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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

Encouraging Words Wednesday

Photobucket“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Have you ever wanted to silence the voices of your fears? In my Encouragement for Today devotion at Proverbs 31 Ministries, I shared how I learned to do just that by helping someone else overcome theirs. Before I knew it, I had faced my fear of open heights because I wanted to help a friend’s child conquer his. And that day, I conquered mine, too.

Without even realizing it, I acted on God’s command and believed God’s promise in Joshua 1:9 that tells me I can overcome my fears with God’s strength. I realized in a very tangible way that the same promises I claim so boldly for others are true for me, too.

Like God did with Joshua in today’s verse, each day we have the same opportunity to come alongside each other in some of life’s hardest challenges and highest peaks and say, “Don’t give up, you can do it. I’ll be with you and I will help you.”

Today is Encouraging Words Wednesday. The second Wednesday of each month we gather here for encouragement and commit to share the power of encouragement with someone in our lives. In believing the power of God’s promises for others, our confidence in His promises for us seems to grow as well. I like to call it the “encouraging words” boomerang effect.

Encouraging words have the power and potential to bring courage to the discouraged. Hope to the hopeless. Assurance to the insecure. Clarity to the confused. Strength to the weak. Calm to someone’s chaos. Comfort for someone’s sadness.

Encouraging words say, “I notice and I care enough to take this moment to tell you because you matter to me and you matter to God.”

So, today let’s shift our focus off our fears, doubts, insecurities and personal struggles and help someone overcome theirs. All we have to do is look for someone who could use a kind word, a boost of confidence, a note with a Bible verse or a short prayer in it. Even just a simple facebook post or email saying what we really appreciate about them, or how you see God’s heart in something they do will make such an impact!

Join me and let’s watch to see the difference this will make in our families, neighborhoods, work places and churches.

Lord, thank You for the power of Your words that give me courage to become who You’ve created me to be – to go to places You’re calling me to go and climb spiritual heights that are out of my reach without Your help. Give me Your encouragement and help me encourage someone else today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Encouraging Words Wednesday Gift PackHis Princess: Love Letters from Your King
by Sheri Rose Shepherd (This is one of the most encouraging books ever!)

The Power of a Purpose Driven (and Encouraging) Mom
message on CD by Renee Swope (What a difference you can make!)

20 of God’s Promises to personalize and send to a friend
(Nothing is more powerful than God’s promises!)

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To enter to win
simply share some encouragement and let me know about it.
Click on the word “comments” below this post and type in the white box:

  1. Commit to it- List one person you’re going to encourage today or this week and how you’re going to do it.
  2. Share it – Share a link to this post with friends via Facebook. Just lick on my Facebook badge in my sidebar. Then click on “share” under my EncWds button on my FB page. You can also Tweet and/or email a friend a link and let me know. 
  3. Spread it – Forward today’s devotion to someone who has been an encouragement in your life, and thank them. It will really mean a lot to them!For an extra chance to win, add our Encouraging Words Wednesday button to your blog with a link to today’s post, then come back and let me know in another comment. You can grab the code from my sidebar under the button.
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Winners announced Monday – want to be notified ?
If you’d like to be updated when I post or notified when I announce the winner, additional give-aways or find out early about special promotions, enter your email in the white box in my sidebar (right under the P31 logo). I will not share your email with anyone. Promise.

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Comments

  2. I want to encourage my husband. I am afraid I let my desires for more get in the way of appreciating him for loving me as Christ loves the church.

  3. Hi, Renee
    Found your blog from the P31 devotions I receive as emails. My husband is a wonderful encourager and I'm starting to learn the power of encouraging words. Doesn't take much effort, just a few words given by God, to make someone else perk up! Linked to your post. My Mom is ill and she needs my encouragement, so she is the main person I will encourage. blessings on your day!

  4. I'm going to encourage my 10 yr old daughter-she's such a wonderful, loving girl and I want her to have the confidence I lacked at that age. She is loved and treasured. I want to encourage her by my words and more importantly, my actions. I want my actions to tell her I love her and believe in her.

    Amy v.

  5. Renee – I posted today's encouragement on my Facebook page to encourage my friends!!! Thanks for your encouragement to me! I am also going to send emails to two ladies I spent the day with today to thank them for their friendship!
    God Bless!!!
    Dori
    [email protected]

  6. I have 2 dear friends who are having rough times in their lives. I sent each of them a special text of encouragement. I also shared on FB!

