ENCOURAGE

God gave Moses an important assignment. Even though disobedience kept him from entering into the Promised Land, God’s final work for his servant Moses was to use his spiritual gifts to encourage his young understudy, Joshua. He had the enormous task and responsibility of leading God’s people in chasing out the giant nations and to possess the Promised Land. “Your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they take possession of it.” Deuteronomy 1:38

Whenever the task you’re facing is God sized. God will send someone to encourage you. He knows that His will for your life requires encouragement along the way. Each day has a deadliness to it that can easily allow you to be discouraged and dismayed. Therefore, God instructs Christ-followers to encourage one another. (Pr. 10:21, Isa. 35:3, Ro. 1:12, 2Co. 13:11, 1Th. 5:11, Tit 2:6, 15)
God knows what He is doing by this command to encourage. When that someone comes along to encourage you it forms a spiritual relational bond that fuses you into the family of God. Church, we need to own this verse in Deuteronomy, because Christ-followers encounter difficulties made from others and our own doing. Encourage your fellow Christ-followers to meet their trials with patience and stay in the fight to conquer them for in the end it will benefit them greatly. Help others by grace to fan the flame of faithfulness—don’t blow it out. Help them remove stumbling blocks that keep their faith stalled. Speak seasoned words to those who are weary and fearful. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Proverbs 25:11

God encourages you by His promises. Christ encourages you with His victory over sin and death and the surety of heaven. The Holy Spirit encourages you to do His will. So, as His child, it is only fitting and right that you act on this divine wisdom and encourage others according to the Word.

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