Let me first start by pointing out two important things concerning the word
Dissed.
First of all the word begins with a prefix. The prefix Dis.
When you put Dis at the front of a word it puts that word into reverse.
For example; ease becomes disease
and content becomes discontent,
appoint becomes disappoint…
So the Dis is dissed refers to all the setbacks in your life that try to stop
you from moving forward.
The setbacks that throw your life into reverse.
What kind of setbacks are we referring too?
So here is the second important thing about the word Dissed.
Dissed is really a slang for another word.
It’s the word disrespected.
Dissed means to be disrespected.
The dictionary definition of Disrespected is “to be thought little of “ or
“made to feel less than”
There are so many ways people can disrespect each other.
When a person is not be listened to/
ignored/
interrupted
/not included/
talked down to/
these are setbacks that can easily stop you from moving forward with
your life.
In the OT (before the coming of Christ) God would send prophets to
individuals or kings or the entire nation of Israel to help them out of their
discouragement.
So today we want to look at one such OT Prophet and one such
occasion where God helped an entire Nation out of their discouragement.
The Prophet is Isaiah and the occasion is found in Isaiah chapter 41:8-10
The prophet Isaiah himself like most of the Prophets in the OT often
found himself being disrespected.
Many times the Nation of Israel didn’t want to hear a word from God
because they were deliberately living in rebellion.
Here in Isaiah 41 the nation of Israel has fallen into hard times.
God sends the prophet Isaiah to the nation of Israel to help them out of
their discouragement
A TASTE OF THE PRESENT
(V8)
“But as for you Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen One, descended
from Abraham my friend.”
God begins the process of moving the people forward from the
discouragement that holds them back by first giving them back a taste for
the present.
How He does this is by reminding them of who they are to Him.
You get your appetite back for the present by remembering who you
really are to God.
You are Israel my servant.
You are Jacob my chosen one.
You are descended from Abraham my friend.
If you are a Christ follower here today you are God’s servant,
you are God’s chosen one and
you may even be called God’s friend.
You are a modern-day Jacob.
A modern -day Abraham.
You have lost your taste for the present because you have forgotten who
you really are in God’s eyes.
A TRIBUTE TO THE PAST
(V9)
“I have called you back from the ends of the earth saying “You are my
servant.” For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.”
The best way to find satisfaction from your past is to see it as the place
where God has taken you from.
Let that be your satisfaction.
Don’t throw away your past as if it were all a waste.
Your past be it good or bad is what brings you to God.
Let your past serve you rather than you serving your past.
God wants to use your past to make you the person He wants you to
become.
If an all knowing God has called you and chosen you does He not also
choose the past you come with too?
Don’t let your past keep you from God instead let your past bring you to
God.
You may be here today and because of your past you may feel you areas
far from God as a person can be.
But the word he gives through Isaiah is that He calls us from the ends of
the earth.
God does not throw us away to the ends of the earth.
He brings us back from the ends of the earth.
A TRUST FOR THE FUTURE.
(V10)
Don’t be afraid for I am with you.
Don’t be afraid of the future.
When you are afraid of the future you disrespect God.
In your life you make God less than He is.
God promises to be with us in our future.
He does not promise a future free of problems.
He does not say “Do not be afraid because nothing bad will ever happen
to you.”
But He does promise us a future full of God.
He is saying to us “you don’t have to face the future alone.
Don’t be discouraged for I am your God
Don’t be afraid and don’t be discouraged.
There is a difference between being afraid and being discouraged.
To be afraid means to fear something bad is going to happen.
To be discouraged is to feel I am a bad person.
I will strengthen you and help you.
God promises to give us both strength and help.
I will strengthen you in the things you can do and help you in the things
you can’t do.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
When things in life hold you back God wants you to remember He is
holding you up.
The victory and you are both in the same hand.
You are not in one hand and the victory is in the other hand.
The main point we see here in all three verses is that when you are
discouraged let God install courage.
TAKE THE DISSED OFF
STOP BEING DISSED
Let each Day encourage you.
V10
Monday = Do not Fear
Tuesday = I am with You
Wednesday = Do not be Discouraged
Thursday = I am your God
Friday = I will give you Strength
Saturday = I will help You
Sunday = I will uphold You with Victory