of discouragement, how much

more can you do the other new covenant and get out of discouragement?

Amen?

Because the feelings will come, but we don't live by feelings, we live by what, faith.

We walk by faith, not by what, sight, or feelings.

Praise God.

So does anybody ever, sometimes you wake up or you walk into your house or you walk into

your day at work, whatever, and you're like, I don't feel good, I don't feel, I feel

sad.

Anybody that's ever happened to them before?

Raise your hand if you've ever happened to you before, it's happened to me.

We have a deal that says, I don't receive it, the Lord dealing with you about something

that's different.

But you notice the outside force, I don't receive you, I reject you, one of the things

that you want to make the devil really mad, anybody want to make the devil really mad?

I mean really mad, like I punch in the face, you can't punch em physically, but you want

to see him be really mad, say these words, I reject you, can you imagine if I say that

to you?

You, you would feel like, oh my God, you say there's a believer with the Holy Ghost power,

the devil and demons they cringe, I reject you, you're nothing, you're a dog, you're

unforgiven, you have lost your place and I'm in God's place.

You're damned and I'm blessed, devil hates that, that's what's called rebuking the devil.

I rebuke you, it's not rebuking the devil, rebuking the devil is assailing him with abusive

words.

So he likes to sell you or you're nothing, you're stupid, you're a loser, no, no, no,

you're the loser, you're the one who's a cherubum that lost your place, dummy, come on,

tell the devil he's a dummy, you're the dummy, you thought when you put Jesus on the cross

you were doing something.

The Bible says, you just ended your reign and God made a show of you openly, you're nothing.

And when you do that, guess what, you're going to feel so good.

So they're giving somebody a piece of your mind, give the devil a piece of your mind.

Amen?

One of my favorite words to him is loser.

So reason number one, why you can't give up your life.

So I say, I'm alive, you're breathing human being.

And that is a main reason why you can't give up.

David said the dead do not praise God.

So the fact that you're alive means that you should be praising God, you should be living

a good life, you should be living your best life now.

Amen.

And you should be living with a sense of hope every single day.

Anybody here you cried or you know people have cried, I'm kind of crying, I'm kind of

being sad, I'm kind of being disbanded and depressed and down.

No, I'm going to be up.

Some of you, you know what you need to do, put some music on your house.

You put on some Michael Jackson, some Jenna Jackson, I'm dating myself, I know there's

new people.

And if you like who's the girl, who's the girl, the one who's really popular, tell us,

tell us with.

Thank you, tell us with, put on some tell us with, I don't listen to tell us with, it

be kind of weird, past my reach 52 years old, black with some tell us with, I don't listen

to tell us with, you know, do something spontaneous, praise God, you know, you know what I did?

You don't know something that I did to show that I'm alive.

I said this is going to be my spontaneous year.

So I'm at it, besides the gym, I had it walking to my regiment.

So I go to Manhattan, Penn station, I walk from Penn station to Barnes and Noble's on

17th Street and then walk back.

That's one of the things that I do.

So one day, this is like a week ago, I went and I saw all these guys selling t-shirts.

And then I saw all these black people rushing into Madison Square Garden.

I was like, what the heck is going on here?

And I looked at t-shirt, I see Mario, Neo and Mary J. Blanche.

I said, oh my goodness, is the Mary J. Blanche concert?

So then I go into my mold.

What should I do?

You know, the hermit, I mean, what should I do?

Should I go to the concert?

What should I do my walk?

Hmm.

So I go, look, and I said, let me see if I can get some good seats, I don't do bad seats.

So I said, can I get some good seats?

And I look good seats for $106.

And they said, this is half off with the tax 138.

So guess what I did on the women?

And I said, I was, they were like, what?

I went right to that concert having a good time.

Just fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine.

Whoa, fine, fine, fine.

Did they flexors there?

Mary was good.

Neo was good.

Well, I had a blast.

Why?

Because I recognize I'm alive.

I'm single.

And I'm going to live my best life now.

And sometimes that means doing things spontaneously that brings you joy.

So put on some music, go to a concert, and have a good time.

Amen?

Praise God.

You can rejoice about that guy, clap.

But you are alive.

Not only are you physically alive, and he'll hit your scripture,

but for him who is joined to all the living, there is hope.

For a living dog is better than a dead lion.

Very powerful.

But only physically alive, you are spiritually alive.

Roman 6.11 says, likewise, you also wrecking yourself

to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So being depressed, being down, being discouraged,

wanting to give up is not good seeing that God put his life in you.

