Many begin their Christian walk with great confidence and a boldness that believes we can do anything through Christ. But then it happens.

We lose our focus, we lose confidence, we lose our vision, we lose our strength and finally we lose our security. This is called discouragement.

We are halfway through a task and suddenly, we are overwhelmed by it.

We once believed God could help us, now we not so sure.

The only way to defeat discouragement is to direct your attention back to where it belongs: "When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid ...; remember the Lord who is great and awesome..." Nehemiah 4:14. In times of discouragement, we have to refocus our attention back on the Lord, the truth of his word, his promises, his provisions, reflecting on his character.

Discouragement happens to all of us, but it does not have to defeat any of us.

Dr. William Burnham is a pastor at Point of Grace Church in Covington. He can be reached at burnhamw@charter.net.