Category: Encouragement For The Downcast

²⁴ He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. ~ 1 Peter 2:24

The other day Celia’s wrist began to hurt her for no good reason. She didn’t hit it. She didn’t twist it. We have no idea why it began hurting. She was just lying in bed, and it began to hurt. The next day it began to travel up her arm to her elbow and started making its way up to her shoulder. We prayed and believed.

There were no significant features, although we prayed twice. But Celia kept claiming and proclaiming her healing. She kept reminding herself that by Jesus’ stripes, she is healed. When she woke up in the night from pain, she flexed her hand and proclaimed, “By His stripes, I am healed.” And by God’s mercy, she received her healing.

Someone else had that same problem, where the pain started in the wrist and traveled up the arm, and they had to have surgery. Though there may not be any significant features, God is working in the Spiritual when we move in the physical. When we speak and believe. When we hold to His promises, we receive His promises.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Proclaim His Promises.

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⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:5

The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. This is why Jesus could leave us His perfect peace.

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

John 14:27^AMP

• • Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
  • People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
  • Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.
  • It’s not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa
  • Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder

Some folks have it so bad that they cannot function in society and have to stay locked up at home. Some can’t even go to work or go to normal places, like the grocery store or any place with large crowds. But Jesus Christ paid the price to set you free from that.

And you can be free! My daughter, Arie, suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. When she was in college, some nights would have to drive to her college and pick her up. She couldn’t order food through a drive-thru. Her counselor told her she would be on medication the rest of her life, and she would have to live with it.

But the chastisement of our peace was placed upon Him, Jesus Christ. So, Arie did a 40-day fast in January of 2019 and hasn’t taken one pill, nor has she suffered from anxiety or one panic attack since.

There is freedom in the name of Jesus! God is good!

LORD God, please help us to accept Your perfect peace that You so graciously purchased for us. Help us to always remember who You are and how much You love us. Help us to remember that no one can snatch us out of Your hand, that You have never abandoned us. You are with us always. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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^48a He, [speaking of Jesus], saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them… ~ Mark 6:48a

Let me encourage you today, Jesus sees you. He knows where you are in your storm. He sees you straining at the oars when the wind of this life is against you. The Bible tells us in

Therefore He, [referring to Jesus], is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Jesus sees you in your storm, and He is interceding for you, just like He was interceding for His disciples. You aren’t alone. Call out to God, and He will calm the storm.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cry Out to God.

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⁵ Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” ⁶ He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. ~ John 6:5–6

Jesus knew exactly what He was going to do. He was only testing Philip. Remember that Philip was the one that Jesus called, and he went and told his brother, Nathanael, who doubted that asked, can anything good come out of Nazareth. (John 1:43-46)

 ²¹ Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

What I mean is this, God doesn’t force people to do what is right, neither does He prevent them from doing evil. Everyone has free will, and everyone is free to choose and refuse, but God will work everything out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Everyone has free will in the world, and bad things will happen, but God is always in control, and He is always working things out for the good of His people. Stay strong and trust in Him during the lowest times of your life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Trust God In Difficult Times.

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⁶ And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. ⁷ So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. ~ 1 Samuel 1:6-7

Hannah would cry because of the torment she received, but she never lost hope. Instead, she took that sadness and pain and turned it into fuel. She didn’t let it silence her, nor did she let it define her. She knew the loving God whom she served. So she prayed desperately for a child, and God answered her prayers.

For a season, her womb was closed, and she was tormented. But, the next season, she had a son who would grow up to be one of the greatest Judges and Seers Israel ever had, Samuel.

Sometimes our lives look bleak and hopeless. But as Paul said,

⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

In life, sorrow will come; pain is inevitable. Tormentors and mockers will try to bring you down, but when you build your life on that great and mighty Rock, nothing can move you. Trust in the LORD, and He will give you strength.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Turn Your Tears to Joy.

