How It Works
Encouragement Guidelines
Cultivate the Domino Effect
with encouragement in your sphere of influence. Wikipedia defines domino effect as: “A simple chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on in sequence.”
- God’s call for us to pray is also a call to love. What greater way to demonstrate His love than through the ministry of prayer and encouragement?
- Not only do you have the opportunity to invest evangelistic prayer into a domain of your city for who and what God has laid on your heart, but you also have the possibility to care for whom you are praying with deeds, and words of kindness. This puts action to your prayers, and the results can spread God’s love as well as provide greater insight into the challenges and pressures people face, thus revealing additional areas for prayer.
- Once you are established as a praying team, consider introducing yourself to those you are praying for. Ask God to reveal His timing to you.
- Ask God when and how to demonstrate specific encouragement and acts of kindness. Look for opportunities to help out in practical ways. You will often be surprised at His perfect timing and expression of care through you. When you walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s prompting you will be amazed at the power of even the simplest gestures.
- Your prayer team should be in agreement with one another concerning the manner in which it will show God’s love through encouragement. Obeying the prompting of God’s Spirit will always be life-giving for everyone involved.
- If you occasionally send correspondence from your team, sign your names and indicate what you have prayed for them. Again, trust God’s timing.
- When possible, pray for people by name and personalize expressions of appreciation, as the Spirit directs. Many may have never received a note of encouragement!
- View occasions such as an illness, time of grief or sorrow as opportunities to express your care.
- Look for an opportunity to invite someone you are praying for to a local outreach program.
- Be prepared to share your story of faith when asked (see page 215 of manual). “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).
- Ultimately trust God to prompt you how to encourage and when to tell your story, and then obey Him. You will be thrilled to see the results! Your faith comes alive!
- Your communication as a group or as an individual should always reflect care and concern, and the desire to encourage and support. Unity is important. Be alert to, and resist, the enemy’s attempt to bring disunity. Alertness requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
I recall a time when God’s Spirit led our team to pray intensely for the principal at our school to have courage and strength to do her job, and then prompted us to write her a card of encouragement, letting her know we were praying for her that day. A group member delivered the card but observed from the look on the principal’s face that it wasn’t a good time to give her the card. She left it with the principal’s assistant.
Later that day, as I picked up my boys, the principal came up to me and gave me a huge hug. Through tears she said something like this: “You have no idea how significant the timing and words of your card were for me today. Today I had to walk to a classroom and do one of the most difficult things ever in all of my career. I had to inform the children that their teacher would no longer be back to teach them because she had terminal cancer. When I came back from the class, my assistant handed me your card. Now I know why I had strength and courage to do it. Thank you for praying for me!”
