words of encouragement (book preview)

7/26/2019 Words of Encouragement (Book Preview)

1/13

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2/13

David encouraged himself in the Lord

Words of Encouragement

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by James Langston

Preface

hether you are a parent, school teacher, bus driver, plumber, fast food worker or

Corporate Executive Officer (CEO) of a Fortune 500 company, this book is designed

around your busy schedule.

Within its framework are the necessary tools you will need to better unscramble the many

questions that life so often flings your way. And then with this new found knowledge, you now

have a greater confidence to be that listening ear or voice of reason to others struggling with

the same questions of life.

Contrary to popular opinion, Words do have power! Once those syllables roll off your

tongue and spring forth from your lips, whether its the shortest or the longest word of 189,819

letters, it carries within itself the potential for encouragement, discouragement, love, hate or even

the solution to wars and famine.

The impetus for this book came about one afternoon while I was on a power break at my

computer table, blissfully enjoying a few moments of peace and quietness. Then out of now where

a random thought cascaded across my mind, People go to sleep mad and wake up mad; why not

write something that will ease their pain and anxiety? It might just be the highlight of their day.

And with that, Words of Encouragement was unexpectedly birthed.

Once I began my trek down writers road, a few past lessons came to mind; first, after 4 to 6

hours of sitting, a computer chair is murderous on your derriere, and second, patience is a virtue:

nothing worthwhile ever grows overnight: writing is an investment; a long term investment; so

invest your time, energies and efforts wisely.

W


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Introduction

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Today is the last day that I walk out of my house naked

and ill prepared for battleAuthor

VENIMUS! VIDIMUS! VICIMUS!

[we came! we saw! we conquered!]

nce your daily literary journey begins, instinctively you will know that this is what you

have needed; your cure for what ails you; the sick and tired of being sick and tired

blues.

Are you weary? Are you feeling drained from constantly wrestling with those morning

woes? Tired of trying to kick start your engine only to find that the desire or will to kickhas

long left you?

If you are, then this book is just what the doctor ordered!

SELF EXAMINATION:Has the demands of life left you overwhelmed? If yes, dont fret,

you are not alone. However, the question, What can I do? still looms before you.

I issue you this challenge; Why not commit to reading Words of Encouragement for a month?

I believe you will find during this time short, no-nonsense answers too many of your questions oflife; answers that just may surprise you.

FIVE MINUTES EACH MORNING; thats all the time that you need just five minutes.

This equates to 1,830 minutes or 6.5 hours a year! A small investment considering we spend an

average of 45 minutes a day or 4.5 hours each week shopping.

The two symbols preceding each days reading () are Chinese logograms or Hanzi

(simplified Chinese); they represent encouragement. When I realized that Chinese characters

constitute the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world, I knew it added both

purpose and nostalgia to the book.

So, if you are ready to embark on a journey of a lifetime, simply turn the page and let your

year long countdown begin!

O


4/13

January


Y yu [Man.] Enero [Tag.]

Janvier [Fr.]

Man.= Mandarin

Tag.= Tagalog

Fr.= French

Hardships often Prepare Ordinary

People for an Extraordinary DestinyC.S. Lewis


5/13

1 January

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In the beginning, God created

the Heaven and the earth[Gen. 1:1]

he thoughts and emotions that often envelop us each New Year range from suspicion, to

fear, and even sometimes regret. After all we try to tell ourselves, the old was not only

safer, but predictable.

Yet, we need not fret over the future: as a Child of God, you have the Lord Jesus Christs full

assurance that No weapon formed against you shall prosper!Thefogand hazethat are currently

before your eyes are there to let you know that your Faith is on trial to test to prove and to

empower you.

Now, briefly, extend your trembling hand andpushthe pause button of your life. This will

better enable you to see that Jesus Christ has been walking beside you all the while in the

midst of your problems, failures, faults, quirks and idiosyncrasies, the Lord has stayed with you!

The moment you see Him, instantly, your darkness turns to light; your hopelessness to hope,

and those problems that you thought were mountains, are, in a word only hills: hills that youare now dancing and running over all because you saw Jesus!

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2 January

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And you, be fruitful, and multiply; bring

forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein[Gen. 9:7]

lmost 3,500 years ago, while standing on the banks of the Red Sea, the Lord gave

Moses and the children of Israel a seemingly impossible command, Go forward.

[Ex. 14:15]. Despite spite Pharaohs army even then being behind them, and jagged mountains and

cliffs on either side, the order was unmistakable go forward. Someone once said that God

challenges our Faith with actsthat we cannot hope to accomplish in the natural; to that I agree 100

percent!

For example, Noah and his family had just come through an End of Life Event, yet as they

walked out of the ark, the Lord told them without any forewarning, be fruitful and bring forth

abundantly How could they? How can we? The answer has not changed from then until now

we lean and depend upon the Lord. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Ive learned to lean and depend on Jesus,

Ive learned to lean, trust in the Lord,

For if I trust Him, He will provide;

Ive learned to lean on Jesus (Lee Williams)

A


7/13

June


Li yu [Man.] Hunyo [Tag.]

Juin [Fr.]

Man.= Mandarin

Tag.= Tagalog

Fr.= French

If [since] Jesus is your Lord and Savior, live each day as if it was your last

curtain call, your last day of work, your legacyAuthor


8/13

1 June

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For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying

unto you, Fear not; I will help you[Isa. 41:13]

s a verb, the word help means to give assistance or be of service. As a noun it

means, a means of serving.

