Encouragement Project (Ebook Shorts)

Holley Gerth

Description

You truly care. You want to help others. Yet you still have times when you aren't sure what to pray, what to say, or what to do. You already have what you need most: a loving heart. Now Holley Gerth shares simple ways to turn your care into action. With her trademark warmth and enthusiasm, she offers· prayers based on God's Word to help you pray for the person you love· specific words for when you're not sure what to say· practical ideas for small, simple ways to show you care· encouraging devotional thoughts for your heart tooWhether encouraging others is second nature to you or you find it struggle, The Encouragement Project shows you how to share God's heart for people--one prayer, one word, one act of kindness at a time.This book is the perfect companion to Holley's book You're Loved No Matter What.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441245380
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2014 by Holley Gerth
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www . revellbooks .com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4538-0
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007
Italics in Scripture reflect the author’s emphasis.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Introduction 7
Showing You Care for Someone Who Needs . . .
1. Encouragement 11
2. Confidence 14
3. Hope 17
4. Grace 20
5. Peace 23
6. Rest 26
7. Freedom 29
8. Joy 33
9. Renewal 36
10. Provision 40
11. Support 43
12. Protection 46
13. Healing 49
14. Courage 53
15. Comfort 56
16. Strength 59
17. Perseverance 62
18. Wisdom 65
19. Guidance 68
20. Friendship 71
21. Care 74
A Prayer Just for You 77
Notes 79
About Holley 80
Other Books by Holley Gerth 81
Back Ads 82
Back Cover 86
Introduction
You truly care about people.
You want to help others.
You love giving encouragement.
Yet you still often find yourself saying, “I’ll pray for you,” and not following through the way you’d like. Or you feel tongue-tied at a time that calls for comforting words. You may even walk away from a tough situation, scratching your head and thinking, “I have no idea what to do!”
You already have what you need most: a loving heart. Now I’m going to share some simple, easy, practical tools to turn your care into action. Through working with thousands of people as a writer, a counselor, and a life coach, I’ve learned what truly helps most.
The great news is, we won’t be doing this on our own. God cares even more about the people in our lives than we do. He’s committed to helping us serve them well.
The most famous prayer of all says, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11), not “ my daily bread.” I believe that means we can ask not only for what we need each day but also for what others in our lives need. God already knows who will come knocking, and he understands exactly the bread that will fill their hunger.
The burden for helping people never rests on us. We have the joy of being part of the process, but we don’t have to make anything happen. Our role is obedience. God’s job is results. And what he wants most from us is for us to simply open our hearts and share what he gives us. We can all encourage each other—one prayer, one word, one act of kindness at a time.
Thank you for your heart to help others. Our world needs more people like you, and you make a difference even more than you know.
Each chapter that follows covers a specific area of need and includes four parts:
Devotional— When you’re encouraging others, you need encouragement too.
What You Can Pray —Prayers created from Scripture for the person you love.
What You Can Say —Specific words to help when you’re not sure how to respond.
What You Can Do —Practical ideas for small, simple ways to show you care.
You can read this book in order or use it as a go-to resource whenever someone in your life has a need.
Note: For simplicity and readability, I’ve used the neutral pronouns they and their rather than him/her . Thanks in advance for your grammatical grace!
1 Encouragement

