Category: Encouragement For The Downcast

¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. 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. ~ Philippians 3:13-14^ESV

I believe it would be fair to say that we are not where we want to be, neither have we achieved all that we’ve planned. The goals we set for ourselves (plans to move our careers forward, ideas to promote and market our businesses) can sometimes feel daunting; set back by no’s, not now’s, and not interested.

But forgetting those things that are behind you can make your ways seem clear. When we let go of the past, we can move forward because they are in the past, they’re over with, they’re done with, they’re over. The past has no hold on us; we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Now we grab hold of today, and we press on, always moving forward toward the goals we have set for our success.

Heavenly Father, help us to move forward from our past so that we can pursue our call. The call you have given us. Oh, LORD, help us to remember that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Please show us the future you have planned for us that we may not stray from the path you have paved out just for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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⁹ For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. ~ 2 Timothy 1:9

From before we even sinned, God planned a way for us to be saved. Before we were even born, before time was even created, God knew mankind would sin. God knew exactly how we would sin and how we would save us from our sin. There is nothing you could do that could make you too unclean to forgive.

God is waiting for you to come home. He’s waiting for you to call upon His name. No matter how far you’ve strayed, salvation is always only one step away. All you have to do is repent. Jesus already paid your debt. He already took your penalty upon Himself. Jesus didn’t die to save the ‘righteous’ because there aren’t any righteous without Him. Jesus died to save the broken, the needy, the hopeless, the sinner. Jesus died for you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept His Plan.

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³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ~ Romans 5:3-5

When we go through tribulations and struggles, if we hold to God and trust in His name, we will come out on the other side stronger than ever. So, when we become stronger, we gain endurance. In other words, what once tripped us up won’t continue to trip us up. The more we overcome, the more we begin to transform into the perfect image of God. And when we transform, we are filled with hope that cannot be shaken, nor can it be taken away.

So, don’t be discouraged when trials and tribulations come because when you make it to the other side, you will be stronger. Never forget that when diamonds are only made under intense pressure, and that’s what we are becoming, perfect diamonds. So, don’t be discouraged, trust in God and He will strengthen you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Become A Diamond.

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¹⁹ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. ~ Genesis 2:19-20

I believe one of the biggest reasons why young people or people, in general, do not become Christians or associated as Christian in their businesses. Our Christian artists now only want to be known as regular artists, and a lot of the time, it’s because they do not want to lose their creativity or be placed in a box. We don’t want to own Christian businesses because we can’t mix God and our regular lives for the fear that will stop our growth.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, we have lost our creativity. We are satisfied with the mediocre and treat the things of God as common. But that is not how it was in the beginning. God planned for man to be a creative being, acting in the image of God the Creator.

Look at what the Scripture says, God brought every living thing to the man to be named with no help from God in the process. He not only had the capacity to name ALL the living creatures but also the capacity to remember their names. Wow! Talk about creative thinking. That’s your heritage; that is who you are. So go ahead, come out of your comfort zone. Do not let anyone tell you that you are not creative or that being associated with Christianity will somehow put you in a box. Being a Christian becoming more and more like God is exactly why creativity is in your DNA. It’s a part of your God-given image.

Heavenly Father, speak to and encourage those who do not even realize how creative they are. Open their eyes so that they can see the creative and smart being you have created them to be. Place a burning desire in the hearts of those who are creative to use their gifts to further Your kingdom. Give opportunities to those who are willing to step out in faith. Let them shine in Your light with the brilliance of the midday sun. LORD send a wave of creativity over Your people so that Your name may be glorified forever. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” ~ Exodus 5:6-9

If we read the previous chapter (chapter 4), we will find that “that same day” refers to the first day or the first encounter that Moses and Aaron had with Pharaoh. They had just had a town meeting with all the elders, and everyone was pumped about how concerned God was about them and their situation. Social Media was lighting up, and the whole internet came to a screeching halt as everyone chatted excitedly about leaving Egypt and slavery. I mean, these people had pure hope and joy excitedly surging through their veins. They probably even had detailed dreams in HD color – they were so hopeful and excited. But instead of Pharaoh saying, “Oh, my bad, I didn’t realize you needed worshiping God, please go quickly and do what you need to do.” He said, “No way! Get back to work! and by the way, let me help you with some of that free time you seem to be burdened with!”

So, instead of things getting better, things got extremely worse, and they gave up; they lost hope. And that is exactly what happens to us today. We think deliverance from our Spiritual Egypt should be quick and easy, and because it doesn’t work the way we think it should, or immediately, we give up and lose hope. But I am here today to encourage you that because conditions have gotten worse for you in Egypt does not mean the dream is over. If the LORD is your God and you have been groaning and crying out to Him, He has heard you. He will come to your rescue and deliver you and bring you into your Promise Land. So do not give in and do not give up. Keep the faith and do not lose heart; even if things get worse, God will deliver you.

