Encourage Yourself in the Lord Often
Do you ever encourage yourself in the Lord? Well, I have. I’m referring to talking to God to transform your life when circumstances aren’t favorable. Put another way, you carry on a spiritual pep talk to move forward.
Strengthening yourself with self-encouragement words is healthy. At first, you may look around to see if anyone’s watching. After a while, you won’t care because unbelievers already think you’ve slipped a cog or two because you’re a Christian. If someone sees me muttering to myself they won’t be surprised, at all!
Encourage Yourself in the Lord: Follow David’s Example
I’ll lay the groundwork on how to encourage yourself in the lord with this scripture.
I Samuel 30:1-6
When David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites raided into the Negev and Ziklag; crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. They carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.
When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured. David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
David faced insurmountable odds. People thought about killing him because of their misfortune. Everyone was thinking about what the enemies might do to their loved ones. Furthermore, they no longer had homes to dwell in. David turned a paralyzing situation into one of victory.
But nothing happened until he strengthened himself. Scripture doesn’t indicate how long that took but this happens next.
I Samuel 30:7-8
Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?”
And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”
The Final Outcome?
David goes from despondent to determined to consulting God for advice and recovers what the Amalekites took. He also takes plunder the enemies got from the Philistines and the land of Judah.
David’s faltering heart turns into one that soars. He commanded his soul and spirit to get in sync and take charge of the circumstances. Today’s Christians can do the same thing because God is always the answer.
Encourage Yourself in the Lord: Examples of Words to Speak
I can do all things through Christ who is my strength (Philippians 4:13).
God will strengthen and hold me up (Isaiah 41:10).
My Lord rejoices over me with gladness and loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
The Lord made me the head and not the tail. I’m always at the top, not the bottom (Deuteronomy 28:13).
God gave me authority over satan and I intend to use it (Luke 10:19 – it’s the scripture about having authority over serpents, scorpions, and the enemy).
My inner self is renewed day by day. I will not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
God teaches me which way to go (Psalm 32:8).
I shall wait for the Lord to receive strength; then I’ll run and not be tired. I’ll walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).
God is with me everywhere I go (Joshua 1:9).
There’s no reason to fear. The Lord is my light and salvation (Psalm 27).
Besides saying words like those, the Holy Spirit will form words in your mouth you hadn’t thought about saying. Let Him overtake and flow through you to face hardships head-on.
When life gets difficult, we must exhort ourselves in the Lord to stay hopeful and reap spiritual benefits. We serve a covenant-keeping God and the words we speak remind us of who God is.
Benefits of Encouraging Yourself in the Lord
- Be renewed: I’m amazed at how quickly my perspective changes when I turn to God for renewal. I say spirit-filled words to revive my spirit. Nothing gets me out of the doldrums faster. Like David, my soul finds rest in Him.
- Stay ready: By doing what Philippians 4:8 suggests, (fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable) you’re armed and ready to face adversity.
- Encourage others: The idea of encouraging others grows in your heart when you see how much encouraging words help. I live a more satisfying Christian life when I also help others overcome discouragement and win spiritual battles. The tongue has the power of life or death whether you encourage yourself or someone else.
- Grow authenticity: Nobody likes fakes. God doesn’t either. He wants us to come to Him as we are. We can become living sacrifices and put our sins on the altar without worrying about whether He accepts us. He does.
- Remember God’s work of grace: Nothing builds confidence quicker than knowing you have a loving Savior. This post, “The Meaning of God’s Grace Is Sufficient”, details how to exalt Christ when life seems all wrong.
Encourage Yourself in the Lord: Keep Doing It!
As you know, letting discouragement linger leads to sin. After a while, your spiritual senses dull so you can’t hear God. You may even get mad at Him when life becomes unpleasant and seek other ways besides Him to find comfort.
God is the only one you and I can put our trust in. Everything else is sinking sand. Encouraging yourself in the Lord helps you focus on His many promises. David got so good at it that he turned his words into prayers and praises. Psalm 23 includes self-encouraging words you can say out loud.
How about you? Are you at the crossroads of throwing up your hands and saying, “I quit?” You may simply need more spiritual strength to push through to success. Why not encourage yourself by speaking words of faith to your inner man?
George Muller, a Christian evangelist, expressed what it means to encourage yourself.
“When nothing else will work, encourage yourself in the Lord. Do it with the word of God. Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.”
Amen to that!