I thought you had to participate every time discouragement would show up.
Until one day, the Lord taught me through His Word, which says, "Do not be discouraged."
For the first time, I saw it as a command from God rather than a nice idea.
And for everything God commands us to do, He gives us power through the Holy Spirit to pull it off.
There are plenty of opportunities to be discouraged. Don't take any of them.
Discouragement is a thief. It never helps us overcome. It brings no benefit to our lives.
Discouragement doesn't deserve even one minute of your time.
God places extreme value on one.
Over and over again, the Bible speaks of God's interaction with one person.
Abraham, Moses, Esther... just to name a few.
These people were not famous when God called them. They were ordinary people doing ordinary things.
So often, we overlook the assignment God is giving us because it looks too small or insignificant.
For example, many think that only large churches make a real impact. A pastor leading a church of a few is seen as insignifcant.
A mom who focuses on raising her children is seen as insignificant. A YouTuber who has just a handful of people watching their videos is seen as insignificant.
That thing stirring in your heart that seems insignificant to everyone else... that's the thing God is calling you to.
You don't need anyone else to confirm the significance of your assignment. God already considers it great, and that's all that matters.
Decide now to fully engage in what God has given you to do. Never give up.
In a dream, I encountered a boy with deformed hands. Each hand had only three fingers.
Then I watched as this boy and his mom both raised their hands in humble submission to the Lord. As they did, the boy's hands were restored.
When I woke, the Holy Spirit revealed that God is healing the deformed church.
He gave us five gifts for our equipping, but we've only been using three. He is restoring the gift of the apostle and prophet.
Now, three years later, I see it happening alongside the enemy's counterattack. Hell is doing everything it can to taint what God is doing.
There are viral people who call themselves apostles but are not. The goal is to get you to lump all apostles and prophets into this foolishness.
But think of it this way: Just because there are deadbeat fathers doesn't mean we throw out the godly role of a father.
God is truly restoring the gift of the apostle and prophet to work alongside the evangelist, pastor, and teacher.
According to the Bible, it takes all five of these gifts to mature us into the full and complete standard of Christ.
It was dark and treacherous. The wind and waves were beating against the boat as the disciples were making their way across the Sea of Galilee.
With their hearts already racing, they notice a strange figure moving towards them. They thought it was a ghost, but it was Jesus walking on the water.
Then Peter said the craziest thing, "If it's really you, command me to come to you on the water." And Jesus said, "Come."
Based solely on the command of the Lord, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water.
But as soon as he considered his circumstances and surroundings, he began to sink.
Faith only works when you are laser-focused on one thing: what did Jesus say?
As soon as you pollute your mind with circumstances, experiences, and surroundings, your faith loses its ability to work.
It is a severe discipline of the mind to live a life of faith.
It's not how much you read that makes you a good student of God's Word.
It's the reverence you have as you read.
If you approach the Bible to prove your own ideas, God will turn you over to your worthless thoughts. You'll think you're right when you are far from it.
If your reading is a check on the list of things you do to stay on God's good side, you'll become a Pharisee with an outward display of godliness but no power to back it up.
But if you approach the Word of God with great humility, realizing that you cannot grasp it without the help of the Holy Spirit, every word comes alive.
What was written thousands of years ago becomes God's message to you right now. It corrects. It instructs. It encourages.
A few words might be all you need that day. Or maybe the Holy Spirit draws you to keep reading chapter after chapter.
Every day, ask your Heavenly Father to lead you to the place where your nourishment is for today.
Those who preach prosperity in God are not false teachers.
They are an irritant to one of the devil's favorite schemes to keep wealth from the hands of the righteous.
Even if they are preaching Jesus for personal gain, the Apostle Paul would tell us, "So what. Christ is being preached, so let's rejoice!"
Interestingly, most who bash "prosperity preachers" do so for their own personal gain. It's entirely hypocritical.
It's time for the body of Christ to move past this nonsense. We must stop opposing God's wealth so we can fund the end-time harvest.
