Encouragement For The Downcast Archives

January 27, 2021January 27, 2021

Let Your Heart Beat Again

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” ~ Psalms 73:26

Even though our heart fails, and we feel hopeless, God is our portion. In other words, no matter how low you feel, how sad you are, or how much you miss a loved one who has passed on, God is holding you. When your heart fails, He revives your heart and strengthens it. No matter how many times your heart fails, God will always be there to tell your heart to beat again. Place your pain and suffering into His hands, and He will restore you and strengthen you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Your Heart Beat Again.

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It’s Not How You Start

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

A lot of the time, we get stuck on our past. We get caught up on how we started the race when we should be focusing on how we finish the race. If we start the race strong but fail to finish, our strong start means nothing. It’s like the old story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare started the race as the champion, but his pride caused him to take too many detours, and he lost the race.

While the tortoise started slow and patient, all thought he would surely lose, but he had his eye on the finish line and won. Here’s my point, sometimes we start on the losing end, but that doesn’t matter, for every sin we’ve committed has been whipped clean by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, we have been transformed into a new creation. The old has passed away, and the new has come. So be encouraged today because your past is behind you, and your future is in front of you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Finish Strong.

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Our Own Timetable

“The head cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, ‘I just now remembered something—I’m sorry, I should have told you this long ago. Once when Pharaoh got angry with his servants, he locked me and the head baker in the house of the captain of the guard. We both had dreams on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. It so happened that there was a young Hebrew slave there with us; he belonged to the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, each dream separately. Things turned out just as he interpreted. I was returned to my position and the head baker was impaled’ Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph. They brought him on the run from the jail cell. He cut his hair, put on clean clothes, and came to Pharaoh.” ~ Gen 41:9-14 msg

God had given Joseph a dream and a promise, but it was taking a lot longer to come true than he had hoped. But God was keeping watch over His Word to ensure it would come to past, and He does the same thing today. Therefore, if God has given you a promise, wait for it, though it lingers, do not give up or lose hope for it will surely come to past. It awaits an appointed time and will not prove false, nor will it delay, but God’s Word will accomplish everything He has sent it to accomplish.

Our Heavenly Father, help us to hold on to our promises and not to give up. Help us to refrain from setting our own timetable because the righteous will live by faith. No more stumbling and doubting because of our unfulfilled dreams. For we know the day will come when the dream becomes a reality no matter how big or how small our dream is. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Seek Ye First

“³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” ~ Matthew 6:33

Sometimes we get our priorities confused and lose sight of what is most important. Jesus was teaching on that very thing. He explains that seeking God is the most important, even more so than money and clothes. He said if we got it right, God would add all the other things we need. Admittedly, that is a hard teaching when you have hungry mouths to feed and little naked bodies to clothe. But the truth is, these things aren’t eternal, but your soul is eternal. Your soul will live somewhere forever. No one says on their dying bed, “Man, I wish I had a few more suits of clothes.” Or, “Man, I wish I had more money in the bank.” No, they don’t. At that time, those things aren’t as important as they seemed when we were experiencing the lack thereof and eternity seemed a long ways away.

I’ve experienced lack, and I’ve experienced plenty, and yes, plenty is much better by far. The world is so focused on instant gratification that we’ve lost sight of seeking God. We’re so caught up with keeping up with the Kardashians, the rich and famous, the rock stars, the rap stars, the movie stars, and the fallen stars that we have no place or time in our busy lives for seeking the Bright and Morning Star. Statistics tell us that the average Christian attend a church service twice a month. I wonder how many diligently and fervently attend the weekly TV service of their favorite show.

At the beginning of every year, my family and I observe a twenty-one day fast. We turn off our TV, our secular music, entertainment like video games, social media, secular books, etc.; we limit shopping only to emergencies, we cut out soft drinks, coffee, meats, processed foods, and other pleasures of life and come together to diligently seek God. Our children have been doing the fast with us from time they were very young. We always have a theme and a specific thing or two (bedside lost souls) that we fervently pray about.

Admittedly, a few years ago, I was a bit discouraged at work because things were not working out the way I had envisioned them to be. To my shame, I was so discouraged I was even considering not doing the fast that year, something I’ve never done since we started oh so many years ago. Nobody knew how I was feeling. Then I received a family group text from my youngest daughter (18 years old at the time) stating how excited she was about that year’s fast. How she believed that was the year for open doors. She felt like Genesis 32:25-28 should be our theme. It is where Jacob wrestles with God and doesn’t let go until he receives a blessing from God. She felt in her spirit we needed to press in and wrestle with God in prayer and not let go until we received our blessing.

Wow! Now, if that’s not a reason to get excited and want to shout about, I don’t know what is. It’s not everyday parents receive a text from their 18-year-old saying how excited they are about turning off electronics, TV, computer games, etc., and putting away Christmas presents and deny themselves in order to seek God. When they were small, we were told, “Those children are too young to fast.” But look at them now. We didn’t deny them food as children; we asked them to give up certain things: playing outside, TV, Gameboy, etc. We taught them the importance of seeking God. Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not turn away from it.

