ENCOURAGE YOURSELF

ZIKLAG is the Biblical name of a town that was located in the south of what was known as the Kingdom of Judah. It was in this town that David established his operational base to secure himself from Israel’s King Saul and Philistine opposition.

One day, after being away for a while, David and his men returned to Ziklag only to discover that the town and particularly their base had been raided by the an enemy group. This enemy group took away every valuable property including their wives and children. As if that was not enough, they razed the entire camp to the ground with the aid of fire.

This left David and his men with nothing. Absolutely nothing! What would you do if you found yourself in a situation like that – when you lose everything you consider vital for your existence? It could be being booted out of school for non-payment of school fees, getting ejected by you r landlord, or working for decades in the public service and retiring on a package that is enough only for one meal.

David and his men had a normal human reaction. According to the account, “David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep” (1 Samuel 30:4, NIV).  For David, the experience was more harrowing because “the men were talking of stoning him” (1 Samuel 30:6a, NIV). His allies blamed him for what had happened and wanted to lynch him. Remember his two wives had been captured; and everything he had worked for had been plundered.

David’s conduct at this depressing moment of his life was remarkable. He did not commit suicide. Neither did he wallow in pity. He looked into a mirror and “ENCOURAGED HIMSELF in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6b).

When the odds are against you, where do you look? Where do you go? Who do you talk to? It’s good to go to a different environment to refresh yourself. It’s okay to seek the counsel of people you trust. But what if there is nobody to talk to? What will you do if there is nowhere to go?

At this time, there is one voice that never leaves you. It is the voice of your soul. The voice of your soul is always within reach. When your soul speaks to you, it sounds louder than any external voice you will ever hear. The good thing is that, you can determine what your soul says to you.

We can influence the voice of our souls to encourage us. Don’t allow any external situation to depress you into losing the essence of your life. If you learn to encourage yourself, you can rule over circumstances. You can experience a life of peace. Life is not experienced outside in. It unfolds inside out.

Self-encouragement is your way out of the pitfalls of life. Without self-encouragement, nobody can encourage you. The ability to encourage yourself helps you to connect to the encouragement of others. If my phone cannot pick the GSM signal, there is no way I can receive or make a call. Other people may try to call me but I cannot receive their phone calls because of lack of connectivity.

If you don’t learn to encourage yourself, you cannot receive encouragement from others. If you don’t love yourself, you cannot receive love from others. If you don’t cultivate self-confidence, no one will be able to make you confident.

ENCOURAGE YOURSELF FROM WITHIN

WITHIN YOU are several resources you can unleash to uplift yourself from the wilderness to the forest. Look within you and you will find that God who created heaven and earth lives in you. You can tap into the power of God in you to strengthen yourself.

You have desires in your heart. You desire a better future. You want to be happier. You want to be richer. That can be a source of encouragement. Rely on the power of the desire in you to hold yourself up.

DON’T allow any predicament in your life to press you so bad that you become helpless. There is always help available. Help is within reach. Help is in you. Encourage yourself from within.

© November 2013 Terry Mante

CEO, Personal Development Network

Accra, Ghana

Call to book Terry for a speaking/training session +233 (0)26 718 6420