"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This is why the stakes are so high when it comes to encouragement. It takes a while to reach hardness of heart, and it comes through the subtle deceitfulness of sin.

Father, thank you for giving us a different spirit, one that causes us to follow you wholeheartedly.

God is ever searching for people who will not give up on his people—men and women who have the stick-to-it tenacity to take the long, winding wilderness path of learning to love people like God loves people.

Hallowed be your name! For your name’s sake! All the time!

No matter how long we walk with God, no matter how far we have come, the minute we begin to lose the holy awe and fear of God, we need to cover our faces, rend our hearts, and hit the floor.

God sends his power to deliver us, but he also sends us the sure word of his faithfulness, even as we languish in the midst of difficult times, still awaiting his deliverance.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Give us the eyes of Jesus to see others, the deep heart to hear them, the ears to listen for what you are saying over them, the patience to wait on you, and the boldness to speak.

Encouragement is not the cure but the immunization.