In the time of Israel when David was fleeing from Saul, David and his men lived in a town called Ziklag, among the Philistines. Once, they came home from going out to battle and found that their enemies the Amalekites had crushed their city and burned it to the ground, taking the women and children with them.
David and his men were devastated - in fact it says, "They wept until they could weep no more" (verse 4). David was in a precarious position as a leader - his men were talking about killing him. But David found strength in God. The King James version says, "David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."
There is no doubt that difficult things will happen to us in this life. Jesus said, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) How we respond to life determines our destination.
It is said that 42% of people never read a book after college.* How sad! A spiritual leader once encouraged me to read 3 or 4 chapters of the Bible every day, and there have been many business leaders who have encouraged me to engage in personal development (read personal growth books) for at least 15 minutes a day.
It is rare that other people will be able to encourage us all of the time. When we focus on "encouraging ourselves in the Lord," and "finding strength in the Lord" like David did, we will find our minds more attuned to solving problems, and we will be better able to deal with the situations that life throws our way.
Do you encourage yourself daily in the Lord?
*http://www.statisticbrain.com/reading-statistics/
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