One of the great lies in the church stops us as fathers and mothers from fathering people because we think in order to do it we need to be better than them. It’s not about my ability. It’s about my encouragement. It’s about my love. It’s about believing in Him. For sons and daughters to become heroes they need moms and dads who believe in them, cheer them on, and encourage them even though they might not be as good at what they do.
Our practice of hearing what God is saying and speaking encouragement, comfort, and strength into others doesn’t need to be limited to church services. Whether it be your job, friends, family, or even someone you just met on the street, you are meant to be that candle in a dark place. Go and encourage someone today. Be the beacon of love God intended you to be.
Some believe that calling out greatness in people promotes pride. True humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. The truth of God’s grace humbles people without degrading them and exalts people without inflating them.
It is time for us to make up our minds. We have a way to get connected like never before and so many are not using it for the best things. I want to use the internet and Facebook to connect with other Christians so I can encourage and be encouraged in everyday life. I need prayer but I need the encouragement of the rest of the Body of Christ. My body couldn’t function correctly if I didn’t have a mouth to eat or a stomach to make the able to be taken to the rest of the body. Let’s start connecting for strength and training instead of complaining and gossiping.
Your times of training were not for nothing. God saw your sacrifice and obedience. He saw when you submitted to the times of healing and refining. He saw the times when you stood every though others expected you to sit. God hasn’t forgotten His word and promises over your life. Your quiet “yes” resounded very loudly in heaven.
I believe that without the kindred affection of friends, a man is very one-sided. Just as it takes iron to sharpen iron, through the course of navigating relationships, friction and comfort are created, often showing the truth of a man to himself. Without the grinding wheel, the knife would never be sharp, and without one another, unconditional love with humanity would only be a theory. But through my closest relationships, my rough edges have become smooth and sharp.
Never worry alone. When anxiety grabs my mind, it is self-perpetuating. Worrisome thoughts reproduce faster than rabbits, so one of the most powerful ways to stop the spiral of worry is simply to disclose my worry to a friend… The simple act of reassurance from another human being [becomes] a tool of the Spirit to cast out fear — because peace and fear are both contagious.
As a leader, I must resist using my team for personal gain, but rather position myself for their gain. Making room on the stage for their destinies to become a reality. It’s because the people on my team are called to influence spheres I will never have access too. As leaders, if we don’t think bigger than our personal destinies, nobody will last in our environments. Brilliance is birthed in an atmosphere where leaders become the biggest encouragers in the room, not just the biggest personalities, voices, and opinions.
When we seek His word above all others, His encouragement before all others, His truth instead of all others, then we will be pleasing to Him more than all others.
There are some men and some women in whose company we are always at our best. While with them we cannot think mean thoughts or speak ungenerous words. Their mere presence is elevation, purification, sanctity. All the best stops in our nature are drawn out by their conversation, and we find a music in our souls that was never there before.