Daily Devotion
With Pastor Ancel Presnell
“DON’T HELP THE DEVIL”
Everyone goes through discouragement in their life. This is an inevitable truth that we must all face. It is important for individuals not to face discouragement alone. Support may come from family, friends, or members of their faith community. The devil is the master of discouragement, and when we elect to refrain from encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ in times of discouragement, we are helping the devil. I cannot imagine that any of us wishes to help the devil!
Discouragement that goes unchecked can lead to total disaster! Whether it is a job loss, child-rearing hardship, marital issues, divorce, health issues, or a thousand other areas of discouragement; if these issues are gone unchecked, emotional and spiritual disaster can be around the next turn.
Encouraging each other is crucial in facing adversity. Supporting those who are discouraged requires effort and may involve dealing with difficult emotions. Like a gym trainer motivates clients, we should similarly encourage others spiritually.
Lack of encouragement to a brother or sister in Christ can contribute to the devil’s ploy to separate them from their faith family! We have a job as Christians to encourage one another in the faith. Occasionally, when I have faced challenges, receiving an unexpected phone call from a brother or sister in Christ with whom I do not often communicate has provided encouragement.
There was a season in my adult Christian life that I had departed from church and the faith. There were two men at my home church who would periodically call me and encourage and invite me back to church! Their names were preacher Richard Meade, and Danny Fair. Preacher Meade has gone on to be with Jesus, and I still see Danny from time to time. I will forever be grateful to them for their consistent encouragement when I was the sheep out on the hillside, alone and discouraged. They waged war against the devil on my behalf; may w refuse to help the devil in the lives of others, and wage war against his assault of discouragement!
Hebrews 3:12—13 “12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
