Category: Encouragement For The Downcast

“¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” ~ Genesis 4:15-16

Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy, then lied to God about it, and even in all of that, God still had mercy on Cain. Before there was The Law. Before there was redemption, Cain sinned, but God didn’t leave him there. He was punished, but God still had mercy on Cain. We live in a time of grace when God can still be found. When God has already paid for your sins and offered you forgiveness. He has paid the price and taken the weight on His shoulders.

Cain lived in a time that had no law. Had no way to be justified, yet God still found a way to give him grace. Don’t be ashamed to come to God. Don’t be ashamed of what you have done, for your Heavenly Father’s arms are opened, and He is waiting patiently for you to return home to Him. There is nothing you can do that is too hard for God to forgive and cleanse you of, so return home for His mercy is great, and His love for is never-ending.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Enter Into His Grace.

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“⁵ You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you” ~ Psalms 86:5

The Psalmist describes God as forgiving and good. He goes on to say that God abounds in love. What does that mean? God is love. His love cannot and will not ever run out. Because God is infinite, His love is infinite. No matter how far we’ve run. No matter how much debt we’ve collected, when we call on Him, He is faithful to answer. He is faithful to forgive us. He is faithful to love us. We are His children, so let us all return to our Heavenly Father, for He is forgiving, good, and abounding in love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Return To Your Good Father.

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“¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” ~ Ephesians 6:15

Paul tells us to put shroud our feet with the gospel of peace, but why our feet? Why not our mind? Could it be because Jesus gave us the gospel of peace so we can walk on stable ground in an unstable world? Even if everything else around us is in chaos, at least the ground we walk on is sturdy, never changing. So we don’t have to worry about the troubles of the world, but instead we can literally walk with/on peace. In this time of fear, anxiety, and panic we can hold to the promises of God and put on the Gospel of Peace as Paul instructed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put On Your Gospel of Peace.

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“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you His peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16 NLT

In every situation our God is still the God of Peace. He doesn’t change. He’s still seated upon His throne. Even when you feel He’s gone quiet, He’s still there. When you feel He’s forgotten you, He’s still there. Call out to Him and He will give you peace. His peace. Peace the world cannot give and the world cannot take away.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Call For Peace.

“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” ~ Psalm 126:5

Whether tears of mourning, stress, fear, panic it doesn’t matter, those tears will be turned into joy. God doesn’t make a promise and not fulfill it. Every tear you’ve cried He has caught and planted so that at the perfect time, joy will sprout inside of you. Joy that the world can’t take away, nor can it understand. Trust in God and He will take your pain from you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Reap In Joy.

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“⁹ Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, ‘Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.’ ‘Then impale Haman on it!’ the king ordered. ¹⁰ So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.” ~ Esther 7:9-10

Haman tried to murder Mordecai by impaling him because Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. But Mordecai was a good and righteous man who did what was right, so the LORD was with him. When the king found out what Haman was had planned to do and released who Mordecai was and what he did for him, the king turned Haman’s evil upon him.

Everything evil Haman planned for Mordecai, Haman had to endure. Everything good Haman planned for himself, he had to do to Mordecai. When you do what is right, even when others are against you, trying to destroy you, you will be protected. When you cast your bread upon the water, it will return to you. So be encouraged for good will always return to those who do good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Always Do What Is Right.

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“⁸ Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’” ~ Nehemiah 1:8-9

God loves His people, no matter what they do. Because of that love, God holds them accountable for doing right and wrong. When they refuse to be faithful to Him, He removes Himself from their presence, by scattering them among the nations. We are His children whom He loves, yet He will do the same to us. If we do not obey His commands and stay faithful to Him, then we will no longer be covered by His love, but instead sent out among the ungodly.

Even though we choose to leave God, God always makes a way for us to return to Him. He says to turn around, and He will bring you back to your rightful place, His arms. You could be farther away than you think it is possible to be saved, done more than can be forgiven, but nothing is too hard for our God. He is great and greatly to be praised. He is God Almighty and nothing is too hard for Him. No matter how far you’ve strayed, He will come look for you and He will find you if you let Him.

So be encouraged today, for the LORD your God will bring you back from the ends of the Earth if you return to Him. He will pick you up out of any hole, clean you up, and carry you home. You don’t have to do that yourself, you just have to allow God to do that for you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Return To God.

“¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” ~ Ephesians 2:10^NLT

Paul writes to the Ephesians that we are God’s masterpiece. How amazing is that? You are God’s masterpiece. Your old has been cast down and you were made new in Christ Jesus. He has made you new so that you can fulfill every good and perfect plan He has for you. God has blessed you with a new life, every wrong thing you’ve done has been erased, and you are a new creation. You can overcome any and every obstacle because you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. So be encouraged, because your past no longer holds you back. It no longer controls you. You are now a new creation. God’s masterpiece.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be New.

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“But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.’” ^~ Luke 1:13^NLT

Did you hear what the angel of the LORD said to Zachariah? He said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer.” That is extremely important. Why? Because, when we read that, we read it superficially, or in other words, we read it at face value. But there is more going on here. Look with me at verse 18. It says, “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’”

Did you catch that? It’s been years, probably decades since Zachariah last prayed that prayer. It’s been so long forgotten that he has given up, no, he has lost all hope, because his wife can no longer bear children. Therefore, God did not answer his prayer and now it’s too late; they’ve missed their opportunity. But God, our God is a good God and He never forgets. The prayers that have come up before Him are lasting prayers.

Look at Acts 10:4^NIV “…The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’” It wasn’t the prayer he was praying at that time, it was those he had prayed in the past, coupled with his giving.

Look also at Revelation 5:8^NIV, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Our prayers don’t just go up and eventually fizzle out just because we don’t see something happening when we say amen. Our prayers are ever before God and they will have their turn coming up as a memorial before Him. So, don’t ever think, or feel that your unanswered prayer is just that, an unanswered prayer. We are probably all still reaping the benefits of prayers that our parents, or grandparents, or even great grandparents prayed.

Be encouraged, your prayers have been heard by your heavenly Father, and if they have been heard, then they will be answered if we don’t lose heart. Be blessed and stay blessed.

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