The man says, if you have the sun, he has a sun has life.

And he does not have the sun, does not have life.

But you have the life of God, the Zoe, the God kind of life inside of you.

How can I be down?

How can I give up?

Amen.

Somebody say, I have the life of God in me.

Somebody say, I'm alive.

Look at him as a neighbor, I'm alive.

Tell them you're alive.

Now live like it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Reason number two, why you can't give up.

God is counting on you.

I know sometimes you didn't grow up with people counting on you,

but I want you to know your Heavenly Father and your Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ, they're counting on you.

They're counting on you to get to the end of the road.

Jesus, and he who doors to the end shall be saved.

So endurance is a big deal to Jesus.

He said, anybody who puts their hands to the plow and looks back

is not fit for the kingdom.

You're not suitable because the kingdom of God is how the kingdom that gives up.

Amen.

The kingdom of God, King James, suffereth.

New King James allows violence and the violent take it by force.

But if you are a give up person, you may take another by force.

If you are a give up person, you're not really making it.

There's a scripture, these scriptures are coming to my spares

I'm talking to you.

And Isaiah 53, it was about the death of Jesus.

I know Pastor Bo has taught a lot on Isaiah 53 and the sacrifice of the Lord.

But there's a scripture that part of the physical,

Isaiah 33 does not really talk about much.

It's also about Jesus dividing the spoil.

This person who's going to be on this cross is going to divide the spoil.

Watch this with the strong.

You are considered strong.

You know why he said strong?

Because let me ask you a question.

If your hand is weak, can you hold anything?

No.

Because what about Paul comes later on,

thousands of years later says, be strong into what?

Lord, and is the power of his might.

So you can hold things.

So you can have possession.

So you can take things by force.

You don't serve a weak God and he doesn't expect to have a weak people, amen?

But I said, let the weak say on what?

Come on.

Come on, let the weak say I'm strong.

If you feel weak, if you don't say I'm strong,

greater it's he who's in me than he was in the world.

I'm going to make it.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, encourage yourself.

Don't wait for encouragement from church.

That's good.

Don't wait for encouragement from YouTube.

That's good.

You have to open your own mouth and say I'm blessed and highly favorite.

I'm going somewhere to happen.

God is counting on me and I will not let him down.

Praise God.

Hallelujah.

Romans 11, 29 is the scripture.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

God will never change his mind about what he called you to do

and about what he gifted you to do.

So it's important that you recognize your calling and I'll tell you about

there's something being preached.

I'm talking about whatever he could be called you to be a lawyer,

called you to be a judge, called you to be a accountant,

whatever it is, called you to be an entrepreneur,

called you to be a preacher, whatever it is he's called you to do,

he could call you to the entertainment world.

Whatever it is he's called you to do, you must do it.

It's not an option.

And the gifts he's giving you equip you to fulfill that call.

It's all kind of gifts.

You know, I had a dream, man, I'm saying everything different

from the first service.

That's how the annoyance works.

I had a dream, I had a gift of writing.

There's no scripture that says a gift of writing,

but I know that's a gift.

So I was laying down on the floor again,

I tell the story I told, and I was sleeping

and this thing, invisible thing came near my head.

I knew it was a gift of giving.

I mean, the gift of writing.

And I knew the question I was being asked,

do you want this gift?

And I know why I was being asked that

because I hadn't been writing or producing.

I've been writing, I haven't been producing books.

And I said, yes.

And that thing that was near my head,

like this is a dream, went into the universe.

And it was like, you know, like a slingshot,

shh, and then pshh, kept on all these colors.

I mean, vast colors, like I was in outer space.

And I knew the load was pleased with my answer.

But he was trying to tell me, get to work.

The last time you produced a book was this time.

And I've been moving slow,

but I am, because even recently, the Lord don't do it again.

Get to work, release when I've given you.

This is the gift I've given you.

You have an amazing thing with words.

Now do it, now do write every Friday.

Every Friday, my church gets an email from me,

and it's amazing, people encourage his bless.

I think we got like three people on the list.

And it's something, and God is looking for your yes.

His yes is over your life.

All those promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.

But are you giving him your yes to what he's giving you?

You gave me a gift, Lord.

I say yes.

There's a girl in my church,

who I know she's been called to the ministry.

She's a pastor's daughter,

and the Lord has been dealing with me.

You're going to date her.

I don't date nobody unless the Lord speaks.

And you know why the Lord is speaking?

Because her husband has been encouraging her.

And the end of last year, she said,

I said yes to the Lord.

