Tag Archives: Encouragement

Hang On

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~Psalm 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

I’ve been concentrating on encouragement these past few days because I’ve come in contact with so many who need a hug or an encouraging word!  :cry:  There are heavy burdens being carried by the brethren and they need someone to help them with their load of care.

~Psalm 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

The Lord is the only One who will never let you down. He is always available and you don’t have to wait in line to talk to Him :-)

~Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

So why not run to your Heavenly Father who has the answers to your troubles! His Word has everything you need to encourage your weary spirit!

 

God’s Strength and Power

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~Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

I want to instill in you that when you read God’s Word, you are constantly reminded that He is your Creator, your Comforter, your Teacher, etc. Nothing is too hard for Him. Neither is your discouragement or any of your problems too hard for Him. My friend, you remain discouraged because you wish to.

Take your eyes off you and your circumstances and place them on the Lord. He has been where you are. Don’t you think Jesus was discouraged when He was in the desert for 40 days and nights? He hadn’t eaten – He was being tempted of Satan – He was so physically tried that the angels attended to Him afterwards. Jesus understands, Christian! He understands every detail of your situation and wants to help you. Don’t you want to help your children when they are in trouble? Surely you would not sit idly by and watch your child suffer, would you? Of course not! All the more for your Heavenly Father!

~Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. 

I love how God used the word “succour” here! What an absolutely perfect word! Noah Webster defines succour as:

Literally, to run to, or run to support; hence, to help or relieve when in difficulty, want or distress; to assist and deliver from suffering; as, to succor a besieged city; to succor prisoners.

Isn’t that encouraging to you? The Lord desires to run to our side, to support us, and relieve our distress! He wants to deliver us from our suffering! That doesn’t mean He will remove our physical issues but He promises to deliver us, to help us through the hard times!  I don’t know about you, but this characteristic of God reveals a compassionate and loving Father! Allow Him to succour you, my friend! Submit to Him and allow Him to heal you from within!

 

Look Up, Christian!

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~Psalm 121:1-5: [A Song of degrees.] I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (1) My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. (2) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. (3) Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (4) The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. (5)

Do you have days where the hurdles just put such heavy burdens upon your shoulders? What do you as a result? Do you run to the Rock that is higher than you? (Psalm 61:2) Or do you plop yourself on the couch and have yourself a pity party?

You must realize that discouragement is the devil’s tool, not God’s. Christ promised us that His burden was light in Matthew 11:30. The Psalmist must have been experiencing such burdens of weight. So much so, he lifted his eyes toward the hills because he knew that his help was coming from there. Don’t you get that feeling each time you see such beautiful scenery as today’s picture? I’ve always loved photography! The beauty captured is a wonderful depiction of the Creator’s handiwork!

The help you’re looking for, dear friend, cannot be in the form of friends and family. Verse 2 clearly says that the Psalmist’s help came from the Lord! God knows your burdens and will come to the rescue! If you are in the Word, you will believe this and your faith will cling to that very hope. However, if you’re not in the Word, it is easy to take your eyes of those “hills from whence cometh your help”!

Take comfort, dear Christian! This same God who will give you exactly what you need, is the Creator of heaven and earth! Is anything too hard for God? (Genesis 18:14) When your burdens overwhelm you, go to the One who is able to alleviate those burdens. (Matthew 11:28) Our God is our keeper, the Psalmist says. He is our Watch Tower! Be encouraged!

Discouragement – A Tool of the Devil
By: Author Unknown

Once upon a time it was announced that the devil was going out of business and would sell all his equipment to those who were willing to pay the price.

On the big day of the sale, all his tools were attractively displayed. There were Envy, Jealousy, Hatred, Malice, Deceit, Sensuality, Pride, Idolatry, and other implements of evil display. Each of the tools was marked with its own price tag.

Over in the corner by itself was a harmless looking, wedge-shaped tool very much worn, but still it bore a higher price than any of the others. Someone asked the devil what it was, and he answered,

“That is Discouragement.”

The next question came quickly.

“And why is it priced so high even though it is plain to see that it is worn more than these others?”

“Because, replied the devil, It is more useful to me than all these others. I can pry open and get into a man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with any other tool. Once I get inside, I can use him in whatever way suits me best. It is worn well because I use it on everybody I can, and few people even know it belongs to me.”

This tool was priced so high that no one could buy it, and to this day it has never been sold. It still belongs to the devil, and he still uses it on mankind

Was Blind But Now I See

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~Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

What are cataracts? According to Webster, cataracts are:

A clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light.

