I Need To Encourage Myself

One of the most discouraging times in our life is when we go through the hour of discouragement, fear, terror, anxiety and distress.

The fact of the matter is that, there are many of us that are waging wars against ourselves. We are worrying ourselves, tormenting ourselves about things and situation that surround us.

I can hear the questions being asked as we are fighting this pandemic. What should we do? Should we stay in the house, should we not go to church? Should we go to church? In times like this, I believe what we should be doing is encouraging ourselves, inspiring ourselves in the Lord. This is not a time for discouragement, but this is a time for encouragement.

When I looked up the word Discourage, I noticed that discourage was made up of two words: "Dis" and "Courage." Which means to be deprived of courage, hope, or confidence; dishearten; dispirited. Discourage means a lack of courage.

The issue with a person being discouraged is that when we are discouraged, we can’t hear from God. When we are discouraged we can’t hear the positive aspect of life. When we are discouraged, we lose sight of what God can and will do in our lives. And can I tell you a secret? This is when you really must be careful of whom you allow to speak into your spirit. Because one negative word can send you in the wrong direction, one negative word can lead you into destruction; one negative word could lead you to your demise. I don’t need the we can’t make it people in my life. I don’t need the it will never work people in my life.

I don’t know about you, but I need some encouragement in my life, because, encouragement brings about expectation, encouragement brings about anticipation, expectancy and reassurance, but discouragement causes impossibility, hopelessness, depression, despondency and despair.

I want to be encouraged, because encouraged people will smile even in the face of trouble. But, discouraged people will wear a frown. Encourage people even though they are sick will believe that help is on the way, but discouraged people when they are sick will just give up, fade away, and die.

If you remember the children of Israel were discourage in Numbers 21:4-9, come on read that with me verse 4 says 4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, saying Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Can I tell you that no matter how bleak it is. No matter how bad or how depressing a situation looks, if we can just see the Lord as our help in our calamities that we can encourage ourselves?

Let’s look at the record here in 1st Samuel 30 and see why David encourage himself. When David and his men returned home from the battlefield, they discovered that their city had been burned and their families taken captive by the Amalekites.

Remember, David had forsaken the Promised-Land and sought refuge among the unbelieving, worldly Philistines. For over a year now he had been living among the Philistines and had even joined their armed forces who were ready to strike against Israel. He had been ready to commit two terrible evils: the evil of fighting against his own people over whom God had appointed him to serve as king, and the evil of helping the

enemy attack the Promised-Land. But in His sovereign power, God had stepped in to prevent David from engaging in the battle. He had aroused the Philistine commanders to oppose David's presence lest he turn against them to fight for the Israelites. As a result of the commanders' opposition, the King discharged David. He and his men were sent back home to Ziklag, the city the king had given to David in the land of the Philistines.