Encouragement - 4 Series

Encouragement

Judges 6, Hebrews 3

October 5, 2025

There’s a story about a farmer who planted bamboo seeds. After planting them, he watered them faithfully every day. Days and weeks went by and nothing grew. Month after month — nothing. His friends mocked him, telling him he was wasting his time.

But the farmer kept watering and believing. Then, after 2 years, something incredible happened. The bamboo suddenly broke through the ground — and within weeks, it was taller than his home. It grew to be 90 feet tall.

So, here’s the question ---- ---- ----

did the bamboo grow 90 feet in six months?

Or did it grow 90 feet in 2 years?

The truth is, during those hidden months, the roots were growing deep and strong, preparing for new life.

In the same way, encouragement reminds us that unseen growth is still real growth. God may be building roots in your life that you and maybe nobody else sees. Encouragement helps those roots to grow deeper and firmer.

Your faithfulness, your prayers, your perseverance. They aren’t wasted. As Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9 -

9 Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9

Some of you have been praying for years for a loved one, and you’re tempted to give up. Some of you have been walking faithfully in obedience but feel alone. Some of you are waiting for God to move in your situation, but He feels silent.

Friends, keep watering. Keep praying. Keep showing up. Keep encouraging. Because God is growing something beneath the surface that we cannot yet see.

Encouragement isn’t shallow cheerleading — it’s the deep reminder that unseen growth is still growth. And when God’s timing comes, the breakthrough may be bigger and faster than you ever imagined.

It’s so easy for us to give up on encouragement. That’s why I’ve been loving the story of Gideon more and more. It’s the basis for what we’re looking at right now.

The hope is that we will go deeper as we encourage one another in the name of Jesus. It’s so needed in our world. It’s needed in the church, it’s needed in our homes, in our schools and at the places we work.

Nobody is exempt. We all need encouragement and we all need to be encouragers.

Biblical encouragement is all about speaking life into someone in the name of Jesus.

And . . . who doesn’t need that? We need that everyday. That’s why the writer of Hebrews wrote - -

13 But encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

You’ve heard it before, how often are we to encourage?

EVERY! SINGLE! DAY! And the point of doing this isn’t just to accomplish a task, it’s because we need it. We’re under attack. It’s a daily onslaught by satan. He’s out to get each of us to pull away from God, to not believe in His promises.

That’s why the writer tells us - - - encourage so that none of you may be hardened ----- not just by sin, but by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is deceitful.

Those are powerful words from the writer of Hebrews. And it’s a direct reflection of the one who seeks to destroy us.

The writer gave us more info in the previous verse - -

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

That’s what happens when we’re not being encouraged in who God is calling us to be. We tend to fall away from the Living God. We allow evil to creep in. We allow the difficult times to overwhelm us and lead us to the wilderness.

We think we’re above it, we think ‘it’ll never happen to me.’ But it’s subtle the way it happens and our call is to encourage one another as we help build our spiritual resources so that we will not give in to the evil and have hardened hearts.

We see this in the biblical story we were looking at last week. The story is in Judges 6. We see this guy named Gideon. Israel is under attack. God has turned away from them because of their persistent sin and idol worship. They’ve forgotten their call and their roots. They’ve forgotten the story of how they were redeemed and saved from Egypt.

In the midst of this, the people cry out to God. They’re hiding in caves and hiding their crops and animals for fear they will be taken. Out of this storm, God sends an angel to Gideon - - - -