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The Power Of Encouragement

Romans 12:3-8

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

– Encouragement is necessary to our walk of faith.

– Without encouragement a will with purpose fades unto a state of unrest and unsatisfaction

Hebrews 3:13

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

– Without encouragement, life would soon feel pointless and burdensome. Without encouragement, we can be overwhelmed by the very real pains of our lives. Without encouragement, we feel unloved. Without encouragement, we begin to think that God is a liar or is unconcerned with our welfare. So, the Bible tells us to encourage one another, to remind each other of the truth that God loves us, that God equips us, that we are treasured, that our struggles are worth it.

– Encouragement makes it easier to live in a fallen world in a holy way.

– Encouragement makes it easier to love as Jesus loved (see John 13:34-35).

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

– Encouragement gives hope (Romans 15:4).

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

– Encouragement helps us through times of discipline and testing (Hebrews 12:5).

Hebrews 12:5

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

– Encouragement nurtures patience and kindness (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

– Encouragement makes it easier to sacrifice our own desires for the advancement of God’s kingdom. In short, encouragement makes it easier to live the Christian life.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

– God’s Word is full of encouragement. Pleasant words, indeed.

– And even though at times the words of others may fail us we can have hope in the fact that when our strength is little in tribulation that Jesus steps in for us to God by our faith


John 16:33

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Never Leave Anyone Behind

1 Thessalonians 5:6-15

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

NIV

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Should we perceive that we have others around us that are weak, in distress or have need of encouragement then it is our Christian, fatherly and Godly responsibility to provide stability by fighting against the hindrances in others by the love in our hearts, gifts and talents in our lives, and the anointing that gives us the strength to do so.

Why is this important?

  • People who continue to live in an unbalance will find themselves more likely to stumble.
  • People whom do not receive the truth from a Godly individual are more likely to believe Satan’s deceptions
  • Youth who may not understand completely what is right and wrong may have the lines blurred to think what they are doing hurts no one or themselves
  • Under-encouraged people are more prone for aggravation, short-fused behavior and a defensive attitude fighting against you who is “judging” them or is “better than they are”

Remember: when we see others that are wounded or vulnerable we must help them to get out of trouble so they can one day gain strength and be able to fight for themselves

Romans 15:1-7

1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

One of the major issues of why mankind rejects showing compassion is that we want something in return or expect things to compensate us for the effort given.

Compassion is not compensation, nor is compensation compassion

Compensation is something awarded to someone as a recompense for loss, injury, or suffering.

Compassion: is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

1 John 4:19

We love him, because he first loved us.

When God saved your soul he did not want compensation, he showed compassion

Mark 12:29-31

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

The commandment of God shows the the model of what the first two things in our lives should represent: God and God’s compassion for others

Matthew 6:32-34

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God is saying I’ll take care of the compensation if you will take care of giving compassion

Matthew 18:11-14

11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

If we never leave a person behind and we help them along we must celebrate their victories, honor their efforts, and love them in spite of the enemies attempts to destroy them. For even when one would perceive them as gone we should never leave them behind.

Let the lost be found, the found be celebrated and our mission never waiver from the pursuit of the hurt and the broken. So long as we stand as soldiers of Christ, let our work demonstrate His love for us that never left us behind, forsook us, and never let us be alone.

Helping To Heal And Healing To Help

I come in a very open point of view with the word I share today. I have been in prayer as of late and my heart has come to a word of encouragement for each one who is so wonderful to read this. When it comes to the discussion of healing for your life it can oftentimes be confusing as to how we should begin to allow God to let change come into motion. For example, I know when I have a head-cold and could probably see a quicker move if I changed my behavior to reduce my chances of it coming around again. Yet without any reaction or change to know is better direction for healing in my life, I prolong a sickness that could otherwise be moved quicker.

God is looking for us to be more proactive to react and change when we hear the word of the Lord to help heal each and every one of our troubles and trials. If I learned to not just be a hearer but a diligent doer of it then I am reducing the likelihood of the same thing occurring again of the same magnitude. This could be a test of patience, anger, moving you from depression, helping you through finances, etc. that list could go on forever. My point to you is that the healing of the Lord is for way more than just our bodies! It is for our minds as well!

So remember this: using the healing that God performs in you to allow you to be changed once and forever. After your wonderful change, use that experience as part of your witness to draw others! That is how others can begin to be drawn for their own change and the beginnings of that brand new life in Christ!

Love Will Prove True

THE WORD

1 Thessalonians 5:21 – Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When it comes to having a strong walk with God there are qualities within you that will make you stand out as a person that possesses something amazing. These attributes of the Lord are given by the anointing that dwells within you! Some of the most anointed individuals that I have ever witnessed made a difference to the world around them through one thing: Love. For without love, our works for others are of none effect.

Churches do not produce successful outreach just by awesome praise and worship music, nor how eloquently organized the sermons may be. While these things make going to church from week to week worthwhile I feel that we are missing the greatest opportunities to help those in need with something more available than what we produce in the place of worship. God is much more powerful than a building and what we can produce from within it.  I encourage you to go and read about the qualities of charity and examine your life and see if the love that is coming forth from you is making a difference in every part of your life that people see.

As we continue to operate in the church in the ministry and as individuals in our personal everyday ministries, let us always remember to do all of our works with love. It will reach the coldest of hearts, go further than you ever thought possible, and will always break ground when you sow seeds of faith in that manner! Remember the love of God in your life!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

Take a moment to get someone on your mind that perhaps you have not spent very much time with lately. Think of a way that you can bring a smile to that persons face and make an effort to supply a spontaneous blessing. It does not have to be anything over the top; something simple will do. An example that I have performed was gathering addresses and sending Christmas cards to people I never have. The response I got back in return was overwhelming, further establishing to me that even a little of God’s love goes a long way!