I’m About To Encourage Myself

And just in case you think I’m preaching to your neighbor—I’m NOT. I’m not preaching to your neighbor. I’m not preaching to your friend. I’m not preaching to your partner or your kids. I’m preaching to you—you’ve got to grow up.

Neighbor: THIS AIN’T EVEN ABOUT ME

You cannot be perfected/established/elevated/enlarged—unless you are spiritually mature. The question is not can God do it; but can you handle it? Because spiritual maturity comes from suffering. And sometimes you have to suffer LONG.

You have to learn how to wait when you don’t want to; how to keep smiling even when you’re crying on the inside; how to keep hoping even when you’re hurting; how to keep going when you feel like quitting.

Now this is not popular and fashionable in our day—so I’ll understand if nobody shouts/runs forward/runs around the building/climbs the wall. Because we have learned how to pray/prosper/believe for a house/a car/a job/a business.

We’ve learned how to name it and claim it/tag it and bag it/blab it and grab it.

We’ve learned how to dance/talk in tongues/praise God/to operate in the five-fold anointing.

We’ve learned how to worship/shout/sow the seed.

We’ve learned how to get a date and even find a mate.

Be we have NOT been taught how to GO THROUGH!!!

And that is why in this generation and culture we have more suicides than we ever had before in our community. Because we expect everything to happen by tomorrow night.

• See, some stuff we have not been taught how to go through!!!

- How to keep JOY when you’re surrounded by JUNK

- How to sing when you’re sad

- How to endure when nothing changes

- How to hang in and how to hold on

You better learn how to encourage yourself!!!

Now let me park here parenthetically and say—It would be wonderful and glorious if we always had support from others who were always there to lift us up and pat us on our back and to tell us how good we look/how good we are/how much we mean.

But the truth about life and about experience—is that sometimes when you need it most, people will not be there to embrace you/to egg you on and to encourage you. And so if you’re going to make it—you’ve got to perfect the art of looking in the rearview mirror—with tears streaming down your face—and saying to yourself “I’m not giving up here….I’m more than a conqueror”

You’ve got to know how to encourage yourself.

If I can just tell the truth and shame the Devil—

• Some of us are content far to soon….

We don’t mind having nothing, hanging around nobody, doing nothing and going no where in God.

(In fact, that is why progressive ministries catch the most hell)

In fact, I’m going to mess with somebody because with somebody here today, MEDIOCRITY is your ministry and COMPLACENCY is your middle name. But I believe I’ve got a few saints in the building who have declared down in your heart of hearts that that is not enough for me: