Encouragement For The Downcast Archives

October 14, 2020October 12, 2020

His Faithful

He says, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” ~ Isaiah 49:6

Look at what the LORD says. He tells Isaiah that it is too small a thing just to be a servant; He will make him more than just that. If we continue reading just a couple of more verses, we will find what else the LORD sees fit to add. He causes high ranking people such as kings to pay homage, honor, and respect to Isaiah. Why? Because the LORD is faithful and kind.

Are you feeling like a despised servant without respect or honor? Be faithful to your calling no matter what, and God will eventually promote you and make you more than a conqueror. But you have to remain a faithful servant of God without wavering. Things may not come when they seem, but keep your faith for God has great things in store for you.

Dear Heavenly Father, please look and see the faithfulness of Your servants. Take note of the plight that they are in. Notice their lowly state and come to the rescue of Your people. Promote the faithful, those who have honored You; please lift them up and promote them now.

In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Lowly and Despised

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 that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:8-12

Apparently, a shepherd was a very despised occupation in the time of Jesus, so much so that they could not testify in a Jewish court because their word was not considered valid, neither were they allowed into the temple to worship God, because they were ceremonially unclean. They were basically the lowest of the low in Jewish society. Yet, Almighty God chose them to be the first to tell of this great news, the birth of the long-awaited Messiah.

He did not choose the eloquent, or the high and mighty High Priest, but instead, according to 1 Cor 1:27-29, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” If you are feeling this way, rejoice you fit the description, Jesus came for you. Those shepherds did not return to the fields and to their sheep the same way they left; they had an encounter with the Holder and Giver of Salvation. So rejoice and be glad, Jesus came just for you.

My Heavenly Father, thank You that You came for whomsoever will and not just the rich or the powerful, or for those who are acclaimed to be somebody in the world. Your eye has always been on the widow and the orphan, and on the poor and the needy. You will protect those who were abused and left behind because they don’t belong to the right Country Club or hold the right accreditation. LORD thank You that You love us and care for us not because of who we are in this world, but because of who we are in Christ Jesus. May Your name be forever praised, and may You receive all honor and all glory, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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His Prayer

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,” ~ John 17:20

Wow! Jesus Himself has prayed and indeed is still interceding for you and for me. If Jesus, the Son of God, has prayed for our deliverance and for us to succeed in this world, tell me what can stop us or who can hinder us? Let us then persevere with all diligence knowing that Christ already won our battle, and because He overcame, we too shall overcome.

Our Father who watches over us and who resides in heaven may Your name be glorified forever. Give us the victory today and help us to overcome the temptations and the obstacles that may befall. Thank You for deliverance and for Jesus, who lives and who intercedes for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Open Doors

“So Joshua said to the Israelites: ‘How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?’” ~ Joshua 18:3

Do you have big dreams of ‘someday’? Someday I’m going to start my own business. Someday I’m going to Copywrite my stuff. Someday I’m going to pursue my invention. Someday I’m going to…but I’m waiting for the right time, the right circumstances, I’m waiting for God to move. But, just maybe God is waiting for you.

He has given you creative ideas, abilities, and the open door. Now He is waiting for you to make the move and walk through the open door. So what exactly are you waiting for? Go ahead conquer the land that has been given to you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged for the LORD your God is with you.

Heavenly Father, I pray for boldness and for confidence. I pray for opportunities and for open doors. LORD, please give success to everyone that is about to step out in faith. Be with them and give them the victory, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

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Come Home

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.’” ~ Luke 15:21-23

Jesus tells this story of the Prodigal Son, who took his whole inheritance and left home. He spent everything he had on riotous living and ended up in the pig pen. Have you ever been around a real pig pen? It stinks, it is full of muck and real nasty, and for a rich Jewish boy that was as low as you could get, there was nothing lower.

But the young man realized he still had a father, and though he probably wouldn’t be accepted as a son, he might be accepted as a servant. But after he explained to his father how unworthy he was, his father didn’t even acknowledge what he said but threw a big celebration at the return of his lost son. This is how our Heavenly Father feels about us. You’ve never gone too far or sunk too low for God to accept you. He will give you new clean robes and your rightful place as a child of God.

Father, thank you for the grace you have lavished on me, and for Your blood that was poured out for me. I know that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Give me strength to live for You each and every day.

In Jesus name, I pray, amen.

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You Shall Reap

“When He [Jesus] had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets'” ~ Luke 5:4-5

Jesus had just finished using Peter’s boat to preach to a huge crowd of people, and now it was time for payment. God never uses anybody or anybody’s things for free, anyone He uses will receive compensation. Peter and his men had worked hard all night and caught nothing. Besides that, they had just finished cleaning all their equipment, including those big bulky nets. He very well could have said, “You know, Jesus, we are tired, we’re hungry, we just want to go home to our families now, but next time for sure.”

Instead, Peter was obedient and did what seemed like a useless task. The reward was that they caught so many fish that the nets began to break, so they had to call for their partners to come and help. Then the two boats began to sink from the amount of fish they hauled in. What a payday! So never feel like the volunteer work you have done, the finances you have given, the help you have freely lent is all for naught because it’s not. Your labor is not in vain with the LORD, you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.

