Encouragement For The Downcast Archives

December 25, 2020December 25, 2020

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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The Good With The Bad

²⁸Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, ³⁰who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” ~ Mark 10:28-31

Often times, we, as a Church, only like to focus on the positive things that come with Christianity. And by no means am I saying that they won’t happen, but as Job said, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” Will we only accept the positive that comes with Christianity and not the negative? Jesus never said that each day would be sunflowers and roses; instead, He said that He would give us the good, but we also have to accept the bad. Just like a rose garden has both the mud and beautiful roses, so does life. Life isn’t easy, but it’s worth it because, in the end, Jesus promises that we shall inherit eternal life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept The Good With The Bad.

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Continue The Good Fight

“¹⁹We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” ~ Hebrews 6:19-20

We have this hope that Jesus, our LORD and Savior, went ahead on our behalf to make a way for us. He not only paid for our sins on the cross, but He continues to bring us hope by bringing petitions on our behalf before the Father. He intercedes on our behalf, bringing us this hope that our prayers are being heard. Don’t give up hope when you feel like the road is getting too hard or overwhelming; Jesus is praying for you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Continue The Good Fight.

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Live Your God-Given Dream

“So Joshua said to the people of Israel, ‘How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?’” ~ Joshua 18:3

Seven of the tribes had become complacent even though they had God’s promise. Has God given you a promise or spoken to you about something, maybe a ministry or a business? If God has promised, He will deliver. Don’t just sit on a wealth of potential and be satisfied with someone else’s spoils.

It looks daunting, and giants are in the land but get up and go take possession of YOUR promise, live the dream God has given you.

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His Favor

“For His anger endures but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.” ~ Psalm 30:5

If God loves you, He will discipline you; but it’s only for a short time because He loves you. Therefore, His favor lasts a lifetime. His favor will open doors that were once closed; it brings that promotion that was out of reach. It protects that wayward child and restores that broken relationship. His love is the reason why weeping will only last a night, but when the sun comes up, it brings joy, new hope, renewed mercies, and fresh blessings. Be blessed today, be joyful today, be hopeful today and be optimistic today; God loves you and cares for you.

Father, we, Your children, come and humble ourselves before You. We thank You for Your love, but as we are only human, LORD, we ask that You help our faith, our understanding, and our patience. For LORD, we do not understand all that You do, but we know that all that You do is for our best interest. Help us, today, LORD, to understand only a loving parent disciplines their child.

In the precious and Holy Name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

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