The Battle to Encourage

I'm reading a book right now called Overcoming Evil in the Last Days--it's by Rick Joyner and it's one of the best books I've ever read on spiritual warfare. The part I'm in write now is talking about manipulation, both in and outside of the church, and how we as Christians can fight it. In this section, he talks about David, how David was constantly surrendered to God and knew that if God would have him be the anointed King of Israel, He would establish David at the proper time. Here, Joyner makes a pretty profound statement that I have often overlooked in my spiritual walk. He says:

Great souls rise to even greater heights by lifting others
higher.

What a profound way to look at life and at encouraging those around us! Often, life can turn into a competition of who is the greatest, the most capable, or the most spiritual, and when it does, we truly miss the point. God has called each of us to a specific greatness, as each of us are children of the Most High. God has also promised to establish us in His power if we wait upon Him to do it and no longer rely on our own strength. David, for example, submitted himself to a ruler who fought to maintain his control of a kingdom that God said would eventually be taken from him. Even though Saul did everything in his power to maintain his sovereignty, David served this man in the assurance that David was doing the LORD's will and that if God would establish David, it would not be by his own strength. As such, David earnestly sought the LORD and God gave him an eternal kingdom and blessed all the nations of the world through Jesus Christ, the Son of God and a member of the House of David.

What this tells me: God is in the business of making His name great, and He is asking us to walk in His authority. The world screams at us to make a name for ourselves, that NUMBER ONE is priority one and that if we don't look out for ourselves, no one will. God's way, however, is profoundly different. Instead, Christ calls us to take up our crosses, lose our lives, and follow Him. We make Christ great by uplifting others, by encouraging them and eternally edifying them in Jesus Christ. It is how we make Christ famous.

It is also how we expand the territory of the Kingdom of God. By encouraging those who are used by the Enemy to discourage the Church, directly combat and refute the attacks of Satan. It's also how the Lost are turned to Christ, by seeing the love of Christ cast out all fear and the light of Christ dispel all darkness. What an awesome truth, to know that in overcoming evil with good, by encouraging those who seek our demise and blessing those who curse us, we are both expanding Christ's Kingdom and also growing in the authority of His Name! Proverbs 4:18 says

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day."

That is the life Christ is calling us to, and as a Christian hidden in Christ, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, expanding the Kingdom of God is our priority. That we would constantly live victoriously in Christ; we will move mountains.