How to deal with discouragers

The first person who tried to discourage David from fighting Goliath was his own brother. “Eliab…burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are…You came down only to watch the battle.’ ‘Now what have I done?’ said David. ‘Can’t I even speak?’ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter” (1 Samuel 17:28-30 NIV). Don’t fall into the trap of giving too much thought and consideration to a discourager. Spend your time with those who add to you, not detract from you. Even King Saul told David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth” (v. 33 NIV). But David wasn’t concerned about how much experience Goliath had, because he knew that his God was all-powerful. How tragic it is when we limit our faith only to what we can see. To think we are inadequate for a task is to engage in self-centeredness and focus on our own capabilities apart from God. This independent mindset shuts God out of the equation and ignores that fact that He has declared that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV). The name “Eliab,” David’s older brother, means “God is my father.” How ironic, because he had no confidence in God at all. So in order to experience victory, you may first have to overcome the doubts and unbelief of those closest to you.