She's an amazing communicator, an amazing woman

in the corporate world,

but God has a definite call on her life.

And she said yes.

So who's going to say yes to God's gifts and callings?

Sometimes depression is coming in

because you're going against the grain.

But if you flow with the anointing, guess what?

There's all this joy.

Amen.

So flow, whenever you see something's not working,

say, am I flowing with the Lord?

I'm going against the Lord.

Amen.

So you have gifts, you have a calling,

fulfill it, serving your local church.

Join a small group.

Join the ushers and the greeters.

Join the kids church.

And whatever else is happening at City Light Church.

Say, you know what?

I want to be a part.

And I just met Michael.

I know he's not here now.

But he said, yeah, I'm on a worship team.

I said, oh, come on, brother.

Got some space people up on there now.

Praise God.

Hallelujah.

He was laugh, we laughed about it.

But it's awesome.

Awesome that he was excited about serving.

You have to be excited about serving your local church.

Anybody excited about serving?

God.

And the way you started by serving in your local church

and then from there, God will tell you other things to do.

Praise God.

Some of you have the gift of giving.

Now, I know you guys are giving us here,

but you're the gift of giving.

And you have a divinability to give beyond your regular ties

and offerings.

And God speaks to you and says, give this and give this

and give this to the local church,

maybe to some of the members.

And you need to release that gift.

Some of you have the gift of mercy.

You're called to have an extreme amount of mercy

to all the crazies in church.

Release that gift, giving that hug.

I know they're little nutty, but give them that hug.

Amen.

Say hi to them.

Praise God.

There's two words how God measures things.

Fruitfulness and faithfulness.

But guess what?

I've got to tell you something else.

If you're not fruitful, you're not really faithful.

Go study it.

Jesus measures your faithfulness by your what?

Fruitfulness.

Are you bearing fruit?

Are you in a prayer team getting prayers answered?

How can people get delivered?

How can we get healed?

What are you doing for the kingdom?

What are you doing for your local church?

If you've been here for some time and you have not,

then anything start doing something.

And God's going to bless you.

The Bible says, the faithful man or woman

shall what?

Abound with blessings.

If you want to be blessed, but they want to do nothing.

You know the scripture, if you will read what you want.

So it's not only money.

It's if you sow yourself, sow your time,

sow your gifts, you're going to read great blessing.

Amen.

All right.

Reason number three, the world needs you.

One of the things you're going to learn as you mature as a believer

is that everything in life is not about you.

There are things that are about you.

You have needs, you have desires,

and God wants to supply all your needs,

and He wants to give you the desires of your heart.

But He also wants you to mature and learn

that everything is not about you.

You're blessed to be a blessing.

Help somebody else, love somebody else.

People need your love.

They need your compassion.

They need your life.

They need your creativity.

They need your wisdom.

I saw a pastor, Mo earlier sent him up the screen.

He said, what are you doing?

He said, yeah, sometimes when we tear down,

we have to set back up.

He's not saying, oh, I'm the social pastor.

I don't need to do that.

He's using his technical gifts to do that.

I don't know how to do that, what he was doing.

A lot of people don't know how to do that,

but he's using his gifts in the church

as is needed, and he's serving.

And if the social pastor can do that,

you surely can do it.

Amen.

Where's Mauricio?

Where's that guy?

Oh, right there, I love this guy.

This guy's on fire, when my people fly church, come.

When they visit, they're like, this guy is incredible.

You are, you stand out.

And he's been here for a long time.

He could say, oh, I need to get this position.

I need to do that.

No, I'm here to serve.

And because he's here to serve,

not only does the pastor recognize it,

not only does the social pastor recognize it,

heaven recognizes it.

And that's what matters.

So be sensible for Jesus.

He's going to be like, here's your reward.

But I was just ushering and greeting and praying.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I know, you all thought it was little, but it was big.

Woo!

You were faithful a little now here.

You're ruler over much.

Come on.

Oh, tell me, you guys, you don't know.

You don't know.

You don't know.

The world needs you.

Make yourself available.

Matthew 5, 14 to 16.

You are the light of the world.

A town built on the hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

And instead, they put it on its stand.

And it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others.

Before who?

That they may see your good deeds and glorify your father

in heaven.

So when you do good, people see it.

God gets the glory.

God, give them God the glory.

God just saying worship songs is living a fruitful

and a faithful life.

And when you're doing that, guess what?

Discouragement can hold on to you.

You're like a slippery slope.

No, no, no, I'm too busy.

I've got time for discouragement.

You know what the problem is?

People have too much time.

