The Living God will put you through circumstances and situations in life that will no doubt teach you how to encourage yourself in Him. Some may think, “wait, I already know how to encourage myself; I do this all the time; I’ve been encouraging myself since I was a child.” While all this may be true, there is a distinct difference between encouraging yourself and encouraging yourself in the Lord.

Encouraging yourself in the Lord basically means to trust in God. It means to go through (not around) circumstances knowing that God is with you and that you are not alone. You simply can’t trust in yourself because with the self comes all of the fleshy burdens that will weigh you down through your trials- ego, pride, stubbornness, lack of trust, fears and doubts, insecurities, negative thought patterns, etc.

When you encourage yourself in God, you are remembering the past blessings and great favors God did for you when you really needed Him to. The miracles that came upon you even when you didn’t pray for them. The times He shielded you from shame and humiliation and blessed you openly to affirm that you are the apple of His eye.

The practice usually comes at a point when you are alone, tired, beaten, stressed, frustrated, and in all types of confusion. Usually people have given up on you and you have given up on yourself. You really don’t feel like pressing forward, but you know you have to because you are still alive and the spirit that dwells in you will not allow you to quit. You know at this point that you cannot trust in man or yourself because after all, if trust in man or yourself worked, you would not still be in this predicament in the first place.

So with nothing to lose but hope in great gain, you slowly surrender to trust God and be encouraged by and through Him. The more you began to trust Him, the more you begin to encourage yourself in Him until you begin to witness the contrast of solely trusting in yourself or man, versus trusting in God. You realize which side you see the best results in.

We all should learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord. It is not something that happens overnight, but indeed a process that takes wisdom, maturity and growth.

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man; it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes,” Psalm 118:8-9.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths,” Proverbs 3:5-6.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD