BE A CHEERLEADER, AN ENCOURAGER.
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Watch YouTube: Wade Hughes)
GO EASY ON HURTING PEOPLE. SOME HAVE COMPASSION, OTHERS DON’T. Will we love broken people? Will we love the disappointed, discouraged? I heard a preacher speaking. The church was large and very prosperous. The pastor saw a dirty, smelly street person crawl to the altar. The pastor was judgmental and thought I hope he leaves. The Holy Spirit spoke to the pastor and said: I WANT YOU TO CRAWL UP THERE BESIDE THAT MAN AND PUT YOUR ARM AROUND HIM. The pastor said: NO, I WILL NOT! The HOLY SPIRIT SAID, IF YOU CAN'T’LOVE THE DIRTY, STINKY PEOPLE, YOU DO NOT LOVE ME! “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, WHEN YOU DIDN’T DO THIS TO THE LEAST OF THESE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, YOU DID NOT DO IT FOR ME, I CAN’T USE YOU AS A PASTOR.” The pastor crawled to the altar and loved the broken man. The pastor adopted the man and took him home and cleaned him up and got him a job. Now years later the pastor has a son.
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
ARE YOU GIFTED AS A HEAD-SHRINKER? DO YOU KNOW ANY NAYSAYERS? ARE YOU SKEPTICAL AND CYNICAL?
Do you criticize, distrust and oppose others? Do we devalue others and edify yourself?
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Your self-worth is not determined by others. You determine your self-worth by how you love others. Your words, your attitudes and your behavior will determine your love.
*ENCOURAGE: to inspire, give courage, to help, stimulate, give support, confidence, hope, one that reaches out, speaks kindness, compassionate, to lift up.
*ENCOURAGEMENT: to focus on the positive, ignore the negative; to be a cheerleade, to spur to action, to give heart.
*BIBLICAL ENCOURAGEMENT: give a new heart, to pour your heart into others.
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:26 (MSG) I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. 27 I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.
COULD THERE BE SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE THAT COULD USE A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT?
We live in a broken world. Many people are weary and worried. Many crushing burdens are weighing your friends down. People are hurting.
You don’t have to be rich and give sums of money to encourage others. Maybe a great encouragement would be “to listen.” Maybe you could text someone? Maybe a phone call? Maybe saying “THANK YOU?” I knew a lady traveling down the interstate, she saw many flowers blooming. She stopped her car, picked some flowers and she took them to two old ladies and they were so happy!
YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT. THE WISE MEN COMING TO VISIT BABY JESUS ENCOURAGED MARY. WE ARE NOT SURE HOW MANY WISE MEN CAME. THE WISE MEN DID NOT KNOW THEY WERE ENCOURAGING MARY AND THE SON OF GOD.
Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
THE WISE MEN’S TREASURES OFFERED GIFTS OF GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH, NOT ONLY ENCOURAGED MARY AND JOSEPH AND GOD’S SON.
WHAT COULD YOU DO IF YOU WANTED TO DO IT? WILL WE OPEN OUR EYES AND SEE THE HURTING? I READ A STORY OF A MAN THAT LIVED THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE BY DOING WHAT HE COULD.
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
There was a man that looked around the barren community where he lived. The man wanted to do something to help the lifeless areas around his community. The man decided there was nothing he could do to help his neighbors. He prayed and asked God to help him help his family and his friends to bring life back to his community. After much prayer the man decided it was beyond his abilities to help. The erosion brought destruction to the land.
Several kids collected ACORNS from around some big oak trees just outside of town. They put the acorns in several sacks. The young boys tried to sell the bags of acorns. The farmer might buy the acorns to feed his pigs. No one was interested. The boys saw this man sitting in the dirt and ruins around him. They told the man we will sell you these bags of acorns for fifty cents, no one else wants them. The man said I will pay you a quarter for all of them. The boys made a deal and left the bags of acorns.
The erosion and dirt had destroyed the land. The ponds had dried up. The man sat there and thought, since I have all these acorns I might as well plant them. He started by planting the acorns in his yard. He had thousands of acorns left. He asked his neighbors: CAN I PLANT SOME ACORNS AROUND YOUR HOUSE? The man planted hundreds of acorns all around his community. He planted thousands of acorns. Soon little seedlings were growing. In a few years the seedlings were huge oak trees. The roots of the trees stopped the erosion and green life returned. The little village came back to life. Grass started growing in the shade of the trees. Squirrels returned, birds were singing. There was new life all around. God heard the man’s prayer. In time the village began to thrive again. The Lord heard the prayer but it REQUIRED EFFORT AND PATIENCE.
SOMEONE HAD TO QUIT TALKING AND COMPLAINING. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! WITH EFFORT, PATIENCE AND VISION YOU CAN ENCOURAGE OTHERS. GOD CAN USE YOUR HANDS IN HOPELESS, HELPLESS SITUATIONS. WHY SIT AND WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO SOMETHING? YOU GET UP AND DO WHAT YOU CAN!
YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT TODAY MIGHT VERY WELL OUT LIVE YOUR DAYS.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
IN SRI LANKA IS THE OLDEST KNOWN PLANTED TREE… A HUMAN PLANTED A SACREDBO-TREE SEED. (FIG TREE)
THE TREE IS 2,300 YEARS OLD. In the garden at Gethsemane there are several OLIVE TREES that are believed to have been the trees Jesus prayed under still living today. YOUR SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT MIGHT OUT LIVE YOU!
I NEED SOMEONE TO ENCOURAGE ME… I AM NOT CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS. I LEARNED A LESSON AT A CIRCUS. THE TRAINER PUSHED A STICK IN THE MUD, AND A LITTLE ROPE TIED TO THE FOOT OF AN ELEPHANT. WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK? DO WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE THINKING WE CAN’T? WE WALK IN A DEFEATED MINDSET.
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
ARE YOU LIKE THE ELEPHANT? HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE LESSON OF THE ELEPHANT AND THE ROPE?
When a baby elephant is born they tie a small rope to the baby’s foot. The baby elephant is so small it can’t break free from the rope. As they grow up they have learned they can’t break free. So they are conditioned to accept the power of the rope. As the elephant grows and develops the large elephant could break free at any time from the little rope. The big elephant has been conditioned to accept the rope can hold them. The small rope makes the elephant hopeless and helpless. The elephant stays in bondage, stuck? ARE WE STUCK IN THIS RUT?
ACTS 27: WE HAVE BEEN IN THIS STORM MANY DAYS. THE CONTRARY WINDS ARE BLOWINGI I TOLD YOU NOT TO SET SAIL AND YOU DID ANYWAY… PAUL TELLS THEM EVERYTHING IS OK, 276 MEN, EAT NOW BY FAITH.
ARE WE GOING TO BELIEVE THE EXPERIENCED CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP? THE CENTURIAN? OR THE PREACHER THAT KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT SHIPS? THERE WAS NO HOPE! HEAR ME, NO HOPE! They had not seen the sun or the stars in many days. EAT BY FAITH!
Acts 27:25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Acts 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Acts 27:34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Watch: YouTube: Wade Hughes)
