Words Of Encouragement

(Heaven: The Hope of Every Believer) - My beloved ??, Heaven, the eternal home of the believer in Jesus Christ, is described in the Bible as not only totally peaceful but also stunningly beautiful (see Revelation 21 and 22). Having faith that this is our destiny delivers us from the fear of death. Death is not an unknown nothingness but a graduation into better things than what we have experienced on earth. As Christians, we can truthfully say, “I will live in heaven forever!” Your address will change someday from earth to heaven, but you will never really die. What a joy to know that we have the hope of a beautiful, peaceful place where there will be no more tears, pain, or dying, and we will live in the actual Presence of God. Revelation 21:4 (AMPC)

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(Trials Reveal Your Character) - My beloved ??, Trials “try” us, and tests “test” us. Most of the time, the purpose of them is to show us who we really are, to reveal character in us.  We can think all kinds of good thoughts about ourselves, but until we are put to the test, we don’t know whether those things have become realities in us or not. We may consider ourselves generous, honest, or deeply committed to a particular truth or ideal, but the depth of these dynamics only reveals itself when we’re under pressure. When we go through trials, we learn whether or not we really have the character and commitment we think we have.  I believe it’s very important for us to really know ourselves; tests are good for us because they affirm strengths and reveal weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to face your weaknesses. God’s strength is available to you specifically for them.  Everything you go through ultimately does work out for your good because it makes you stronger and builds your endurance; it develops godly character; it helps you to know yourself and to be able to deal with things at an honest level with God and take care of those things so you can reach spiritual maturity. James 1:3 (AMPC)

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(You Are the Home of God) - My beloved ??, As believers, we have the life of God inside of us. We are the dwelling place or home of God. This truth is necessary for each of us to understand in order to enjoy close fellowship and intimacy with God. God takes up residence within us when we give our lives to Jesus, believing in Him as the only Savior and Lord. From that position, He, by the power of the Holy Spirit, begins a wonderful work in us.   We can be thankful that God loves us and chooses to make His home in us. He has the ability to do what He wants, and He chooses to make His home in our hearts. This choice is based not on any good deeds we have done or ever could do, but solely on the grace, mercy, power, and love of God. As believers in Christ, we become God’s dwelling place (see Ephesians 3:17; 2 Timothy 1:14).

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(Loving Actions Speak Clearly) - My beloved ??,  It is good for the unsaved members of your family to see you studying the Bible, going to church and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. But your family may be more receptive to the gospel if you minister to their needs. Ministering to them may require giving up a prayer meeting to do things with them, such as going fishing or shopping with your spouse, helping your son work on his car, or taking your daughter out for lunch.   The Bible says that the natural man does not understand the spiritual man (See 1 Corinthians 2:14). So spiritual talk doesn’t always make sense to unsaved people, but loving actions speak clearly to them. Walk in love’s anointing today: Be kind, joyful, peaceful, and stable. Let God love others through you. Ephesians 4:2 (AMPC)

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(Pursue joy wholeheartedly today and declare with your life the principles of God’s kingdom so that others might come to restored relationship with their Creator.) - My beloved ??, Joy is the serious business of heaven.” We are not to be flippant about our joy. To be marked by joy is to allow the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in our lives. When we have genuine joy in the midst of trials and troubles, we declare to the world the unchanging and tangible goodness of our heavenly Father. When we meet challenges head-on with joy, we declare with our attitudes the hope we have for the age that is to come. Proverbs 10:28 ESV

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(Do Your Part to Promote Unity) - My beloved ??, If the devil can get us to be negative, he can provide us with negative circumstances. Often, we call for our own problems. We call “into being that which does not exist” (Romans 4:17 AMP), only we do it in the negative sense by sowing negative seeds. Let me encourage you to promote unity by thinking and speaking positively about other people and your relationship with them. Psalm 133:1 (AMPC)

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(Jesus Loves Sinners) - My beloved ?? We need to be very careful about our attitude toward sinners. We should not have a “religious attitude” that ignores or belittles them because they are not living in accordance with God’s Word. Remember, at one time all of us were in the same condition that they are in now. There is no one who has not sinned, and there is no one who cannot be justified through faith in Christ (see Romans 3:23–24).   Ask the Lord to send sinners into your path so you can show them Christ’s love and pray for them. We should always have empathy and mercy for sinners and never judge them, because we don’t know what their lives have been like and why they make the choices they make.  Always keep in mind that mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13 NIV).

