Encourager or Discourager?

I recently took a short Encouragement Trip to encourage some of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  On my encouragement journey, I heard stories and saw the effects of brothers and sisters in Christ encouraging and being encouraged by one another.  I saw people living out I Thessalonians 5:11 which says, "Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up just as in fact you are doing."  Because encouragement was being poured into them and they were being built up, they were filled with the joy of the Lord and were then encouraging others. 

 

As I sat and listened to my brothers and sisters in Christ share their Christian journey with me, I was reminded that we are all part of a family, the family of God.  God is our Daddy and He wants the very best for us.  So, like any good Daddy, He tells us in His Word what He expects from us as a family.  And like any good Daddy, He is very clear about it; He wants us to love and encourage one another in order to be unified. 

 



In Ephesians  4:2-3, He tells us to "be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."  And then in Philippians 2:2-3 He tells us to "be like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."  And then in Psalm 133:1, God tells us if we obey Him and live in unity with one another, "how good and pleasant it will be."

Then I heard other stories; stories about brothers and sisters in Christ living with divisions amongst themselves.  Stories of brothers and sisters in Christ judging and condemning one another.  Stories of brothers and sisters in Christ hurting each other through their words and actions.  My heart was heavy as I listened to these stories and saw the pain on the person sharing.

Jesus dealt with this situation when He said in Matthew 7:1-5, "Do not judge or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite!  First take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck in your brother's eye." 

God does not want us to condemn one another as He tells us in Romans 8:1 by saying, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  If God does not condemn us, we as Christians should not condemn each other.

God showed me two sides of this Christian walk on my Encouragement Trip this past month that have two very different outcomes.  He showed me the encouragement side that brought joy and  a smile to my brothers and sisters in Chist; then He showed me the discouraging side that brought pain and sorrow to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

I ask you today; how are you treating your family members, your brothers and sisters in Chirist?  Are you sharing your life and scripture with them?  Are you known as the Encourager in the family or are you known as the Discourager in the family? 

 

God has shown me so many ways that I can encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ and build them up.  Ways like sharing an uplifting scripture; living a righteous life as an example;  eating a meal together and listening to what is happening in their life; giving a small gift or simply a picked flower that says "You are valuable to me."; spending time together doing something fun; talking about what Jesus is doing in your life and so much more.

 

Sharing a treat with a brother or sister in Christ

can be encouraging to them.

 

Sharing a flower with a brother or sisters in Christ

can be encouraging to them.

 

If you are the Encourager, good for you; keep it up.....you are doing exactly what God wants you to do.  God is using you in a mighty way to bring Glory to His Kingdom.  As you encourage your brothers and sisters they will go out and encourage their brothers and sisters and then their brothers and sisters will go out and encourage their brothers and sisters and then..............

 

If you are the Discourager, you can change; repent.....God is a God of forgiveness!  Embrace I Thessalonians 5:11 and become the Encourager that your brothers and sisters in Christ so desperately need.....and when you do, I am positive that you will receive encouragement in return!

 

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!



 Encourage One Another

Website:  www.eoaiRocks.com

Deceived!

I agreed to take a friend of mine who was staying with me at The Encouragement House to the airport the other day.  We agreed to leave at 3:30 a.m. since her flight was at 5:50 a.m.  That meant that we both needed to be up and about by at least 3:15 a.m. to be ready to leave on time.  Now, if you know me at all, you know that this time of the morning is a “problem” for me.  I am definitely not a morning person and love to “burn the midnight oil.”

But, I committed to doing this for my friend, so I faithfully set my alarm for 3:15 a.m. and went to bed.  When my alarm went off the next morning, I got out of bed and began to dress.  I dressed quickly and then looked down the hall to see if my friend was up.  The bathroom light was on, so I assumed that she was up and dressing. 

