ENCOURAGEMENT/ SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

QUESTION:  I have really prayed for God to uplift me spiritually but I am still where I was. What is the problem ?

ANSWER:  It is good to ask the Lord to uplift you spiritually.  After you ask, then you must begin to receive the uplifting by speaking His Word - Romans 10.8 says that "the Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is the Word of FAITH which we preach."  One of the best ways to be spiritually uplifted is to speak the Word of God out loud over yourself.

In I Samuel 30, there is an account of when David and his men came to the city of Ziklag.  When they arrived, they found that the Amalekites had attacked the city, burned it with fire, and had taken captive all the women and children who were there and carried them away.  When David and his men saw this, they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly until they had no more power to weep.  These were their wives, sons and daughters who had been taken captive.  David was greatly distressed because the people were so grieved that they wanted to stone him.  Verse 6 says, "But David ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD HIS GOD."

David encouraged himself in the Lord.  A few verses later say that David inquired of the Lord what to do and the Lord answered him that he should pursue and overtake the Amalekites, and without fail recover all.  David and his men obeyed what the Lord said and recovered all that was taken away, and nothing of theirs was lacking.

In whatever we are facing, we can do as David did and encourage our self in the Lord our God.  Reading the Psalms out loud and also to speak God's promises is a wonderful way to encourage and lift up our spirit.  God's Word is good news and it never fails to lift up those who speak it continually.

"Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ!"  II Corinthians 2.14