Encouragement is a drastically underused tool in the life of most Christians. It is powerful and easy to do.
It is a way to speak life into people. It’s a pathway for loving.
Encouragement is a pillar of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:3).
God encourages us (2 Corinthians 7:6), we encourage one another (Acts 15:32), and we can encourage ourselves (1 Samuel 30:6).
We are to be encouraged in the life to come. (1 Thessalonians 4:18, 5:11) and encouraged through fellowship here (Hebrews 10:25).
The great privilege of encouragement is that when we are encouraging one another, we are participating in the work of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. When the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter (or Advocate) in John 14:16, that word is connected to the word for “encouragement.” So when we encourage, we are joining with God in the comforting and advocating work of the Holy Spirit.
Biblical encouragement is simply strengthening people toward what God has called them to do. It can be as simple as reminding them of the instructions God has given them. It can be declaring their identity over them. It can be helping them to see the reward instead of the present difficulties. All of these are ways that we can encourage one another.
The devil wants to rob us of our life, our love, our hopes, our dreams, and everything good, beautiful, and joyful. Sometimes this happens in big lumps, like a death or a divorce, but usually it’s the little things every day. Another day without starting the diet. Another day of being unappreciated. Another day of seeing the bills pile up. Another day since the last time you really knew God was present. Without deliberate injections of goodness into our lives, the devil will grind us into hopelessness. Encouragement is one of the biblical ways that we rebuild and refresh hope, peace, and joy in our lives.
Every believer should be practicing encouragement as a regular part of their fellowship.
The first step to practicing encouragement is to be aware of the need. Realize that almost nobody is fully encouraged. If you have an opportunity to talk to somebody, you have an opportunity to encourage them (within reason).
Next, what are you going to encourage the person in? Compliment them on an admirable personality trait (“I appreciate your kindness when you say ‘hi’ to me”)? Acknowledge a job well done? Declare a biblical truth over them? Remind them of the promises of the Lord?
Then you find the level of encouragement appropriate for the level of the relationship. Your spouse should receive much deeper and more profound encouragement from you than the cashier at the store.
Find the appropriate way of phrasing your encouragement. For strangers or acquaintances, you should be casual and brief. For closer relationships, it’s entirely appropriate to have a conversation, tell stories, and share your feelings.
Altogether an encouragement can be a very short thing,
Thanks for being kind to me.
Or it can be a deeper, more personal thing,
Hey Mary, remember that time you got a prophetic word about growing in wisdom? I wanted to let you know that I’ve seen you growing in that and I’ve been personally blessed by the way you’ve been exercising this gift.
Or it can turn somebody’s eyes toward the Lord.
Armin, I know it’s been really hard for you since you lost your job and you’ve been struggling with finding a new one. I want to declare over you the promise of God that He will never leave you nor forsake you. I have seen how He has been providing for you in this tough time, even if it’s not everything you want.