Topic: CALLED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS – Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional 4 MARCH 2024 The Redeemed Evangelical Mission

Topic: CALLED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS – Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional 4 MARCH 2024 The Redeemed Evangelical Mission

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CALLED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS

“Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless, my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: …” Joshua 14:7-8 (KJV)

Ten of the twelve leaders sent to spy on the Promised Land came back with a discouraging report. God had told them the Promised Land was theirs, and they brought the grapes, but they refused to share the good news. They chose rather to speak about giants. Their interest was that there were giants in the land, and the city walls were thick and impregnable. They said the land eats its inhabitants. Stop and think about it: if the land eats its inhabitants, how come giants were there? Secondly, the land eats its inhabitants, yet they entered the land and came out safely, carrying the huge fruits, and the land did not eat them. What a report!

As leaders, our part is to encourage those God brings our way. God is bringing young people with dynamism and boldness. God is bringing people who are daring, visionary, dynamic, and ready to dare the Goliaths of our day. We must be ready to hold them in our hands and give them all the encouragement they require, not scare them with negative news.

Don’t be a leader who makes the hearts of the people melt. Rather, be an instrument in the hands of God to encourage people, especially in times of discouragement. If you are a leader, your primary assignment is to encourage those that you are leading. Even when you are fearful, you must blow your nose, clean your eyes, and encourage them. That is what leaders are called to do.

David encouraged himself in the Lord because he knew he had to lead the people. And for him to be able to lead them, he had to encourage himself in the Lord. Leaders must learn to encourage themselves so that they will be in a better position to encourage others.