In the midst of complicated situations when there is no answer in sight but a closed door, praise God for the answer given for all things asked in prayer.The mighty power of God will descend & change the situation.This praise should be from the heart, born out of faith that God is in control of the situation.
Pleasure to introduce Mrs Anitha Abby as guest,posting this article for us!
It’s easy to soar high in faith when everything is going great but the moment adversity knocks on our door, we tend to lose faith like air out of a balloon.I recently went through an experience where my faith & patience were tested to the brim. I felt deserted and went into a ‘rebel’ mode refusing to sit in God’s presence or talk to Him. Here I was facing a BIG problem (although in reality the problem was quite miniscule compared to others), the storm of the century, and God was silent! How could He do this to me? Why me? I’m sure you must be thinking “been there, done that”! We have all been in such situations and we have asked the same questions. Continue reading Pruning Our Faith
No man is exempted from trails and tempations in life. Every one has their own share of problems and when disaster hits, it is quite natural for any man to have negative feelings such as worry, anger, loss of temper, loss of hope, depression and disappointment. Some tend to give up and give in, others overcome and survive. Some say this is the ‘Circle of life’… but is it? Are we subject to anything that hits us or do we have some power to overcome and not just survive? Our ATTITUDE towards these trials is what makes the difference!
Do you have friends or family who constantly keep talking about their never-ending problems? And have you felt like giving up on them? Well, I don’t know about you but I often have these words popping in my head “There is no point in encouraging”.
I do have some people around who are going through very rough patches in their life. Broken and depressed, desperate for a change. Sometimes, it looks like walking through a never-ending tunnel waiting and hoping for a ray of light to appear. And it seems like no amount of words of encouragement convinces them to stand strong.
Honestly, there was a point in time when frustration struck and I started to give up on my friend. Thoughts of defeat overwhelmed me and I decided that there was no point in trying to encourage her or to make her understand. Little did I realize that I was too far away from the TRUTH.
The Truth is found in the pages of scripture. It is written in Hebrews 3:13 –
‘But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.’ (NIV)
The moment I read this verse; my eyes welled up. I was convicted of how easily I had decided on giving up on my dear friend. Our God is a God of second chances, and He is so patient with us. How many times have I knelt pouring out my frustrations in prayer and He hasn’t given up on me instead has encouraged me with his Word? He has refreshed my soul. This is the heart of God.
‘Encourage’ – This is a command that we need to follow in our daily life. Encouragement is highly emphasized in the Bible because it is very important in our walk of faith.
In 1 Thess 5:11 we are called to encourage and build one another.
In Hebrews 10:25, we read “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Proverbs 12:25 ESV “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
I can go on quoting verses which talks about encouragement.
It is God’s desire that His children encourage and exhort one another so none of them would fall into temptation and drift away from Him. Aren’t we called to be like Him? Aren’t we supposed to imitate His nature? Never give up … Encourage without ceasing! As long as there is “today”, we have to exhort one another.
Encourage each other when things are not going fine. Encourage each other when someone falls into temptation. Lift them up in words and in prayer so they may be able to stand. Encourage someone who is weak in faith. We need to help each other to be strong in our belief in Jesus Christ. Encourage and pray with someone who are too weak to pray for themselves. Little words of encouragement build lives. The extra ounce of strength that comes through fellowship, prayers and sharing our lives with others who trust God makes a lot of difference.
So, find if you have people whom you know is in need of a word of encouragement, just go and speak words of Life into them. Even if it’s the 1000th time, just do it.
Encourage – It makes a difference!
May this blog encourage you to be an encourager. That’s the kind of person God wants us to be!