1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (TPT): “Our coming alongside you to encourage you was not out of some delusion, or impure motive, or an intention to mislead you, but we have been approved by God to be those who preach the gospel. So our motivation to preach is not pleasing people but pleasing God, who thoroughly examines our hearts.”

What a privilege to speak words that are inspired by the Spirit of God to uplift, comfort and encourage others! The power of sincere encouragement is indisputable. It can change everything. There is a distinct difference between flattery and encouragement. True encouragement flows from the heart and carries power to reinforce inner strength. It is indeed a ministry of the Holy Spirit, when it’s founded on the Truth of God’s Word, and expressed in love. When Jesus was under tremendous mental stress in the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel of the Lord came to minister to Him. We believe the angel reminded Jesus of Who He was, and why He was going to the cross. We know this encouragement empowered Jesus to the point where He stood up, shook off the discouragement and set out to meet those who had come to arrest Him. That inner strength had been so supercharged inside Jesus, that when the soldiers asked Him to identify Himself, without hesitation He replied, “I Am He.” Immediately, those words that came up from His strengthened spirit hit those soldiers with such force they all fell back onto the ground. Let God’s Word encourage your spirit today, and have it fill you with inner strength to rise up strong, and carry out God’s purpose in you with the same boldness and joy it did for Jesus.