Do you feel encouraged? It's difficult in such a broken and unjust world where evil seems to flourish. Sometimes we feel like we will never measure up or we should 'be better' or that God just 'doesn't have a place for me', and Facebook and other social media is not helping. John Meinen says, "Shame is not the same thing as guilt. Guilt is the right response to moral failure: 'I made a mistake. I am sorry.' Shame, on the other hand, personalizes that guilt. It’s not ‘I made a mistake’ but ‘I am a mistake.’" Our lives rarely take the course we imagined or hoped for, and it's so easy for our self-evaluation to drift towards pride or self-hate. We tend to lean too far into feeling or intellectualism, rather than being truly involved in change. A Life in Christ produces abundant, high-quality fruits due to the perfect love and careful pruning of The Father and training by The Holy Spirit. Every day is another opportunity for change, where His mercy and grace is fresh.
In His mercy, God is more than capable of perfecting us if we will surrender ourselves daily to Him. Trying to be good enough or a perfectionist will not work as we cannot prove ourselves to God or buy His love. Head knowledge won't cut it. Only Faith in Him will cause us to repent and move forward. We must simply keep going while looking to Him for help, and He knows it isn't easy. Lysa TerKeurst has said,"Take heart. We don't have to have all the answers. We just have to stay connected to The One who does." She goes on,"God is still very much at work. Even in the silence. Even in the unknown. Even when you can't see anything on the horizon."
When God awakens us, it brings us into a more sensitive reality with substantially greater sorrow and joy. Things are at once made harder and yet better and there is rest. Trying to simply follow rules causes us to focus on ourselves instead of God. God is in no way arbitrary, so His methods will lead to truly good things for the benefit of all. He gives us freedom to experience more joy and changes our hearts through the experience of His love and discipline. We must be impressed by His character. Through the choices we make as new creatures growing in faith and understanding, we can become more pure. Sometimes that requires a change in direction or surroundings, but it definitely takes commitment to see things through. If we are stuck in a repetitive sin, we may have to address a greater problem and make sure that we are not making excuses or giving our self special concessions.
Success in general usually comes down to choosing the pain of discipline(delaying or denying gratification) over the ease of distraction, and your personal reliability affects the success of those around you too. Our body is His temple and our purpose is for His delight and increasing glory so, while our path takes us through all kinds of challenges, He promises to provide exactly what we will require. Though often He will give us relief, some of us will experience things that we will not recover from until we see His face, but to have any more or less than what we have been given would be ruinous.
As John Piper has said, “When things are going bad that does not mean God has stopped doing good. It means He is shifting things around to get them in place for more good, if you will go on loving Him.” Without suffering, we could hardly expect to find greater intimacy with our Creator or each other. It would only grow our shallowness and pride, or at best give us over to habitual complaining and contempt. Jesus suffered greatly on our behalf, more than anyone ever has. Pain and persecution strengthens our bond with Him as we realize the depth of our identity in Christ and it gives us greater resolve for His purposes because we find meaning in some of the most ordinary day-to-day experiences. Loss reveals our feelings and values, and wolves change rivers. A life of overcoming self and sacrificing for the benefit of others makes us whole and effectual members of God's family. Our patience in suffering helps others endure with patience. We discover that the people around us are worth helping (even the thankless), we value our time together and find our reason for living. Cory Richards, upon almost reaching the peak of Hkakabo Razi said, "The most growth we experience comes from darkness because when you're stripped that bare, that raw, you can only be honest with yourself."
We should willingly pour ourselves out for the sake of others, because no matter what happens to our body, we will be perfectly resurrected with Christ! Paul said that if he lost everything and still had Christ, he was content and no matter what happened he could find joy in knowing that Christ's message was being heard by and strengthened in those around him, advancing God's perfect plan. This is from a man who went to incredible lengths to try to stop the spread of The Gospel initially, persecuting anyone who claimed Jesus. If God would have just squashed Paul rather than being patient and using him, we would not know that such a profound transformation was possible. We won't often know why things happen like they do, but faith will carry us if we trust Jesus enough to wait for His answers. God was merciful to Paul through all that he suffered for The Gospel, even providing the help of a physician and friend in Luke for much of Paul's ministry.
If Paul seems larger-than-life, consider these words by Henry Venn:
"I prove this by a most decisive instance. St. Paul appears more like an angel than a man - a very flame of love to Christ and the souls of men - in labours more abundant than any of the Apostles - in affection to the saints so tender, that he compares his concern for them to that which a mother feels for her own child at the breast. He appeals unto God, as well as to the Church, how holily, how justly, how unblameably he had walked. And had he chosen to put himself off for better than he was, how easily might he have deceived the Churches, and led them to think that he had no plague in his own heart to lament and bewail - no conflict with manifold corruptions - nothing, at least, similar to what you and I, my honoured friends, so often, to our shame and grief, feel moving within! But this man of God (the first, many suppose, of the fallen race) will not suffer such deception, respecting his own character, to be entertained. Behold! He opens a window into his own heart. He owns to all the Churches, that, not withstanding, he had once been a murderer of the members of Christ - notwithstanding the grace he had received - his constant preaching of humility - and his having been admitted into the third heaven - he owns he needed (lest he should perish by exalting himself above measure) - he owns he needed (what in mercy was given him) a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet him. What strength of depravity is here! What evil, mixed with the most shining excellencies! What cause for Paul to say, 'Oh, wretched man that I am! Who should deliver me from the body of this death?' Here the Apostle, the first of men, is sick with our malady. We stand together on a level, as fallen lost sinners; equally in need of redemption of Christ, and the robe of his righteousness".
