Ephesians 4:29  “Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

If you’re like me, I bet you’re less likely to encourage others when you’re in a grumpy mood. Seems like it’s easier to encourage others when we ourselves have been encouraged.  But is that what God tells us to do? Can we wait until our circumstances improve or we feel happier to encourage others?

God wants us to encourage each other no matter how we feel. Everything we say, according to scripture, should be encouraging. That means we don’t let our mood dictate our words or actions.

As a child of the one true God, we have the tools to do and say the right thing. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us to guide us. If we wait until someone else does the right thing, it’s likely nothing encouraging would ever get said.

Encouragement is a loving action. We share the love of God by encouraging others no matter how we feel. In so doing we break the cycle of discouragement. When we choose to encourage we obey God. God rewards obedience.

And feeling encouraged helps us resist temptation. The enemy uses our bad moods and discouraging feelings to gain a stronghold in our life. Think of the hurtful choices we have made when we have felt discouraged. We don’t want to be used by the enemy to perpetuate the cycle of discouragement.

When was the last time you felt encouraged? When was the last time you encouraged someone?

Why does God care about us encouraging one another?

How do you feel when someone has encouraged you?

Can we let our feelings determine whether we encourage others or not?

List three practical steps you can take to be more encouraging. Can you think of a way to “encourage” more encouragement in your family?