Saturday, July 6, 2013

Have You Hugged...........


Several years ago, there was a slogan going around, you may have seen it on a bumper sticker or on a road sign that said:
 
“Have you hugged your child today?” 

I loved that slogan!  It was a great reminder to those of us with children, that a hug is a great way to show that we love them and want to encourage them. 

But, it is not only children that need to know they are loved and need to be encouraged.  Everyone walking on the face of this earth needs to know that.  Everyone needs to have people in their life that will show them they care, including us as well as our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. 

I don’t know about you, but I struggle to be encouraging at times.  Life circumstances go up and down and I find myself living on my emotions instead of obedience to God’s Word.  I know that my enemy, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion looking to destroy me.  (I Peter 5:8)  He wants you too!   

I learned an acronym several years ago that describes for me the times I most struggle to be encouraging because these are the times that I find myself most under attack from the enemy.  I would like to share it with you to encourage you when you are struggling and under attack.  The acronym is:    HALT 

We need to HALT when we are feeling:

                        Hungry

                        Angry

                        Lonely

                        Tired

because it is at these times that we are most vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.  When we are feeling any of these feelings, we need to just walk away.  Walk away from whatever it is that is pressing in upon us, take a breather, go to the Father; read the Word, let Him show us what it is that we should do, instead of acting impulsively on our emotions and thus give the devil a foothold (“…do not give the devil a foothold.”  Ephesians 4:27.) 

I would like to share with you the following checklist of scripture God gave me to use to examine myself and see if I am encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ:

Am I “encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ and building them up?”  (“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.”  I Thessalonians 5:11) 

Am I “judging my Brothers and Sisters in Christ?”  (“Why do you judge your brother?  Or why do you look down on your brother?  Each of us will give an account of himself to God.”  Romans 14:10, 12) 

Am I praying for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ?  (“…be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”) 

Am I “being an imitator of God and treating my Brothers and Sisters in Christ with kindness, compassion and forgiveness?”  (“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.  Be imitators of God.”  Ephesians 4:32-5:1) 

Am I “loving my Brothers and Sisters in Christ?  (“Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35)
As we encourage, pray for and love our brothers and sisters in Christ, others will see that we are Jesus’ disciples and we will be unified, thus fulfilling Ephesians 4:2-3 which says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  We are a family, the family of God, and as we live out this scripture as a family, we will truly be a living testimony for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the unsaved people in our lives.

Encouraging a Brother or Sister in Christ could help them walk away from a temptation, renew their passion for the Lord, cause them to share what Christ has done in their life with unbelievers or even read their Bible more.  Reading their Bible will show them the character of God which will bring even more encouragement into their life and help them to be an encourager themselves.   And then, when we encourage a Brother or Sister in Christ…..we ourselves are encouraged!  

And so I ask you: 

Have you encouraged your

Brother and/or Sister in Christ Today?
 
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony.”
Psalm 133:1
 

Encouragement will bring a smile to the
faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 
 
If you need encouragement you can check out our website at:


I would love to hear from you!

 
Keep Going For Jesus!

THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO LIVE!
 
Encouraging You In Christ!



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