Shalom and welcome to a fresh episode of Living Supernaturally. This is the time where we take to listen to God’s word, move into His word, reflect and meditate upon some theme that we would like to focus on. For this week’s devotion, we’ve chosen the theme of encouragement. Encouragement is something that is very vital for us as human beings and so much more vital for us in our spiritual growth and we know that we grow by being encouraged by others as well as by encouraging others. So, for our devotion today, we are focusing on how we can be an encourager. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 11 writes, ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.’ We read that Paul’s instruction to the church in Thessalonica was to encourage one another. This word encouragement or in some translations, you read it as exhortation translated in the Greek word is ‘paraklesis’ and it is closely related to the word ‘paraklet’ which we will look at the next couple of days. Paraklesis basically means to call to one side. It can be translated as counsel, comfort, to console, to encourage, to urge, to appeal or to exhort. What does it mean to be an encourager? It means to be willing to bring someone close along one’s side in order to comfort, to console, to exhort, to share a burden through some difficult situation. To be an encourager doesn’t mean you are an advice giver or an expert of something in your life. It just means to be used by God as His instrument to comfort and encourage others in need by just showing up and being present. This very act of encouragement suggests that we see value in one another, we see the value in the same way that God sees value in us. When we encourage, we are actually affirming that they are able, capable, adequate and worthy. So, how can we be an encourager today? Today, let’s be intentional which means we are seeking opportunities to encourage someone else. It could be maybe just a word of affirmation, it could be a listening ear, it could be a message to just build up, we could also affirm the strengths and gifts of those that are around us. Many may not see the strengths that they have in themselves, but when we encourage, we are affirming and helping them realize their potential. So, what could we do to be an encourager? Who has God put in your mind to encourage? Let’s use this devotional of what we read in 1 Thessalonians today to be a source of encouragement to somebody around you, maybe someone in your family, at your workplace, among your believing community so that the love and unity of Christ is evident to everyone. Let’s pray together, Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have called us to be encouragers. Lord, bring to our mind someone who needs a word of affirmation, someone who needs to be supported and helped so that we would work alongside with them in their time of need to encourage them in their journey. Thank you for showing us this truth today, in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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Daily devotions to strengthen your faith each day. Daily Devotional for Spirit filled living. Each daily devotion is about five minutes in duration. These daily devotionals are centered around a weekly theme. So there are seven daily devotions that focus on the theme and bring you insight, understanding and revelation from the Bible. Each week’s theme is listed as a series. So you can listen to the current week’s devotions or go to any previous theme/series that speaks to your present need (https://apcwo.org/resources/daily-devotions ). Also available free sermons (https://apcwo.org/sermons), and free Christian books (https://apcwo.org/books) to nourish and strengthen your faith.