Category: Encouragement For The Downcast

¹ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. ~ Psalms 137:1

This Psalm has been turned into a song. It’s sung as a happy and even joyous song. One tends to sing it without really thinking too much about it. But in actuality, this Psalm is very sad and heartbreaking. It was written probably somewhere around the Chebar River and the Euphrates River. The Jewish people had been forcibly taken from their homeland. They were as it was, in captivity, because of their idolatry. Everything they knew and loved was destroyed, crushed, broken, and burned, including their beloved Temple.

Their homes had been ransacked; their husbands and sons were slain by the edge of the sword. Their young women were raped and beaten in the streets. Their precious memories, keepsakes, and heirlooms were all either stolen or destroyed. Not one stone was left on the top of the other. Their beautiful buildings, the city walls, and everything they cared about and valued, including the Temple articles used for worship, were taken from them and carried off to Babylon.

Their idolatrous king was captured, and his sons were murdered in front of him, and then his eyes were plucked out, and he too, was carried off to Babylon, where he died. His wives and his daughters were ravished, and everyone that did not starve to death or perish in the Babylonian invasion were all stripped and marched off to captivity.

Now to add salt to the wounds, their captives were requiring them to sing songs of joy. Songs they sang in Jerusalem. Songs of celebration. But they answered, “How can we sing the LORD’s songs in this place of captivity? It will be like forgetting Jerusalem. Forgetting our former way of life and our freedom, we cannot sing songs of joy in this foreign land.”

They remembered not only their homeland and their way of life but they remembered that they had a promise from God. A promise through the prophet Jeremiah. The same Jeremiah they persecuted and thrown into a cistern where he sunk down into the mud because of his prophecies of destruction for turning away from the LORD their God.

The next time you are feeling low. The next time someone taunts you because of your Christian stance. The next time they laugh at you and call your Christian faith an outdated and antiquated religion, just let it roll off your back like water on a duck’s back. Instead of giving in to their taunts, sneers, jesting, and laughing, choose to focus on the promises of God. Choose to remember and recall the promises that God will bless you. You are the head and not the tail. You are the chosen ones, and God is for you, even if it doesn’t look like it now.

Remember, most of all, Jesus’ promise to come back and get us. He will not leave us destitute, nor will He forget us here. But He will come back for us, bringing His rewards for us with Him and His recompense for those who hate Him and who have persecuted us. So, encourage yourselves with these words; Jesus loves me and has made a way for me to live with Him forever in peace and everlasting blessings.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great and marvelous promises. Thank You for the gift of life. And when life begins to get me down, and times begin to get hard and difficult, help me to remember that You are for me. Help me to remember that Jesus is coming back to deliver me out of the hands of evil men. Strengthen my resolve now; in Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

Scripture Reading

¹ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion. ² We hanged our harps Upon the willows in the midst thereof. ³ For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; And they that wasted us required of us mirth, Saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. ⁴ How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a strange land? ⁵ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget her cunning. ⁶ If I do not remember thee, Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. ⁷ Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; Who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. ⁸ O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee As thou hast served us. ⁹ Happy shall he be, that taketh And dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Psalms 137:1-9

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¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17b

At midnight we rang in a new year. 2023 has begun, and our slate has been wiped clean. With each year, we are given another chance, a new opportunity to follow through on our plans, goals, and resolutions. Another opportunity to right wrongs and rebuild bridges that we’ve previously lost. Today is the beginning of a new life. We don’t have to continue in our old ways walking around the mountain day after day and year after year. Not everyone gets to see a new year. Don’t waste the blessing God has bestowed upon you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Make This Year Better Than The Last.

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²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ~ Matthew 1:20-21

Jesus lived, died, and was raised to life again. By this, He purchased our salvation. And if that was all, that would be enough. But not only did Jesus purchase our salvation, but He purchased our peace and our healing. Through His name, we have been given authority to cast out demonic and evil spirits. In His name, relationships are restored. In His name are all of the blessings that are found in God.

All we need to do is to call upon the name of Jesus, our LORD and Savior, and our Salvation, and He will make everything right.

But please understand I’m not saying that life will magically become a cakewalk. Jesus, in fact, warns us that there will be many troubles, trials, and sorrows while on this earth, but He didn’t stop there. He didn’t leave us hopeless. Jesus goes on to encourage us by saying, “Take heart, for I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”

Jesus doesn’t promise us all sunshine and rainbows. He tells you like it is, “You will have many trials and many sorrows.” But in His name, we can have peace. In His name, we can overcome. This is why He came. To save mankind. To save the world. To bring peace. To bring hope. To bring salvation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Miss Out On Salvation.

