Encouraging Words for the day | Christian devotionals - Hopeful Heart

The Word of God

17/5/2013

What is the Bible to you? Is it an ancient book translated in a million ways? Is it a book only for "oldies"?Is it a book full of random stories? Or is it just a history book?

The Bible is the living Word of God. Like any living thing, it is not stagnant or useless or dead. But like every living thing, it needs to be nourished, watered, fed, given room to grow. Unlike any other book existing in history, the Word of God is:
·         A seed (Luke 8:11)
·         Grows and multiplies in the middle of difficulty (Acts 12:24)
·         Dwells amongst me
           (And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory... (John 1:14)
·         Created the world
          (By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things                       which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:3)
·         Tastes good!...have tasted the good word of God... (Hebrews 6:5)
·         Is pure - Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him (Proverbs 30:5)
·         Cannot be chained (2 Timothy 2:9)
·         Produces faith when it's heard.
           (So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
·         Is living and powerful
·         Discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart
       (For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)
·         Gives life- It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’(Luke 4:4)

Recognize the power of God’s Word in your life. Ask God to make His Word real; speak it, hear it and taste it. Nourish and grow it and let it bring life and fruit in every area of your life!

- Jo Voon-

It's in your every step

15/5/2013

God does not open paths for us in advance of our coming. He does not promise help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are on the edge of our need, God’s hand is stretched out.

Many people forget this, and are forever worrying about difficulties which they foresee in the future. They expect God is going to make the way plain and open before them, miles and miles ahead; whereas He has promised to do it only step by step as they may need.

You must get to the waters and into the floods before you can claim the promise. When God leads, take a step of faith. It may be feeble but it is a start; it is after all called ‘a step of faith’ – taking a step of courage during uncertain times. When you pass through the waters, God will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you and when you walk through the fire, God promises that you will not be burned.

He will help you in your every step; in every faith steps you take. Take hold of this promise.

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

- Anonymous

Encouraging without judging

14/5/2013

Another broken promises, another deferred hope.

“If everything is up for me to judge, could I say that God’s promises are just words without action? Could I think like that?”

“Wait, I hear you say God never fails to keep his promises and I should pray more? You are not walking with me hand in hand in this trial. Do you know what I'm going through?”

Sometimes, a generic reply could push hurting people away; it could discourage those who are sincerely in need of help or encouragement. Generic replies may also imply to some people that they do not “believe” enough for their own breakthrough or they did not do enough right things and pray enough.

As a Christian, there will be times where you would not know what to say to those who are hurting. This is simply because words are not enough to comfort their pain and anguish. Do not despair, do not feel like you have to say something just because you think you should give them bible verses or say something positive.

It may be hard to believe but your presence speaks louder than words. Your attentiveness to their cries is enough to say that “I’m here and I care.” After all’s been said, go to your quiet place alone and pray for them. Fight with them in prayer and God will hear both of your pleas. That way, you are encouraging the hurting without judgement and at the same time blessing them with your faith in prayer.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

- Irene Soon

Being fully persuaded that God is able

13/5/2013

We are told that Abraham could look at his own body and consider it as good as dead without being discouraged, because he was not looking at himself but at the Almighty One.

He did not stagger at the promise but stood straight up unbending beneath his mighty load of blessing; and instead of growing weak he waxed strong in the faith, grew more robust, the more difficulties became apparent, glorifying God through His very sufficiency and being “fully persuaded that he who promised was,” not merely able, but as it literally means “abundantly able,” munificently able, able with an infinite surplus of resources, infinitely able to perform.

He is the God of boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are too small; our expectation is too limited. He is trying to lift us up to a higher conception, and lure us on to a mightier expectation and appropriation.

There is no limit to what we may ask and expect of our glorious El-Shaddai; and there is but one measure given for His blessing, and that is “according to the power that worketh in us.”

Romans 4:20-21
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

- A. Simpson

Noah built the Ark

10/5/2013

Sometimes we feel like no-one understands us. Noah was one man who knew exactly what that felt like. God told Noah to do a gargantuan task, to build an ark approximately 140m long, 23m wide and 13.5m high (4 storeys high).

Could you imagine what people would have said to Noah? They probably thought he was crazy. Not only was he building an enormous ark, but he was rounding up all these animals. What was he creating? A zoo? Not only did he have to get all kinds of animals, he had to get all kinds of food. When the flood finally came, Noah was 600 years old. Could you imagine doing such back breaking work when you are 80, 90 years old, let alone 500 over years old.

God may seem to have crazy ideas for our lives. Other people may tell you that it can’t be done; that people don’t go around doing those sorts of things, that these things are not humanly possible. They limit God and the more we listen to this kind of talk, the more we start to second guess ourselves and start questioning God. Did God really say that? I can’t do that, I don’t know how to do it, that’s impossible. Noah could have told God, “I’m too old. You’ve got the wrong guy God.” Instead Noah was obedient even when given such a huge task. Nothing is impossible with God. If Noah had not followed God’s instructions his family would not have been saved, everyone and everything would have been wiped away by the flood.