Father, remember those who give of their time and effort. Those who give of their finances and their possessions, LORD let their payday come and come quickly. For Your Word says for us to cast our bread on the waters and in many days, it will return to us, press down, shaken together and running over, because we know we can never out-give You.

Thank You, Father, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

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Look To The Eastern Sky

“¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

I heard a man once say that we need to stop preaching End Times messages. Enough with the rapture messages, because we are only taking away hope from our up and coming generation. Oh, how The Church has strayed… Paul said, “encourage one another with these words.” How can it be taking away hope if it is encouragement?

The message that we aren’t forgotten, that soon enough the Bridegroom will return for His bride, now that, that’s encouraging. We always get caught up with the things of this world. And why shouldn’t we? It was perfectly designed for us, but we messed it up. We continuously talk about how horrible the Earth is. How wicked humanity has gotten, yet the thought of being taken away to a better place for celebration and everlasting joy, is taking away hope. I don’t think so.

It’s not even that we will be with the LORD forever. Or that we will get a new perfect Earth. It’s that even though we ruined God’s masterpiece. Even though we destroyed ourselves and this beautiful Earth that He gave us, He didn’t just abandon us here to rot. He promised that He would be back. Jesus even went the extra mile and gave us clues on when this would take place. If it isn’t encouraging that the God of the entire universe would think us valuable enough to come back for us and save us from our own mistakes, then I don’t know what is.

At the end of the day, everyone will have their own feelings about this, but I do implore you, don’t get caught up in this world. Don’t get stuck seeking out the things of this world if it causes you to no longer desire His return. Because this, this is all temporary. This won’t last, but what He wants to give us, now that, that is worth putting up with this crazy, messed up world for. Jesus returning, now that is the most encouraging thing I can think of.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look To The Eastern Sky.

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Choose To Be Happy

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” ~ Psalm 118:24 KJV

The Psalmist is saying, “We WILL rejoice in this day that our LORD God has made,” not necessarily because we are happy or because everything is going our way, food is on the table, bills are paid, and all our enemies have called a truce and decided to support our endeavors. But because it is a gift from our God. Therefore, rejoicing is a choice, we choose to be happy or to let the enemy steal our joy.

Psychologists suggest that if we are angry on the inside, but smile on the outside and act happy, our equilibrium will soon match and we will become happy on the inside. Same is true with the opposite. If you’re happy on the inside but act angry and look angry on the outside, you will soon become angry on the inside as well. Being happy is a choice we can all make daily. So choose to be happy, choose to rejoice because of the gift of life and salvation that is freely offered to us all. Always see the glass as being half full instead of half empty.

Heavenly Father, make us an instrument of peace and encouragement, and a source of joy and comfort that others may see and hear and live and not die, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

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Be A Dreamer

“But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. ‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to each other. ‘Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.’” ~ Genesis 37:18-20

Joseph had two dreams that he told to his brothers. They didn’t appreciate the gesture at all. And so it is still today. When you excitedly tell others about your dreams and what God spoke into your life, they will not feel the same excitement as you do. They will find a way to discourage you and to successfully kill the dream. But God keeps watch over His Word to ensure it comes to pass.

Don’t lose hope, and don’t be discouraged no matter what people may say, for God is able to bring to pass everything He has said and everything He intends to happen, we just have to be patient and obedient.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You who watches over us and keeps us neither slumbers nor sleeps. Neither are You swayed by popular opinion, but rather, You use the simple to confound the wise, and the weak to overcome the strong. Thank you that Your Word will not return unto You void, but will accomplish everything You desire it to accomplish. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.

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Join The Righteous

“¹⁰And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ ¹²But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” ~ Matthew 9:10-13

When you feel like you’re not good enough to be saved, remember Jesus went to the least of those in His time. He didn’t go to the Pharisees and Sadducees, He went to the fishermen, the tax collectors, those who would be deemed insignificant. Jesus went to the lowest of the low, Samaritans.

Why did He go to these types of people? Well, verse 12-13 tells us why. Jesus didn’t come for the righteous, but for the unrighteous. Jesus said this because He knew that they looked down on the tax collectors and sinners because they saw themselves as righteous. He said this so that they could understand that Jesus came not just for them, but for all people. He came for the sinners.

We’re all sinners, Jews, Gentiles, addicts, alcoholics, murderers, adulterers, fornicators, thieves, everyone. Jesus came for all of us. No one is too sick for this doctor. Because this doctor is perfect. He makes no mistakes. He does the impossible. He does what is best for His patient. He will never do any of us harm. He will never turn us away because we can’t pay Him. Why? Because it’s already paid for in full, we need only accept His free gift.

Jesus is the Good Doctor. Jesus is our Savior. He loves us so much, that before we even commit tomorrow’s sins, He created a way for forgiveness. He created the plan of forgiveness before we fell into our sinful ways. Before we fell prey to addiction, lust, anger, murder, adultery, God created a way that we may still come to Him. A way that we may be saved so that we wouldn’t stay sick. So that we wouldn’t die in our own filth, but instead live, and live more abundantly.

Salvation isn’t for the righteous, but the unrighteous, that we may be made righteous through His Holy Spirit. We don’t have to continue empty, but God made a way that we can all be filled through the Son and by the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is accept that free gift of salvation by confessing our sins and declaring Jesus Christ as our God and Savior.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Join The Righteous.

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