Are you an encourager or a discourager? Do you build up or tear down? I know I have been guilty of the negative, although my goal is to be positive and bring the best out of people. But it's hard to be that amazing motivator when you're going through your own struggles.
Several years ago God called me to account for hurting someone I knew. Because of the personal nature of the incident, I won't go into details, but I was left feeling very rebuked. I cried out to the Lord in repentenance, then looked to Him for healing. No one but the Lord truly knew the pain in my heart. I was in no mood to be an encourager; yet God still wanted me to have a positive affect on my family and friends.
How does one become an encourager when you feel discouraged? First of all, we must ask God for help. He is the enabler. He is the ultimate encourager. He will give us the strength we need to handle the situation.
Secondly, we need to keep our eyes off of our problems and turn our attention to those God has brought to us. (Yes, God is the one who brings the people we are to minister to.)
Thirdly, we need to point that person to the Lord. God is the ultimate problem solver. He gave us wisdom, but people need to see that they must turn to the Lord for the answers. We can give them counsel from God's Word, but only He can effectively heal the situation.
And finally, we need to see that as the Lord brings healing and comfort to others, He will work out the pain and troubles in our own heart, allowing us to be encouraged once again.
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1 comment:
Thank you for encouraging all of us with this timely reminder!
-Nancy
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