When you're busy in the kingdom, you don't have time

for discourage.

I've got time for you.

Bye.

Somebody needs me.

Somebody needs my service.

They needs my gift.

And God, my father's counting on me.

Hallelujah.

Reason number four, turn about why you can't give up.

Here's the big one.

Jesus didn't give up.

The Bible says he left an example that we should follow.

Let's look at the scripture.

Hebrews 12, 2 to 3, looking unto Jesus,

the author and finisher of our faith.

Who for the joy, the what?

You are that joy.

You still are that joy.

That was said before him, endure the cross, despising the same.

You know how shameful it was for the son of God,

the creed of the ends of the earth,

to be on a cross with nails in his hands and nails in his feet,

and the pierced side and throwing a crown on his head,

disgraceful.

And so the angels are like, what?

This is a mystery.

Even Paul said, great is the mystery of Godliness,

that he was seen of angels in a human body.

My God.

And has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Because it is always reward, always reward.

For consider him, for what?

For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners

against himself, less you become weary.

And what discouraged in your souls?

So the Bible is telling us the key to not giving up,

the key to not being discouraged is look to Jesus.

Not only to strengthen you, look at his example and remind yourself,

if the son of the living God didn't give up, I can't give up.

Amen.

Praise God.

Okay, what it is, don't listen to the whispers of the devil.

Say Satan, you're a liar and the truth is not in you.

I will not give up.

My future is bright.

My kids are going to turn around.

My money is going to turn around.

I'm going to have the spouse of my dreams.

Hallelujah.

And my best days are still ahead of me.

Are you excited about that?

Anybody believe that?

Somebody shout, I believe.

Shout, I believe.

Shout, I believe.

I believe my best days are ahead of me.

Reason number five, why you can't give up.

You haven't seen all that should be or all that could be.

Psalm 27 13 says, I would have lost heart unless I had believed

that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

If you take a note, write this down.

If you give up, what could have been becomes what should have been.

You don't want to be a should have been Christian.

Oh, I should have done this and I should have done that.

I should have married this person.

I should have served in my church.

I should have given this, no, Lord, I did it.

I said, I'm going to be, I did it Christian.

I did it believer.

I made it happen.

Amen.

Are you excited about making things happen?

You know the statement.

There's three kind of people in the planet.

Those who watch things happen.

Those who wonder what happened.

And those who make things happen.

Somebody said, I'm going to be a make things happen person.

Amen.

Last point.

Reason number six.

The most important one on here.

Your story isn't over.

We didn't read the scripture last time, but here's the scripture.

Psalm 139 verse 16.

Psalms 139:16

You saw me, it's an amazing passage, by the way, you should memorize it.

This is from the NLT.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Everybody has a story and every story matters.

And your story's not over.

Some of you at the beginning of your story.

Some of you at the middle of your story, like me, the middle age,

and some of you close to the end of your story.

No matter where you're at on that spectrum,

you have a story and it's not over.

It's not over until you close your eyes.

Like Parinobo says, if you're not dead, God's not done.

Amen.

And don't care what your age is, young or old, middle age,

you have a story that's unfolding.

And one of the things you need to do is do what the Apostle Paul did

when he had that counter on the Damascus Road with Jesus.

He said, Lord, who are you?

I am Jesus who you're persecuting.

He told him who he was.

The next thing Paul said, what do you want me to do?

If you are confused or you don't know your destiny, your purpose,

what it would, why you're here?

You can find your why by asking the Lord lots of questions

in every season of your life.

What do you want me to do?

Where do you want me to invest my money?

Who do you want me to marry?

Where do you want me to serve?

Come on, how much do you want me to give?

How often do you want me to pray?

Whatever it is in your life, you're not sure about.

Ask the Lord questions.

You know why?

What happens when you ask the Lord questions?

It's very simple.

You're humbling yourself.

And when you humble yourself, the Bible says he gives you

more grace.

And the grace is there to give you direction.

Here's a scripture that you should memorize.

I think all of us memorize when we're kids.

Trust the Lord with all your heart.

And lean out on your own understanding.

In all your ways, what?

Ignore the chimp.

And he will what?

Direct your paths.

Your story is not over.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

This is the City Light Church podcast.

If you've missed any part of today's message,

or if you would like to find out more

about Pastor Boyan Jansik in City Light Church,

visit us at citylightnyc.com.

Feel free to visit us online or in person any time.

We would love to connect with you.

We pray that you have been encouraged today.

That you have been reminded how much God loves you.

And that you are surrounded by grace.

Thank you for listening.

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