Don’t Give Up! (pt. 2) – Word of Encouragement from Pastor Gary

Today’s Word of Encouragement continues with last week’s theme “Don’t Give Up!”

The closing thought last week was that Jesus Christ, your Savior and Lord, is EVER INTERCEDING for you. That thought alone is more than enough to encourage us and lift our spirits. Today, I want you to realize that Christ is not only before the throne interceding for you, but He is also WITH YOU.

When life and ministry gets tough, we tend to feel as though God’s presence has somehow stepped away from us. NOT SO! His personal promise to you is that He will NEVER leave you! I know He’s with you. And, the truth be told, you know He is with you. Yet, your emotions and the stress of situations may be causing you to feel as though He is not right there alongside you.

I pray this image will help you today. Picture your difficult circumstances as a storm. You are in a small boat being rocked to and fro by the wind and the waves. What would bring you peace? Seeing the waves calm? Feeling the wind cease? After all, you are in a small boat and you simply desire to get to shore. The wind and the waves are the additional distractions which weigh on your thoughts and cause you to lose focus. What if there was a way to cause the wind and waves to cease so you could focus your energies on the primary goal of reaching shore? There is! Invite Christ into your boat!

Yes, Christ is already with you, but there is something amazing that happens when we take the initiative to show our reliance upon Him and invite Him into the situation. Think about Mark 6 and John 6 as they record what happened the night after Jesus fed the 5,000. Mark and John tell of how the disciples were in the boat fighting the storm. As soon as Christ got into the boat, the wind and waves calmed. John records the account this way, “Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”

Do not give up! Realize that Christ is with you and specifically invite Him again into your boat, i.e. your situation! Not only will you see the waves and winds calm, but you will also get to where you are headed sooner than you ever imagined!

Isn’t that how God always works? He does more than we can even imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)

Though I may not know the specifics of what you are going through, God has shown me that there are many ministry leaders who need this word of encouragement.

I pray for you to be saturated in His presence today! “Blessed are those…who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord! (Jude 24-25)

-Pastor Gary

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