Words Of Encouragement

Ever been in a bad place? I mean a really bad place that looked hopeless. You just needed someone to pat you on the shoulder and say, “It’s going to be alright.” Then, here comes this “angel” who speaks just words, and all of a sudden, it feels like you can move mountains. Most of us have been there before.

The problem might not have gone away instantly but there’s this ray of hope that brightens everything again and gives you a new perspective. That’s a really refreshing experience everyone in a bad situation craves.

It takes the right words to stir the right emotions…

Yes, that’s what words can do – they stir emotions.

Here’s something the wise king Solomon says about words:

“There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health..” Proverbs 12:18 KJV.

Also, see Words Of Encouragement For Women, Why Is Stress Management Important? and Types Of Stress

Words are basically what gives the world life or death. I’d be right to think this way because even God, in the beginning, made the whole world by the power of words. It was created by words and is sustained by His words – compiled in the scriptures.

And guess what! God made us just like Himself. That’s a privilege only man enjoys.

He gave you and me the same power of words. But be careful now, it is expressly revealed that the words you speak can make or mar. The bible says this in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

There’s a way to use words that will create outcomes of pain, regret, and destruction. But on the flip side, there’s a better way to use them to usher peace, love, kindness, and encouragement alongside everything good in between.

Your words are who you are… Never forget that!

How Powerful Are Words?

If there was a meter to measure the potency of words, the weight of words would probably weigh very close to God’s weight. For one, how was the world created? By words!

Also, remember Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords is also termed the “word” of God as found in John 1:1. The word has been from the beginning, dwelling with God. Now, tell me how powerful you think that is.

You’ve heard it said that the words you speak have the power to create the things you say. While practitioners of spiritualism, psychology, and the likes may seem to understand this principle and use it, it’s actually a principle God-initiated.

God was the first to speak and have the words spoken create something out of nothing. So, there you have it!

Your words have the same life force to create what you’ve spoken. God gave it to you as part of His “image” and “likeness” concept when He made you.

Believers should also have this understanding and not treat it as dark science or anything of that sort.

People can make a U-turn in life and destiny simply because of words. This can go both ways. I’ve seen people make a complete mess of their lives because of something someone said to them that they believed.

On the other hand, I’ve seen people make an amazing story out of a life they once found disgusting, and it was attributed to something good somebody said about them that they believed.

In all, life is governed by opinions, believe it or not. What we hear can have indelible effects on us.

Take the story of Joshua now. He was a man about to be saddled with the responsibility of leading Israel into the promised land.

It was hard work. Oh, really hard work! Moses had been doing it for a while, and it was no child’s play.

God knew that just the anointing was not going to be enough for Joshua to lead the people. So, He instructed Moses to “encourage” his successor, Joshua.

Yes, God was aware of the human factor. And even though might and the Spirit of God were coming upon the man Joshua, he still needed to hear words that would empower him.

Our brains have a storehouse that keeps everything we hear. It brings them to us again when we need them. If you’ve stored up many good words, when your day of adversity comes, blessed are you.

God understands this concept of human psychology, hence, the power of words. If Joshua heard somebody speak about the possibility of doing great and mighty things, it would stick and initiate a drive in his spirit to see that it’s done.

Look at this, God still had to speak to Joshua again encouraging him to be “strong and courageous” in Joshua 1:8. Why did God have to go through all this stress? Was it really necessary? Of course, it was! Because God understands the power of words!

And when these words sank in the heart of Joshua, oh who knew he would go on to become a great man of valor with a portfolio of extraordinary exploits. This is the power of encouraging words.

Words of encouragement can come from men but sometimes, God Himself speaks to us as in the case of Joshua. God spoke and still does today, encouraging His people by His word.

The word of God is full of encouragement that gives the assurance of getting through whatever hard times or gloomy days we may be going through.

Woe betides a man who has no one to encourage him in his day of adversity.

The spirit of man is lifted by words of encouragement!

See what the book of Proverbs 15:4 says about words, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.”

The Principle of Encouragement

Courage doesn’t come from mere words. Anybody can speak words but will they have the same effects of spurring courage in the heart of the listener? That’s the end goal of any sincere encouragement.

Only those with a track record can really encourage others. Because they become a symbol of possibility and this is great encouragement already.

It’s just like what happened between Moses and Joshua. Moses could encourage him and strengthen him on the task ahead because Moses had also run that course.

That gave Joshua confidence because the man knew what he was talking about and not just communicating gibberish.

It’s always the same principle when we seek encouragement or try to give it to others.

