August Word of Encouragement

Word of Encouragement

August 31, 2007

Psalm 40:2 “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; ….”

Have you been lifted out of the pit of despair or are you currently in this pit? Are you stuck in a situation that you cannot lift yourself out of? Sure you may be able to lift your head up to poke it out of the pit, but you could never lift yourself out. No, only God can lift you out. Reach up toward Him. He is waiting, ready to take hold of you and lift you up and out of this pit of despair.

Psalm 40:2 “...He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

I love this, because once He lifts you out, He will set your feet on a rock and give you a firm place to stand. He’s not going to position you to slip back in. Will you stand in that firm place that God has made available for you to stand? Will you stand believing? God brought you out of the pit of despair for the purpose of change! He wants to set you in a firm place positioning you for victory. He wants you to take up your position, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord has for you. He wants you to stand in that firm place believing that this battle is not yours, but His. Will you stand in the position that the Lord has made available for you to stand? Will you stand still long enough to see the victory? Will you stand firm believing, trusting the Lord to fight for you?

2 Chronicles 20:17 “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you… Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

As you stand, sing the new song that God has given you.

Psalm 40:3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God....”

You can sing because God has committed Himself to you. Our God is a faithful God. He is always a present help in times of trouble. He is an everlasting God who works on your situations from the inside out. You may not see His working, but because of His faithful promise you can be assured that as you stand with a song of praise in your mouth, everything’s going to be all right! It’s already all right. So you might as well get up on your feet right now and sing a song of praise to God!

1 Chronicles 16:23-25 “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.”

Always remember that God did not lift you out of the pit to allow you to slip back into despair. God has given you a firm place to stand; will you choose to stand in that firm place?

Be encouraged because we serve a faithful God!

Rose Britner
All scripture taken from New International Version

August 24, 2007

Galatians 5: 22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Think of the last time you had the opportunity to become irritated with someone. Were you joyful? Peaceful? Longsuffering? Gentle? Good? Full of faith? Meek and self controlled? If you have answered no to any of these options, then you may have been trying to produce fruit out of your own ability.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

You are not able to produce the fruit of the Spirit without the Spirit. It is true that you may know how to act the part if you try really hard. A natural tree does not produce fruit until it becomes mature. When a tree is mature, its roots have grown deep into the soil, firmly established. Let your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love so you can become firmly established and mature.

Ephesians 3: 17 “... being rooted and established in love,”

You see, the issue is not others say or do to you, what is most important is how you respond. Visualize yourself established in truth with your arms lifted up. Visualize yourself full of the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… Can you see it?

Psalms 1:3 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season ….”

The next time you feel as if someone is picking on you, think of yourself as this tree. They are not picking on you; actually they are picking off you.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Within fruit there are seeds that have the ability to produce after their own kind. Hmmm… think about that.

You are not responsible for what others think about you; however you are responsible for what you think about them. It’s harvest time.

Be encouraged as you trust in God,

Rose Britner
All scripture taken from New International Version

August 17, 2007

Mark 5:22-24 “…one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Jesus went with him.”

This man Jairus, fell at the feet of Jesus and pleaded earnestly with Him. Are you humbly falling at the feet of Jesus pleading earnestly to the Lord asking Him to come and put His hands upon your situation? To put His hands upon your marriage, your children, your finances?

Mark 5:35 “… some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?’”

There may be people who may come to you with words of unbelief and discouragement. People may tell you it is too late, why bother praying about that! I want you to know it is never too late. Everything’s going to be all right. It’s already all right!

Mark 5:36 “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Do not be afraid, regardless of how bad things appear, just trust in the Lord. Only Believe!

Mark 5:37 “He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.”

It is important spend time with other believers. Believers believe!

Mark 5:41-42 “After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.”

Everything’s going to be all right. It’s already all right!

Humbly believe!

Rose Britner
All scripture taken from New International Version

August 10, 2007

The Bible encourages us to not be afraid.

Isaiah 43:1 … "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Isaiah 35:4 “say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come …”

Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD, your God… Do not fear; I will help you.”

It takes courage to trust that God is going to take care of your situation. Actually, fear and courage are opposites. Webster’s Dictionary defines courage as the state of mind that enables one to face hardship or disaster with confidence and resolution. Fear is the agitated state of mind that cripples us from looking any further than the hardship itself.

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

How can you trust in God if you do not actively believe that He is love?

1 John 4:8 “… God is love.”

Be still knowing that He is love and all your fears will be driven away.

1 John 4:18^“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,”

Be encouraged!

Rose Britner

All scripture taken from New International Version

August 3, 2007

Luke 10:38-39As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.

The Lord is on His way to speak to you right now! Will you take the time to be still and hear what He has to say?

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

Will the many distractions keep you from hearing? Encouraging you to believe that God does not care? All day long, from before your feet hit the floor to the end of the day; distractions are always readily available, waiting to pull you towards the cares of this world. This reminds me of gravity, always, without fail, gravity is pulling downward. For example: If I want my cup to stay in a reachable position, I must intentionally set it on my desk to prevent it from hitting the floor. Seriously, if I just let go of it anywhere, it would hit the floor and make a mess. It is necessary for me to intentionally set my cup on a solid surface to prevent it from being pulled to the floor.

Luke 10:41-42 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her."

When our attention is pulled towards the cares of life, we become worried and upset. The Lord cares so very much for you! Just like Mary, we must each choose to sit at His feet, to be still in our hearts and in our minds to hear what the Lord wants to say. It is in His presence that we realize how very much He does cares. Remember, no one can make this choice for you, and no one can take this choice away. Shhhhh! The Lord has something to say to you!

Be encouraged as you choose sit in a listening silence!

Rose Britner
All scripture taken from New International Version