Loving the truth of God is our protection against the deceptive attacks of the enemy. By knowing the truth, we can recognize the lies of "worldly wisdom," and continue along God's path without painful detours into the weeds. We must be willing to faithfully apply the truth in all areas of our life and share the truth with others at every opportunity.
Prior to the final invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, God spoke through Jeremiah to warn the people of their coming destruction and their need to repent, this was not a popular message and Jeremiah was not a welcomed prophet. But there were other self-proclaimed prophets who provided a much more comfortable message. These prophets made people feel good by telling them what they wanted to hear - telling them they could continue down their same path without fear. But God warned about falling into their seductive trap of false security.
Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The Lord says: You will have peace.' And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, 'No harm will come to you. Jeremiah 23:16-17
The ministry of encouragement is a vital part of our Christian walk. We all face valleys and need encouragers to provide a lift. And since we know there are many others who are walking through valleys today, we should encourage in every way possible; "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today!" Hebrews 3:13
However, in our zeal to encourage and build up, we must never compromise by presenting a message which falls short of the absolute truth. We must never present an "all is well" message if all is not well. When God's children wander from His path and plant themselves amongst the weeds, there must be someone willing to "gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance" 2 Timothy 2:25.
Our task as an encourager is not always to make others comfortable or to deliver a pleasing message; we are not called to tell people "what their itching ears want to hear" 2 Timothy 4:3. Rather, our task is to "speak the truth in love" Ephesians 4:15. We never help when we make someone comfortable with sin.
The absolute best encouragement we can give is to help someone have a right relationship with their Heavenly Father through a surrendered faith in Jesus Christ. God's truth can and will set us free John 8:32! Let's encourage in every way possible, but let's make certain we always encourage with a message of truth!
-steve troxel
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