Often we think much more or less of ourselves than we ought, when we should just think of ourselves less. Those who know Jesus and have His Spirit in them are outfitted with tools for offense(The Word & Spirit, prayer/fasting) and defense(faith/promises, love/community, Truth, Righteousness, News of Peace, Adoption into God's Family). We have been made instruments of His justice. Though death runs rampant, your city is worth saving.
Although we are often subjected to the influence of evil spirits, they must obey God in the end. There is no contest, Christ has already won. At best, they can only usurp authority and entice people's minds. We take evil seriously but do not fear it. That means we obey God when He moves us into scary situations and love and pray for those we come in contact with. People are not our enemy. God gave his own Son to suffer more than we could ever make anyone suffer for what they have done to us; and since it isn't about us, we should endeavor to show them The Way. They are merely used by the enemy, as were we, and God made every one for great things. If we are not diligent, we could again be deceived. The focus must remain on Christ.
He always embraces us as we obey Him completely and really trust the only One who knows all and is sovereign over all. The angels can see a lot more than we and yet they must wait to see what God will do next also. As you pray, keep in mind that His answers can be different than what you might expect.
It has been the experience of this author that no matter what fresh and astounding troubles have come, God has always seen it as fitting to sustain and replenish His servant for another deployment. I don't exist for my own interests, and the more i focus on His interests, the happier i am. The imprecatory Psalms call for justice and make it God's responsibility. If a man is to live, it is because God has decided that He will and that alone is reason enough to be willing to give your life so that others may know this love. Whatever training in righteousness that requires is for the good of everyone, and we can be confident in approaching Jesus.
Try these things when you need some encouragement:
In His mercy, God is more than capable of perfecting us if we will surrender ourselves daily to Him. Trying to be good enough or a perfectionist will not work as we cannot prove ourselves to God or buy His love. Head knowledge won't cut it. Only Faith in Him will cause us to repent and move forward. We must simply keep going while looking to Him for help, and He knows it isn't easy. Lysa TerKeurst has said,"Take heart. We don't have to have all the answers. We just have to stay connected to The One who does." She goes on,"God is still very much at work. Even in the silence. Even in the unknown. Even when you can't see anything on the horizon."
When God awakens us, it brings us into a more sensitive reality with substantially greater sorrow and joy. Things are at once made harder and yet better and there is rest. Trying to simply follow rules causes us to focus on ourselves instead of God. God is in no way arbitrary, so His methods will lead to truly good things for the benefit of all. He gives us freedom to experience more joy and changes our hearts through the experience of His love and discipline. We must be impressed by His character. Through the choices we make as new creatures growing in faith and understanding, we can become more pure. Sometimes that requires a change in direction or surroundings, but it definitely takes commitment to see things through. If we are stuck in a repetitive sin, we may have to address a greater problem and make sure that we are not making excuses or giving our self special concessions.
Success in general usually comes down to choosing the pain of discipline(delaying or denying gratification) over the ease of distraction, and your personal reliability affects the success of those around you too. Our body is His temple and our purpose is for His delight and increasing glory so, while our path takes us through all kinds of challenges, He promises to provide exactly what we will require. Though often He will give us relief, some of us will experience things that we will not recover from until we see His face, but to have any more or less than what we have been given would be ruinous.
We should willingly pour ourselves out for the sake of others, because no matter what happens to our body, we will be perfectly resurrected with Christ! Paul said that if he lost everything and still had Christ, he was content and no matter what happened he could find joy in knowing that Christ's message was being heard by and strengthened in those around him, advancing God's perfect plan. This is from a man who went to incredible lengths to try to stop the spread of The Gospel initially, persecuting anyone who claimed Jesus. If God would have just squashed Paul rather than being patient and using him, we would not know that such a profound transformation was possible. We won't often know why things happen like they do, but faith will carry us if we trust Jesus enough to wait for His answers. God was merciful to Paul through all that he suffered for The Gospel, even providing the help of a physician and friend in Luke for much of Paul's ministry.
