Luke 22:31-32
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (KJV)
"A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than a whole book of praise after a success." - Bits & Pieces
Greetings to all of God's people, precious in His sight. I pen these words to give direction to someone who has just come through a difficult or challenging time. First, allow me to say to you no matter what the challenge was that you faced, it was God that anointed you and delivered you in the midst of the challenge. He anointed you that you might be able to persevere while being challenged. The Lord's wisdom was then set forth to deliver you in his timing.
Now for very blessing from God, I believe that there is the responsibility on our part to graciously bless for God. In the text Peter is reminded that Satan had plans to attack on some level, but, the prayers of Christ added strength to Peter's faith. The thing that Peter must now do having been delivered from the destruction that Satan desired to do to him, is to strengthen, to encourage, or to inspire hope in someone else who may be presently going through a trial.
To encourage or inspire hope is an opportunity to affirm the dignity and the destiny of the person who is going through. We need to practice speaking affirming words to each another in simple straightforward statements. The word "encourage" implies to inspire to courage. How many among us would set out to conquer our fears or to live out our dreams if someone would just offer encouragement in the form of affirming words every now and then? All of us have areas in our lives that we feel insecure. In those areas we lack courage, and it is often that lack of courage that hinders us from accomplishing the positive things that we would like to do. That dormant dream or unfulfilled potential within your friend, or your family member, may be awaiting those words of encouragement that are fermenting like old wine in your soul. It will never benefit anyone until you share it. Got Word? Speak it!
