Tag: Encouragement For The Downcast

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. ~ Luke 4:18-19

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was upon Him and that God the Father had anointed Him to preach the Good News of salvation. To release the captives and heal the sick, to bring freedom to the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.

Seems to me that we are living in that time, the time of the LORD’s favor. Why? Because this is the time when anyone can bow before the LORD, call on His name, and be saved. Before the giving of the Holy Spirit, that didn’t happen. That had not yet been an option for all of mankind.

Now, because of the fullness of Jesus, or the completeness of Jesus, we have received favor upon favor, and grace upon grace, to the point where we can do all things through Christ who gives us His favor, or His grace.

In other words, His completeness, or His fullness, which is His strength, becomes our strength, and we are made complete in Him as long as we are in Him, and He is in us. Nothing is impossible for us.

There is no lack in Jesus. There is no emptiness in Jesus. There is no absence of anything good in Jesus. There is no bareness of any kind in Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is the fullness of God, made complete through His obedience as a man, obedience even unto death. That fullness or completeness is given or granted to us by Jesus when He said, “Lo, I’m with you always.” That was not just for the first century Church, but for us as well.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Dwell In His Grace.

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¹⁰ Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. ~ Psalms 27:10 NLT

Many people have this idea that serving God will suddenly fix all their problems. Like accepting Jesus will suddenly make life a lot easier. This isn’t true because as soon as you accept Jesus, you have to start running the race set before you.

The race is tiring and difficult. Many fail; few even begin. The race isn’t easy; it’ll force you to choose between life and death. This may cause all people you love to abandon you, even your parents, but God will never leave you more forsake you. Instead, God will strengthen you and keep you. He will give you streams of living water that will never run dry. Why? Because God is our good Heavenly Father. He’s perfect and just in all of His ways.

When all others abandon you for doing what’s right, and the Devil comes against you like a flood, God holds you. He goes before you and clears the way. He dwells in you so that you might be strengthened and encouraged. He sticks closer than any brother, father, or friend. Why? Because He is good and He loves us dearly.

Peace. Love. Go forth and Follow Regardless.

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²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 5:20-21

God is a Holy and righteous God. He demands perfection from His children, but because He knows that we in this mortal body could never be perfect gives us grace. What does that mean? Not every person is on the same level of restoration. In other words, we are all His clay pots because we are all His creation. Some of us are more broken with more dents and scratches than the others.

God is the Potter. He molds, rewords, and restores the clay pots with love and great attention. Some of us, God has been working on for a while, so our sins are (or should) no longer holding us in bondage the way they once were. Therefore, we should require (and He does give) less grace. Why? Because we should be overcoming more often and falling into pitfalls and traps set by the enemy less.

Whereas the clay that is only now getting remolded and reworked is going to struggle more. They’re going to trip up more. Why? Because they’ve only now begun to change. They’re babies in the faith still on milk. Those of us who have known the Truth for so many years should no longer be on milk but meat. We should be teachers and mentors to those young in the faith. We should no longer be on the same level as when we first started.

To those who have only just begun, be encouraged, be hopeful, and be strengthened in the Joy of the LORD. Always strive for perfection because even if you miss, you’ll land among excellence. To those who have been faithfully running the race set before you for a while, don’t grow weary of doing good. Continue to progress with confidence and endurance. Focus on the race set before you, but don’t forget the new believer. Always be seeking to mentor, teach, and guide the new believer through their journey. Always search for new fields to harvest, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Regardless of where you are in your faith, always press forward and never look back.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Always Move Forward.

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Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. ~ John 5:2-3, 5-9

The lame man had been lame for 38 years. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long he was at the pool for, but what we can gather is that it had been so long that the man had lost hope. His faith was almost completely gone, but something remained sparked inside of him. How can we be sure? He didn’t leave the pool area. He remained next to it. He didn’t leave the place where miracles happened. No, he stayed there whether he whole-heartedly believed one day he would be healed or not. He remained where hope was and where his best chance of healing rested.

By the time Jesus got there, the majority of his hope and faith had dwindled away. See, this lame man couldn’t walk, so he probably had to crawl to fight his way to get into the pool before other more able-bodied men and women could. Imagine day after day, year after year, fighting with all that you have within you to get to the pool first, but no matter how hard you try, you always fall short. Now, out of nowhere, a man walks to you and asks if you want to be healed. You don’t know who he is. You don’t know his power, so you just tell him that you can’t get to the pool. You’ve tried, and you’ve failed.

Sometimes, this is us. We have a heavy burden that we just can’t seem to carry anymore. We have a stronghold that just won’t let go. We have a spiritual enemy that just won’t relent. You have a sin that you just can’t shake. You’ve tried everything. You’ve been persistent, and now you’re at the end of your rope. Your faith is about done. Your hope is about dried up. I’m here to tell you to hold on. Remain in your place of hope. Remain in your place of opportunity because even if your faith is failing, that action of remaining in that place of hope will keep enough faith alive within you to catch Jesus’ attention when He passes by.

See, Jesus chose this man not because he had great faith. Not because he was a good man and deserved to be healed. Jesus chose him because he had been there a while but couldn’t get his healing. Jesus saw that the man couldn’t make it all the way, so Jesus carried the man. The man didn’t fall at the feet of Jesus and beg for a healing or reach out for a healing in faith as he touched Jesus. No. He didn’t even recognize Jesus. Jesus rewarded the man holding on to what little bit of faith and hope he had left.

When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on. Don’t let go. Don’t give up and leave. Stay in that place of hope. And if possible, keep fighting to get to the water. Don’t give up because soon, the Savior will be walking by, and He’ll be looking for someone to help. Don’t miss your opportunity. Don’t miss your chance at freedom.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remain Until The Savior Comes.