If Paul seems larger-than-life, consider these words by Henry Venn:
"I prove this by a most decisive instance. St. Paul appears more like an angel than a man - a very flame of love to Christ and the souls of men - in labours more abundant than any of the Apostles - in affection to the saints so tender, that he compares his concern for them to that which a mother feels for her own child at the breast. He appeals unto God, as well as to the Church, how holily, how justly, how unblameably he had walked. And had he chosen to put himself off for better than he was, how easily might he have deceived the Churches, and led them to think that he had no plague in his own heart to lament and bewail - no conflict with manifold corruptions - nothing, at least, similar to what you and I, my honoured friends, so often, to our shame and grief, feel moving within! But this man of God (the first, many suppose, of the fallen race) will not suffer such deception, respecting his own character, to be entertained. Behold! He opens a window into his own heart. He owns to all the Churches, that, not withstanding, he had once been a murderer of the members of Christ - notwithstanding the grace he had received - his constant preaching of humility - and his having been admitted into the third heaven - he owns he needed (lest he should perish by exalting himself above measure) - he owns he needed (what in mercy was given him) a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet him. What strength of depravity is here! What evil, mixed with the most shining excellencies! What cause for Paul to say, 'Oh, wretched man that I am! Who should deliver me from the body of this death?' Here the Apostle, the first of men, is sick with our malady. We stand together on a level, as fallen lost sinners; equally in need of redemption of Christ, and the robe of his righteousness".
Often we think much more or less of ourselves than we ought, when we should just think of ourselves less. Those who know Jesus and have His Spirit in them are outfitted with tools for offense(The Word & Spirit, prayer/fasting) and defense(faith/promises, love/community, Truth, Righteousness, News of Peace, Adoption into God's Family). We have been made instruments of His justice. Though death runs rampant, your city is worth saving.
Although we are often subjected to the influence of evil spirits, they must obey God in the end. There is no contest, Christ has already won. At best, they can only usurp authority and entice people's minds. We take evil seriously but do not fear it. That means we obey God when He moves us into scary situations and love and pray for those we come in contact with. People are not our enemy. God gave his own Son to suffer more than we could ever make anyone suffer for what they have done to us; and since it isn't about us, we should endeavor to show them The Way. They are merely used by the enemy, as were we, and God made every one for great things. If we are not diligent, we could again be deceived. The focus must remain on Christ.
He always embraces us as we obey Him completely and really trust the only One who knows all and is sovereign over all. The angels can see a lot more than we and yet they must wait to see what God will do next also. As you pray, keep in mind that His answers can be different than what you might expect.
Try these things when you need some encouragement:
- Hold on to the truth, and speak it out loud. Sing about it and Preach it! Satan can't stand up to God's Word. Remember that Death does not get the last word. Declare that sin is no longer your master and Jesus has already freed you from anything that could hold you. Admit that you can do nothing apart from Him and He is in control. Focus on your dependence on God instead of your needs.
- Speak God's name & give Him praise! Confess your sin to Him, allowing Him to empty you of anything that would prevent you from being His vessel. Just make it a habit of denying sin any place or opportunity in your life. When we pray, we are not asking God to change. He is never surprised or convinced by anything, and remember that He is The One that started the conversation. The enlightenment is always on our end. We simply ask that we will line up with what He knows is best and be patient and content. It is a call to our own action to bring Him glory and align our desires with His. Pray for His guidance in what you are facing right now and trust it. Faith must be practiced, so act on it!
- Find peace in God's irresistable grace. As a brother/sister in Christ, we have been freed from condemnation and made part of the resurrection. What is true of Christ is now true for us. He knew we would all act like knotheads at times, and His sacrifice was sufficient for it once and for all, here and now. Thank Him for all that He does for humanity and for providing good things for His family, including your next breath.
- Be confident in God, keeping your focus on Him always. Faith in the heart that is released through the mouth can move mountains. It certainly did for the regular, God-fearing men of The Bible. It is wise to fear God's immense power, but it is not separate from His goodness and mercy. With God, nothing is impossible and circumstances are of no consequence. This is The God who raises people from the dead! Decide to live in Him, devoting your whole self to Him. He is with you and will always help you when you ask Him to. Find specific promises in The Bible and count on them. Evil has already been defeated and the fallen angels know they will not win. Worrying is a sign that you do not trust God, and despair leads you down a path towards blasphemy. Use anxiety and doubt to your advantage.
- We have been made family now. We must act like brothers and sisters, praying for and helping each other. The disciples even lived together at times, so they knew how to control their emotions and stay devoted to each other. There were no walls between them and they worked together toward a common goal.
- Read these scriptures among others- Matthew 5, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 4:12-19; Romans 6-8, 5:3-4; Colossians 3; Galatians 5; Philippians; James 1; Many Psalms like 73, 34, 37; Isaiah 41:10; Hebrews 12 & 4; Isaiah 61; 2 Corinthians 4; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5; Read God's Word on a daily basis, meditating on it. It has all the answers we need and is our source of hope, if we will only consume it.
- Check out Why Is Life So Hard? and Authentic Serving. Also find more from these resources at Desiring God-