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¹⁴ And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” ¹⁵ And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” ¹⁶ And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” ~ Judges 6:14-16

Gideon was a man not from a well-known or powerful family or tribe. He wasn’t the descendant of a king or great warrior. Gideon wasn’t even a regular man. He was from the weakest clan in Manasseh, and he was the least in his father’s house. Gideon seemed to have nothing going for him, yet God saw greatness in him. He called him even if no one else thought he was worth it, and God used him to do great things.

God took Gideon, a nobody, and made him a somebody. And He was able to use him from where he was. God didn’t tell Gideon to go change and make himself better first. He didn’t say to go train first. He didn’t tell Gideon to go strengthen himself first. When God called Gideon, he was ready. God never calls us to do more than we can. He never gives us a larger burden than we can handle. God gives us as much as we can hold on our shoulders because He is with us. We aren’t carrying this burden alone. Our God is helping us carry our burden.

Even when no one else sees it, or even when we don’t see it in ourselves, as long as we trust in the LORD, God can use us to do great things. Gideon didn’t feel ready, he didn’t even feel worthy, but the LORD saw greatness in him. And because Gideon was obedient and trusted the LORD, God pulled that greatness out of him, and then everyone saw the greatness that was inside of Gideon.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Pull the Greatness Out of You.

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¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” ~ Mark 16:15-16b

Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He sent His disciples into all the world to proclaim the gospel. He didn’t exclude anyone. He didn’t tell them to avoid any areas or peoples. Jesus sent His disciples to all of the world. To the whole creation.

God doesn’t cherry-pick humans. Instead, He calls us all to Himself. He gives each of us the opportunity to choose Him. To choose life. Because no matter where we’re from. No matter what we’ve done wrong, God will always want us. As a potter reworks His broken clay in His hands, God molds us into a new creation.

LORD God, please soften my heart to You. Help me to feel Your gentle tug on my heart. Help me to forgive myself as You have forgiven me. Help me to see that I am special in Your eyes. Help me to see my worth, oh God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹⁷ But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. ¹⁸ For though He wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal. ~ Job 5:17-18^NLT

When God disciplines us, it isn’t to destroy us. God corrects His children with love. He may take away, but He also gives. If God disciplines and corrects us, it’s out of love. God doesn’t just leave us in our sin; He corrects us. Then when we are corrected, He brings us back into His presence.

Jesus came that we may be perfected and made whole so that one day we may be brought before Him. Sometimes, our sickness causes us to need surgery. The surgery sometimes takes hours; it’s painful and uncomfortable when we wake up. We feel stiff and sore, but God gives us the medication we need to ease all of that. He gave us His very Spirit to dwell inside of us so that when we’re healed and we can help someone else who’s going through the very thing that we once did.

The only way for us to be children of God is for us to be disciplined. Sometimes it feels difficult, sometimes it feels frustrating, but if we take hold to His promises and put our trust in Him when we make it to the other side, we will be completely changed. We will be made new.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Disciplined.

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⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” ~ Mark 16:6-7

This is after Satan demanded to have Peter. Peter then denied Jesus three times and went out weeping. But Jesus didn’t leave Peter there in his sin; He called him by name through the angel. And what does Peter do? He comes running. He runs to Jesus. He doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t stop to think it through. He doesn’t even walk. He runs to Him. Peter could see his second chance right around the corner.

This is us today. We’re each Peter. We’ve each been demanded for by the Devil, but we’ve also each been called back to God. But it’s up to us who’s call we decide to answer. When Peter heard, he didn’t hesitate he took off running to Jesus. And what did that get him? The chance to repent and be forgiven.

We have all denied Him, but we have all been called by name. And when we answer that call and run to our resurrected king, He resurrects us, just like He resurrected Peter.

LORD God, help us to not only hear Your call but to run towards You. Help us to heed every one of Your warnings and follow Your commands. Help us to watch and pray that we would not fall into temptation. In Jesus’ name, we pray amen.

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