Our Heavenly Father, You alone are God Almighty, and besides You, there is no other God. You care for us, and provide for us, and satisfy our mouths with good things, that our strength is renewed so we can soar on wings like eagles. Thank You, LORD. Now O LORD, please come down with great concern and see the plight of some of Your people. In Your great compassion, deliver them from their cruel bondage and bring them into a spacious land flowing with milk and honey. Bring lasting hope to Your people, I pray. Hope that can and will weather the storms that are sure to come before they reach the shores of their promise. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  ⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalms 37:3-4

Often times, we only quote the last part of this verse, ‘He will give you the desires of your heart,’ and in doing so, we completely miss the how. Here’s what I’m saying, when we only quote the last part of this verse, we miss our obligation to God. Our part of the deal. God doesn’t just give us everything we want. He doesn’t just give us all of our desires. Why?

Because our hearts are filthy and lead us to sin. Look at what Jesus says about our hearts,

¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Matthew 15:18-19

Jesus was convinced that the heart was deceitful above all things, just as Jeremiah 17:9 states. But don’t be discouraged; look at what David prays to God in

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalms 51:10

Our hearts are deceitful above all else; this is why David prays that God would create in him a NEW heart. This is why David, in the verse above, tells us to first, ‘Delight yourself in the LORD,’

See, when we delight ourselves in the LORD, we are no longer seeking our own happiness. We are no longer seeking our own desires, but instead, we are seeking the desires the LORD has for us. We are now seeking His plan instead of our own because we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. He is cleansing us from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is transforming us until we are made perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

Don’t give up hope. Don’t stop fighting to do good. The LORD is faithful to His children. Seek Him first, and you will receive the desires of your heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek The Desires of God’s Heart.

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¹³ Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. ~ James 5:13

When we’re in pain and going through hard times, who is the first one that we go to? Often times, God is the last person we go to. A lot of times, we go to others before we go to God. Sometimes we don’t even go to God. Why?

My whole life, I was taught that no matter how small or how the problem, I can always take it to God. My parents made sure that I understood that God wasn’t just this impersonal God in Heaven who didn’t care about us. They made sure that I knew that God is more than just an all-powerful God to be feared but a friend, a comforter, a helper, and a father.

The LORD is an awesome God that should be feared, but He is also our Heavenly Father that loves us more than silver or gold. Just like no problem is too small or too insignificant to bring to your earthly father or your best friend, nothing is too small or insignificant for your Heavenly Father. He wants to help you. He wants to be there for you, to be the shoulder that you lean on.

So, when hardships and trials come your way, go to God first. You aren’t bothering Him. You aren’t annoying Him. God wants you to come to Him with your problems. He wants to take the load off of your back.

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go To God.

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“²⁶ Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” ~ Romans 8:26

Even as Christians, we still have weaknesses. Our main weakness, in my personal opinion, is prayer. Prayer is our main way of communicating with God, yet the majority of us don’t pray often, and the rest of us give the excuse that we don’t know how to pray. While I believe that everyone should pray multiple times a day, not because of strict religious beliefs, but because communication is the way you keep a relationship alive. Without communication, the relationship will die, and you will no longer know God, and God will not know you, as it is in our human relationships.

Here’s our saving grace, though. If we pray, even if we say we don’t know how, we are reassured that the Spirit will intercede for us. How amazing is that? The Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. When we don’t know what to pray or how to pray, the Spirit will pray on our behalf. So don’t give up praying; the Spirit will teach you how to pray. And in the meantime, while you don’t know exactly what to say or how to say it, the Spirit will intercede on your behalf. So pray in confidence. Be encouraged, Jesus didn’t leave us here to fend for ourselves but sent us the Helper.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray Like The Spirit Ceased.

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“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:13-14

Paul writes two letters to Timothy, encouraging him as he oversaw the work in the Church of Ephesus as well as other Churches in Asia. Paul takes the time to encourage Timothy, as well as to strengthen him. This was the purpose of these letters, to strengthen and encourage a young man in a difficult call. But Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to try to do it himself. No, in fact, he tells Timothy to follow his sound or healthy words, with faith and love in Christ Jesus, and to guard or earnestly strive to do the call through the help of The Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we try to do things on our own without the help of anyone, but no person is an island. No human being can succeed in anything completely alone. Your call may be hard. It may even seem impossible, but if you rely on the guidance of a trustworthy and Godly mentor, faith and love in Christ Jesus, and endurance through the Holy Spirit, you will succeed. So don’t be discouraged today, but be encouraged, for you are not alone.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive To Fulfill Your Call.

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