A Men’s Ministry Every Man of God Needs to Know (Part 6): Every Man of God Needs Encouragement

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Previous posts in this series can be found in my article, A Comprehensive Church-Based Ministry to Men.

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As we have seen in my latest series of posts, our mission as Men of God is to do the good works God saved us, called us, and equipped us to do. These Divinely preordained good works are critical to the execution of God’s plan and have immense positive consequences in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and in the life of the church.

In our own lives, our good works produce joy by adorning the gospel, by drawing people to faith in Christ, by building new relationships and restoring old relationships, and by bringing us an eternal reward in heaven.

In the lives of those around us, our good works result in love, security, and provision for our families, for our extended families, and for the pressing needs of our neighbors.

And in the life of our church, our good works make it possible for it to function properly and for it to be able to say, “There is no needy person among us.”

Satan’s mission is to prevent us from doing the good works God saved us, called us, and equipped us to do

Unfortunately, there is an evil, wicked, vile person who works to destroy all of that. His name is Satan. Yes, I believe in a personal spiritual being by that name and he is evil personified. He is so powerful and so charismatic that he was able to persuade one third of the angels in heaven to follow him in rebellion against God. Satan now leads this renegade host of demons in a fight to the death against us as children of the living God.

Satan and his miscreants will do everything in their power to keep us from accomplishing the good works God saved us to do and they are often very successful in doing exactly that.

One of Satan’s best strategies to prevent us from doing our good works is discouragement

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Exhaustion, failure, fruitlessness, betrayal, conflict, hopelessness, insecurity, doubt. All of these feelings and experiences are normal for all of us who seriously pursue the good works God saved us to do because we are in a spiritual battle. Paul emphatically tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” The key word in this verse is “wrestle.” We are in hand to hand combat with “principalities,” “powers,” “rulers of the darkness of this world,” and “wickedness in high places.” With Satan and his demons, it is personal. Very personal. Because of this, our wrestling match can be exhausting and discouraging.

Discouragement, then, is a normal experience for all men of God who are serious about pursuing good works. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Elijah, the disciples, Mary, John Mark, Paul, Timothy all experienced discouragement. In fact, it is difficult to think of any godly person in the Bible who did not. Some of them dealt with it well. But many of them at times did not. Instead, their discouragement motivated them to do stupid and foolish things.

Therefore, we men of God must learn to recognize when we are discouraged, what we are discouraged about, and know how to deal with it.

Take this discouraged/encouraged test

When we get discouraged, the first thing to do is to stop and ask why. Below is an unscientific and somewhat hokey discouraged/encouraged test. Read through the categories and think of a number between 1 and 10 — with 1 being very discouraged and 10 being very encouraged — that best describes where you are in that category.

• My walk with the Lord  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I growing in my relationship with God? Am I coming to know him better and love him more deeply? Am I living in joyful obedience to his Word and his will for my life? Do I share my life with him in prayer and am I meditating daily on his Word? Do I confess any sin to God quickly?

• My marriage  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I experiencing oneness, peace, love and joy with my wife? Do we handle disagreements well? Are we communicating clearly and do we enjoy doing things together?

• My family and extended family  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I available for my children? Am I a healthy example for them? Do I have loving relationships with them? Am I helping to meet any ongoing pressing needs in my family and extended family?

• My friends  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Do I have friends? Are they a positive influence on me? Can I talk with them about deep things?

• My work/life balance  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I successful in my work? Do I find my work fulfilling? Do I have healthy work relationships with my peers and superiors? Do I have enough time for my wife, children, church, and fun activities? Am I getting, and taking, enough vacation time?

• My good works  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Do I understand the role of good works in my life? Do I know what the good works are that God has saved me to do and do I enjoy doing them? Are people benefiting from my good works?

• My physical health  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I practicing healthy habits by eating well and getting the rest and exercise that I need?

• My finances 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I content with what I have? Am I living below my means? Am I paying my bills on time? Do I repay my debts as agreed? Do I have an emergency fund? Am I saving enough for retirement?

• My self image  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Am I comfortable in my own skin? Am I satisfied with the kind of person I am and with the life I am leading?

So how did we do? Are there any particular areas where we scored ourselves below 5? Notice that our good works are not the only category that we can be discouraged about. There are all kinds of things that can discourage us. But my experience, and maybe this is yours as well, is that when I am discouraged in any one of these categories, my good works suffer. The reason is because I become focused on what I am discouraged about, and that distracts me from doing the good works God saved me to do.

The importance of encouragement for every man of God as he does his good works

Many years ago my employer laid me off. After getting the news, I walked dejectedly out to the parking lot, got into my car, and turned the ignition on. The radio was tuned to a Christian station and suddenly these lyrics immediately blared loudly out of the speakers: “GOD IS IN CONTROL! WE BELIEVE THAT HIS CHILDREN WILL NOT BE FORSAKEN!” It was the precise encouragement I needed at the precise moment I needed it.

Discouragement without encouragement results in dysfunction. If we do not identify and respond to discouragement quickly and properly by proactively getting the encouragement we need, we can soon become despondent, aimless, and lethargic. We will simply run out of gas and coast to the side of the road.

Oxford Languages Dictionary defines encouragement this way: “the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope” Someone who encourages us is someone who affirms us (support), instills courage in us (confidence), and inspires us to persevere (hope).

There are several biblical examples of people who received encouragement from others at a critical time in their lives, including David, who received encouragement from Jonathan when he was being persecuted by Saul (1 Samuel 23:15-18), young Timothy, who received repeated encouragement from Paul in his two pastoral epistles to Timothy (1 and 2 Timothy), and Paul himself, known as Saul at the time, who was encouraged by Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement,” when he was a new believer and under suspicion from other believers because he had persecuted the church (Acts 9:27-28). All three of these examples beautifully illustrate what it means to give someone “support, comfort, or hope.”

Take the time and effort to seek out encouragement

Learn to treat discouragement like cancer: the sooner we diagnose it and address it, the easier it is to treat it. If we wait and let discouragement fester, it will metastasize and affect everything we do. Here are some strategies for seeking out encouragement when we feel discouraged.

We can seek out encouragement by…

• gaining God’s perspective on our situation.
• meditating on the Word of God.
• communing with the Spirit of God.
• sharing our discouragement with our wife.
• fellowshipping with godly people we trust, can talk to, and who will support us.
• acting wisely.
• resting, exercising, eating well, and engaging in fun, relaxing activities.
• changing the way we talk to ourself.
• continuing to do the good works that God created us to do, saved us to do, gifted us to do, and called us to do.
• changing our circumstances if needed.
• getting involved in our church’s men’s ministry.

A central role of a men’s ministry is providing encouragement for men of God

God never intended for us to fight the battle we are in alone. Participating in our church’s men’s ministry will provide us with an immediate booster shot of encouragement. A men’s ministry will surround us with like-minded godly men who can come alongside us and help us through any fog of discouragement we may be experiencing. And pastors, you especially need to get involved with your men’s ministry. You do not necessarily have to lead it. The last thing you need is one more responsibility. But you can greatly benefit from it.

Finally, if you are a men’s ministry leader in your church, remember that there are always men who are attending your events who need encouragement. Be sure to affirm your men and encourage your men. After all, the entire purpose of your men’s ministry is to see your men blossom.

This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.

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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom

and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.

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