Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. – Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

Warrior;
Beware of the confusion of your enemy. Confusion is the Number 1 weapon formed against us! When we are confused, we don’t stand up, speak up, or Act up to the standard that we are called to. It was the confusion of Genesis 3 that our enemy has been using for Millenium. Hear the Word of the Lord, The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Today’s verse is often used as a cudgel to mandate CHURCH ATTENDANCE. That can be a form of coming together, however, this verse IS NOT telling people to GOTO A BUILDING once, or twice a week. Our manufacturer is telling us that we need to be around LIKE-MINDED people. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers!

Leader, the literal interpretation of being “equally yoked” means “joined with the same”. In agricultural terms, if a yoke joins two oxen together then they need to be the same in order to work together. It is written, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) It has been said, “No man is an island, a rock unto Himself”. We were made for relationships both vertical, and horizontal. God created us for a relationship with Him, and we get to reach, teach, and seek others for the glory of God. Part of the impact we can have on others is ENCOURAGEMENT. The Greek word for encouragement is “Oikodomē”, it means the act of building, building up, edifying, edification; the act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness; or a building of any kind. It literally means to ‘PUT COURAGE’ into someone. Romans 15:5 tells us we are to do for others, what God has done for us. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.”

Conduit, God gives us an imperative, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:33) God never calls us to do anything He won’t equip us to do. Add this to the fact that one way God blesses us is with the people He puts in our lives. God knows we can’t do this journey on our own, we need others to be our keepers at times, our helpers, our encouragers. This is one of the reasons God calls all believers to be encouragers! The battle can be tough! “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The Bible is replete with a directive for followers of Christ to be ENCOURAGERS. Hear the Word of the Lord, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….” (Hebrews 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:11) Galatians 6:2 makes it more than a directive, it is the LAW! “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” It is interesting that this is one word that has a similar meaning in the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew word for encouragement is “ḥāzaq” meaning to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be firm, grow firm, be resolute. This is a common word in the Bible, usually interpreted as a form of strong and only translated nine times as our English word encourage. When we encourage, we are putting COURAGE IN others, we are infusing strength, repairing, and holding up our fellow followers of Jesus. Today decide what you will do with your COURAGE. Will you Encourage, or will you DIScourage? Choose well, people are in NEED!