SCRIPTURE:

 David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6)

DEVOTIONAL:

Sometimes you have to encourage yourself, and the only way to encourage yourself is in the Lord. Go to the Word of God. Get alone with God and say, “I need some encouragement. I don’t have anyone here at the house. Nobody in the church seems to be reaching out to me. It looks like things are going wrong at my job, and my supervisor doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say. Lord, show me in Your Word what I need to think about all this. Give me some encouragement.”

The great thing about turning to God for encouragement is that He will not only strengthen you and lift you up, but also He will give you wisdom on how to handle the situation or circumstances that have tried to discourage you.

When you go to the Lord for encouragement in His Word, you are putting yourself in position to be transformed.

PRAYER:

Dear God, thank you that You are always there for me when I am down and need to be lifted up. Your Word strengthens and encourages me, and gives me the wisdom I need for the situation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Dr. Bill Winston’s powerful book, Transform Your Thinking, Transform Your Life. To order this transformational book, click here.

Listen to this devotional here.