Have you ever hit a wall where you felt like your best just wasn’t enough? Maybe it was a creative project, a personal goal, or even something you wanted to do for God, and you just couldn’t pull it off. If you’ve been there, you know how heavy that discouragement feels. That’s precisely where Dallas found himself recently. Even after the excitement of Geek’d Con, he was struggling with depression and the thought that his art just wasn’t good enough.

If you’d rather watch the full episode of Geek Devotions, check it out below. But if you want the quick takeaways, keep reading.

Dallas shares four simple but powerful steps to help you move forward when discouragement or depression has knocked you down:

1. Name the Pain


So often we hide what we’re going through. But healing starts when we get honest about our struggles. The psalmist wrote,

“These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.”
— Psalm 42:4 (ESV)

We see here the raw honesty of someone confessing their pain. Don’t bury what you’re dealing with; bring it before God, and share it with trusted people who can encourage you. It’s not a sign of weakness to confess pain; it’s the first step to healing.

2. Shift the Frame


It’s easy to let our failures or pain consume all our focus. But Lamentations shows us how to redirect our perspective:

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
— Lamentations 3:21–23 (ESV)

When we shift the frame, we stop staring at the problem and start focusing on God’s faithfulness. Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, reading the Bible, and worship help re-center us on truth and bring healing.

3. Stay in the Game

Discouragement tempts us to give up, but Scripture calls us to endurance:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”
— Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)

Failure does not define you. You may stumble, but you’re not a failure; you’re loved by God. Keep going, keep creating, and keep moving forward. Remove the mindsets and the things that bind you from walking in what God has for you, and focus on Jesus.

4. Fuel the Flame

We can’t do this alone. We need community to hold us accountable, encourage us, and lift us when we fall. Scripture reminds us:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”
— Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (ESV)

Plug into your local church community and connect with friends, church, or groups that will walk with you. Together, you can encourage each other and help keep the fire burning.

These four steps: Name the Pain, Shift the Frame, Stay in the Game, Fuel the Flame, are practical ways to keep moving forward.

And remember, you are not a failure. You are loved, you are seen, and God has a purpose for your life. Don’t give up.