Disappointment is a notorious fiery dart! Some disappointments can easily be shaken off (for we don’t have strong feelings attached to them) and we are able to move on. Those aren’t the disappointments I want to highlight in this post however. The type of disappointments I want to address are those that are suffered repeatedly over a long period of time.

   Disappointments of this nature can cause serious damage. Not only to the person feeling the disappointment but to the relationship that is the source of the disappointments. Over time repeated disappointments can result in leaving thoughts exposed to a steady stream of fiery darts, each more hurtful than the one before. Eventually, depression will set in and the downward spiral begins, pulling the relationship and everything else down with it.

   At this point,

something extraordinary must happen if the fiery dart of disappointment and all its minions are to be conquered and healing is to be experienced.

   For me, it was God’s revelation

that my negative thoughts, Satan’s fiery darts, were being used against me. Satan knew my vulnerability. He knew my tendency to judge myself too harshly. He knew my tendency to assume I was inferior to others. Taking advantage of those tendencies, and knowing that I was neglecting to spend time with God in prayer and bible study, I was an easy prey and target for the volley of fiery darts Satan hurled at me.

   God not only exposed the weapon of fiery darts but He lovingly revealed to me how to fight back so that I would no longer be victimized by Satan’s tactics.

   Teachings about Truth thoughts– my saving grace!

Here’s one of the most efficient Truth thoughts I have called upon to defeat repeated disappointments. (Yes, it is also a great one for the fiery dart of worry:)

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

   Allow me to share how this works.

   The key word in this Truth thought is ‘thanksgiving’. When I began to apply the lessons God had been teaching me in how to recognize and defeat fiery darts, I began to heal from the damage Satan’s fiery dart of disappointment had inflicted upon me. No longer, was I demeaned and defeated by this fiery dart’s attack. As my heart began to heal, thankfulness began to swell up within me. God’s peace saturated my thoughts, replacing the evil intention of the fiery dart of disappointment.

   Though repeated disappointments (and their minions) continue their attacks, they do not succeed in overwhelming me as before. In quoting Truth thoughts, by God’s grace, I am able to resist its force.  For I am reminded that God is able to guard my heart and give me peace even in the face of these repeated disappointments.