Someone
has said that discouragement is the devil’s most valuable tool. The Bible calls
discouragement “losing heart” (Luke 18:1, 2 Cor. 4:1,16, Gal. 6:9).
Discouragement means losing your strength, courage and motivation, which drains
your spiritual battery. When you encourage a discouraged person it’s like sending
energy into their spirit so they can keep going.
When
you jump-start a battery, you pull alongside the vehicle that has a depleted
battery. You connect the jumper cables on a car’s good battery to the battery
in the other car. When you turn on your car, the power in your battery flows
into the other battery to start the other car.
This
illustrates how encouragement works. It’s like jump-starting another person. You
pull alongside someone who is exhausted or has lost hope. Your encouraging
words send energy into them so they can continue down the road.
Hebrews
3:13 says, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still
called ‘Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness
of sin.” Of course, every day is today. Today is today, and when you get to
tomorrow, that will be today as well. This means we need to encourage one
another every day.
How
do you encourage someone? You speak positive words that give affirmation and
hope. Compliment them on the good qualities you see in them. Tell them God loves
them and He has a good plan in spite of the way they feel right now (Jer.
29:11). Dark clouds hide the sunshine but the sun is still there and your dark
times will soon pass.
Don’t
wait until tomorrow to jump-start someone. Do it today. www.makinglifecount.net
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NEW BIBLE STUDY: “What
does ‘Lead us not into temptation’ mean?”
NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY: Israeli student
finds ancient rare coin of King Agrippa
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