Most believers will agree that the greatest battle takes place in our minds. We have an enemy, the devil, and he is after our minds and hearts, because he wants to destroy the Christian. Jesus Christ told us in John 10:10 that the devil is a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Not only is he a thief, but Jesus Christ also tells us in John 8:44 that the devil is the father of lies, using all kinds of trickery to knock us off the path God has laid before us. Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to have fear about what the enemy is trying to do. God tells us in 1John 4:4 that His Spirit dwells within us and it is greater than he that is in the world. We can never underestimate the degree to which we must be anchored in this truth. It gives us the strength to fulfill our call and encourage others even when we’re under enemy attack.
God has some place for us to be
Another important truth that you and I must remember is that God has some place for us to be. There’s something in our lives that needs to be unlocked so that our eyes will be open to see another aspect of God that we haven’t seen before. He has existed billions upon billions of years, and we cannot think our life on earth affords us to know Him as intimately as He can be known. He has much more in store to show us, but the path for many believers remains blocked because they refuse to let God lead them to the place He has destined them to be. The good news is that some of us are heeding destiny’s pull. We’re continually asking, seeking, and knocking as Jesus Christ instructs in Matthew 7:7. For those of us that are diligent in our pursuit of God, it is important to know that sometimes encouraging others is the key that unlocks what Heavenly Father wants us to see.
God’s ways are not our ways
Isaiah 55:8(NLT) tells us, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Sometimes, without even knowing it, we place our mindset on the same level as God’s. We have an expectation that He will bend to our wills instead of us yielding to His. You and I cannot direct anything, and it is a pointless exercise to try. The distance between God’s thoughts and our thoughts cannot be quantified. We must pray for humility, for it is His counsel and direction we must seek.
Often people will say they are waiting on a move of God. The truth is that He wants to intervene in our situations, but it must be on His terms. Heavenly Father has given us certain assignments that preserve us and establish us in His ways. He tells us to be kind and generous to others, to be especially good to the household of faith, to pray often, and to study His Word like workmen that rightly divide it. These are the things we are commanded to do, and we must not be slack. The degree to which we are committed to these will be tested by the devil, and sometimes when we are in the very thick of it, a person that is a vessel for which we must plant our seed will come across our paths. We would do well NOT to miss this opportunity.
It’s quite possible, that you may be weary from dodging darts. You may not feel like encouraging anyone, but a believer is not governed by feelings. A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is governed by the instruction and direction of God. The Lord has predetermined your path. He knows the times and boundaries He has set for your life, and they work cohesively with His entire plan for the universe. We must understand that planting a seed of Godly encouragement into the lives of others often opens the way for God to intervene in our own lives.
Don’t allow your eyes to be closed during this pivotal time. Sometimes an encouraging word that we speak is all a person needs, and it will spark a flame that you and I might never see. What you WILL see is God intervening in your life and moving you to the place you’re destined to be. Whenever we continue to press in the things of God, even while being attacked by the enemy, Isaiah 40:31 tells us we will find new strength because of our trust in Heavenly Father. He will cause us to mount up and soar like eagles. We will run and not be weary and walk and not faint. Continue to press and do it with the joy of the Lord!
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Encouraging Others When You Don’t Feel Encouraged” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.