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Encourage One Another

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Devotion 1 - Encourage One Another I once read a very thought-provoking book written by an American psychiatrist   M Scott Peck entitled ‘The Road less travelled.’ On the first paragraph of the first chapter, was written - “Life is Difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.” Well, I think we can all agree and resonate with that. Life is full of trials, struggles, temptation, pain and disappointment, etc. Human existence is accompanied by the basic fact that there will be problems in life. In fact, the Scripture tells us plainly: Job 5:7 – “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” Acts 14:22  - “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” We are living in a difficult world, we get setbacks and discouragements. For that reason, God exhorts us to intentionally encourage each other as frequently as possible. Heb. 10:24-25 – “ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,   not givin
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Encouraging Ourselves in the Lord

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Devotion 2 - Encouraging Ourselves in the Lord In Joshua 1:9, the Lord commanded Joshua to “Be strong and of good courage” to bring the Israelites into the promised land. Josh.1:9  – “ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the  Lord  your God  is  with you wherever you go.” To live in courage, however, we often need encouragement. But sometimes the only person who can encourage us is ourselves. In our walk with the Lord, there are times of loneliness and disappointment with friends or spiritual leaders.   There are times when we, out of obedience, walk in the sacred path ordained for us by the Lord, and yet nobody understands us.   We may feel rejected and misunderstood. In fact, most of the prophets in the old Testament were rejected by their own people. But let us glean an important lesson from the life of David. 1Sam.27:6-12 – David in Ziklag “ So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore, Ziklag has be
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Self-Acceptance

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Devotion 3 Strengthen ourselves through Self-acceptance Ps.139:13;16 – “For you created my inmost being ; you knit me together in my mother’s womb …and the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” Why does God want to emphasis that He created our inmost being? “Inmost being” – in Hebrew idiom, it is a word used to describe “the center of emotions and of moral sensitivity”. Thus, God created our personality as well. We are who we are because God created us that way, physically, mentally and emotionally. God is directly involved in the biological process in fashioning each one of us into the person he wants us to be. More than that, all the days of our lives are also under His sovereignty. Ps.31:15 – “My times are in your hands…” One of the most important keys to be able to encourage and strengthen ourselves in the Lord is self-acceptance, trusting God for who we are.   This is the believer’s foundation for self-acceptance. I
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Strengthen By our Destiny

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Devotion 4 - Strengthened by our Destiny Pro.29:18  – “ Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that kept the law, happy is he.”   Many people lose hope and lose meaning in life when their lives do not have a clear direction.   The l ack of a solid vision for our lives often causes us to lose courage.   On the other hand, if we truly believe our destiny, it gives us strength and courage to fight for our dreams. Gandhi put it very eloquently: “Our beliefs become our thoughts. Our thoughts become our words.   Our words become our actions.   Our actions become our habits.   Our habits become our values. Our values become our destiny.” Design for Destiny The word of God leaves us in no doubt that everyone of us is created for a special mission and purpose on this earth. Eph.2:10 - “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. While no one has been saved by virtue of
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Strengthen Through Hope

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Devotion 5 - Strengthen Through Hope   Ever felt as though you could not go on with your Christian life?   Perhaps you have experienced depression and despair and struggled with doubts and fear.   You are confronted with thoughts of yourself not being able to persevere in your walk with the Lord any longer and that your life was falling apart.   God seemed a thousand miles away and His help is not coming.   Ps.42:3  – “ My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where  is  your God?” Vs.9-10- “ I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me?” As  with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, “Where  is  your God?” The sarcastic question, “Where is your God?” seemed to imply that the psalmist was going through immense trials and God appeared to have abandoned him. In verses 5 and 11, the psalmist described himself as “cast down” and “in turmoil” and in verses 6 & 7 as a man drowning: “O my
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Comfort of the Scriptures

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Devotion 6 - Hope Through Comfort of the Scriptures Romans 15:4 – “ For  whatever things were written before were written for our learning , that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope .” The Bible was written to teach us and through the Scriptures, we can find hope, patience, endurance and encouragement. It equips us to endure, first, by  teaching us about the character of God.    The Bible points us to a God who is powerful, wise, good, gracious, compassionate, merciful and loving.  He is a God who finishes what He started and will not desert those who sincerely seek Him. When times are difficult and bewildering, and situations seem perplexed and unsettling, the Scriptures give us strength to hang on because we can be confident of whom we are hanging on to.  By pointing to the character, strength, and reliability of God, it gives us hope to hang on. However, in this passage, Paul is likely referring to only the Old Testament Scriptures as
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Hope Through Biblical Promisess

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Devotion 7 - Hope Through Biblical Promises Num.23:19  - “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?   Ps.89:33-34 – “ Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail.   My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”   Biblical hope is certain because it is based on the promises of God who cannot lie. And God is unchanging and eternal, so all His promises and covenants are sure. He isn’t weak but is able to fulfill what He promises; nobody can manipulate Him or control Him. His word is effective and certain and never fails to produce what He intends. Isa.55:11  – “ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper  in the thing  for which I sent it.” God’s promises are irrevocable,
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