Encouragement
Letting Christ Be Our Example
I LOVE YOU!
Isaiah 41:10
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
The love of God for you is so great that He gave His only Son to be crucified for your sins, replacing us on the cross to die in your stead, so that we might have the right to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
Just to know that He left His throne to put on sinful, mortal flesh to be disliked, beaten, and betrayed. To be tempted & talked about, just for our sake, always leaves me hopeful.
Jesus died for all of humanity!
It doesn't matter what your culture, creed, background, nationality, or religion, etc.
CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!!!
And just in case you think that you've gone too far in sin & can't be saved,
YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY WRONG!
The Bible says that God's mercy endures FOREVER!
That means, you can never want to be saved & God won't save you!
He has more mercy than you have sin!!! Isn't that great news?
Isn't it the most wonderful thing, that we don't have to earn God's love? If we did, none of us would ever get it! PRAISES BE TO THE GOD WHO LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY!!!
You cannot be separated from His love!
There's nothing you can do that will make Him stop loving you!
When we hated Him, He returned love!
When we struck Him, He turned the other cheek!
When we mocked, cursed, and spat upon Him, He asked His father to forgive us!
What power can rival that kind of love?
What an amazing feeling it is to believe & embrace the wonderful love of Christ!
As we turn our faith to The Crucifixion, we can't help but be richly affected.
Imagine yourself at the foot of the cross on that day. It deeply saddens our hearts to see the blood and pain He endured as we look into His eyes and see the tears flowing down our sweet Savior's face.
It is at the cross that we learn our true value! It is there that we find strength! It is there that we find pardon! It is there that we find the hope of salvation! It is there that we realize just how much God really loves us! And, it is there that we find that as surely as Christ died, we have a reason for living!
So, "Be Encouraged."
Malachi 3:6 says that God never changes! That means that the same love that sacrificed for you on that cross is the same love that is with you today! God's love is always there holding you and comforting you! Especially in those times when you think its not!
It was God's holding on to you that brought you this far! So keep your head and eyes lifted upward, trusting in God & never giving up, for you can see your value in the cross! Now let Your spirit rise and & your faith increase, because Jesus first loved you with NO strings attached!
So whatever the enemy tosses you, you toss it right back & declare, get behind me Satan! I AM LOVED! And cannot be separated from it! Be encouraged that you will be able to look back on that great day and say "Heaven was cheap enough"!
Hebrews 13:5 says that God will never leave you nor forsake you. And Psalms 30:5 says Weeping May Endure For A Night, But Joy Cometh In The Morning.
So remember my friend to always
"Be Encouraged"!
Imagine you and the Lord Jesus
are walking down the road together.
For much of the way,
the Lord's footprints go along steadily,
consistently, rarely varying the pace.
But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags,
starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.
For much of the way, it seems to go like this,
but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's,
and soon paralleling His consistently.
You and Jesus are walking as true friends!
This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens:
Your footprints that once etched the dirt next to Jesus'
are now walking precisely in His steps.
Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones.
You and Jesus are becoming one.
This goes on for many miles,
but gradually you notice another change.
The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.
Eventually they disappear altogether.
There is only one set of footprints.
They have become one.
This goes on for a long time,
but suddenly the second set of footprints is back.
This time it seems even worse!
Zigzags all over the place.
Stops, Starts, Gashes in the sand.
A variable mess of prints.
You are amazed and shocked.
Your dream ends.
Now you pray:
"Lord, I understand the first scene,
with zigzags and fits.
I was a new Christian;
I was just learning.
But You walked on through the storm
and helped me learn to walk with You."
~That is correct.~
"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours,
I was actually learning to walk in Your steps,
following You very closely."
~Very good! You have understood everything so far.~
"When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours,
I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."
~Precisely.~
"So, Lord, was there a regression or something?
The footprints separated,
and this time it was worse than at first."
There is a pause as the Lord answers,
with a smile in His voice.
~You didn't know?.......It was then.......that we danced!~
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.
"The Dance"
I'm Praying For You!
It Won't Be Long!
Soon, We'll Be Leaving!
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Encouraging Videos
Encouragement for a Crisis of Faith
A crisis of faith. Spiritually things just don’t seem to add up. You might question if God is really there. You start to question your faith and feel afraid.
Hang on. This isn’t the end, even if it feels like it. And you don’t have to feel guilty. It’s a normal process of being conformed to the image of Christ. I now see these crises as signposts along the road of faith that declare, “real (re)construction underway here.”
What’s happening and why? I believe God is destroying our “God-box.” We all have God in a “box” of some kind. This should not come as a surprise. As humans, we cannot fathom His complete power, glory, and wisdom. We naturally “humanize” our understanding of God and attribute limitations to Him. But when He sees our sincere intent to follow Him, He reveals more of Himself to us. Sometimes this process is uncomfortable, and it may shake up some preconceived notions we have held about God, but it is always a blessing because we receive new understanding and intimacy with God.
What does God look for in us when we are so confused and afraid? Only as much faith as we have and a decision to carry on. He always looks at our hearts and He is not in crisis about our confusion and fear. The disciples were perplexed by Jesus when many of His followers left Him. They were honest when they stated to Jesus only what they did know: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Go to the Lord and tell Him what you really feel. That’s your statement of faith. He will meet you and carry you through.
If it feels like you’re hitting a spiritual wall, I encourage you to seek the Lord all the more and wait on Him. There may be some rubble when your “God-box” is exploding, but it’s only so God can build something new and true. You are on the blessed journey of experiencing more of Jesus.
by JanisKay
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1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
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Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."
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Psalm 9:9 "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
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Psalm 18:2-3 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
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Psalm 48:14 "For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death."
