Encourage Others

To Be GREAT In God!

To be great in God, one must be a servant

(G)uard Your Heart
(R)est In Him
(E)ncourage Others
(A)cknowledge Him
(T)hankfulness

Lesson #3  Encourage Others

We often hear people refer to someone as their "angel" because they blessed them in some way or was just there for them when they were really in a rough situation or going through a difficult time.

I have found that one of the most productive things you can do to help get your mind off of your own problems is to reach out to someone else and help them with theirs.  Be an angel for someone else - Be an angel by their side.

I thought it was also cool to learn that we each have an angel positioned at our side in the spiritual realm who ministers to and for us by taking heed to our words when we are speaking God's Word after Him.  If we are giving voice to God's words of promise, then angels have an assignment to see to it that the promise is eventually fulfilled in our life.  No, we do not command angels to do anything. We are not even speaking to the angels.  They are just responding, hearkening unto the voice of His words that we speak and ministering for and to us who are heirs of salvation because it is what they are created to do.  (Hebrews 1:14;  Psalm 103:19-22)

We can also be an angel to someone here on this earth by hearkening unto the voice of the Lord as He directs our steps and sets up Divine Appointments for us to minister and encourage.  God told me a long time ago that my ministry was to encourage others whether it be through my writings, a spoken word, or any other way He chooses and instructs me to do so.  There are numerous ways to encourage someone and God knows exactly what each of us need. I believe that not only is everyone an encourager but God also has equipped each one of us with a gift that can be used in helping to encourage someone.

One of my favorite things is the Eagle and when God inspired me to write a devotional using the Eagle, it was then He began to show me my gift/ministry of exhortation.  Just as each of us go through times of trial, the eagle will experience a time of "molting". They lose their feathers, begin pecking at each other, lose their desire to eat, have no strength to hunt for food and they lose their vision. Calcium builds up on their beaks and they are unable to hold their beak up which is so traumatic to the proud majestic bird. BUT during this molting time, some will choose a spot to lay where the sun can shine directly on them.  Experts say they find a rock and will lie on it as they bathe in the presence of the sun and it is here where they begin to get renewed.  Hope is brought to them when they hear older eagles that have survived this experience and know what they are going through, fly above screaming loudly. The screams bring encouragement for they know that these "encouragers" are about to drop meat to them to live on until their renewal comes.

During our times of trial, we are exposed to the devil during our hurts or times we may take offense, exposing our wounds to the possibility of anger, resentment, unforgiveness or bitterness entering the heart, if we are not guarding it and not living in a place of rest with the Lord.  We tend to hurt one another.  We start losing our focus and allow God's Word to be stolen from our hearts causing us to lose faith.

But during this time, if we would not allow ourselves to be overcome with unbelief but instead turn toward the "Son of Righteousness" and stay firm upon "The Rock", basking in His Presence, our strength will be renewed.  God will send us encouragers to feed us with the Word, bringing us hope that renewal will soon come to the faint of heart.

When God showed me all of this, promising me that He would always provide encouragers for me, He also told me that I was an Encourager and it was later confirmed to me through His Word that there was such a gift or ministry...the gift of exhortation.

Do you ever realize that when we neglect to "guard our heart" and it causes us to leave that peaceful resting place in God, and turmoil hits, it becomes all about us?  That is why it is so important during these times that we reach out to others to minister to their needs.  Many times it seems to take longer for our situation to get worked out only because we have a difficult time letting go and letting God.  We find ourselves constantly dwelling on the situation.  Being "an angel" for someone else helps take our mind off of our own situation and before we know it, our situation has been taken care of because we let go and let God take care of it.

For us to be a servant which makes us GREAT in God, we must always be looking for ways to help encourage others through many gifts that God has equipped us with.

Be someone's angel today!

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."  Romans 14:19

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Encouraging Others,
Connie Schmoll

(Feel free to share with others but please make sure my name stays with the writing)

If any of you are viewing this from email, please visit the website to listen to the song/Video "Angel By Your Side" by Francesca Battistelli