A holiday is approaching as I write this, and a popular commercial features people saying things like, “Tell me I’m loved. Tell me I’m going to be okay. Tell me I’m beautiful.” We connect with these phrases and could add our own. Life knocks the wind out of all of us at times, and we need to be encouraged.
The word encouragement appears far more times in the New Testament than the Old. It’s a spiritual gift. But even those who may not specifically have that particular gift are still called to encourage. Encouragement is described as coming from two sources—God and each other. And unlike simple compliments or kind words, encouragement is rooted in truth. It brings us back to what’s realer than real. It reminds our hearts that what we see or experience right now is not the full story. There is more to life and more to us than meets the eye.
I’ve written over two thousand greeting cards for DaySpring, the Christian subsidiary of Hallmark. Encouragement lies at the heart of all of them. I remember how when I first began, I would ask people, “What would you like to say to the ones you love in your life?” I did a lot of research and read many books. But I found that the best encourager of all already lives within me.
He lives within you too. The Holy Spirit knows what people around you need to hear in deeper, more powerful ways than we ever can. The Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God (see 1 Cor. 2:11). The Spirit also knows the hearts of people. That means when you let the Spirit encourage others through you, you connect the heart of God with the hearts of people in a supernatural way.
I’m also trained as a counselor, and people often ask me what to say in difficult situations. I still believe the best encouragement is simply the presence of another person who cares. Even in a professional counseling relationship, research has shown that the connection between the client and counselor accounts for 70 percent of the outcome. Beyond that, simply ask the Spirit what this particular person needs to hear at this particular time. If you hear silence, that’s okay. Just be with the person who needs you. And if words do come to mind, share them gently with grace and affirmation—the way the Spirit does with you.
Encouragement literally means to help give someone courage. It helps us get back up, face our day with joy, and fulfill the purpose God has for us. It’s more than a simple pat on the back or a feel-good pep talk. It’s fuel for our faith that provides what we need to move forward even on the most difficult of days.
You are an encourager, called by God and commissioned to strengthen the hearts of people. You have all you need to make a difference in the lives of whoever you meet today.
What You Can Pray
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love.
Colossians 2:2
Lord,
It’s so reassuring to know the best encourager of all lives within me.
Thank you for your Holy Spirit and the wisdom he brings.
I pray for ______ to be encouraged today. You know what _____ is facing. You understand the challenges and obstacles completely. You already see the answer and are making a way. So whatever truth _____’s heart needs to hear right now, I ask that you would whisper it to _____.
Please also show me how I can uplift _____ as well. Whether it’s through words, an action, or simply being present, give me guidance and show me what’s best at this time.
Encourage me too so that I can pass that on to others.
You are our truth and what we need most in every situation.
Amen.
(Ps. 10:17; Acts 9:31; Rom. 15:5; Col. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:11; 2 Thess. 2:16–17; Heb. 3:13)
What You Can Say
I shared that I’ve written greeting cards for many years, and I do believe that sometimes when we don’t have the words, we can look to someone else to find them for us. If you’re not sure what to say, then sending a card can be a beautiful, tangible way to encourage someone in your life. A lot of prayer goes into those cards, and they’re created with love. You can find cards I’ve written at www.dayspring.com.
What You Can Do
Encouraging someone else can often be a long-term process. We all get busy, and finding a way to remind yourself to continue encouraging can help you stay consistent. Put reminders in your calendar or add specific items to your task list, depending on how you organize your day. For a more casual approach, simply put a sticky note on the fridge with the person’s name so they stay in your thoughts.
2 Confidence

The poster hanging in the hallway of the local middle school declares, “Believe in yourself!” Awkward teenagers walk by without noticing. They try to hide their braces when they laugh. They want to sit at the “cool table” at lunch. Their clothes, their hair, and even the words they use all exclaim, “Help me believe in me!”
We all have horror stories of those years when hormones meet awkward social skills. Somehow we lived to tell about it. But many of us still carry the scars and the questions of that time. We still wonder, “How can I really have confidence?”
Our culture tries to persuade us that self-esteem is the answer. Just feel good about who you are and the whole world will too. But in our heart of hearts, we know we are not perfect. The image we portray to the world covers a host of insecurities, weaknesses, and sins that make completely “believing in ourselves” a challenge. So we put on masks and play the game.
The reality is, we are made to fully believe in someone. It’s just not us. When it comes to true confidence, only God can provide it. As King David said, “You have been my hope, Sovereign L ORD , my confidence since my youth” (Ps. 71:5). We can place our trust in a God who is much more than we can even comprehend.
Sometimes we interpret that to mean that we should feel bad about ourselves. The apostle Paul has a different view: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). In other words, who we are has been transformed. Our identities are now in Christ, and he is faithfully making us into all he intended us to be. That means we can feel great about who we are and exci