Carly continued our Spiritual Gifts series looking at Encouragement.
To view Carly's slides (in PDF format), click here.
The amazing, gentle and powerful gift of Encouragement
To encourage someone is to give support, confidence and hope. Looking at it from a Biblical perspective the use of the gift is to point or draw someone into a more intimate relationship with Father God, to turn to God and to seek Him.
In the Old Testament the refrain ‘Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’ is found repeatedly in Deuteronomy, Joshua and both books of Chronicles.
The Prophets were encouragers constantly urging the people to turn to the Lord, turn from their idolatries, to seek the Lord and repent.
Samuel encouraged the people to not ‘turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart’
Look at 2 Kings 17:13
There is purpose in the encouragement, turn and seek the Lord.
In the New Testament we see letters full of encouragement.
They are letters full of teaching, instruction, admonition amongst other things but the essence is always the forward, eternal perspective of ‘turn to God, seek Jesus’
Look at James and Paul in 1 Thess 5:14-24
We look to the Lord for our example of how to encourage. The Holy Spirit is the greatest encourager of all, his voice is easy to hear throughout Scripture. He always points and draws us to Jesus.
We need encouragement to follow the Lord, remember who we are in Him and to stick to what we are called to.
We need someone to run alongside us when it feels all uphill, reminding us to keep seeking and trusting Jesus when we feel discouraged.
The gifts God gives are for us, for each other and for everyone as we use them to demonstrate the heart of God. However and whenever we encourage people we are demonstrating the love, passion and joy of God. He is for us! To encourage someone is to reveal the nature of God. It is powerful!
The gift of encouragement is all about nurturing people towards a place of seeking and trusting the Lord.
ENCOURAGE ON PURPOSE FOR PURPOSE
Suggestions for application:
If you feel discouraged, do you know why? Ask someone to run up that hill with you in prayer.
Pray truth over each other, prophecy over each other to hear how the Holy Spirit wants to help you seek and trust Jesus.
How have you or could you use the gift of encouragement? It might help to remember a time when someone encouraged you and it made a real difference to your life?