Let me encourage you for this New Year to seek more and covet less. Do not teach your children the pleasures of instant gratification, and it’ll pay off in the end. Set a time to diligently seek God as a family, and may your New Year bring you peace, joy, happiness, good health, a closer walk with Jesus, and prosperity, with all your children serving the LORD.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and salvation that You’ve lavished upon us. Thank You for the privilege of being able to seek You. Help us to find You this year as we seek. Help us to hear from You, answer when we call. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Hold Your Peace

³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the LORD God will give to Him the throne of His father David, ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. ~ Luke 1:32-33

Jesus was not simply an ordinary man. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus was fully human, but that wasn’t all He was. Jesus was also fully God, but He set aside His Godliness and took the form of a helpless baby. He didn’t have to, He could have easily stayed on His throne in Heaven, but He didn’t. No, instead, He humbled Himself and took the form of a human so that we could live with Him forever.

Jesus didn’t get off of His throne so that He would have an everlasting Kingdom because His kingdom would’ve been everlasting whether He came to earth or not. He came to earth so that we would be with Him in His kingdom forever. He came so that no matter how hard life got, no matter how scary the times seemed, we would always have the hope of everlasting life with Him. That’s why Jesus came, not so that He would be rewarded, but so that we would be able to live. So, that His creation that He molded and formed and placed in their mother’s womb would have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him forever. His one goal on this earth was to save mankind.

When life feels too difficult, too bleak, too much to handle, look to God. Look to Jesus and remember He is still on His throne. No matter what happens in life, God is still seated on His throne. No one can move Him. No one shakes Him. God’s dominion and throne will never come to an end. It is from everlasting to everlasting.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold Your Peace This Christmas.

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Look For Your Star

“²saying, ‘Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it roseand have come to worship him.’” ~ Matthew 2:2

God set forth not only a sign for the Wise Men that Jesus had come but a star that led them straight to Him. God sets before each of us our own star that leads us to Salvation. A star that leads us to our call. And a star that leads us to every step we need to take in life, yet we don’t always see our stars.

We don’t always look up to see where we’re going or where to go next. Sometimes we’re too focused on what we want and what we think that we don’t take a second to look to the Heavens to see what God wants or thinks. This Christmas, look for your star, whether it’s a star leading you back home, to your call, or to your next step in life.

No matter what it is, put your faith and trust in God, not yourself or others, for God’s will for your life is perfect. And if you follow His star, you’ll find everything you could have ever wanted or needed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow Your Star.

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Your Christmas Miracle

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” Luke 2:8-10

Shepherds were keeping watch over their flock one night when all of their lives changed. They were where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to be doing. But suppose they had said, “Let us not stay out in the fields tonight; it’s way too cold out.” They would have never heard the Good News. They would never have seen the great miracle that the whole nation was waiting on.

God has ordained something special for you, as well. He has ordained a special place for you to be doing a special thing. Don’t be afraid to be where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to do. It may be a promotion at work, and you may be afraid of all the new responsibilities. Maybe it is the dream of starting a new business, which is always scary. But if God is in it, it can’t fail. You have to be where you are supposed to be to see your miracle.

Heavenly Father, I pray for promotions and work decisions today. I pray for new business ventures and for ideas to become realities. I pray for confidence and for boldness for Your mercy on all business deals for Your people today that they may receive their Christmas miracle. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Let God Use Your Weaknesses

“⁹But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Many times we feel as though God could never use us because of what we’ve done. What we can’t do, but God can use anyone with a willing heart. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be the best. You just have to have the heart of a servant. The heart of someone willing to follow Jesus and God will lift you higher than your weakness. He will use all of those times you’ve messed up for good to help someone else who is struggling just as you were.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Use Your Weaknesses.

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Let God Be Your Light

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” ~ Micah 7:8

Don’t be discouraged by failure or someone else getting the promotion you deserved, be encouraged for when you fall, God is there to pick you back up again. He will never leave you nor forsake you. When your life is in ruins, and you can’t find your way out of a dark tunnel, look to God, and He will be your light. He will guide you to your promised land.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Be Your Light.

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Be Cleansed

“¹⁴For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” ~ Romans 6:14

We live in a world that loves to label us by our past. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. Once an addict, always an addict. But is that the truth? Not according to the promises from God. Jesus promises freedom. He promises that you can overcome any temptation any sin. Overcoming means that sin no longer has control over. That sin no longer holds you down. It no longer controls you.

You don’t have to be your past. You don’t have to be labeled as your sin. So be encouraged by these promises. Don’t be discouraged by the world and the way they see you, but instead be encouraged by the way God sees you because you are made perfect by the cleansing power of The Blood Of Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Cleansed.

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