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Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
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Psalm 71:20-21 "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again."
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Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
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"ANTICIPATORY PRAISE"
GOD IS ONLY GOOD! THEREFORE THE RESULTS OF WHAT HE ALLOWS CAN ONLY BE GOOD AND FOR OUR PERFECTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! Therefore, Praise Him in your sadness! Praise Him in your grief! Praise Him in your sorrow! Praise Him in your defeat! Praise Him in your trial! Praise Him in your Pain! Praise Him in your struggle! Praise Him through every strain!
He's allowing all these things because He's preparing you. But He'll never allow you into something He won't bring you through!!! You can believe that it's for your good, for the Bible says in Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
SO, IN ALL THESE THINGS, GIVE GOD PRAISE!!!!!!!
BE BLESSED!
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"LOVE ENDURES"
Love is an action word! We act because we love! Our action are food for love! Without them, love dies! BUT, true love never dies! It is of God! It may get beaten, battered, bruised,and torn, but it always survives!
BE BLESSED!
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"THE PATH"
Not so much the dream, but the path that gets us there!
It is the path that purifies us through trial!
Without trial, there is no appreciation for the destination!
It is the trial that gives us strength!
It is the strength that gives us courage!
It is the courage that keeps us in the fight!
And it is in the fight that we gain the education and appreciation for our destination.
THANK GOD FOR THE PATH!
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Isaiah 25:8 "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken."
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Isaiah 40:28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
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Isaiah 54:10 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
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Lamentations 3:31-33 "For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men."
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Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,"
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"THE 'B' ATTITUDES"
Matthew 5:3-12 ""Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
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Romans 8:31-39 "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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2 Corinthians 1:3-5 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."
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1 Peter 1:3-9 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
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Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
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1 Peter 3:14-17 "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."
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Hebrews 3:6 "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."
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Isaiah 35:4 "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you."
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1 John 3:1-3 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."
BE BLESSED!
Psalm 23 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
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Psalm 34:18-19 "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
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Psalm 46:1-2 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;"
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"WHY"
They say that into every life some rain must fall
For the pain is no respecter of the mighty or the small
But sometimes It just seems so Unfair
To see the One who’s had more than His share
Oh it makes you wonder why
And Lord I wouldn’t second guess your mighty plan
For I know You have a purpose that’s beyond the scope of man
If You look inside my heart you will find
That I have always been the Trusting kind
Oh but still I wonder why
I wonder why
Do the rainy days have to come
When the storm clouds hide the sun
I wanna know why
Why
I wonder why
When the reasons aren’t clear to me
When it all is a mystery
I want to know why
And though down here I may not understand
I won’t let go of the Unseen hand
For It holds the reasons why
The Lord has never been afraid of honest prayers
And He won’t allow the burden to be more than you can bear
When He knows that you’re trust Is in Him
He doesn’t mind the questions now and then
Even if you wonder why
I wonder why
Do the rainy days have to come
When the storm clouds hide the sun
I wanna know why
Why
I wonder why
When the reasons aren’t clear to me
When it all is a mystery
I want to know why
And though down here I may not understand
I won’t let go of the Unseen hand
For It holds the reasons why
~by 4HIM~
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"BE ENCOURAGED"
It appears the ones you do the most for are the same ones that cause you the most grief. This grief and pain can be enough to shut you down from doing anything for anyone in the future. Know that God remembers you and rewards you for the good you do and HEALS all hurt in your life. Be consistent be encouraged the LORD is with you! ~Dr. KB~ ...Isaiah 41:10 says "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
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ANYTHING THAT SATAN ATTACKS IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!!!
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"FAITH"
Doubt sees the obstacles; Faith sees the way; Doubt sees the blackest night; Faith sees the day; Doubt dreads to take a step; Faith soars on high; Doubt questions, "Who believes"? Faith answers, "I".
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"THIS IS PEACE"
We spend half our lives finding ourselves, and the other half trying to fix what we've found! "Do Your Best, Leave God The Rest"! ..."This Is Peace"!!!
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"A.S.A.P."
Ever find yourself in the world of A.S.A.P.? Generally, it adds even more hurry and stress to our lives. Maybe if we think of this abbreviation in a different manner, we will begin to find a new way to deal with those rough days along the way.
Here's an example...
"There's work to do and deadlines to meet, you've got no time to spare. But as you hurry and you scurry (A.S.A.P.) ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER!
In the midst of family chaos, "Quality time" is rare. Do your best, let God do the rest, and (A.S.A.P.) ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER!
It may seem like your worries, are more than you can bear. Slow down and take a breather, and (A.S.A.P.) ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER!
God knows how stressful life is, He wants to ease our care. He'll respond to all our needs, if we (A.S.A.P.) ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER!"
BE BLESSED!
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"DECISIONS WHEN GOD IS SILENT"
Do your best, and forget the rest!
God does not want us to depend on Him for everything!
He is a loving Father & teacher! And just like an earthly father, He wants to teach us so we can do what we can do!
Sometimes we have all the tools and materials to make a decision but are too timid to do so. God wants us to be decision makers.
Sometimes God is silent because He has given us all that we need for that decision. Also, sometimes He allows us to make mistakes because we need refining in certain areas.
He is always there and He always hears!
The most important thing to remember is that everything He allows is for our perfection in righteousness.
BE BLESSED!
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LIVE WITH PEACE IN MIND, AND THE RESULT WILL BE PEACE OF MIND!
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Matthew 6:19-34 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
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Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
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John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God [fn]; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
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2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
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Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
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Revelation 7:14-17 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
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Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
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Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
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Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
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Romans 15:4 "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
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Deuteronomy 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