I was dressed and waiting for her to come out of the bathroom, but she didn’t come out.  I waited 5, 8, 10 minutes.  I began to think that I could have had 10 more minutes of sleep.  I waited until 3:25 a.m. for her to come out of the bathroom.  Since I was hearing no noises coming from the bathroom, I knocked on the door to see if she was ready.  When I knocked on the door, it popped open.  I peeked inside and there was no one there.  The light was on but “nobody was home.”  LOL!

So, I knocked on her bedroom door and said, “Are you up?” Then I cracked the door and looked inside.  In a very groggy voice, she said, “Yes, I am up.”  LOL!  She was not up!  She had overslept and was not quite awake when I opened the door and spoke to her.  When I saw the bathroom light on, I assumed that she was up and getting ready to leave for the airport.  BUT, I was mistaken.  The situation was not as it appeared to be.  What I thought to be truth (my friend was up) was in fact not the truth. 

My friend quickly got out of bed, dressed and we were off to the airport.  God blessed us with no traffic and good weather; she was on time for her flight and had a fantastic trip bringing Glory to God throughout.  The deception was not intentional and brought no harm, even though the enemy tried to use it against us.  But, God, in His wisdom, used the situation for good (Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good of those who love Christ…”) to give me a lesson in spiritual warfare.

While driving home from the airport alone that morning, I was talking to God.  In that conversation with Him, He showed me that spiritual warfare is just like the situation that I found myself in that morning.  “Things are not always as they seem to be.”  The enemy is a deceiver.  Revelation 12:9 calls Satan “the deceiver of the whole world…..”  John 8:44 calls Satan “…..a liar and the father of lies.”

God showed me that I need to “evaluate” everything that I see and hear so that I will know whether or not it has roots in the truth or roots in the lie.   I Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to destroy.”  John 8:32 says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” 

Are you struggling with discerning the truth from the lie?  Have you been deceived?  Have you been lied to?  Are you looking for a way out?  Romans 12:1-3 says, “Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Believe me when I tell you; I have been lied to, I have believed the lies; I have been deceived, I have needed a way out.  And God, in His mercy, has always been there for me.  He has been there to show me the truth; He has been there to forgive me when I have been deceived; He has been there to give me a way out.  He has been there for me…..always, always, always!  He has been there! 

He is there for you.  Cry out to Him.  Offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him.  Let Him cleanse you of your worldly thoughts and ways and let Him renew your mind through His Word.  He wants to give you discernment so that you will know the truth from the lie.  He wants you to know the truth so that you will be set free.  And when you know the truth, you will be free indeed. 

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

 

Be My Valentine!

We all want to be loved – that is a fact of life.  The desire to be loved is universal.  It crosses all cultural, social and economic lines.  There is not a person in the world that does not want to be loved.  Some people pursue love and others let it come to them.  Some find love and others don’t. 

If you are like me, you have found that love disappoints.  Every single person that I have loved in my life has disappointed me; every single one.  And I know that I, as well, have disappointed the people in my life that have loved me; every single one.

In my quest to love and to be loved, I have found the perfect love; the love that does not disappoint.  It is my prayer for you that you have found this perfect love also.  It is my prayer for you that you know what love I am talking about.  It is my prayer for you that you have found God’s love. 

The Bible tells us what this perfect love, God’s love, looks and feels like.  God gave us the Bible, so that anytime we are in need of this perfect love, we can go to His Word and get a dose of it.  We can get a LARGE dose or a small dose of this perfect love, it’s up to us.  We can choose.  He doesn’t force His love on us, He allows us to take it as we need it.  He also allows us to ignore it.  Again, it’s up to us how much of this perfect love we let in to our life.

