How to Encourage Yourself

Exhortation is a spiritual gift and God has given me the ability to edify encourage and uplift others. Rom. 12:8: – “To come along side of someone with words of encouragement, comfort, consolation, and counsel to help them be all God wants them to be” The Greek Word: paraklesis means calling to one’s side. Everyone needs encouragement, some of us need it moreso than others.

What do you do when you need to be uplifted in a time of doubt, fatigue, fear, shame, depression, hopelessness, uncertainty, desperation, anguish, timidity…or any other feeling you may feel that requires encouragement, yet there is nobody around to help you get through your darkest hour? You may not even be at the lowest point in life, you may need a simple word of encouragement to keep you going through a time that may not even be so tough.

What do we do when nobody is around to encourage us? What is the source that we can derive hope from that will sustain us and encourage us in times of need? 

It starts with keeping our cups full. Our cups are a symbolic mental image we can use to parallel our souls to. Our cup represents our souls which God pours his love and hope into endlessly until it pours over. The key to encouraging ourselves and others is to always be full of hope so that we can draw from it when we need to the most. Here are some scriptures where we be reminded of the Hope that awaits us:

1 Corinthians 2:9 – Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Psalms 86:4 – Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Romans 5:4-5 –  And patience produces character, and character produces hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us.

We have to be able to speak faith, hope and love into our own lives and draw from the strength of the Lord to in order be strong. Nehemiah 8:10 says “Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 

We have to learn to be our cheerleaders, not our own worst critics. We have to encourage ourselves and allow the Lord to fill us with hope. Seek hope in the word of God and through prayer he will overflow your life with hope. Others will be able to draw from this hope as it spills over from your life and the evidence of God’s presence overflowing. John 15:7 says 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Let there be evidence of hope in your life.

Your Tree

Everyone has a tree. Whatever seeds you plant in the ground will ultimately grow into a tree that bears fruit of some sort. What type if seeds are you planting into the soil? What type of fruit is growing on the branches of your tree?

Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

When you talk about measuring your life against the word of God, a very practical way to do so is to line up your actions with His word. Exemplifying these traits is how one shows the type of fruit that is growing on their beautiful delicious tree:

• love
• joy
• peace
• forbearance
• kindness
• goodness
• faithfulness
• gentleness
• self control

Bearing this fruit from your tree is truly evidence that the Holy Spirit is in us and can be the best way to share the love of God with others, without having to even talk about it all the time. This is just a way of life that will set you apart and be a light in the world. These poisonous fruits make us sick every time, right?

• bitterness
• evil
• hatred
• slander
• impatience
• disharmony
• lack of self control
• strife
• jealousy
• insecurity

Don’t plant those seeds in your garden and better yet don’t eat this poison from anyone else’s tree!