The Encouragement Blog

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. -Philippians 4:6-7 For some of us, telling us not to worry is like telling us not to breathe. It’s impossible. Our

A great story of friends helping a friend is found in Mark 2:2-5. A man’s friends want their paralyzed buddy to get to see Jesus and get healed. So they dig a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus is teaching. Isn’t it strange that instead of immediately reaching out and healing the paralyzed man, Jesus says, “Your

Many of us like to excuse or rationalize inappropriate behavior by saying we “all have our personal demons.” As if somehow that justifies our coarseness and rebellion. It’s really just a way of giving us cover to act out in a way we’ve already decided to do. In the account recorded in Mark 5:7, Jesus confronts a man who is

Now Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man. Potiphar’s wife began to desire him and invited him to sleep with her. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. . . . How could I ever do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

Like it or not, people watch us. When we confess loyalty to Jesus, people are watching. They can tell who we are by how we act. If we have chosen to follow Christ, people can also tell who He is by how we act. We are a reflection of our Father. What does that mean? Look below at what Paul

[Jesus] looked around at [the religious leaders] angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man [with the deformed hand], “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!” Mark 3:5 Anger and conflict are dance partners. On the street, anger waltzed us into divorce. Our anger-fueled, hip-hop

“Bigger is better” is the world’s slogan. Cities compete to claim the world’s tallest buildings. Sporting events and stadiums boast about being the biggest and most expensive in history. But that’s not how Jesus rolls. He compared the Kingdom of God to an insignificant mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds (See Mark 4:30-32). Jesus never confused size with

One of the most familiar and often quoted passage in the Gospels is Luke 5:29-32. There it tells the story of Jesus going to Levi, the tax collector’s house for dinner. At this dinner were other despised tax officials, prostitutes and other people considered rift-raft. This familiar passage’s obvious lesson is that Jesus loves sinners . . . scum! Christian

Jesus, why would You die for me? That is the hardest question I ask when I come close to asking You into my heart and taking Your free gift of grace. How could You love me? Yet, Jesus, I have read how You loved David even when he committed adultery and first-degree murder. In my heart, I have done worse!

Jesus [said], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had known who  I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!” John 14:6-7 How would you react to a guy who stands up at