What do we mean by ‘to encourage’ or ‘encouragement’? Like many English words, it has its roots in our ancient past, and is effectively derived from the Latin word ‘cor’ meaning ‘heart’. Thus encouragement means something like ‘a strengthening of your heart’; a heartening.

Some other words, which are similar in meaning to heartening, are:

Promising; cheering; optimistic; reassuring; hopeful; positive; comforting.

Do you see all the positive values coming out in this? That is what encouragement does for a person; it removes all the negatives and replaces them with positives. Thus instead of saying “I can’t do this”, with encouragement, with an arm to lean upon, you begin to say to yourself “Of course, I can do this; I am more than able to do it”. Because,

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Paul, the great writer of the most part of the New Testament often needed more than a touch of encouragement, but he knew where to look in order to get what he needed.

We are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37).

A couple of verses earlier, he wrote:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35)

Be encouraged, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).