The more I read the Bible, the more I know how much God loves me and then the more I fall in love with God.  God fills up my love void with words like:

“God is love.”  I John 4:16 

 

“…His steadfast love endures forever.”  Psalm 136:26

 

“Never will I leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  Psalm 147:3

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”  Psalm 103:8

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  Psalm 103:11-12

“And we know that in all things God works together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...”  Romans 8:1

“You have not been given a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.”  II Timothy 1:7

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

“God showed His love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.”  Ephesians 2:4-5

“…nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:39

God loves me…..when people fail me, reject me, abuse me, condemn me, use me, despise me, hate me…..God loves me.  God loves me with a love that no human being can love me with.   God’s love is unconditional.  God’s love is compassionate.  God’s love is perfect.  God’s love is just what I need. 

GOD LOVES ME!

God LOVES Me!   God Loves ME!

GOD LOVES ME! 

God LOVES me so much He wants to fill my love void.  He wants to LOVE me however I NEED to be loved.  All I have to do is let Him.  All I have to do is surrender my love void to Him and allow Him to fill it. 

And I have done that.  I have surrendered my love void to God and He HAS filled it.  He has filled my love void by sending Jesus to die for my sin and by giving me a personal relationship with Him.  And then He further filled my love void by sending the Holy Spirit to live inside of me so that there is no room for a love void.  The Holy Spirit consumes me; He brings me peace, joy, comfort, guidance, wisdom, stability and so much more.  He also enables me to overcome my sin so that I can become like Christ, living in obedience to God’s Word and not on my emotions.   He gives me everything I need to know that I am loved, so that I can go out and love others, just like God designed me to do.   “We love because He first loved us.”  I John 4:19.   I can live out I Corinthians 13 because God loves me with a perfect love.

Love Void – we all have one.  Have you allowed God to fill yours?  He wants to, you know.  Whatever love you are missing in your life, He wants to give you that kind of love.  He wants to be your Valentine.  And He can do it…..He did it for me.  If He can do it for me, He can do it for you.  Will you let Him?

GOD LOVES YOU!

God LOVES YOU! God Loves YOU!

GOD LOVES YOU!

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

 

 

 

Merry Christmas from Encourage One Another!

 I love to read The Word.  One of my favorite verses is Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  As I was meditating on that verse the other day, I began to think about faith.  I thought about how it takes faith to believe that verse and apply it to my life. I began to think about the people in The Word that believed it, applied it to their lives and accomplished so much for the Kingdom. 

When God told Noah to build the arc, Noah believed that verse; with God he built the arc and saved himself, his family and the animals. (Genesis 5:14, 7:5)  When God told Moses to cross the Red Sea, Moses believed that verse; with God he led his people across on dry ground, saving their lives.  (Exodus 16:14 & 21)  When God told Joshua to march around the city for 7 days, Joshua believed that verse; with God he marched around the city and saw the walls fall, enabling the city to be taken.  (Joshua 6:3, 4, 20)  

When God told Mary, a virgin, that she would have a baby and name Him Jesus, Mary believed that verse; with God she gave birth to a baby, named Him Jesus and was a part of bringing our Lord and Savior into the world so that we would not have to die in our sin but receive eternal life.  (Luke 1:31, 2:7)

“…with God all things are possible.”  I had to ask myself as I was meditating, do I believe that verse?  Has my past experience with God proven that verse to be true?  As I meditated on all that God has done in my life, the answer to that question for me is, “Yes, I know that ‘...with God all things are possible.’”

I am so thankful this Christmas season that “…with God all things are possible.”  I am so thankful that what seems so impossible for man is possible with God.  I am so thankful that the “impossible” birth of our Lord and Savior to the Virgin Mary was “possible” with God. 

Are there any “impossible” situations in your life?  If so, I encourage you to surrender your life to Jesus and trust God for the impossible to become the “possible”.   Noah, Moses, Joshua, Mary…..all regular people, just like you and me, who surrendered and  trusted God for the “possible”.   It is my prayer for you this Christmas, you join the people in the Bible in surrender and trust God for the “impossible to become the “possible.”

 

Encouraging You In Christ this Christmas Season!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

Wedding Bells!