We all have a part to play; God has predestined us to achieve something, our destiny. You may think that you aren’t able to do what God asks or even know how to begin to get where God wants you to go. Ask for His guidance. All He’s asking for is obedience. When you take that step of faith, God will step in and take control of the situation.

Isaiah 55:11
So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Genesis 6:17-18
I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

- Zhen Ang

The Lord, He is God

9/5/2013

Manasseh, wandering from God, lost his throne, and was carried away captive. In his distress he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord heard, and restored him. “Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God” (2 Chronicles 33:13).

An answer to prayer is a personal introduction to God. To see the artist paint before your eyes until the canvas glows with beauty makes painting very real. To cry to God in trouble, and to see the very thing you asked for it, makes the Lord wondrously real.

Perhaps there is one day where you go away leaving your room in confusion and disarray. When you return you find it in perfect order. Your books are neatly piled; your scattered papers are orderly arranged; every article has found its proper place; a rose, a sprig of heliotrope adds beauty and fragrance to it all. You recognise the presence and thoughtfulness of a loved one. Thus it is in prayer.

To the man who cries to God in prayer, the doing of God which comes through prayer makes God so real and practical in his life that you cannot possibly convince him these things are chance, or accident, or anything else than the personal presence of his Lord working mighty works and deeds in his own life. He knows God as the prayerless man can never know Him, because he thus sees His direct and loving touch upon every interest of his life. The Lord, He is God.

2 Chronicles 33:13
Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God

- Excerpt taken from Might Prevailing Prayer - Wesley Duewel
Irene Soon

Shelter through the Storm

9/5/2013

Over the last couple of days, Perth has been battered by storms. At night, gale-force winds howled around the house while it rained like cats and dogs outside. I was sure thankful for the shelter of my house and the comfort of a warm cosy bed!

Life can sometimes bring storms, wind and rain that can batter and wreck havoc. But know that the love of Christ is your place of shelter, fortress and refuge. Situations change and people change, but the love of Christ stands firm. It is the warm, safe house that you can always come back to.

Beyond the human capacity to undestand, He has done everything possible to give you the very best - abundant and eternal life! Let every day be a day of resting in the power of His love!

Romans 8:35, 37-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us... For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Jo Voon-

Building Each Other Up

7/5/2013

I don't know about you, but I think we all need a little bit of encouragement. No matter who you are, what you believe, where you are from or what race you are, human beings benefit greatly from a little bit of timely encouragement.

The thing that I love most about encouraging people is that from the moment I open my mouth and start speaking it out, I am purposefully speaking life and support into that persons life. I am not bringing them down or putting burdens on their shoulders. I have no interest to make myself feel better but to make the other person feel as they have value and worth; that they are doing well and are on the right track.

My encouragement to you today is this: Keep going! Keep pushing on! You don't give up! You have much, MUCH more to do than what is in front of you. It is not always going to be hard and it is not always going to be easy. But you have Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit with you! You are more capable and equipped then you will ever know!

Now I charge you: encourage that colleague, class mate, employer, employee, family member, son, daughter, husband today. You don't know just how much they need it!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:11

-Sandra Iliev

God will bring it to pass

6/5/2013

I once though that after I prayed that it was my duty to do everything that I could do to bring the answer to pass. It seems unsafe to me to just sit still, and do nothing but trust the Lord. The temptation to take battle into my hand is tremendous.

God however, taught me a better way, and showed that my self effort always hindered His working. When I prayed, He wanted me to wait in the spirit of praise, and only do what He bade me. We all know how impossible it is to rescue a drowning man who tries to help his rescuer, and it is equally impossible for the Lord to fight our battles for us when we insist upon trying to fight them ourselves. It is not that He will not, but He cannot. Our interference hinders His working.

Spiritual forces cannot work while earthly forces are active.

It takes God time to answer prayer. We often fail to give God a room to work His power in our impossible situation. It takes time to paint a rose. It takes time to grow an oak. It takes time for God to make bread from wheat fields. He takes the earth, He pulverizes, He softens and enriches. He wets with showers and dew. All these take time. Therefore we sow and wait and trust. God will bring it to pass, give Him your time.

Psalm 37:5 (KJV)
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

- Anonymous

Running the Race

3/5/2013

Last year, I took part in the City to Surf 12 km run. I pushed harder than I ever had. I remember the last 4kms was just a challenge mentally and physically. I felt my lungs about to explode, my legs were like weights and every step just took so much energy! Mentally my mind kept trying to convince me to take it easy and give up and walk! But I had my goal and I wasn't going to give in to my mind or body!

Isn't it true that life sometimes feels like a marathon? Sometimes we get weary, we get tired and every step demands so much more energy than what we have. Sometimes it's just so tempting to give up, give in or let go.

Jesus was the pioneer runner. He endured the cross because He had His one goal in mind that was to be one with us. In Hebrews, Paul reminds us: You are not running this alone, you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses - people who have ran and completed their races in the face of doubt, fear, despair, hopelessness, but they have arrived at the goal!

Remember that our goal is not perishable or temporal, but it is the sweet satisfaction of doing our best, finishing our race, living to all that we were created to be and then the eternal joy of being one with God and receiving an eternal kingdom and glory!

2 Corinthians 4:16, 17
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Hebrews 12:1, 2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

-Jo Voon-