Encouraging yourself in the Lord Pt 7

Alright!  Here’s installment number 7 of Encouraging Yourself in the Lord.  We’re going to reveal another thing that you can do.  This one is a bit different from the rest in that it departs a little from the original premise.  How so?  Well, do you remember that in Ziklag David had no one to go to in order to find encouragement?  Some of his people were talking about stoning him for how they’d lost everything and everyone that they had.  No one thought that they might get it all back.  David was essentially alone.  If they were going to get the courage and direction regain their families and possessions, David had to get back on an even keel.  He had to do it alone.
Incidentally, there is an additional side blessing that is not obvious in all this.  David did find encouragement.  He did get back on an even keel.  He got direction from God on how to proceed.  Then they all got it all back. Not a thing was lost.  Not only that, but they got back extra stuff that the Amalekites has been pillaging from others.  David was able to use his portion of that extra to bless cities and villages in Israel.  In the end, it was a win-win . . . except for the pillagers, of course.  The unexpected side blessing might not have been seen to be a blessing at all.  Ziklag, their home, was burned to the ground.  There was no going back.  That’s great, because they weren’t supposed to go back.  Saul, the king, was dead.  David was about to become the new king according to God’s promise.  He needed to get back to Israel, not to remain in Ziklag of the Philistines.
Ok, so back to the original question.  What is it that we can usually do to get encouragement that David couldn’t get?  You can normally go to an encourager.  You can call or visit a friend.  Share with them your situation or at least your discouragement.  Let them encourage you.  Don’t go to just anyone.  Some people aren’t encouragers.  Pick someone that you know is an encourager.  Then, listen to them.  Believe them even when they say embarrassingly nice stuff about you.  The stuff is probably true anyway.  You just need to choose to believe that, too.  Identify these encouraging people in advance.  Then, when you need them, you already know where to go.  Go there.  Just one more tip . . . learn to be an encourager yourself.  
Alright, there you have it.  When you can, seek an encourager.  Make that one of the tools in your tool chest for encouraging yourself in the Lord.  Incidentally, we should be prepared to use all these tools at different times, but you’ll find that some of them fit you better than others.  You’ll use those more often.  My advice is that you should learn to use them all.  Particularly, don’t neglect those that are disciplines of the faith.  Come to think of it, maybe all of these are in one way or another all disciplines of the faith.  So, get good at using them all.  Then, use them, even if you’re not discouraged.  Make a good habit of it.  Then you’ll already be good at it when you need them.
So far we have singing, thankfulness, His Word, good stuff in our heads, reviewing good things that He’s done, and now, seeking encouragement.  Use them!  Yet, there’s more.  Next week we’ll explore yet another way to encourage ourselves in the Lord.  Don’t miss it.