Be an encourager

“Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.” Deuteronomy 31:7 NIV

With one mile left to go in the marathon, I saw him... the person I knew I was there to speak to. “Hey there! You’re almost done! Just keep stepping. You can do this!” The struggling young man smiled at the words of encouragement and readily welcomed my offer to run the last bit of the 26.2 mile race with him. And as we slowly made our way toward the finish line, I learned that Sergio was only nineteen-years-old, running his first marathon, and had a fierce determination to complete what he had started. Feeling led by the Spirit, I further encouraged the young man to apply the same grit he was now showing to accomplishing his life goals. Immediately after crossing the finish line, Sergio hugged me and said that he would never forget the words I later added, “Commit everything you do to the Lord young man and He will use you to do even greater things than finishing this race.”

And truly, sometimes all it takes for a person to succeed in the midst of pain, doubt or obstacles is an encouraging word from someone else. Moses undoubtedly understood this, and encouraged young Joshua to “be strong and courageous” so that he could assume the role of leading the people into the promised land as God had chosen him to do. Surely the task of shepherding such a large crowd of tired and discouraged Israelites must have seemed huge to Joshua, but the words of affirmation coming from this man of God gave Joshua the strength and courage he needed to get the job done.

So be looking for ways and opportunities to lift someone up my friend. Especially if you feel the Spirit’s prompting to do so. Your words could very well make all the difference in someone’s life today and in the future.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that there are many struggling and hurting people in our world. People that may not feel as if they can take another step. Help us to be encouragers to these people and to remind them that they are warriors and able to do all things through Your mighty strength. It’s in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Warrior - Steven Curtis Chapman

http://youtu.be/GYEgOh_b-Co