How to Encourage Yourself in the Lord Through His Word

Are you struggling these days to stay encouraged in the Lord? Living in an ungodly, immoral, fallen world, with increasing calamities, suffering, and hardships, it is easy to become discouraged. And, we wonder why God is allowing these bad things to happen in continuity with increasing frequency. Or, are you struggling with your faith in God for other personal reasons? Remember, Jesus told us that in this world we will have tribulations, but in Him, we will find peace. This is His promise to us regarding challenging times in our lives. Therefore, you should not be scared of what’s going on in this world, or of personal challenges. Just keep looking to Christ for continued strength, guidance and protection.

In this post, I want to encourage you to find encouragement in the Lord through His Word. By searching the Bible for scriptures specifically on encouragement, by considering God’s fulfilled promises to Bible believers, by using the Book of Psalms, and through your own personal relationship with Christ.

Use God’s Infallible Word to Encourage Yourself

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He shall abide with you forever. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring and things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:16;26-27

With Christ’s own words spoken directly to us, this should instill peace and comfort in our hearts. We don’t need to seek encouragement anywhere else. His infallible Word must be our ultimate source of encouragement, to give us hope, peace, and comfort in troubled times. We have the promise that our Heavenly Father has sent His Holy Ghost to be our Comforter in troubled times. Elsewhere, the Word states that He would never leave nor forsake us, and will be with us to the end. So, we must be confident and hold to His Word, and His promises and believe that the Holy Spirit always is with us, protecting us, and being our source of peace and comfort to us, even when we can’t feel His presence.

“Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord, thy God is with thee whithersoever thou go.”

Joshua 1:9

As Joshua encouraged the children of Israel, to be strong and courageous, and not be afraid, you must encourage yourself by this as well. This same God who protected, and guided the children of Israel out of Egypt, is the same God that we serve today. We’ve read about how they were in bondage and delivered by Moses, through God’s power and guidance. As Christians today are His children too, there’s no reason why He won’t protect us and be there for us in our times of need, no matter how bad things get in this world, or how bad our personal circumstances are, Christ is our only hope for salvation.

Consider God’s Fulfilled Promises to Bible Believers

Moreover, we know the Bible is full of fulfilled promises God made to believers. And by their faith, God fulfilled promises to those who trusted and believed in Him; to those who had the courage and waited for His appointed time to prove faithful to them. You must use these fulfilled Bible promises to encourage yourself in the Lord. What God has done for others, He’ll do for you according to His will and purpose for you. Therefore, you can encourage yourself through others’ fulfilled promises.

To encourage yourself, it’s important that you have faith and believe in Him and His power to fulfill promises to you too. Whatever you need, you can trust and believe that He will provide it to you, according to His will. Whatever suffering you may endure, you can trust and believe that He will grant you peace, comfort, and strength. And whatever fears you may have, you can trust and believe that He will deliver you from them. You must activate these promises, by faith, through persistent and earnest prayer and supplication.

Use the Book of Psalms to Encourage Yourself

“Blessed be the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.”

Psalms 28:6-8

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice and He heard me out of His holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.“

Psalms 3:4

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou has enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”

Psalms 4:1

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hill from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The Lord shall preserve thy soul from evil. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”

Psalms 121:1-2;5;7-8

Throughout the book of Psalms, we learn a lot about King David’s life experiences through His prayers and supplications to the Lord. And we can find his experiences and God’s subsequent deliverances a source of encouragement. We can surmise that from the moment something went wrong for David, He sought the Lord for Help. It seemed automatic to him. He was very trusting of God. Because he knew of God’s love for him. Therefore, God always delivered him in his cries for help.

David always cried out to God, pleaded for His help; and praised and thanked Him for His sustaining power. This is a model for Christians to live by today. To seek the Lord as David did and find a source of encouragement in the Lord through his experiences and love for God. Nothing could turn David’s heart from the Lord. He referenced God as His “rock and salvation; a very present help in times of trouble.” Why? Because the Lord never failed him, He always sustained him.

I, personally, find David’s faith and trust in the Lord to deliver him from no matter what trials or tribulations he faced, encouraging and comforting. So, no matter what I go through in my life, I know that God will always be there to guide and protect me and see me through. I am a faithful child of God, so there’s no reason why He would abandon me in my times of need. In fact, He once delivered me from a very long depression where I had given up on life. So, He didn’t deliver me back then, only to abandon me in my future times of need. That’s why I continue to trust Him. Having said that, you should also encourage yourself with the Book of Psalms and God’s many deliverances and restorations of David. I promise you, there’s a Psalm for every situation you face in life to comfort you and bring you peace.

Encourage Yourself Through Your Own Relationship with Christ

If you do not have the ability to attend church services, nor have Christian friends in your life, find ways to encourage yourself through your own personal relationship with Christ. This entails surrendering your heart and life to Him daily by establishing a prayer life, studying and meditating on the Word of God, seeking His wisdom, knowledge, and guidance, and giving Him total control of your life. When He has control of your life, you live under His submission and His Holy Spirit lives in you and speaks to you. You get encouraged when you hear His voice speaking to you.

Consequently, our relationship with Christ is the most important relationship we will ever have in this life. For this reason, we must nurture it to strengthen and sustain it. Christ is our hope for glory, for eternal life. Therefore, do not underestimate your relationship with Him. He is your best friend, your anchor in the time of storms in your life, your provider, redeemer, and so much more. Therefore, encourage yourself in your relationship with the Lord.

Finally, for whatever reason you are discouraged, you can always encourage yourself with God’s Word. God’s Word provides peace and comfort to us and eradicates our fears. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the same sovereign powerful God who delivered and restored David countless times, the same God who fulfilled promises to Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and others. The same God who helped you in your previous times of need. If you surrender your life to Him, His Holy Spirit will guide and protect you throughout your life. Despite your personal challenges or what’s going on in the world today, He will be a very present help in the time of trouble, a shelter in the storm, and a rock of your salvation. You must encourage yourself through His Word and be courageous.

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