  7. I was so encouraged by your devotional today that I shared it with my 3 sisters! What a blessing! God bless you!

  9. I will be praying for my children ,granddaughter,my mom and my friend Mike. Thank you Renee and blessings!! Barb Wall

  10. Thanks for reminding us to encourage others. Doing a bible study by Jennifer Rothschild and we were talking about who God says we are, this confirms our need to encourage others in who we are in Christ. I will be sharing with them this week

  11. I was encouraged by today's verse. My husband and I are leaving our boys with my mom while we travel 8 hours away to attend my husband's grandmothers funeral. I've been very anxious about leaving them, but this verse has reminded me that I have nothing to worry about. God is in control.

    I am going to pass the encouragement onto my brother. He is a single father of four and struggles with alcoholism. It's a daily battle for him and I want to encourage him by providing a Godly example and by reminding him that he is loved.

  12. I plan to share this verse and many more with my husband this week. He is going through a very rough time right now and he needs all the encouragement he can get. Thank you for your encouragement and inspiration.

  13. I do not have facebook or a blog but I have several friends that I always forward the Proverbs 31 devotionals because they encourage me greatly, and my friends tell me they love receiving them. I have two friends facing major trials in their life: one in her last months of her battle with breast cancer and thankfully a dear christian woman. The other waiting to hear results from a biopsy with suspected breast cancer. I have sent emails to an army of prayer warriors for these dear ladies. My 84 yr. old father has prostate cancer and I recently was blessed with his accepting Christ. He lives in another state, and I send him a card of encouragement each week. It truly is a joy to encourage others and takes our focus off self and makes our own struggles seem so small.

    Loved this posting and blog.

    Many Blessings and sweet joy to you, Renee, for all you do to encourage us to reach out to give of ourselves to others.

    Donna

  14. I was going to comment to enter, but after reading Trellis' comment (#1), I want her to win!! I see the same need @ my church with the elderly/lots of sickness, depression, discouragement…it truly takes a concerted effort to try to touch each one on a regular basis. THAT is inspiring!!

  15. It is funny because I read this shortly after having the opprotunity to encourage a friend of mine…only to have her be an encouragement to me in a way I hadn't expected. It was beautiful…and this one experience may have very well been life changing for me. It is so beautiful how God orchestrates these things…at times like this, where in two different lives, two differnet hearts, two very different situations, we can be shown that despite the differences, we are both needing the very same thing…this is the fingerprint of God being visible…I love it! I will definately be sharing this with her, and on my facebook page, and I am committed to being an encouragement to her in her time of need…and I am blessed that we can share this time together with faith in God's power.

  16. You know, I was molested when I was five raped at eight years old.
    I've never had family emotional support and have lived with PTSD for many years.

    I've forgiven my abusers.

    My mom recently, unexpectedly died. Last March.I have lived with her my whole life.
    The one year is coming up and today I was told her homes have been listed up for sale. I don't have a place to live and also there was a gas shut off letter on the door that they shut the gas off and while talking to the gas company my microwave blew out!

    I was diagnosed with a fatal lung disease that the only cure is a lung transplant and my dog who i loved like a child died in December.

    And my best friend Wendy died a couple of years ago. we were friends for our whole lives almost 40 years.She too was sexually abused.

    On a positive note I recieved my order from Made To Crave both the book and study book so maybe it will be alittle easier to work on that! I did buy two sets and gave
    a set away to help someone else.

    I love to read and would love to win your book for some encouragement.

    Ya know, I have to say when I saw Do you want to be well I didn't like reading that.

    I have sought for help for many years. unable to even get any counseling. I wasn't allowed.
    or the counseling that was available through medicaid is horrible. I called a few days ago and they can't see me for at least 10 weeks!

    I would really really appreciate your prayers that would be the best encouragement knowing someone is really praying for me.

    Thank You.

  17. I offered a word of encourage on a blog to praise and worship God through song whenever your heart is troubled. Thanks for this devotion!

  18. A young woman whom I do not know works at an animal shelter in the city and has spent a lot of time trying to reunite us with a cat that used to belong to my son. After we made a heartbreaking decision to let her go to an adoptive family, I sent this young woman an email and thanked her again for all her time, and I told her she had a wonderful heart. I added, "Bless You". I know it is only a little thing, but I pray she was encouraged by it.

  19. Monday, I decided I was going to see how many compliments I could give. I started by messaging all of my facebook friends sharing with each what I loved about them. I received so many thanks back and people who said that came just when they needed it. God sent it to them just using me as the vehicle.

  20. let a family know that has been sick that we are praying for them and took them a meal.