Arise!: How to Get Back Up When Life Has Knocked You Down. A 5-Day Plan With Jacques McNeilSample

Encouragement, Arise!

Has this been a rough season for you? Have you been surrounded by change and uncertainty? Have you experienced feelings of loneliness, exhaustion, and being stretched thin while facing adversity? If so, you are not alone. I distinctly recall feeling the same way – uncertain about what to do and whether things would ever improve.

One day as I was driving home from an event, feeling sad and overwhelmed, a message on a billboard captured my attention. The message simply stated, “You have more power than you think!”

Just seeing that caused everything in me to arise and be awakened. The weight of my thoughts and feelings that had consumed me, immediately dissipated. As I ruminated on the words on that billboard, it reminded me of who I was.

With tears streaming down my face, I lifted my voice and began to worship the Lord for His goodness, His lovingkindness, and His faithfulness.

Like David in Psalm 34:1-4, I declared, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. “

As I worshiped and declared the Word of God over my situation, my friend, encouragement arose. My perspective about my life, challenges, delays, and setbacks completely shifted. A few of the scriptures that flooded my mind were:

• Psalm 31:15(NKJV) “My times are in His hands.”
• Philippians 1:6 (AMP) “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”

In your current situation, you might be feeling down, wondering if things will ever get better. You have contemplated giving up because things seem to be deteriorating rather than improving.

My friend, I hope I’ve inspired you to choose to worship the Lord during those times when you feel sad and overwhelmed. Our praise and worship can truly transform our surroundings – it did for me. Remember the power you hold to arise and encourage yourself. Your words carry weight, and when you speak the Word of God aloud, it affects not only you but also the environment around you.

As the spirit of encouragement arises in you, embrace it, and continue encouraging yourself. “You have more power than you think!”

Your words are filled with life, hope, strength, and people are waiting for you to release them into their lives as well.

Declaration: Today I declare I will believe what the Word of God says about me. It says…

• I am forgiven (I John 1:9; Ephesians 1:7)
• I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37; Deuteronomy 20:4)
• I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13)
• I am accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6)
• I am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• I am not alone (Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 54:10)
• I am healed (I Peter 2:24; Psalm 103:3)
• I am bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1b)
• I am chosen (John 15:16; Ephesians 1:4)
• I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)