Mike Focht 9/12/2025
The Scriptures never exhort without cause. God knows what we need to hear. That is why He says what He says. He speaks no idle word. One of the exhortations we find repeated in Scripture is the admonition not to lose heart. Why? Because heaven knows it’s easy to do. In the life of every believer, there will come times and places of heart battles. Allow me to name a few.
The first will come in prayer. Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). At some point in every Christian’s life, we will be tempted to lose heart in prayer. We will feel like our prayers don’t matter, are outside of God’s will, like we should give up and start praying for something else, like God won’t hear us. We will lose heart in prayer. In that very moment, when we are ready to give up, move on to another prayer, cross the name of the prodigal or unsaved loved one off our prayer list, and stop praying, we need this Word of Jesus.
The second will come in ministry. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:1). Every servant of God will be tempted to lose heart in service. We are ministers of the new covenant and ambassadors of Jesus Christ, but we will all come to times of trial, testing, and difficulty in ministry. We will feel insufficient, unworthy, unable, and discouraged. Others will sin against us, and we will make mistakes because of our weaknesses. Every servant of Christ will be tempted to lose heart and give up serving the Lord. If we do, what is left? Only serving ourselves. Dear God, deliver us from such a fate! Heaven knows we need this inspired Word. If we lose heart while serving, our merciful Father will be our sufficiency.
The third will come in time. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9). Sowing is hard enough, but sowing and waiting can overwhelm even the most zealous saint. We can believe in God’s faithfulness but still struggle with God’s timing. Doing good, serving the Lord, praying, and sharing the gospel are all good seeds that can be sown in one season but not sprout until the next. We can lose heart in the in-between, the winter season, where sown seeds are unseen. Every sower will be tempted to lose heart in what was sown. If we are losing heart because our scattered seed seems dead, remember, it is sown, and God will bring a harvest in due season. Keep scattering seed!
The fourth will come in friendship. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory (Ephesians 3:13). The Body of Christ provides such rich fellowship! Saints are connected in ways deeper and more eternal than mere blood or genetics. No matter what our earthly family ties are, the family of God brings new spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. Yet, our family is not yet home, and being pilgrims, we still endure many trials and tribulations. Every servant of God will be tempted to lose heart as they watch loved ones endure suffering. The Ephesian saints were tempted to lose heart at Paul’s imprisonment. How could God allow that to happen? Wasn’t he a faithful apostle? How could suffering be in His will? What does Paul say? He had not lost heart. Paul saw the glory of God in his trials. The cross of Jesus Christ proves He should be trusted despite suffering. The crown comes after the cross, and no one will ever be ashamed of striving unto blood for Him. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Maybe this is Christ’s Word for you today. Do not lose heart!