Encourage Yourself :)
I had a thought the other day about encouragement. My desire is to encourage others, but how do you do such a thing in the world we live in today? It seems nothing you say or do makes anything better especially when you don’t feel encouraged yourself. Then I remembered a verse in 1 Samuel 30 where it says that David encouraged himself in the LORD. It raises the question, how did David encourage himself in the LORD? The only way to determine that is grabbing our Bibles and reading 1 Samuel 30. So let’s do that…
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” (Verse 6)
There are going to be times in our lives where there is no encouragement or positivity anywhere you go, even at church (where you typically expect to receive strength.) There are seasons where the LORD may seem distant, quiet even. These are the times when God could be testing our faith in Him. What are we going to do when we are no longer enjoying the journey? Well, we could do as David did in his moment of deep overwhelming grief. He prayed. Even though God may feel distant and seem a little too quiet it does NOT mean that He doesn’t answer when we call upon Him. It also does not mean that he stopped working in our lives. It’s just a season. All of it is for our benefit…believe or not. God does not allow us to go through things just for the heck of it. There is always something to take from each trial/season we go through to help us along the way. You don’t need to understand it while you are going through a difficult time. All you need to do is trust God. Pray like David did when things get tough and you are not sure what to do. God will be true to His Word when He promised “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).
Everyone encourages themselves in different ways;
These are just a few examples but it is between you and the LORD. Each of us have our own individual walk with God. I think the most important thing to remember is that we will only be strengthened and uplifted if we spend time with God in some way. I have tried to put myself in a better mood by watching TV and it doesn’t work. Plus a TV show or anything else that only has the purpose of being a distraction will NOT give you the strength that you need to keep pressing on the battle. It’s not possible. The WORD of the LORD gives us our strength.
“My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy WORD” (Psalm 119:28).
I encourage you to take time today to walk away from all distractions. Turn off your phone or at least silence it. Turn of the TV and ipad. Just walk away for a little while and spend that time with God in some way. Whether it be through prayer or reading the Bible. Even if you just want to take a walk with the LORD outside to enjoy the fresh air. I guarantee you will feel so much better than before. Uplifted. Strengthened. Encouraged.
So how are you going to encourage yourself in the LORD today?
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