I just came back from a wedding on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona.  When I received the invitation a week before the wedding, I was in Indiana and had committed to taking care of Ashton, my 4 year old Grandson, that weekend as his mom was going to be at a Christian conference in Chicago.  Being so far away and having a commitment for that weekend helped me make the decision that I would not be able to attend.  I declined the invitation and said that I would send a present. 

As I talked with Rick about the invitation and how much I wanted to go to the wedding, he encouraged me to pray about it and see if God was telling me to go.  He said he was good with me going.  As I prayed about it, I began to hear and see God opening doors for me to go.  Everything that needed to fall into place did.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.

Long story short…..Ashton and I flew into Phoenix for a 5 day stay with the wedding in the middle of the 5 days.   We stayed at The Encouragement House where my youngest son, Jared, is living.  Jared and Ashton were both so very glad to see each other and to be able to spend 5 days together.  Since Jared moved to Arizona a year ago, they have missed being in each other’s lives. 

 

The wedding was so full of joy for me.  The bride and groom so love Jesus and it was so much fun for me to be able to share in their special day with Jesus at the center.  There were many smiles and much laughter that day.  I was treated like family and was blessed to be able to share in the wedding by taking pictures of the celebration.

Someone once told me, “If God does something big in your life, tell everyone you know.”  So, I am telling you today…..God did something BIG in my life by opening all the doors for me to go to this wedding.  I received so many blessings and so much encouragement through the trip.  Jared, Ashton, and Jared’s girlfriend, Joey, were also blessed with their time together also. 

When I returned home and began to meditate on all that God had done, I was so filled with a sense of peace, calm, joy, contentment, thankfulness, happiness…..all gifts from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  When I thought it would be impossible to attend this wedding, Jesus made it possible.  (“With God all things are possible.  Matthew 19:26)  Instead of relying on myself to make this happen, I simply laid it all before the Lord and allowed Him to open the doors that needed to be opened to make this wedding trip a reality.  I learned a long time ago that when I try to do things on my own power I mess them up, but when I allow God to work in my life…..the outcome is amazing. 

And that is what this trip was…..AMAZING!

Is there something in your life that you want?  Have you tried to get it on your own and it just isn’t working?  I encourage you to simply lay it at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to decide if it is God's best for you.  If it God's best for you, allow Him to open the doors to make it a reality.  God decided that this wedding trip was the best for me and He made it a reality.

Encouraging You In Christ

All Praise Honor and Glory to God!

 

I Struggle With Life At Times.....Do You?

I don't know about you, but I have lots of struggles in my life.  I struggle with relationships, priorities, finances, rejection, temptation and more.  This morning in my daily Bible reading God reminded me that I am not alone in my struggles. 

 

Of course, I know that the people around me struggle.  I see people every day on the news struggling.  I see people every day in my neighborhood struggling.  I see my friends and family every day struggling.  Life is just like that; full of struggles.

 

But in my daily Bible reading this morning, I saw that Jesus struggled too.  I never really thought about Jesus struggling.....after all He is God, right (John 1:1)?  Right.....but He was also man, and man struggles (John 1:14).

 

Jesus struggled with His family.....Mark 3:21 tell us, "Then Jesus entered a house and again a crowd gathered, so that He and his disciples were not even able to eat.  When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, 'He is out of His mind.'  Who was closer to Jesus than His family?  He struggled with them.

 

Jesus struggled with the teachers of the law.....Mark 3:22 tells us, "And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He is possessed by Beelzebub!'"  Who should have supported Jesus more in His ministry but the teachers of the law?  He struggled with them.

 

Jesus struggled with the very people He served.  John 6:66 tells us, "On hearing it, many of the disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching.  Who can accept it?'  Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you?'.....From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him."  Who was closer to Jesus than His disciples?  He struggled with them.

 

Jesus struggled with temptation.  Matthew 4:1 tells us, "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."  Jesus struggled.