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(Our Helper) - My beloved ??, Quite often, we feel that we are alone and have no one to help us, but Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be with us always and that He is our “Helper.” One of the most powerful prayers we can pray is, “Help me, Lord,” and we should pray it several times every day. It is a simple three-word prayer that declares that we are depending on the Holy Spirit and we know we cannot do anything without Him. Don’t struggle along in life, trying to do things by yourself, when you have the greatest Helper in the world available to you. James said that …you do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2 AMPC), so I encourage you to start asking more often and expect to get more help than ever before. John 16:7 (AMPC)

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(How to Talk About How You Feel) - My beloved ?? People tend to talk a lot about how they feel. Some talk about their feelings more than almost anything else. They feel good or bad, happy, or sad, excited, or discouraged, fearful or bold, stressed or at ease, loved or unloved, angry or peaceful, jealous or happy when others succeed or are blessed. The list of adjectives that describe emotions is almost endless. We can always tell God how we feel and ask for His help and strength, but talking about negative feelings just to be talking does no good. If negative feelings persist, asking for prayer or seeking advice can be helpful, but again I want to stress that talking just to be talking is useless. Even if you say, “I feel tired,” you can follow it with “but I believe God will energize me.” When you talk about how you feel, speak positively. Proverbs 10:19 (AMP)

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(Say “Thank You”) - My beloved ??, Thanksgiving should be a regular part of our lives. It is something that creates an atmosphere where God can speak; it is a type of prayer; and it should flow out of us in a natural way that is pure and easy. We can take time each evening and thank God for the things He helped us with that day, but we should also continually breathe out simple prayers of thanksgiving every time we see Him working in our lives or blessing us.  God is always good to us, always faithful, and always working diligently in our lives to help us in every possible way. We need to respond by letting Him know we appreciate Him and everything He is doing for us. We should thank God silently in our hearts and we should also voice our thankfulness aloud because that helps us stay conscious and aware of God's love, which He demonstrates through His goodness to us.  1 Chronicles 16:34 (AMPC)

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(Decide to Enjoy Your Day) - My beloved ??, Living the good life that God offers us requires us to be obedient to His way of being and doing. He gives us the strength to follow His teachings, but we must choose to do it. God won’t choose for us. He helps us, but we must participate by choosing to obey His Word instead of simply doing whatever we feel like doing. We can’t consistently enjoy life until we are willing to do this. For example, I may feel like avoiding someone because they have hurt my feelings or treated me unfairly, but I can choose to pray for them and treat them as Jesus would while I wait for Him to do something in the situation. If I act according to my feelings, I will forfeit peace and joy. But if I choose to do what God has instructed me to do in His Word, I will have His reward and blessing in my life. Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

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(Creating an Atmosphere Where God Can Work) - My beloved ??,  Our thoughts, words, and attitudes create an atmosphere. It can be hectic and stressful, or it can be calm, positive, and even enjoyable. Thoughts become words, attitudes, body language, facial expressions, and even moods—and all of these things affect the atmosphere we live in.   God responds to our faith, our confident expectation that He is working on our behalf. If we have a negative situation, but a positive attitude, it opens the door for God to work and change our negative situation around.  God’s desire for us is that we learn to live with a positive attitude—an attitude of faith and hope. No matter what our circumstances, our minds belong to us, and no one should do our thinking for us. Be passionate about being positive and watch how God will work in your situation. Colossians 3:2 (AMP) 

