We've Gotten Away From The Word

"Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  2 Corinthians 1:4

In the above verse, God's Word starts by telling us that He is our comforter in everything we go through; then He tells us that as a result, we can be a comfort and blessing to others. Now here's the part of the verse that we should really pay close attention to. God says where that comfort for others should come from; the comfort we received from God.

It's been troubling me for a long while now that many believers share posts online that are inspired and written by others. Who are the others who have written them? We don't know unless they sign their names to the bottom of it. I've read many and receive many, However, they are not inspired or are they the words of the one who is trying to encourage me. They are someone else's words for whatever they have experienced. I'm not saying that one cannot be encouraged by them from time to time, but what I am saying is that God has made it clear that the words of encouragement, comfort and support should be out of one's own personal experience and interaction with the Lord.

What has God done for you lately? Don't you want to shout it from the mountain top? Don't you want to share it with others? Don't you want others to draw near to God and come into experiencing Him on a more intimate level? In order for that to happen we must share what the Lord God has done for us when we were going through trials, afflictions, triumphs and blessing. It must come straight from our mouth.

If God has done anything for you, please don't bypass sharing voice to voice or face to face with persons who are in trials of afflictions and who are experiencing challenges. They need to hear from you so they can be comforted and encouraged to keep pressing on and to keep trusting the Lord God.

So, the next time you are tempted to go online and share a post that someone else wrote, resist the temptation by simply sharing in your own words. Better yet, pick up the phone and call the person voice to voice. That is the most effective way to comfort and encourage another.