Category: Encouragement For The Downcast

²⁸ Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. ~ Galatians 4:28-31

We were once slaves to sin. We were once slaves to fear. We were once slaves in general, but now we are sons and daughters of God. We are now fellow heirs with Christ Jesus. We have displaced our mistress as we have become overcomers of the world. We are now free from our past mistress, the world, no longer having to bow down to sin.

In the name of Jesus, we are freed from all sin because He bore our sin on His shoulders. He bore our punishment on His back. He bore and finished it all on the cross. We are free in Jesus’ name.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live Redeemed.

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¹⁷ And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” ~ Mark 10:17-18

Jesus asked the rich young ruler a bold question, why do you call me good? Jesus wasn’t saying; I’m not good. He was giving the rich young ruler to make a distinction between Him and mankind. Today, Jesus still asks us this question. He’s still knocking at the door of our hearts. He’s still giving us the opportunity today to proclaim who He is.

Jesus is our LORD, our God, our Savior, and our friend. He is our everything. He is the Good Shepherd that lays down His life for His sheep. The Good Shepherd that gives life and life more abundant. He is the living water, the bread of life. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. The First and the Last. Jesus is the giver of life. He took our place on the cross and gave us the free gift of Eternal Life to anyone who will believe. This is why He is good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know Why He Is Good.

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⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ~ Matthew 5:48

According to Jesus, we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. But how can we humans who are flawed be perfect? Christ loved us enough that He gave Himself up for us so that we could be Holy. Then He washed us with living water through the word of God so that we could be without stain or blemish, but instead Holy and blameless.

Paul then instructs us to be not conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How do we do that? We meditate on Scripture, and we take captive every thought that is unclean. We change the way we think through Scripture and through prayer.

So, in order to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, you have to read the Word of God, and we have to hear the Word of God being preached. Because it is by faith, we have been saved, and faith comes through hearing and hearing through the Word of God.

We place on the full Armor of God as well as pray in the Spirit for ourselves and others so that we will be able to overcome temptation when it comes because God promises that we will never face temptation too strong to overcome.

You may not always make the right decisions, and temptation may overcome you from time to time, but don’t settle for less than perfect. Aim for perfection. Norman Vincent Peale said it this way, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” It may seem impossible to live without sin, but with God, everything is possible.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Shoot For The Moon.

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²⁸ the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces. ~ Proverbs 30:28

We’re lower than the heavenly beings. We can easily be destroyed and overpowered. We’re lower than everything except for the animals, yet the God of the Universe got off of His throne to rescue us from our sin so we could be with Him forever.

Though we’re small. Though we’re tiny. We’re below the angels. We’re below the supernatural realm, yet God Almighty looked down and saw something in us worth saving. He came and He died for and gave us the opportunity to dwell with Him. We don’t have to, it’s not forced upon us, but He says,

²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

Jesus gives us the opportunity to dwell with Him in His palace. In His temple for all eternity. We will dwell in God and with God forever and ever, even though we are only dust, God has made a way for us to dwell in and with Him forever and ever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Dwell As Lizards.

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²⁷ the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; ~ Proverbs 30:27

Though the locusts have no king, they still do exactly what they need to do. King Solomon ranked this as the third example of wisdom. We, the Church, need to act as locusts. Jesus is the King of kings, but yet He is not physically here leading us. Because Jesus isn’t physically here leading us, it’s as if we don’t have a king. Sometimes it can feel lonesome. Sometimes it can be difficult to do good because you can’t see your king.

But even though our king isn’t physically here on earth leading us, we are not alone. He is with us spiritually, and the Holy Spirit lives within us. We are not alone. We can still keep going. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and still believe.’ He was speaking about us. We haven’t seen Jesus, yet He is guiding us spiritually that we might believe and be saved.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and March As Locusts.

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¹ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ~ Galatians 5:1

Through Christ Jesus, we are freed from a Spiritual yoke of slavery. We no longer have to live our lives as slaves to sin. What does that mean? In other words, through Christ Jesus, our past stays in the past. We are no longer slaves to alcohol, sexual immorality, depression, anger, suicidal thoughts. We are free in the name of Jesus.

Even though we are free in the name of Jesus, we still have a constant battle in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12). But when we stand firm in Christ Jesus, we overcome through Christ Jesus. Sin no longer has a hold on us; the weight of this world no longer has a hold on us. Be encouraged today; it may not happen in the very moment you repent. It may be a constant battle, but when you fight through Christ Jesus, you will overcome any obstacle in your path.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept Your Freedom.

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¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. ~ Genesis 1:1-5^NLT

Notice how it says that darkness was over the face of the deep, not that darkness was over all the waters? This is because the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. Why does that matter? He wasn’t hovering over it all. God’s light was only on the waters above, in Heaven. His presence wasn’t shining over everything. His peace wasn’t shining over everything. His love wasn’t shining over everything. It was only over a specific section of the universe—the Heavenly realm.