If I was too look at today’s picture above on a bright sunny day, it would be easy to see through the trees for hundreds of feet. However, on a foggy day, my vision is clouded. It’s much like having cataracts. Both my parents had cataracts and had to have surgery. Once the patches were removed, they saw so clearly :-)

Do you have spiritual cataracts? When you are discouraged, your spiritual eyes become clouded. Why do I say that? If you suffer from discouragement, look at your Bible reading life. ARE you reading?? Chances are you are not because you do not feel motivated to read. Cataracts are progressive. One does not develop them overnight. In fact, many times one does not know that they even have them until their vision is really clouded. It’s the same with your spiritual eyes, dear friend. You allow discouragement to come in bit by bit and then deep discouragement has arrived! What’s the remedy?

~Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Confess your sin before God and tell Him you’ve failed and have allowed your spiritual eyes to become clouded. Ask Him to create in you a clean heart and to renew your spirit! What is the result of such a prayer?

~Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

God will restore your spiritual sight as well as your joy. Don’t you love that? Noah Webster defines the word “uphold” as: To support; to sustain; to keep from falling or slipping. The Lord will keep you from falling and slipping with His free spirit! How? If you stay in the Word and allow the Word to cleanse you from the inside out, the Lord will clean your heart, renew your spirit and restore your joy, and will keep you from falling!

Oh Christian, isn’t that a beautiful picture of the love of our Heavenly Father? Won’t you put aside your blinded vision? You can – with the Lord’s help.

Searching for the Rock

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~Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Discouragement has a way of overwhelming the mind and heart, doesn’t it? If one more trial or mishap comes into my life today, I just don’t think I could bear it! My shoulders begin to droop from the weight of it all. My heart is so heavy and tears are just waiting to spill over my lower eyelids at the next cross word that comes my way. Who in their right mind can enjoy living in this state? Surely when we step back and look at it in this light, we would conclude that no one would. So then why do we insist on remaining in this state of discouragement?

Oh how wonderful to be able to leave our trials behind and hit the road in search of a babbling brook nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains! Oh the peace that can be found as we sit on a rock by the brook and listen to the cardinals singing, the rustling of the leaves as the gentle breeze blows, and feeling the sunshine on our faces! What a sanctuary the Lord has given us in His beautiful creation. OK, so we can’t just up and leave and travel to our sanctuary. But the Word says that we can visit that Rock whenever we want – and at that Rock, we will find the sanctuary which will provide us with an even better benefit as that getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

David pleads to God to lead him to the rock that is higher than he is in Psalm 61:2. What rock?

~1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Thank You, Lord, for this verse in Your Holy Word! Jesus promises to refresh us with living water! He is our Source for refreshing our discouraged heart! We can run to that mountain stream and sit on that rock any time we want by turning to His Word and talking to Him! His promises are ever before us in His Word, but we must do the seeking, my friend. You cannot be force fed.

~Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.


My Refuge

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~Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

As I reflect on times of discouragement in my own life, I noticed that during my deepest moments of discouragement, I was not seeking God – therefore, I was not trusting Him – nor was I pouring my heart out to Him. In fact, this was the furthest thing from my mind! How sad is that? The solution to all our problems lies within this one verse. IF we do our job in the first two parts, God has a promise awaiting. This verse is so poignant that David tells the reader to pause and think about it when he inserted “Selah.”

What’s our part? Firstly, we must trust in God at all times. It’s amazing how that little three-letter word was inserted there, isn’t it? David didn’t say just “some” of the time but at all times. Secondly, David says to pour out our hearts to God! He doesn’t say to pour out our hearts to our spouse or best friend, but to God. Many times we are quick to tell others of our problems and fail to tell the Lord. I know what you’re thinking, “Kate, God already knows what my problems are so I don’t need to tell Him!” Yes, this is true. However, I don’t believe that pouring our hearts out to God is for His benefit, but for our benefit. God knows that we are emotional beings because He created us. He knows that man has a need to cry out in time of need and desperation. In fact, Christ experienced this in the Garden when He asked the Father to remove the cup that was before Him (Luke 22:42). However, notice that Christ quickly inserted “not my will, but thine, be done.” He trusted His Father. Christ fulfilled Psalm 62:8, my friend. He trusted, He poured His heart out AND He received the promise.

What promise? The promise is the refuge which God provides when we trust Him and pour our hearts out to Him. Noah Webster defines refuge as:

Shelter or protection from danger or distress.

Christ went to His death so that was not protection from danger. However, His protection was from distress, which was evident in His immediate submission to the Father’s will after He cried out. Christ knew where His help came from. His discouragement was replaced with submission. Jesus knows what we are going through because He went through the same thing!

~Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 


Looking Up to the Hills

My eyes look up as they search for help
Toward the hills where the promise lies
The Creator’s not far, He works His way
Toward me from the other side

He guides my walk and protects my feet
From stumbling on the rocky steep
Great comfort lies within my heart
Knowing that He shall never sleep

Christ is my shelter, He provides me shade
During the fiery trials of life
Under the shadow of His wings
Peace and comfort throughout the night

This Keeper of my soul so vigilant
Protecting me through life’s storms
And watches over me with such care
Not just today but forever more!

©Kate Plourde
August 11, 2006

God’s Power

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~Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

I want to instill in you that when you read God’s Word, you are constantly reminded that He is your Creator, your Comforter, your Teacher, etc. Nothing is too hard for Him. Neither is your discouragement or any of your problems too hard for Him. Therefore, if you remain in you stay discouraged, it is not because the trial is too great for the Lord. My friend, you remain discouraged because you wish to.

Take your eyes off you and your circumstances and place them on the Lord. He has been where you are. Don’t you think Jesus was discouraged when He was in the desert for 40 days and nights? He hadn’t eaten – He was being tempted of Satan – He was so physically tried that the angels attended to Him afterwards. Jesus understands, Christian! He understands every detail of your situation and wants to help you. Don’t you want to help your children when they are in trouble? Surely you would not sit idly by and watch your child suffer, would you? Of course not! All the more for your Heavenly Father!

~Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. 

I love how God used the word “succour” here! What an absolutely perfect word! Noah Webster defines succour as:

Literally, to run to, or run to support; hence, to help or relieve when in difficulty, want or distress; to assist and deliver from suffering; as, to succor a besieged city; to succor prisoners.

Isn’t that encouraging to you? The Lord desires to run to our side, to support us, and relieve our distress! He wants to deliver us from our suffering! That doesn’t mean He will remove our physical issues but He promises to deliver us, to help us through the hard times!  I don’t know about you, but this characteristic of God reveals a compassionate and loving Father! Allow Him to succour you, my friend! Submit to Him and allow Him to heal you from within!


Praying for Relief!

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~James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Affliction … this word packs a punch. It doesn’t reflect a minor issue in life. Rather, it reflects an ongoing, difficult battle. A friend encouraged me to cover the first part of this verse and elaborate on it a bit. As we review the first part of the verse, let’s rest on the word afflicted for a bit. Noah Webster defines the word as:

AFFLICT’ED, pp. Affected with continued or often repeated pain, either of body or mind; suffering grief or distress, of any kind; followed by at, by or with; as, afflicted at the loss of a child, by the rheumatism, or with losses.

We can see that the state of discouragement is covered in this definition. So what does one do when one is discouraged? David’s solution to this was prayer. The Bible says it is to your benefit!

~James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 

Confess your discouragement to God and to dear saints who will pray on your behalf. [On a side note, this does not mean to confess our "sins" to someone else. Only Christ has the power to forgive sins (Luke 5:24).]

Once you’ve done this, do a moral inventory – confess sins to the Lord so your prayer life is not hindered. When you send a letter to IRS, you send it certified mail and return receipt requested to ensure that it gets there. Your prayer life will be hindered if you have unconfessed sin.

~Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 

Your prayers will go unanswered if you have unconfessed sin. Someone once said “Keep your accounts short with God.” That is good advice. Now you can lift up your needs before the Lord and be healed from your discouragement. The latter part of James 5:16 states that a righteous man (covered by the Blood of Jesus) who prays specifically for his needs before God with fervancy (such great desire) will profit much! God desires to answer our prayers, my friend.

Once our heart is clean before the Lord, we can go before Him with boldness knowing that all hindrances have been removed and His ear is at our mouth.

~Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Discouragement is the result of a lack of trust in God. The Father will hear our prayer because our righteousness lies in Christ; and now we can go before the Father with boldness knowing that He will provide encouragement to our heart. He does not see our sin but the righteousness of His Son covering us. This is why we can boldly before Him.

Sometimes it is easier to encourage others than ourselves. Oh how true this statement is! But encouraging ourselves is do-able! David encouraged himself in the Lord (I Samuel 30:6). That’s is why James provided the latter part of today’s verse. Reading Psalms is a wonderful way to encourage your spirit. Also, surround yourself with saints who will encourage your heart and pray for you!

 

Pass it on!

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2 Cor. 1:3-4, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (3) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (4)

Because of Jesus Christ, we believers have an incorruptible inheritance which places us in a position to be able to call God, our Father! The word incorruptible appears only four times in the Bible:

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (1 Cor. 9:25)

 

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Cor. 15:52)

 

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Pet. 1:4)

 

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Pet. 1:23)

We see that our crown will be incorruptible, our raptured bodies will be incorruptible, our inheritance is incorruptible and our salvation is incorruptible! How encouraging is that?

