Discouragement. Depression. Even suicide. More and more studies reveal that people are responding in dark and dangerous ways to the stressors we face on every side. Even believers have fallen prey to what psychologists now call “pandemic fatigue,” and turning on the news or viewing it online often does little to move us out of a negative mindset.
“Discouragement is a powerful drug,” says Dr. Doug Stringer. And the author, speaker and president of Somebody Cares America/International knows what that means. In 2015, he received a diagnosis of stage 4 lymphoma, an aggressive cancer. What kept him going, he says, was looking past his present circumstances and believing that God had a greater purpose than what he faced at the time.
“Right now more than ever, we need to encourage people to look past the circumstances of whatever they’re going through,” he tells Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “We need leaders who are courageous, persevering and godly more than ever before.”
“We live in a world of great challenges, even uncertainties,” Stringer says. “And there’s constantly a flow of not just corporate but personal challenges in the midst of it all. So more than ever, we need those courageous leaders and those we can look to who have got God’s Word, who are to share the truth and love the truth more than they love themselves.
“And yet, when we are met with unexpected detours, they can become a disruption, and discouraging to us and keep us from even focusing on our destination,” he says. “So I think during these times, it’s important for all of us to remember that God has a plan and a purpose that’s greater than the temporary circumstances that might plague us.”
For more from Dr. Doug Stringer on how you can face—and help others face—challenging times with the kind of faith that will carry you through, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here. And be sure to check out Stringer’s new book, Mending the Net: Bringing Hope in a Hurting World as well as his own podcast, A Word in Season With Doug Stringer on the Charisma Podcast Network. Be sure to subscribe to A Word in Season and Greenelines for more encouraging, inspiring content. {eoa}
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