Encouragement
Sep
6
Written by:
9/6/2010 10:02 AM
One thing above all else we can know from this is that there are a whole lot of deeply hurting people in our world. One thing we should know is that our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ gives us inexhaustible resources that can be used to heal the hurt.
Encouragement
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
The Fruit of the Flesh is: “sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.” (Galations 5:19b-21 NLT) Considering the aforementioned scripture, it should come as no surprise that divorce, immorality, dishonesty and greed are running rampant in the church! The divorce rate among Christians is now 8% higher than among the peoples of the world. Dr. Billy Graham has said that, according to his research, at least 90 percent of all Christians in America are living defeated spiritual lives.
One thing above all else we can know from this is that there are a whole lot of deeply hurting people in our world. One thing we should know is that our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ gives us inexhaustible resources that can be used to heal the hurt. What then is the answer to this question? Grace is always the answer. God’s wonderful, matchless, empowering, and life changing Grace.
A tool of Grace that can be utilized in these kinds of situations is Encouragement. What is encouragement anyhow? Encouragement is when the Holy Spirit allows our love to touch the hurting person’s fear. Encouragement is God’s salve for the wounded spirit. That is why encouragement is a weapon of war. We are in a spiritual battle that can cause many kinds of wounds both spiritual and physical. Satan is our chief enemy, and one of his most used weapons is discouragement. But we who have “presented ourselves as instruments of righteousness” can be the salve bearers for the Chief encourager, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are enabled to do this because, “…we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Rom 5:5 NLT) We want to do this because, “…God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” (Phil 2:13 NLT)
The Lord that Isaiah saw, “…seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” The Lord to whom the angels sang, “‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” (Isa 6:1b, 3 NIV) This is the same Lord of whom David said, “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” (Psa 3:3 KJV) I think that I could have never known the meaning of these words of the Psalmist’s unless I had experienced deep discouragement. The kind of discouragement that makes your chin rest upon your chest. It was then that I discovered that the Lord Jesus Christ was my encourager! He is the source of my encouragement and He enables me to be an encourager of others. The kind of encouragement that allows others to see His “glory” that fills the whole earth. The “glory” that shakes the foundations of the temple when the angels sing, “Holy, holy, holy.” This is the encouragement that shakes our world with the joy that is ours in Christ Jesus.
So what? Look at it this way. Nine out of every ten of your brothers and sisters in Christ are wounded! And chances are that they can say the same thing about you!!! The wonderful thing about being a part of the body of Christ is that you can be a doctor while you are a patient! Not long ago I was having a little pity party for myself because I hadn’t had an opportunity to share the love of Christ with a nonbeliever. When you work for a Christian organization the reality is that you spend your time with the brethren (what a great blessing). With the technology of today I pay for my gasoline at the pump and use the self checkout at the grocery store. I am thankful that my barber isn’t computerized yet! Then it happened! I found myself in the hospital emergency room. The Holy Spirit said to my heart, “here they are, knock yourself out!” Here was an opportunity to encourage those who were trying to encourage me! Only God could make this happen. Over the course of the next 24 hours I had the opportunity to be with at least 50 different people. They were doctors, nurses, employees, and patients. Each one God’s treasure whom He died to save. Do you want to be encouraged? Then be an encourager! Our very life depends on you!
“The tongue has the power of life and death,…” (Prov 18:21 NIV)
“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Prov 12:25 NIV)
“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life…” (Prov 15:4 NIV)
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Prov 16:24 NIV)
“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Prov 25:11 NIV)
Copyright ©2010 Bob Flynn