Get Encouraged and Stay Encouraged!Sample

FIND PEACE

When chaos and trouble are swirling all around us, it’s easy to become agitated, worn down and discouraged (stripped of courage). A moment of peace is what we need in order to get our encouragement back.

I know a pastor who took a young woman recovering from drug addiction into her home, to help her. Long story short, this young woman – even though she’d gotten off drugs — had a lot of baggage and a lot of chaos in her life that lingered.

As the days went by, the pastor found that she was stressed and distracted all the time and couldn’t function very well in her everyday life or in her work at the church. She sought answers from God about a myriad of things but couldn’t seem to hear Him. She became discouraged.

It took her a while to figure out that living in the midst of the young woman’s chaos was stealing her peace and her joy. Inviting a recovering drug addict into her home was a kind and altruistic thing to do, but it wasn’t the best thing. The young woman needed help that the pastor couldn't provide, and it was wreaking havoc in her life.

Staying encouraged happens in the spiritual realm, in our mind, will and emotions. It’s so important to get our souls into a place of calm in order to take hold of the answers we need. Faith can’t work in an atmosphere of agitation or discouragement.

It’s important to do whatever it takes to get away from the agitation and put yourself in a place that soothes your soul so you can saturate in the Word and hear from God — so you can get encouraged! As I mentioned in yesterday’s reading, find what works for you – and do it more. It’s different for everyone, but it’s important.

Do whatever you can to eliminate the stressors and put your soul in a restful place that helps it to calm down and receive. It’s not always possible to remove the stressors but have a place you can escape – a place where you can focus in on God. He has answers for you!

Encouraging yourself is not frivolous; it’s important. Get your soul into a place where it can receive. Learn to encourage yourself, then expect to hear from God and see Him move in you and through you!

Was this plan a help and blessing to you? Check out more from Karen Jensen Salisbury here.