Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

In this life, there are plenty of things that can get you discouraged. Just listening to the news every day can get you discouraged as most of it is negative. Add to that you own personal trials and troubles and you can have yourself one big pity party. Life is not easy. Jesus told us that it wouldn’t be. But that doesn’t mean that we have to become discouraged and give up. The Word of God teaches us the truth so that we can manage whatever comes our way victoriously.

The way to battle discouragement is by encouragement. The Bible tells us that when many things piled up against David, he strengthened himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6). That means that he encouraged himself in the Lord. That may have been through the scriptures or by going to the Lord in prayer to find strength, but whatever it was that he did, it worked! Earlier on when he was running from King Saul who was out to kill him out of jealousy, God sent Saul’s own son, Jonathan, to encourage him (1 Samuel 23:16). The scripture above commands us to do that very same thing. It says that we should do it every day. If the Word of God is telling us to encourage each other daily, it’s because it is very much needed. But how many of us do that on a daily basis? How many do it at all?

Right now, you can think of someone that is going through something difficult or facing a very challenging situation. Why not take a few moments to reach out with a phone call or a text to encourage that person? If you’ve been a Christian any amount of time, I’m sure someone has done that for you at some point. Why not pay it forward? Did you know that the Lord Jesus puts people who are in need in our hearts and in our thoughts so that we can pray for them? The Holy Spirit also can prompt you to reach out to that person to encourage them. Sadly, some ignore the promptings, thinking that it’s all in their mind. But I don’t know of one person who was not appreciative when someone thought enough to check in on them. You have an opportunity to obey the Lord every day by taking a few moments to encourage someone. The Word of God tells us that if we do that, we will avoid being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and can also help someone avoid becoming hardened. When you encourage someone, you yourself receive encouragement from the Lord and when you see how your phone call or text lightened someone else’s load and encouraged their heart, that blesses your heart as well. Let’s make it a practice to think of people that we can encourage every day. God will be pleased, and you and many others will be blessed!

Pastor Joey Vazquez