God Encourages Us - First15 - August 3
God Encourages Us
Weekly Overview:
There is no better father than Creator God. He formed us and knows us. He provides for us, loves us unconditionally, and longs for real, life-giving relationship with us. He runs out to meet us in our sin, clothes us with new identity, and restores to us the abundant life he has always planned for us. As we spend time looking at the father heart of God, may a fresh revelation of his love for you guide you into greater depths of relationship with your heavenly Father.
Scripture:“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
Devotional:
Our God is the great encourager. He takes the weak and makes them strong. He takes the hopeless and transforms them into beacons of eternal salvation. He takes the broken and heals them with his love. And he takes the fearful and fills them with powerful courage from on high.
Our heavenly Father longs to fill you with courage today. He longs to encourage you to accomplish the incredible calling for which you were created. As we look today at a powerful story of God’s encouragement, may your heart be filled with a longing and passion to seek out the entirety of God’s perfect plans for you. Judges 6:12-18 says,
And the angel of the Lord appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”
God calls Gideon a mighty man of valor prior to any mighty actions Gideon had done. He commands Gideon to go out in the might to which he was called and accomplish the very work for which he was created. And when Gideon responds by asking God for a sign, God obliges him and remains with grace and mercy.
God is calling you to a life of eternal significance. He’s calling you to a life that matters. There is no weak tool in the hands of God. And there is no small calling in his perfect plans. You were created to live a life that changes the world. You were created for a destiny that draws the lost back into the fold of our heavenly Father. But in order to accomplish the life to which you were called you will need courage. You will need time spent in God’s presence being filled with his encouragement.
God is calling you a mighty man or woman of valor. He is speaking courage over you. He is near to you, ready and able to empower you. Take time in guided prayer to hear the voice of your heavenly Father. Allow his Spirit to speak to your spirit. Allow him to encourage you in his love. And follow his voice in faith that you might be used in greater ways than you could ever imagine.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s desire to encourage you. Allow Scripture to fill you with the truth about the life God intends for you.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.” Daniel 7:18
“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
2. Where do you need courage to pursue the life to which God has called you? What is God calling you to today that seems impossible? What has God spoken over you in the past that fear has crippled you from pursuing?
3. Allow God to fill you with courage. Open your heart to him and ask him to empower you and fill you with his love. Rest in his nearness. Allow Scripture to fill you with faith to pursue to the fullest whatever God asks you to do.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Don’t settle for a life of mediocrity today. God has a plan and purpose for everything you do. He longs to turn your relationships, job, finances, and passions into good works of eternal significance. His calling will satisfy your heart like nothing else. And the empowerment of his Spirit for his plans will transform you into a passionate, effective, and loving man or woman of valor. May you pursue wholeheartedly the life to which you have been called by your loving heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: 1 Peter 2
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