Have you ever tried receiving encouragement from a person you knew couldn’t relate to your situation? What happened? Most times, your mind immediately dismissed whatever they had to say no matter how well-meaning or good it sounded.

Meaning while it’s good to receive words of encouragement, we must also see if the help is coming from a place of sincerity or not.

It’s just as the verse of Proverbs 15:4 says, “a lying tongue will crush the spirit”. A lying tongue can crush the spirit in many ways truthfully speaking.

An instance is when they say what they’re not sure of in the guise of encouragement. Say, for example, you take the step and things get worse. Can they still help you at that stage? Did they really know what they were talking about or they were “lying”?

But imagine a person giving you some advice and you still met opposition. You go back to them and they’re able to give you another way through which they navigated that problem in the past. Pristine, right? Right.

You’re hopeful and even more resilient than you ever were. Why? Because you perceive know what they’re saying, and you’re hoping it will work out in the end.

That’s the simple principle of encouragement. It doesn’t come from empty words! The experience gives it authenticity.

We must be careful who we let encourage us to make life-altering decisions.

It’s similar to the role a mentor plays – they help you based on their experience. Imagine having help from someone who’s bankrupt of knowledge in financial investments. If they advised or encouraged you on what investments to make, you had better run for your life. No matter how sincere they may be, that encouragement is a deep pit you may fall into.

So, discernment must follow every time we hear “words of encouragement” from people.

This is why the scriptures are the foremost, most authentic source of encouragement. Why? Because who’s speaking – God – has a track record of faithfulness.

His words don’t fail for any reason that can be attributed to Him.

This is why in Isaiah 55:11, He says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it..”

This is so powerful! Hence, why you must always pay attention to whoever can encourage you from the word of God.

The word of God is static, yet ever-changing to who comes in contact with it.

Why You Need Words of Encouragement

We’re humans, and wired into us is the possibility to be down as well as a remedy for rising. This is the ministry of encouragement; it lifts the downcast and gives hope again!

The bible is full of examples that can raise the lowest of spirits from the depths of gloom and discouragement to the highest peaks of boldness and certainty of success.

Do people need to be encouraged? Can they be encouraged by the things written in the bible?

Here’s what the bible says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

So, yes. There’s your answer! It was well-planned and written down before you realized you needed it.

God already put through writing His spoken word alongside the experiences of men side by side so we’d see what was said and what the result was. Much like a chemistry practical that validates the theories.

In marketing, we call it social proof. Where you publish the results of customers who followed your instructions, used your product or service correctly, and achieved a pleasant experience.

That’s what the bible is. Think of it as a form of proof of what God said in Isaiah 55:11 – every word fulfills what it was sent for. That’s the experience of all those who walked with God by faith.

And now, it serves as encouragement for us – who want to walk with God and see the same results.

You need the words of encouragement that come from God through scriptures because it lets you know that it’s also possible for you as it was for those in the past.

The bible as a record totally jettisons any possible excuses we may have to accuse God of no longer being in the business of doing good things for those who walk with Him.

When we read about the father of many nations, Abraham, for example. We’re fired up to believe that God can give us what He promises no matter how long it seems not to be coming forth.

When we read about Job, we quickly realize that the afflictions we think nobody has ever experienced are only child’s play compared to what the man suffered. First, this knowledge makes us humble as we realize our mistakes in thought. Second, it gives us joy and hopes that if God brought Job out, then He can bring us out.

When we examine the life of David, we rejoice to know that God truly can lift one from the dunghill and set them in high places.

The life of Daniel gives us the courage to prosper in a foreign land knowing that God is with us no matter where we are.

Or do we consider Joseph and his sufferings? We get another dimension of God’s ability to take men from the lowest parts of life and place them upon thrones like kings.

Do we study the life of Jesus, the apostles, and early believers and see that the persecution we suffer was also suffered by some in the past and they overcame it? This gives us the courage that if some trod that path in the past and did well in the end, we can’t see it as impossible.

When we remember the story of the woman who was bent over for 18 years by demons and was healed by Jesus, or the lame man that was incapacitated for 38 years and restored, or even the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years, or again the man born blind who was healed, it all makes us clearly see that sickness and disease is not a condition God loves. This means we have express rights to healing from that demonic condition in the name of Jesus.

These and countless other experiences litter the bible and give us hope and encouragement that answer every possible known uncomfortable condition, teaching us that God is able to do the good things He did in the past even in our lives today.

