Encourage Yourself

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

What a word in song! Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers are famous for the song, #Encourage Yourself. The popular lyrics are: “Sometimes you have to encourage yourself; Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test; And no matter how you feel, Speak the word, and you will be healed. Speak over yourself; Encourage yourself in the Lord.“

At any given season in life, speak to yourself. Speak to find the encouragement that is needed to meet the moment.

Creating the Narrative to Encourage Yourself

How do you encourage yourself in times of disappointments, sadness, challenges and trouble? How do you find the words in that moment of emptiness when all you can feel are tears? After all, who can understand what you are going through? Truthfully, each individual is different. By the same token, so are the circumstances. For example, David, Jonah and Rahab each created a narrative due to individual’s circumstances.

David’s Narrative – Encourage Myself

1 Samuel 30:6 is one example of David’s narrative in times of trouble. In this moment, of distress and grief, what is one to do? This is a man of war, be that as it may, he sought to uplift himself. His strength came from the Lord. His conversation with God gave him the inner strength needed for that moment. Following God’s directives, gave David the victory. The Lord’s strength is the empowerment that meets the moment.

Jonah’s Narrative – A Cry for Help

A disobedient Jonah has a narrative as well, Jonah 1. Running from God leads to more trouble. Even though Jonah shows fear of God by his actions, he had not learned what it meant to walk by faith in God. By and large, being in the belly of a fish, Jonah’s narrative became a cry for help, Jonah 2:1-2.

Rahab’s Narrative – Uplifting My Family

What a narrative of this woman, Joshua 2:1-14. To rise to an understanding that faith in the righteous God will bring victory. Her request, “I ask that you save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” Her narrative was to mediate for favor for her family; it was a narrative for the favor of God!

Final Thoughts

To quote my dear friend and prayer partner, “We tend to create narratives, our own stories of the situation. Most of the times, without thought, we think the worse before giving the creative side an opportunity to see and grow. Let’s think positively before creating the situation in its worse light. The difference is whether you choose to look at the glass half-full or half-empty; Will you speak negatively or positively over the situation? The word choice is yours. The tongue has the power of life and death in it, and those who love it will eat its fruit, Proverbs 18:21.