How to Stay Encouraged

One thing about me that you’ll never have to worry about is that I never “follow” the crowd. I hate “in” crowds, I hate cliches, and I absolutely hate doing what everyone else is doing if it’s not God. I will never post just to post. So, as I sat here thinking “God what would you have me to say to Your people?” This post came to mind. This year has been challenging, grief stricken, hopeless for some, and so much more but yet we have to keep living. We have to keep pushing for our families, friends, and for ourselves. So as we continue to push we need to do it in a way that we are not miserable. It is hard to stay encouraged when your life is turned upside down and Monica Rainey is not about to lie to you and tell you that it’s easy. However, what I am going to do is give you tools that will possibly aid you in remaining encouraged in trying seasons. 99.99% of the time the key to being encouraged is not how your circumstances may look but how you look at your circumstances. You know, your cup being half empty vs half full. Sometimes, it's not about looking at the cup half empty or half full but the fact that you have a cup at all. Here are some tips to help you stay encouraged:

1. Find ways that you can be grateful.

2. Read the Bible. The greatest encouragement of all can be found in scripture.

3. Speak things that are not as though they were. Sometimes all it takes is a mindset change to shift your entire situation.

4. Know who your friends are and TALK to them. We need support to get through this time.

5. Relinquish control. Once you realize you can not control every situation it’s easier to be encouraged knowing that your hope is in the Lord.

6. Have fun! Sometimes doing something fun is enough to reset you back on the encouragement track.

I want you to be encouraged during this time. I know it’s hard, and I am here for you every step of the way. These are just a few ways to get you started. If you need encouragement you can always reach out to me in a message and I will do my best to send encouragement to you! This post is different and I would like to end it with a prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I lift up every person who reads this post to you. I decree that every person experiences an inexplicable joy. Father I decree that you will send divine connections along their paths to help encourage them and help them to navigate this season. I come against depression, stress headaches, insomnia, stress induced high blood pressure, stress eating, self harm, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and any other vice that would be used to cope during this time. Father send your peace to the people now. The peace that surpasses all understanding. Father I decree that their affirmations of encouragement will speak louder than their challenging circumstances. I decree that the people will exercise the biblical principle of death and life being in the power of the tongue. That they will speak life to dead things that need to come alive and speak death to things that are hazardous to their lives. I cover every encourager. Let us not get weary in well doing. And let us always put our hope in You Father. The One Who is, Who was, and Who is to come. The Everlasting God. The One who is high and lifted up. These things we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.