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(The Prayer of Intercession) - My beloved ??, praying for others, is equivalent to sowing seed. We all know that we must sow seed if we are to reap a harvest (Galatians 6:7). Sowing seed into the lives of other people is one sure way to reap a harvest in our own lives. Each time we pray for someone else, we are assuring our own success. Help someone else succeed by praying for them. If you want your ministry to succeed, pray for someone else’s ministry. If you want your business to succeed, pray for someone else’s business. If you need a breakthrough over some bad habit that is hindering you and holding you back, pray for someone else who has a need in a similar area. Ezekiel 22:30 (AMPC)

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(It’s Time to Let Go) - My beloved ??, When you are on the journey of having your soul healed, there comes a time when you have to make some critical decisions in order to move forward in a healthy way. In fact, making those decisions is a guaranteed way to make progress. One of them is to live according to God’s Word in every situation. One is to forgive those who have hurt you. And one is to let go of the past and dare to believe God has a great future in store for you. People try to hold on to the past in different ways, but we must remember that the past is past and no amount of holding on to it will change it. We should enjoy each day that we have right now, and we cannot do that if we are living in the past. Enjoy today while looking forward to a great future. Expect something good to happen to you! Isaiah 43:18–19 (ESV)

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(A Kind Reward) - My beloved ??, Has God ever asked you to do something really special for somebody who hurt you? If so, I am sure that, like me, you found it very difficult to do. Perhaps you have spent a lot of time in your life blessing someone who never blesses you in return. In that case, don’t become bitter, but trust God to reward you.  Some of us are a little more naturally disposed toward kindness than others. Many of us find we can be kind to those who are kind to us, but we run into trouble with those we don’t think deserve kindness. God delights in being kind to those of us who don’t deserve it. Actually, kindness isn’t even kindness unless it is extended toward the undeserving.  End your day by being kind to someone. Luke 6:35 (AMPC)

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(What God Says About You) - My beloved ??, It is not God’s desire for us to feel frustrated and condemned in our lives. He wants us to realize that we are His children, and we are pleasing to Him. The devil tells us we cannot possibly be acceptable to God because of our faults and sins, but God tells us that we are accepted in the beloved because of what His Son, Jesus, has already done for us.

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(Start Strong, Finish Well) - My beloved ??, Typically, we are excited at the beginning of an opportunity, a relationship, or a venture. We’re also happy when we can celebrate our achievements and have the satisfaction of fulfilled desires. But between the beginning and the end, every situation or pursuit has a “middle”—and the middle is where we often face our greatest challenges, hurdles, roadblocks, obstacles, detours, and tests. The enemy wants you to stop short of receiving and enjoying everything God has for you, and he will tempt you to give up by sometimes making the middle of your venture seem too long or too hard. God, on the other hand, wants the very best for you; He wants you to finish the race set before you, enjoying every step along the way. Be determined to be faithful all the way through and enjoy your victory. Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

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(The Power of Letting Go) - My beloved ??, Paul learned the power of overcoming his past. In Philippians 3:13 he said it was his aim—his “one aspiration”—to forget what was behind him, and God used him mightily. I wonder what would happen in your life if you made it your one aspiration to move past your past. Just imagine what God could do in your life if you stopped focusing on the events of yesterday. I believe He would totally revolutionize every area of your life. To move forward into God’s best is going to take determination. There are lots of things that want to hold you back, including events from your past. But if you’ll make it your one aspiration, you can move past yesterday, enjoy today, and go boldly into tomorrow. Isaiah 43:18-19 (AMPC)

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(The Prince of Peace) - My beloved ??, Oftentimes peace comes by choice. The things of this world affect us wrongly when we view them apart from a heavenly perspective. Paul writes in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Don’t allow the stresses of this life to rob you of a heavenly peace found in trusting God. Take heart that God will bring you peace and joy in the midst of any circumstance if you allow him to. May Romans 15:33 serve as a benediction and peaceful foundation for the rest of your day today: “May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Isaiah 9:6

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(TRUST GOD) - My beloved ??, If you need help learning to trust God with the big decisions in your life, as I did, start by taking your small needs to Him. He cares about all your needs, no matter how insignificant they may seem! John 14:26 (NIV)

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