Encourage Yourself in the Lord

​​Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

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How Do You Encourage Yourself in the Lord

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​There will be times when you will feel discouraged, tired, disappointed, or uncertain about what is happening in your life. You may find yourself questioning, “Lord, what am I supposed to do?” or “How am I going to get through this?” But those are the moments when you have to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord. When you don't know what to do or understand what is going to happen, you can turn to God for strength. You cannot lean to your own understand or thoughts. Philippians 4:8 says," Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true... honest... just... pure... lovely... and of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  Isaiah 41:10 says, so do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

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The mind is a battlefield! It is so easy for negative thoughts to come to my mind during difficult or challenging seasons in life. You may begin to think, “I can't do this,” “Nothing is going to change,” “I'm not good enough,” or “Does God hears me?” Don't accept every negative thought that enters your mind. No matter how you feel, you must be committed to trust in the Lord and turn your heart and mind toward God. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” When you feel discouraged, remind yourself: God is already ahead of me. God is with me. God will not leave me. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you can trust the One who holds tomorrow.  When you feel discouraged, remind yourself: God is already ahead of me. God is with me. God will not leave me. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you can trust the One who holds tomorrow.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

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​Doing difficult or challenging times, you can focus on prayer, meditation, and worshipping God. When you don't know what to do, pray. When your mind is overwhelmed, meditate on God's Word. When your heart is heavy, worship Him. Prayer allows you to bring your concerns to God. Meditation helps you focus your thoughts on His promises instead of your problems. Worship shifts your attention from what you're going through to who God is. Your situation may change, your emotions may change, and people may change but God remains faithful.  Hebrews 13:5 says, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

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Often, we want God to remove the burden, change our situation, or give us an answer right away. We want relief, and we want to understand why we are going through what we're going through. But sometimes, God is asking us to be still and trust Him. Being still doesn't mean that God is doing nothing. It means that we can rest in the assurance that God is working even when we cannot see what He is doing. There may be things happening behind the scenes that we don't understand. Instead of allowing worry, fear, and negative thoughts to take control, we can pray, worship, and remind ourselves of God's faithfulness.  Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” 

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​​​When life gets difficult, don't give up - get closer to God.