I refuse to be discouraged, to be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted, and here’s the reason why.
I have a God Who’s mighty, Who’s sovereign and supreme;
I have a God Who loves me, and I am on His team.
He is all wise and powerful, Jesus is His Name;
Though everything is changeable, my God remains the same.
My God knows all that’s happening, beginning to the end;
His presence is my comfort, He is my dearest friend.
When sickness comes to weaken me, to bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God; into His arms I go.
When circumstances threaten to rob me of my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast, where all my strivings cease.
When my heart melts within me, and weakness takes control,
He gathers me into His arms; He soothes my heart and soul.
The great “I AM” is with me; my life is in His hand.
The “Son of the Lord” is my hope; it’s in His strength I stand.
I refuse to be defeated, My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me, as through this life I trod.
I’m looking past all circumstances, to Heaven’s throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God.  I’m resting in His love.
I give God thanks in everything.  My eyes are on His face;
The battle’s His, the victory is mine; He’ll help me win the race!

Sometimes standing alone can be, well...lonely. I guess that’s obvious, but it’s also good to know and consider. There are different types of standing alone. There is the kind that we all expect; the difference between us believers and the rest of the world. And then there is the other kind of standing alone, the kind that can easily leave us very discouraged and disillusioned. I’m talking about when folks you’ve been close to take other paths, or when folks you trusted ended up proving untrustworthy. Maybe you’ve shared glorious fellowship with them, and you felt such a close bond with them. It was like a little piece of heaven. You held discussions on your common convictions, and they encouraged you in what you both mutually believed.

   Then things changed one day. You realized that you were no longer walking the same path. You were standing alone.