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⁵ For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. ⁶ Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars? ~ 1 Chronicles 17:5-6 ^KJV

Look at what God has said, I have not dwelt (I have not lived) in a house but have gone about with you, My people. I live among you. I move among you. I do not give Myself special treatment, but I dwell among My people wherever they go; I AM there with them.

Now, notice the next verse. I have walked with My people Israel. God did not mount up on Cherubim and fly. Neither did He just pop up to where they were going, but rather, He walked along with them, just like they walked. There is not one standard for His people and one standard for Him. God is a personal God. He will walk right beside you through the good times and through the bad times. He will not leave us, nor will He forsake us. But He will be right there beside.

So, the next time you feel like you are all alone. The next time the enemy tells you that there is no one there who cares about you, tell him he is a liar and the father of lies. Because your God is right there wheresoever you may go. God is both a Sun and a Shield. He is your rear guard, and He is your point guard, and He is your flank guard. No one can come against you except they first go through your personal God.

Jesus is our personal God. He gave His life as a ransom for many. Even for ‘whomsoever will come,’ therefore, let him or her who will come, come, and experience the up close and personal God, Who is always with us and is always for us.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always there beside me. Thank You that You will never leave me nor forsake me. That You care enough to walk alongside me through the hard times and through the fun times. Help me to always remember that You are for me and not against me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry. ~ Psalms 34:15

Do you sometimes feel like you are all alone in the world? Like no one sees you? Like no one hears you? Like there is no one you can turn to? Well, lift up your head and straighten up your back; there is good news. The LORD God said in His Word, “My eyes are towards the righteous.” In other words, He sees you right where you are. He sees what is being done to you, and He is taking note.

Then He goes on to say that His ears are toward their cry. Meaning, He hears you when you call to Him. Your prayers that you think are just going up and bouncing off of the ceiling, well, to put it bluntly, they are not. They are reaching the very ears of God. Not just the throne but the ears. Because your letters can reach the White House, you know, they could even reach the Oval Office, but they could stop right there and never reach the ears of the President. So close, but yet so far.

But the righteous are not like that; their ways are known to God. Their being is always before Him; their prayers and their cries are always heard by the LORD. There is not one prayer, one cry, or one moment of your life that your God is unaware of if you are a Christian following Jesus.

Verse 8 of the same Psalm says:

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Psalms 34:8

It is an invitation to come and test the LORD and see if He is not all that He said He is. You will be blessed and highly favored. Come to the LORD, taste, and see that God is good and that He loves you and cares for you. He hears your cries, and He sees you where you are at. So, the next time you feel down, remember you are never alone.

Father, we come in the name of Jesus, Your son, calling out to You. Provide our needs. Provide what is lacking in our lives. Touch our body and heal us, for by Your stripes, we are healed. It has been paid for. Calm our troubled minds so that depression, anxiety, or panic attacks may not come upon us. Help us to find strength in Your joy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ~ Philippians 3:8-11

Today is Resurrection Sunday. The day Jesus rose from the dead with healing in His wings and salvation in His hand. He will give that free gift of salvation to whomsoever will come. If you’re thirsty, come. If you’re lonely, come. If you need healing, come. If you need freedom from tormenting spirits, come.

Whatsoever you need, come, and you will find it in Jesus. Is your marriage broken? Give it to Jesus. Are your loved ones strung out on drugs? Give it to Jesus. Is your spouse an alcoholic and despises church? Give it to Jesus. His hand has not shortened that He cannot save. Whatever your need is, come, and Jesus will meet that need. Maybe you’ve been having dreams about Jesus and His salvation; here’s what you do. Repent of your sins and ask Jesus into your heart. If you are saved, thank Him for His salvation and follow Him with everything that’s within you. There’s nothing like dwelling in the presence of God. Give Him all of your pain and stress, and He will take it from you and give you peace in return.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cling To The Promise of His Resurrection.

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⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. ⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” ~ Mark 16:5-6

The angel said to the women, “Do not be alarmed.” In other words, don’t be afraid. Don’t worry; Jesus has everything worked out for you. Just trust in what He said. The just shall walk by faith. Then the angel says these beautiful words, “He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”

Jesus is alive! He was crucified. He died and was buried. But on the 3^rd day, He rose to life again. The resurrection power was in Him, and He stepped out of that grave victorious. The grave could not hold Him, death could not keep Him, for in Him is the life and the light, and darkness can never prevail over Him. He is the everlasting God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Encouraged By His Victory.

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⁴¹As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it ⁴²and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” ~ Luke 19:41-44

All of this is happening on the first day of the week, a Sunday. It is the tenth day of Nisan. The High Priest is selecting the Passover lamb that will be slain on the 14^th. Now all of this is interrupted by the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. They were busy with the requirements of the law as it pertained to the instructions for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They were doing all the right things at the right time, but they did not recognize the day of their visitation. The day when God Himself would visit them, and they would have the choice to receive Him.

It was like when Jesus told Martha that she was anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing was necessary, and Mary had chosen the good portion, and it would not be taken away from her. It was Mary’s day of visitation. Like Mary, we must be vigilant; we must watch and pray so that we will not miss the Day of Our Visitation.

We cannot get so busy, even with church stuff, that we miss The Day of Visitation.

The day that the LORD Himself shows up on our own front door
Or show up in time of worship
Or when He comes to answer our diligent prayers
We must keep vigil

If the Jews had only recognized their Messiah, and if they had only chosen and accepted Him, they wouldn’t still be wandering the earth looking for their Messiah. Maybe they would have remained and not been scattered. Maybe their Temple would have remained and not been torn down. We have to be sure we don’t miss the visitation of our LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For More Visitations.

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