Encouragement is to give support, confidence, or hope to (someone). Or to persuade (someone) to do or continue to do something by giving support and advice.
It is to stimulate the development of (an activity, state, or belief)
Urge is related to the word, urgent, or ‘pressing. ‘ An urge is a pressing want, one that is almost a compulsion, like when you’re so frustrated, you have the urge to scream. If you urge someone to do something, you feel strongly about it.
When we feel sorry for ourselves, encouragement can seem like someone wants what is bad for us or wound us.
The problem is that we do not take responsibility and we feel powerless to effect change in our lives.
Doing nothing or sticking your head in the sand like an ostrich will not make the pain and the problem go away.
The best thing to do is to get advice seeing that we are emotionally involved in our own lives and then cannot or don’t want to see rationally what we need to do.
Think about war. When someone gets wounded they normally can’t take care of themselves and needs outside help. The same when we get wounded emotionally or spiritually.
Let’s have a look at what God says!
1. The Bible Scriptures:
6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses. – Pr 27:6
- This is a very interesting scripture.
- Obviously only Solomon in his wisdom can come up with something like this.
- The question is do I have that wisdom? Or do I want to have that wisdom?
- Are you wise like him to have written 3000 proverbs, the riches man in his time having all that your heart desired and kings coming to you for advice?
- So how do you determine who your real friends are?
- They will tell you the truth and not try to put a plaster on where you need openheart surgery.
- Who multiplies kisses and who is willing to wound you because they truly love you with a Godly love!
- God sometimes will try to wake us up by giving us over to our sins, which we decided to do in the first place in our foolishness. (Rom 1:18-27)
- So the question is do you see wounds as negative or positive?
- If you see them as negative then I would question your love for God.
- If you see them as positive then you are truly a wise man / woman that knows your friend’s love for you is more concerned about your eternal destiny than the possibility for him to loose your friendship which is real love!
2. Close
– John I think isolation is what kills the human spirit. It is when we think we are the only ones going through tough times and there is no one to help.
– When you have friends that really care, they will reach out to you but not let you feel sorry for yourself being in that situation but encourage and stongly advise you to take action and live the way that God wants you to live.
– Remember John God brings people on the path of your life to encourage you, even if you last contacted that friend 20 years ago. (Acts 17:26-28) God does not make mistakes.
- Francois that is so true.
- I know if I allow Godly forceful men to encourage me they are God’s real warriors who advances His kingdom. (John 18:36)
- We are always fearful of people who want to teach us the Bible that they will mislead us, but if I know my Bible nobody can deceive or mislead me. The Bible even says we should watch our life and doctrine closely. (1 Tim 4:16)
- If you are looking for a wishy washy church or in matter of fact friends that does not call you to repent of your sin, that is not Jesus’ church. The first thing in Jesus’ message was to repent. (Mat 4:17)
- The part about in the scripture where it says: “but and enemy multiplies kisses” reminds me of a scripture where God talks about the religeous leaders / preachers / pastors of the day that practise deceit by saying “peace, peace, where there is no peace” (Jer 6:13-15) In this chapter it talks about God’s wrath is on these people and they “dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious”. Sin is serious Francois and if we do not address it in people they will go to hell.
- On that note it makes me think of another scripture. 7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.” (Eze 33:7-9)
- So I have an obligation to dissuade (persuade (someone) not to take a particular course of action) because my salvation might be on the line.
- So in summary God is serious about us helping our friends stay close to Him!!!
3. Prayer
– John please close us out in a prayer.
- No problem, Francois.
- Good morning dad.
- Thanks sooooo much for a great day!
- A day I can live fully for you.
- It is Saturday today Lord help me to just get the car fixed.
- I love our new love birds that just astounds me of your creation and how amazing it is.
- Lord help to me love my friends even if they decide to reject me.
- Calling people to have a great relationship with You and give up everything for you will always have casualties to friendship because some people just don’t have the faith to follow you wholeheartedly.
- Their lack of reading their Bible’s to have faith, praying to entrust You with their lives, lack of sharing their faith, not studying the Bible with people to make them disciples and not having spiritual mentors in their lives have the effect that they live lukewarm lives and you will eventually spit them out of Your mouth. (Rev 3:14-22)
- Lord help me just to see past people masks they wear that everything is just fine and dandy.
- I know that if I persevere that I might helps some, just give me the heart to love them through their wounded lives.
Amen
- If you would like to study the Bible and learn more, get a mentor, please feel free to contact me by whatsapp me +27 79 481 8989. Join our find your greatness meetup group. https://www.meetup.com/find-your-greatness/
