Encouragement: The Fuel of HopeSample

How will you find encouragement?

The letter of Jude in the New Testament is easily overlooked. But it has some powerful words of encouragement and how to be encouraged in Christ.

And Jude is speaking about our generation. It is we who need encouragement even more than earlier generations, because all of the problems of the world and God’s wrath are coming in these last days.

So how do you find encouragement?

First, look to God and seek His will in prayer. There is great encouragement in building your relationship with the Lord by prayer.

The Lord has also given gifts to the church to strengthen and restore them. We can be encouraged knowing that He did not and does not leave us to flounder to find our own way. Instead, we can go to His ministers who provide insight, wisdom, and guidance.

We are also encouraged by the Holy Spirit who God has given to all His people as a gift. It is the Holy Spirit who lifts us up when we walk in the Spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of God, so that we may be encouraged in the promised life we shall receive.

We are encouraged by the victory that Christ has given us over the world by faith. It is faith that wins wars, releases captives, climbs great mountains, overcomes hurdles, and eventually leads to life.

We are encouraged by the scriptures that speak life into our troubled lives. The scriptures fill us with encouragement as we study and grow in Christ, for they testify to His glory and the glory of the Father. The scriptures guide us so that we can learn His will and receive the life and the promises set before us.

And we take encouragement in the words of God, who tells us not to worry or be anxious about the things of this world. We do not need to be concerned with the stresses of this life and the darkness of evil in this world. They will pass away, but God has promised, “I will NEVER fail you nor forsake you.”

We are encouraged when we meet together to share each other’s faith. It is in meeting together as brethren that we learn and grow. We are encouraged by the Lord to meet together, for His will is for us to be a church. None of us stands alone and none of us can stand alone. And besides, if we are alone, how shall we keep the word of the Lord that tells us to love one another?

So, how shall you find encouragement? You will find it in the presence of the Lord and His people.

Call to action:

Consider how else you may be encouraged, and do what works for you. Read the Bible, study the word, sing or listen to Gospel music, and above all pray for the encouragement of the Lord in your life.