Encouragement: A Vital Command for Building Faith
Discover the power of encouragement through biblical commands and examples. Learn how discouragement can hinder faith and hope, and the importance of uplifting ourselves and others in the Lord. Find inspiration from George Muller's words and biblical promises to strengthen your faith and combat discouragement effectively.
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Presentation Transcript
Encourage Me! Tommy Stewart
Do you need encouragement? If you are in need of any of these stand to your feet: to be cheered on to be built up to declare your true identity to call out your potential to stir up your faith If you are in need of any of these you are in the right room!
Discouragement "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Joshua 1:9 Discouragement is deadly, It robs us of faith and kills our hope Discouragement leads to: Loss of hope Not stepping out in faith Not walking in God s best Being snared by the enemy Too many have been involved in the ministry of discouragement and too few in the ministry of encouragement.
Encouragement A Command Encouragement is a biblical command Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) It is vital that we encourage ourselves in the Lord Even when there is no one to encourage us we can encourage ourselves in the Lord through focusing on the promises of God and the miracles we have already seen God do in our lives.
Encouragement A Command Whilst it s great to receive a word of encouragement from others we need to make it our daily practice to encourage ourselves in the Lord. That way we can drive back the tide of discouragement that wants to paralyse God s people and, by being encouraged, we can be in a position to encourage others. You see the enemy would love us to throw in the towel , but we know that through Christ we are already on the victory side. In 1 Samul 30 we read that David encouraged himself in the Lord
Encouragement A Command George Muller once said: When nothing else will work, encourage yourself in the Lord. Do it with the word of God. Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Encouragement A Culture Two thousand years on from the time the Bible was written it is hard for us to understand the culture or the context in which Thessalonians lived but the command from Paul suggests that encouragement was something that those who believed in Jesus would require. We need to develop a culture of encouragement in our lives, projects, ministries and churches. When we build encouragement into the everyday culture of our lives and that of the organisations we lead, we build in a depth of resilience that will enable us to continue to flourish when others flounder. Encourage one another daily Hebrews 3:13
Encouragement A Culture When things don t go as we had hoped, when we face opposition, when people turn against us we, like the Thessalonians, we can face discouragement. The circumstances we face can be tough and the pressures we are experience in an increasingly troubled world can bring difficult challenges. That is why it is essential to create a culture of encouragement. This is the culture that Paul demonstrated everywhere he went. In Acts 20:2 we read: He travelled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people.
Questions to Consider Are you a leader that actively looks for opportunities to encourage others? Is your organisation s culture one that has a reputation for encouraging others? Do you encourage your leaders to encourage others? We need less Chief Executive Officers and more Chief Encouragement Officers. Are you known as an encourager? Do others see you as an encourager? When is the last time you encouraged a member of your staff or a volunteer?
Encouragement A Commission Now, more than ever, I believe that God s people need encouragement. The ministry of encouragement is something each of us are commissioned to be part of. It is time for each of us who are called by the name of Jesus, to begin to release a wave of encouragement across the body of Christ. This is a ministry we can all be part of. Today we are going to release a wave of encouragement.
Encouragement A Commission 1. Spend time each day encouraging yourself in the Lord 2. Send a short text or what s app message of encouragement to three different Christian brothers or sisters each day. 3. Invite each person you encourage to join you in releasing a wave of faith filled encouragement by following these steps. May we be like Barnabas, known as the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36) Together, we can encourage one another, and see the purposes of Christ fulfilled in our generation.
Encourage Me! Tommy Stewart
