Charles Stanley Daily Devotional 11th July 2025 (In Touch) Friday Message
TOPIC: The Trap of Discouragement
SCRIPTURE READING – Habakkuk 1:2-5 (NIV)
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.
Do you ever feel stuck in discouragement? If so, you are not alone.
At some point, everyone experiences dashed hopes. Disappointment is a normal initial reaction. But if it’s allowed to linger, it can turn into discouragement that hovers like a dark, heavy cloud.
The circumstances that trigger these emotions may be unavoidable, but how we respond is a choice. Either we can let sadness overwhelm us or we can face the situation with courage and bring it before the One who can help (Deuteronomy 31:6). Living in discouragement divides the mind, making it hard to focus on anything besides our pain. Then as anger becomes habitual, we’ll look for someone to blame—God, people around us, or ourselves.
Frustration that isn’t handled well may develop into despair. In a fog of discouragement, it’s easy to make poor decisions based on bruised emotions instead of truth. Obviously, choosing this self-destructive path is not God’s best for us.
Though we all face disappointment from time to time, believers are not to wallow in it. Instead, God wants us to trust Him with everything—even unmet expectations and sadnesses. Remember, there is divine purpose for everything He allows to touch His children’s lives.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 13-15
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Trust God through life’s disappointments—He will bring good from everything that touches your life.
Dr. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life