God could have easily just left it there that first day and went on creating earth the next, but before He did anything else, He created light. He created a way to Him in the darkness. Not a physical light, because as we know, the sun and moon aren’t created until day four, but a spiritual light. A light that could penetrate the darkness of man’s hearts. He created the wisdom and knowledge of God.

Romans says that His invisible attributes have been made known from the creation of the world. Jesus said that while it’s still day, we have to work because night is coming. This world is becoming filled with more and more darkness, and the knowledge and wisdom of God are dwindling fast. When we look around, we feel almost hopeless because darkness seems to overcome the light. But the Psalms assures us that weeping only lasts the night and joy comes in the morning. The Psalmist isn’t talking about a physical day and night. The psalmist is saying when we encourage ourselves in the LORD, and we remember who He is, and we strive to be with Him, our spiritual night turns to day, and the Joy of the LORD becomes our strength.

So, don’t be discouraged when you feel like the night will never end. Encourage yourself in the LORD as David did. For if we draw near to God, He’ll draw near to us. And if He is near to us, then there is no room for darkness. For He is the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Draw Near To the Light.

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^13b But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶ Only let us hold true to what we have attained. ~ Philippians 3:13b–16

We’re constantly told that nobody’s perfect. That it’s impossible for anyone to live a constant holy life. But Paul, influenced by the Holy Spirit, had a difference of opinion. He said there are examples out there. Examples that can encourage us to do even better.

When we see others trying to be holy, trying to make a difference in the world, don’t roll your eyes and think, “Holier than thou.” Let them be an example to you, and stop letting Hollywood be your household example. These Christians are trying to live out that which they are called to live out. They aren’t caught up with the world; they’re focused on the Eternal. They’re focused on Jesus.

This is where we need to be. This is how we live a life of no regrets, by following those like Paul because he wasn’t just a great example of how to live our lives. He was a great encouragement that it’s possible to live our lives for Christ regardless of our past or background. He showed that it’s possible for the blood of the Lamb and the presence of the Holy Spirit to soften and change the hardest of hearts. Paul showed us that’s it’s possible to live for Christ with no regrets.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow Suit.

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¹⁰ Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” ~ Nehemiah 4:10

Let me tell you, too much rubble will stop the building. Too much rubble will stop the growth. We have to clear the rubble to build and grow, but sometimes we need help to clear the rubble.

It’s been 141 years since the walls were broken down, the city pillaged, the people led into captivity, and the royal line has been dissolved, so to speak. And now Nehemiah, being of royal descent, graces the scene. But he doesn’t just kind of appear in Jerusalem; he has some encounters to overcome and tests of the LORD’s favor before he is released to come.

Now, what do I mean by that?

Well, Nehemiah was of royal descent, as I said, but he was born in captivity, but nonetheless, he held a very high-ranking and important position in the government of the Persian Empire. He was Cupbearer to the king. To us, it sounds like a lowly butler, but his position was actually a really high one. According to some scholars, the job came with great responsibility. He had full access to the king, and the king knew him pretty intimately since he realized that something was bothering Nehemiah.

He recognized a change in Nehemiah’s countenance and seemed genuinely concerned about what was bothering him. Nehemiah wasn’t just another employee to the king. The king liked him a lot and trusted him immensely,

This is called the favor of the LORD. When we submit to God, God will open doors and opportunities for us. God doesn’t leave us in our rubble; He gives us favor with those who can help us out of our rubble. No person is an island; we all need help sometimes. Iron sharpens iron.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept the Favor of the LORD.

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²⁷ But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” ~ Genesis 30:27

Laban, Jacob’s uncle, realized that God had blessed him abundantly because of his nephew Jacob, and he wanted him to stay so he could enjoy the blessings of the LORD. It goes both ways with God, not just bad, but good, blessings also. Even though Laban was an idol worshiper, he was blessed because of Jacob.

Potiphar also realized that he was being blessed because of Joseph. He was an Egyptian. He was not a part of the covenant. As a matter of fact, he owned Joseph as a slave. But when the blessings of the LORD begin to follow, it flows high, and it flows low, and all in its path are blessed.

In the account of the flood, it was Noah who found grace in the sight of the LORD, and not his family, yet it was 8 of them saved from the flood.

• • Noah and his wife
  • Shem and his wife
  • Japheth and his wife
  • Ham and his wife

They all entered the Ark on Noah’s ticket. What we do affects others, sometimes in a bad way but also in a good way. God will bless those who bless you. When you serve the LORD, He isn’t stingy with His blessings. When He blesses you, He will also bless those around you.

As the Syrophoenician woman said, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table. You can’t stop the flow of the blessings of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let the Blessings of the LORD Flow.

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