In this particular Verse in Isaiah, the Hebrew word is azar{aw-zar}, and means to succor or

to support. In essence the Lord is telling us, I will not only stay by your side, but hold your hand

to succor you. What a comforting word to know that the Creator of the Universe is not only with

you, but also helping you through the mountains and valleys that life may impose on you.

At times, the most difficult tasking is not doing what is right, but feeling so inadequate, so ill

prepared and so helpless while doing it. Case in point: The first time I preached a sermon, not only

was I nervous, but my mouth was dry, and my knees felt like rubber. The only thought I had in

mind was hurry up and finish.

At the end of the message, I fully expected no one to respond, but to my delight and surprise,

a soul came forth for prayer. Only the Lord could have taken my halting and stumbling words tominister to that seeking heart. So, if you ever feel you cant then know this, . . . with God all

things are possible.[Mk. 10:27]

A


9/13

2 June

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They have not known nor understood: for He has shut their eyes, that

they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand[Isa. 44:18]

hen anyone turns from the Revelation God has given of Himself in the Scriptures,

and bows down to idols, or places something else ahead of God, a judicial blindness

from God then descends upon him. When that occurs, it is then impossible to show a blind man

anything, and this sadly characterizes the plight of the unconverted heart.

Their ignorance was willful, because they were deceived. Other than a revelation from God,

all of the instruction, information, and teaching they are given, will be of no use. This is the reason

that education (as necessary as the right type of education is), is not the answer. This is the reason

as well, that most Preachers see no spiritual results whatsoever. They appeal to the intellect,

instead of the heart. Therefore, the Lord must appeal to the heart, revealing Himself through the

anointed preaching of His Word. Only then can a man see. Sadly and tragically, the Modern

Church is attempting to produce a crop of psychologists instead of preachers.

Because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobatemind [Rom. 1:28].

W


10/13

December


Sh r yu [Man.] Disyembre [Tag.]

Dcembre [Fr.]

Man.= Mandarin

Tag.= Tagalog

Fr.= French

Its not the defeats or the losses in life that define who we are, but how we act or react in these situations Author


11/13

1 December

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Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them

pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord[Jam. 5:14]

oni Eareckson Tada struggled with the issue of healing for a long time. As she recounts in

her book Joni, she sought physical healing of her quadriplegia. She prayed and fully

believed that God would heal her. In her words, I certainly believed. I was calling up my

girlfriends saying, Next time you see me Im going to be running up your sidewalk. Gods going

to heal me. Yet, forty-five years after the accident that left her paralyzed, Joni is still in a

wheelchair.

However, her perspective remains one of great Faith: God may remove your suffering, and

that will be great cause for praise. But if not, He will use it; He will use anything and everything

that stands in the way of His fellowship with you. So let God mold you and make you, transform

you from glory to glory. Thats the deeper healing.

The question we need to ask in any given situation is what does God want? Someday, all

sickness and death will be eradicated (see Revelation 21:4). Joni Eareckson Tada will walk again.Until then, there is a greater healing; the cleansing of sinful hearts, that God performs every day.

J


12/13

2 December

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But the Word of the Lord endures for ever. And this is the Word

which by the Gospel is preached unto you[1 Pet. 1:25]

t goes without saying that the only things of eternal value in this world are those that are

eternal. Life in this world is temporal, not eternal, and therefore, the only part of life that

has eternal value is that which lasts through eternity. Clearly, the most important thing in this

world that has true eternal value is having a relationship with Jesus Christ, as the free gift of

eternal life comes only through Him to all those who believe (John 3:16).

Every member of Christs body can make meaningful contributions when we humbly seek to

edify the body and to glorify God. Remember, on earth Christ has no body but ours, no hands but

ours, and no feet but ours. Spiritual gifts are Gods way of administering His grace to others.

When we show our love for God by obeying His commandments, when we persevere in the Faith

despite all opposition and persecution, when in His name we show mercy to the poor and sick and

less fortunate, and when we help alleviate the pain and suffering that is all around us, then we are

indeed building with the gold, silver, and costly stones that have true eternal value.

I


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About the Author

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uthor, ordained minister, husband, father, grandfather, avid jogger and bowling

enthusiast are but a few of life's treasures that James has embraced since retiring from

the navy; a career that spanned almost three decades and touched five of the seven

continents of the world.

When asked if there was one place that he considered the most exotic, he replied, Enewetak

Atoll. Although it was remote, almost isolated it still formed a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the

Pacific Ocean. James is founder and senior pastor of the Pilgrim Outreach Ministries.

James credits his high school history teacher for sowing the seeds that would one day lead

him to the status of published author. I remember a slight twinkle in her eye while we talked.

James, she said, The road to becoming a successful author is never one of ease; however, with

hard work, sacrifice and a bit of luck, you have a good shot at joining those ranks.

After duty stations in California, the Philippines and Italy, it wasnt until 2002 that James

finally decided to write his first novel, GrandMammas Prayers. My most memorable work, he

would later say. Once the writing bug bit me, it has been off to the races these past 14 years!

Although he traveled all over the world while on active duty,

James admits that without his wife Cecilia faithfully keeping the home fires burning, he would

have quit a long time ago. Just knowing that she had my back in every conceivable instance

made life that much better.

The Langstons have been married for more than 37 years and have six children and fourteen

grandchildren. They live overseas in Italy.

A

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