“Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36-37).
Dealing With Discouragement
“He said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10).
Binding Up The Broken
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD..." (Isaiah 61:1-2)
The Promise of Freedom and Despair of Bondage
When the Israelites started thinking they might be freed from bondage, Pharaoh wanted to make things harder so the Israelites would give up on that idea. Satan does the same. He knows that it works to his advantage to make the path out of sin as difficult and dark as possible, so that it seems like the best thing to do is just to stay in sin, rather than to gain freedom. It's a terrible irony that the hardship of bondage can cause people to stop listening to the very message that can free them. So what do we do when we find ourselves or someone we know in this place where they have become numb to the promises of God?
God is in Control
In the midst of hurricanes in Texas and Florida, monsoons in southeast Asia, earthquakes in Mexico, and nuclear threats from North Korea, is God still in control?