When we are discouraged, we must remember that our trials are for a short time. 2 Cor. 1:3-4 show that our Heavenly Father will provide comfort during our tribulations so that we may in turn pass that comfort on to others going through trouble. I noticed this verse didn’t say to comfort those who are going through what you have experienced but that we are to comfort those who are going through any trouble. In other words, be there for those in need of comfort - period! Pass along to someone else the knowledge and assurance that the Father will comfort them in the same manner He comforted you.

We have encouraged ourselves and defeated ole slewfoot’s attempts to discourage us. We have assurance that our salvation and inheritance of Heaven is incorruptible. Now take those encouraging words to someone who needs to hear them and you will continue to keep yourself encouraged. Share the blessings the Father has given you with those in need of healing words.

They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word. (Psalm 119:74)

Bible Journal – Storms of Life

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~Matthew 14:23-32 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. (23) But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. (24) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (25) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. (26) But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (27) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. ( 28 ) And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. (29) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (30) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (31) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. (32)

What a great account relating to the storms of life this is! Some are so great that we need to step back and think things out. It is then that we need to exercise our faith in the Lord as we try to figure things out.

Peter found himself in this situation. He started out well, but life’s circumstances got in the way and doubt crept in. Am I so different? Absolutely not! I have been guilty of this as well. As a result though, I have come to realize that God was right there with me and there was no need to fear. I cannot point a finger at Peter because I have so been there! Haven’t you? Peter saw the Lord and wanted to join Him on the water. I can just picture myself in this same scenario. Had I seen Jesus Christ walking toward me on the water during a horrible storm, I think I would have been excited to see Him there! I think I would have wanted to be right there by His side because I would have known that it was the safest place to be.

Peter was the only one willing to exercise his faith. The Scriptures do not show any of the others willing to walk on the water. With the storm still raging about him, Peter had enough faith to make that first step out onto the waters. Peter loved the Lord and must have known that Jesus was greater than the storm itself. He started out well. He had enough of that faith to get him started. I have heard it said that many Christians start out well but they do not end well. I surely do not want to be counted in that latter number. I want to finish well in my service for the Lord!

Peter’s faith was strong enough to make that first step onto the water. Just think about it… he was alone in this! Yes, Peter started out well. I have been in those shoes. In my early years as a new believer, I would start out in a trial and I would exercise my faith and believe that God would bring me through it.

But let’s see what happened next to Peter. The moment he saw the huge waves about him and the storm raging, he became afraid! It stands to reason that Peter could only see the waves because he took his eyes of Jesus. Had he kept his eyes focused on Jesus, the waves would not have been the center of his concentration and, therefore, seemed so terrifying. Instead Peter would have seen the joy in Jesus’ eyes because His child was trusting in Him. He would have been encouraged to continue on.

However, before we point a finger at Peter and boast of our own strength, could we actually have done any better? Have we done any better during our own trials? I know that I have failed miserably in this same area. I began my trial knowing the Lord would take care of me. However, the moment the fire was turned up a little, I took my eyes off the Lord and turned them upon my husband or a friend to help me through.

I love how this account ends. In desperation and fear, Peter cried out to Jesus and immediately Jesus rescued him (verse 31). Jesus didn’t wait for Peter to go down for the third time. Christ responded at Peter’s first cry. How many times have I waited to cry to the Father to help me? I can’t even count them all. Instead, I depended on others to comfort me during my trial when I could have gotten the perfect solace from my Heavenly Father! When we learn to turn to the Lord right away, we keep ourselves from getting discouraged because we have received His goodness and His grace.

God has given us these examples in Scriptures so that we may use them to teach us. As we read this beautiful depiction of man’s weakness and God’s grace, it should minister to us and teach us how to exercise our faith in God. When a trial comes our way, cry to God first. We need to allow the Lord to minister to us during our trials. God will respond but we must hear Him. Many times we allow ourselves to be distracted and we miss His still small voice; or we overlook a path that He has set before us and we choose the wrong one. However, if we listen intently – if we follow God’s direction, it builds our faith. God may use others, He may use His Word, He may use the Pastor as he preaches his message. But the bottom line is that God will respond when we cry out to Him.

How blessed we are to have such a compassionate God to serve! We are not alone in our trials. In the footprints of life, we will see God’s footprints ahead of us; or we will see His footprints beside us; and at times He will be carrying us. But we will never see our own footprints all alone. He will never give us a burden so heavy that we cannot carry it.

~Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The picture above was taken by Carol Meyers and used here with her permission. She has traveled to some of the most beautiful places in the world and has captured so many pictures which depict peace and tranquility. Thank you, Carol, for allowing me this opportunity to use your work!