by Pastor Dennis Costella (1948-2011)
God’s Word contains vitally important instructions for the believer who is in need of encouragement. If we look anywhere other than the Bible for encouragement in our Christian walk and witness, we are bound to be disappointed and, even more likely, to be outright deceived by the devil who wants us to be encouraged—in the wrong way.
Do you need encouragement—the right kind of encouragement? The testings that face every believer who endeavors to make his walk and witness count for the Lord are indeed many, and this is even true of faithful pastors, missionaries, Christian workers, and local churches. The good news is that the Lord has made full provision for the right kind of encouragement for every believer in every situation when it comes to living a life of victory and fruitfulness.
The dictionary definition of encourage is: “1. To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten. 2. To give support to; foster.” Every one of us needs to have our hope, our confidence, and our courage bolstered from time to time. Valleys inevitably follow the times spent on the “high places,” spiritually speaking. Yet, God wants each of us to press on even when difficulties and trials abound, not giving in to the temptation to become discouraged and retire from the battle. Here are some of the ways in which God provides encouragement for each of us along the way:
First, we are to encourage one another in the Lord. Just as Moses was instructed by the Lord to encourage Joshua to go over Jordan and take possession of the land promised to Israel (Deut. 3:28), even so we are to encourage one another in what the Scriptures have to say to us concerning our life of victory in Christ. Moses (a type of Christ) charged, encouraged, and strengthened the servant of the Lord to go forward to victory.
Second, we need to remind one another of what God has done for the saints of old (read Deut. 3:21-24). No matter how difficult our present situation might seem to be, God will be just as faithful to us as He has been to those who have hitherto trusted the Lord for deliverance. We have only just begun to see how wonderful and how great our God is (v. 24)!
Third, each one of us has a special place of service, and as we faithfully attend to that duty we, in turn, are able to encourage others. How can we say, “Be of good courage” to another who is weakening under the load if we, ourselves, are not serving in the power of the Spirit? We cannot! Read Isaiah 41:6-10. Those who are helped of the Lord are the only ones who can truly help others.
Fourth, it is also interesting to note that one of the ways God’s faithful servants are encouraged is by the sacrificial, abundant, free-will offerings of His people (Phil. 4:14-18); God places great emphasis on this. We can bolster the stand of faithful pastors, missionaries, and Christian workers by standing with them in our giving. It is a terrible shame to see God’s people encouraging compromise and disobedience by giving to churches and ministries that trim the message and violate biblical guidelines for ministry. Let us be absolutely certain that our giving encourages only those who are standing strong and true on the Word of God.
The Levites who served the Lord—in a sense “full-time”—were encouraged to continue in their fidelity to the Law by the gifts of God’s people. King Hezekiah “commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord” (2 Chron. 31:4). They responded by bringing in the gifts by “heaps.” This was without doubt one of the evidences that a genuine revival had come to Judah (30:25-31:6 cf. 2 Cor. 8:7). Sincere, selfless giving to those who faithfully minister the Word of truth brings joy both to the recipient as well as the giver! This Spirit-wrought “grace” of giving is the divinely ordained way of getting God’s work done (2 Cor. 8:1-7). What a blessing it is when those who are laboring in the Lord’s vineyard are supported in this way! We here at the FEA know firsthand how this grace provides strength and encouragement; faithful friends who support this ministry are wonderfully used of God to keep us on the firing line. We are deeply grateful.
Fifth, the Bible instructs us to encourage ourselves in the Lord. David experienced times when no one stood with him and bolstered him. Such was the case when he learned of the terrible deeds of the Amalekites who had sacked Ziklag and taken his and his men’s families hostage (1 Sam. 30:1-8). Even his own people “spake of stoning him [know that feeling?!] but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” When it appeared that no one was standing with him, he could take heart—in his God (v. 6b)! No matter how alone we may think we are at the moment, no matter how few are willing to faithfully and consistently stand in the day of battle, we will always have our God—what an encouragement! Paul echoed a like experience: “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me…. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me” (2 Tim. 4:16-17). It is wonderful to have the encouragement of others, but if even that is lacking, we have the Lord. He is all we need.
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Go to the Lord in time of need; He will comfort (encourage, strengthen) in a way no one else can.
Sixth, beware! We can also encourage ourselves or others in the wrong way and in the wrong thing. David was guilty of this when he encouraged Joab to besiege the city even though his primary goal was to have Uriah slain in the battle in an attempt to cover his disobedience (2 Sam. 11:22-25). Be very careful about falling into the company of those who seek to encourage us to do less than what the Word requires. Satan will see to it that there are plenty around us who will encourage us to compromise, to weaken our position, or to retire from the battle. But remember, God is not the author of that kind of motivation.
“They [the wicked] encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?” (Psa. 64:5). We must be absolutely certain that our encouragement is to do what is right, not what is most convenient or satisfying to the flesh. Let us be careful, therefore, that we receive our encouragement from the right source and are encouraged, in turn, to do the right thing. Satan is doing whatever he can to encourage us to leave off faithful service.
Are we in need of encouragement? Are courage and strength waning within? Are we lacking the kind of spiritual drive and fortitude we want and know we must have if we are to accomplish the task God has set before us? Then take heart—God wants us to be encouraged. Whether anyone else is standing by to give a heartfelt “Be of good courage” or not, the Lord is ever near, and His will for each one of us is to keep on the firing line until He comes. Our Lord is ever faithful. The great and precious promises of His Word and the help and support of others who are of like mind and heart will strengthen and encourage the beleaguered saint more than can be possibly imagined. Praise God for the marvellous open doors of witness and opportunity for service in these deceptive last days! God wants each one of us to be encouraged and has told us how we can be—may we give heed!
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