Today I want to discuss the issue of encouragement. We live in a world full of discouragement. You only need to watch the news to see that most of it is bad news. I remember a few years ago preaching at a Bile College in New Zealand and telling the students they needed to be those who encouraged each other to pursue their God given dreams, calling and destiny. Encouragement can get you started and get you through the difficult seasons of life.
I believe God is a great encourager. He’s always looking to build us up and build our faith and He does it in so many ways. Jesus said to His own disciples “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (John 14:12) Jesus had invested years of His life into His disciples, He had taught them, challenged them and modeled for them the kind of life He wanted them to lead.
As He was about to be crucified, die, rise again and then ascend to heaven He revealed His heart. He revealed the heart of God for humanity. God wants us to do great things! He has a Fathers heart. He believes in you and me. He was in effect saying “You have seen everything I have done, you can do the same things and you can do even greater things.” I’m telling you God is a wonderful encourager!
I love to encourage and believe in people because I believe it reflects the heart of God. Yes we have to stand firm on God’s Word. We have to embrace the work of the Cross in our lives. We have to be strong in our holy hatred for sin, we have to stand for righteousness and all of God’s wonderful attributes.
I don’t want to promote a motivational speaking type model of ministry, we need to embrace every facet of the Word of God and stand firmly on it. But I believe God is looking to make us more like Jesus. Jesus wants us to do even greater things than He did, because He is looking to pull us in the direction of being all God has called us to be.
I remember when I first started out in the ministry and I didn’t really have a lot of faith for miracles. I remember preaching and ministering and just doing my best to stand on the Word of God. I needed encouragement. I had Professors from Oral Roberts University who encouraged me to step out in faith. I had a wonderful mentor who encouraged me. I had wonderful friends who encouraged me, and most importantly I had the encouragement of God Himself.
Maybe today you are wondering if you can do something great for God with your life. I’m here to tell you, you can. Jesus loves you and wants you to do greater things than even He did. It’s wonderful that you believe in God; just remember that He believes in you. He wants you to be all that you can be. To fulfill the potential He has placed inside of you. He’s your greatest encourager.