Words of Encouragement For You

What’s that situation nobody has been able to positively reinforce your courage on? You think you can’t get through. It’s looking like something new to the human experience.

Don’t let that thought linger one second more because it’s a deadly lie the devil is trying to sell you.

That’s the motion of defeat the devil is initiating against you.

The first thing Satan does when he attacks is to confuse the knowledge of God you have. When he’s able to accomplish this, then he’s got you. Because when you begin to contemplate whether God can help you, you soon give up and your spirit is crushed. And who can bear a crushed spirit? The bible asks. It does no good.

I know you need that encouragement. I know you just need somebody to reassure you of how good and loving God is, and that’s exactly what you’ll get today. The words of encouragement I speak, I speak with confidence, knowing from experience what God has done and can do.

That’s why we can believe when He says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

You can’t doubt this for a second. Come on now, don’t you see the countless evidence from time immemorial even up till this day? Don’t you see how some people enjoy the goodness of God on every side? How then could you doubt that God wants the same for you?

Why would you think His plans for you are less solid than those He has for others?

I know you may be sick in your body, and my heart goes out to you. But it’s not a pity party we’re called to. I’m sorry if I sound harsh because I need to destroy that demonic opinion the devil is selling you, teaching you that God may not heal you for one reason or the other.

Your job is not to take statistics of believers who trusted God and died sick. No sir, that’s not the ministry God called us to.

In fact, this is what Hebrews 11:6 says to counteract that opinion. It says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

And what is faith, since it’s so important to come to God with it? Here’s the definition in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen..”

Now, do you see why you shouldn’t put yourself in the place of doubt? Because that’s exactly what it is to think and compare yourself with other believers who didn’t get what you feel God promised. You don’t know why they didn’t, and honestly speaking, it shouldn’t be your business because it interferes with your process.

Faith is being single-minded – having your focus on one point, which is God’s goodness and blessings towards you.

This is what James says about whoever is doubtful;

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

For let, not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:6-KjV

There you have it. Today will you remain double-minded, or trust the words of God will all of your heart neglect the voice of doubt?

For everything you hope to receive from God, this faith must be a posture you perpetually align to, because without it, there’s no receiving from God.

God is willing to give you peace, health, financial increase, and prosperity in all your ways.

God releases the blessings upon those who will keep His commands and obey Him as we see in Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

Oh, and please allow me to interrupt you, just in case you’re one of those thinking God is no longer in that business. You know, some people can say, “Well, that was the Old Testament”. You’re right, that was the Old Testament. So, what do we have to say about these verses in the NEW TESTAMENT then?

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again..” Luke 6:38 KJV

Ok, some may argue the context Jesus spoke was about forgiveness. Really?

So, what about this next verse?

“ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19 KJV

Or this one;

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2 KJV

These are a few picked-out verses showing that God is still blessing people till tomorrow. While we don’t plunge ourselves into the “love of money”, we have the blessing of God over us, assuring us all will go well with us.

This brings us to why we’re here – when things don’t seem to be aligning with the word of God. Yes, there are seasons like that where we get tested and tried on every front, and what we need in those times is not necessarily a change of church or a change of religion, but words of encouragement.

When life bites hard, that’s when we pull out the arsenal of words of encouragement. When a business looks to be nose-diving, remember that the plans of God are for good and not for evil. Remember that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Remember also that God blesses everything you put your hands to doing, and He gives you the power to get wealth. It may just be that you need to stay closer to Him and receive a new strategy to pull you through.

When you’re sick and rejected, God is with you. Remember that by the stripes of Jesus, you have been healed. It was purchased for you on that day Jesus was flogged and hung on a cross. The devil can make all the noise he can and try all his gimmicks but you remain victorious over him. You’re healed now and always!

If you’re going through boisterous storms in your family life, God also watches over that part of your life. He says He will perfect all that concern you. He speaks His blessings over you and your family. He says I will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me. Fear not!

Conclusion

We’re believers who love God and walk the path of righteousness but that will not keep us from facing trying times. In fact, most times than not, these trying times authenticate our alignment with the will of God because that’s when the devil breathes the heaviest assaults against us.

In times like these, we need to be encouraged that we have not necessarily sinned against God nor has God forgotten us. We need to know that it’s only a phase that will pass just as Jesus went through His passion and came out glorified.

This is the role of encouragement in the lives of Christians. Make sure you give it to those who are in need of it and don’t forget to receive some for yourself when you need it. It’s all part of the journey to glory.

When we think we’ve hit a brick wall, we need that cheer from the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and overcome.