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³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ~ John 6:35

God makes no mistakes or does nothing without a reason. For instance, it’s not a coincidence that the Bread of Life was born in the city called the house of bread. God strategically planned every aspect from before the foundation of the world. We serve a great and mighty God.

Not only that, but God wanted to make sure there was no doubt in anybody’s mind about who He was talking about. Therefore, He said,

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah…”

God made sure that Bethlehem of Ephrathah was distinguished from the Bethlehem of the tribe of Zebulun. Why? Because Bethlehem Ephrathah, in Judea, is the birthplace of King David. The same Bethlehem that belonged to Judah. The ancestral tribe of Jesus. Thus, He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. A descendant of Judah, the son of Jacob, the grandson of Isaac, and the great-grandson of the patriarch Abraham.

Everything God does has a purpose, which includes creating you. You weren’t a mistake. You weren’t an accident. You were hand formed by God Himself. He created you and created a plan for your life. Everything was intentional, down to where you were born, just like Christ Jesus. So, be encouraged today; you were not a mistake but divinely designed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Believe In Your Purpose.

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⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ~ Matthew 2:9

Everyone, at some point in time, lives in a world of darkness without Christ. Whether we’re born into that darkness or we choose to willingly leave the light for that darkness, it doesn’t matter because we’ve all been in that darkness. This includes the wise men.

But not all of us are like the wise men because the majority of mankind doesn’t know about the star of Jesus. We don’t know how to find it. We don’t know which star it is. We don’t recognize it when it rises.

The majority of us are like King Herod. We ask about the prophecies and the star, but we still don’t recognize them or understand them. So, we try to destroy the Messiah out of fear of losing what we have in the darkness, not realizing that what He has in store for us in the light is worth more than silver, frankincense, or even gold.

Christ has so much in store for you. Don’t miss out on Him. Do more than ask about the signs that lead to Him; seek Him. Because when you seek Him, you will find Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do More Than Ask.

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⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ~ 1 Peter 2:9–10

We are royal because God has adopted us as sons and daughters, just like Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. We walk in power and anointing because we have been baptized with God’s Holy Spirit. Just like Moses came out of the palace, we, too, have been called out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light.

We are empowered to perform signs, wonders, miracles, healings, and even raise the dead. Signs and wonders are appearing in the Church in these last days. More and more reports of healings and deliverances are happening all over the place, especially in third-world countries such as Africa and some in South America, and even right here in America.

Although we are persecuted, although we are ridiculed, and all manner of evil is said about us, we believe that in the last days, God will stretch out His hand and strike Pharoah and Egypt, bringing judgment on them and delivering us out of Egypt. Egypt represents the unrepentant world. So, hold your head high; your deliverer will soon come.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Await Your Deliverance.

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¹² Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. ~ Revelation 22:12–13^NIV

He said that His reward is with Him, and He will give to each person according to what they have done. So, whether good or bad, there will be a reward for you according to your deeds. If you want a good reward, do good things. If you don’t really give a care, continue in your rebellious ways without Jesus.

It is a war they cannot win. Jesus will never be defeated. He is the Alpha, and He is the Omega. He is the first, and He is the last. He is the beginning, and He is the end. Nothing or no one will be able to stand against Him and the power of His word. Just by the blast of His breath, He slays the wicked. Do not get caught on the wrong side. Because no matter what the outcome is, Jesus’ reward will far outweigh the hardships. Nothing compares to it. Nothing compares to Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live According to His Rewards.

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¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ~ Luke 10:19

Jesus gave His people authority over sickness, oppression, anxiety, depression, fear, panic attacks, and any other power of the enemy. We don’t have to suffer from the blows and the attacks of the enemy. Why? Because all the power of the enemy has been placed under the feet of Jesus and at His name, every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is LORD. This is the name He has given to us. This is the name we run into. This is the name we are saved by. This is the name of authority.

Therefore, if we are followers of Christ and a new creation in Him, then all we have to do is believe that His name will change all things for us. We don’t live like the world, hopeless and afraid. We live in faith, love, and hope. If we live our lives according to these three key blocks, making love our foundational block, then we will see the power of the name of Jesus once again on this earth.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build to Overcome.

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¹ The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ~ Psalms 110:1

The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. He has never lost one battle, and He has never been defeated in war. Jesus gave His life in battle, yes, but it was in order to save us, His brothers and sisters. He hung on the cross of Calvary on that dark and dreadful day when He became the sacrifice for our sins. It was the only way.

But, by giving His life, He actually won the war. Now He is seated at the right hand of power. Having won the war for our souls, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, and now He is recruiting soldiers to fight this great spiritual war. He’s looking for men and women like you and like me, who will stand and fight, and after doing all to stand, that we therefore stand. When we conquer, we will be veterans as Christ is a veteran, and as a reward, we will live with God in eternity forever and ever. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and pain will be no more.

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

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