 

Are you struggling?  Are you struggling with family?  Are you struggling with church?  Are you struggling with people you are trying to serve?  Are you struggling with finances?  Are you struggling with temptation?  Are you just plain old struggling?

 

If the answer to that questions is, "Yes, I am struggling!".....then you are in good company.....in the company of Jesus; the Jesus who struggled with family, friends, relationships, finances, temptation and more!

 

This Jesus, our Savior who struggled, knows your struggle.....He struggled with the same things that you are struggling with.  He knows what it's like to struggle.  Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin."

 

Jesus went to the Father when He struggled ("Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."  Luke 5:16).  Jesus saw victory over His struggles.  You can have that same victory over your struggles!  I encourage you to go through Jesus to the Father.

 

I encourage you to take your struggles to the cross and lay them at the feet of Jesus.  Cry out to Him, He understands and He wants to walk with you through your struggles.  I Peter 5:7 says, "Cast your cares on Him because He cares for You!"  Don't struggle alone.....go to The Word and receive the comfort that God wants to give you.  Isaiah 66:13b says, "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." 

 

Let Jesus comfort you in your struggles.  Let Jesus care for you.  Let Jesus.......He's big enough!

 

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory To God!

 

 

 

 

"He's Dead, Sherry!"

I'd been hearing the lie for several days.  "He's dead, Sherry!"  "He's dead!"  I knew this would be coming; this heavy spiritual warfare that could absolutely incapacitate me, make me useless for God's purposes in my life if I would let it.  When my youngest son announced one day that he would be spending the summer hitchhiking to Alaska with a friend, I knew that this would come.

My God knew it too.  My God knew that I needed a weapon to fight it.  My God gave me a weapon that would give me the victory over the warfare when He gave me Philippians 4:4-7 which says, "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Every time I thought of Jared I would use the weapon....."I rejoice in you, Jesus, I rejoice in you."  The weapon worked, the anxiety left, I was at peace.  And then it happened, God really began to stretch me.....Jared's phone broke and he wasn't able to get it fixed or get a replacement.  He crossed the US Canadian border and we lost contact with him.  Then the warfare really reved up and the lies increased.

I was having trouble sleeping at night because the enemy continually told me, "He's dead, Sherry.....He's dead."  For two weeks we had no contact with him.....I had to make a decision every day during those two weeks; was I going to believe the lie or was I going to trust Jesus and rejoice in Him?  I didn't know where Jared was but, I knew that God knew where he was.....  I chose to trust Him!  I chose to believe that His Word was true and that all His promises in it were for me and for Jared! 

Every time the lie came, I rejoiced in the Lord and gave Jared to Him.  I knew that whatever happened, God was there to walk with me and with Jared.  I wasn't alone and I knew that Jared wasn't alone.....God was walking with him also.  Every time I rejoiced in the Lord, I was flooded with "the peace of God that passeth all understanding."  No, the peace didn't make sense but I was glad for it, so glad! 

After a particularly sleepless night of hearing the lies over and over and over again, I was feeling very oppressed and then, in the twinkling of an eye, it happened.....my phone rang.  I answered it.....and it was Jared.  Praise God!  Praise God!  Praise God! 

Are you hearing the lies?  Does the enemy want to take you out?  Are you feeling incapacitated?  I encourage you to Rejoice in the Lord!  I will say it again, Rejoice!  If you are hearing the lies, you have the enemy on the defensive.....he is worried about you.  He is worried about your power to take him out.  He is worried!  Praise God!  You are a threat to the enemy!  Praise God!

I encourage you to use your weapon, the sword of the Word!  (Ephesians 6:17)  The Word is there for you to fight the battles with.  God has not left you powerless, He has given you the victory!  Praise God!  Rejoice in the Lord!  Praise God!

Jared, on the left, in San Francisco

on his way to Alaska.

Encouraging You In Christ

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!