Encourage Every Day

Encourage Every Day

Discovering Grace Weekly

- Making The Most Of The Time We Have Left

“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” - Hebrews 3:12-13 NASB

Welcome to 2024, my dear Friends!

This ought to be an exciting year for those of us who believe in the soon appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds, and the snatching away of His Beloved Bride, the Church. Those of us who have our ears attentive to the Spirit’s voice, through the Word of the Lord, can see the rapid pace to which the prophesies concerning the last of the last days, before the Great and Terrible Tribulation, are literally being played out before our eyes. The Word of the Lord is found true, and we can depend on it. Luke 1:37 tells us that, “No Word of the Lord will ever be void of power!” Or another way of saying it, is that “No Word of God will ever fail.” We know that Jesus is coming for the Church, and that there is not much time left to add as many souls as possible, so we must …

“Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people],

making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.

Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15-17 AMP

In our key verse of Hebrews 3:12-13, the writer, who we believe was the Apostle Paul, was instructing his listeners to “take care.” Let’s take a look at our anchor verse again…

“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” - Hebrews 3:12-13 NASB

Yes, they were exhorted to “take care.” This meant that they were to open their eyes wide and look carefully around them. This was urgent! They were to perceive if there were any among them that had an evil heart, which simply meant… an unbelieving heart that falls away from the Living God, and from the Word that He was speaking to them. What had God spoken? Let’s go back to the first chapter, where we are immediately given the answer to this question…

“God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways,

has in these last days spoken [with finality] to us in [the person of One who is by His character and nature] His Son [namely Jesus], whom He appointed heir and lawful owner of all things, through whom also He created the universe [that is, the universe as a space-time-matter continuum].

The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],

having become as much superior to angels, since He has inherited a more excellent and glorious name than they [that is, Son—the name above all names].” - Hebrews 1:1-4 AMP

Ever since the cross, God has been speaking to us through the finished work of Jesus in redemption. His Son Jesus and the New Covenant is superior in every way, and this is what God has communicated. Every prophesy and word of the Old Testament Scripture pointed to the Son and the work He came to complete. Paul’s listeners were on the fence about going “all in” with faith in Jesus Christ, and they were at risk of falling away from the salvation that had been provided for them through the final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The word for “falls away” is the verb form of the word which means apostasy.

To apostatize or renounce Jesus as Lord and Savior was serious, and throughout the entire letter to the Hebrews, Paul takes great pains in arguing that point. The seriousness of apostasy, or falling away from the truth that God has presented in His Son, is just a crucial and critical today. Eternal destinies ride upon this one and only decision. The entire letter of Hebrews is what I would call the “Choose Jesus...Now!” letter. It is passionate and pressing, and worthy of our serious consideration.

These folks had been presented with the Good News that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and their Messiah, the Savior. Many of them were in great danger of sticking with the old covenant, instead of the New Covenant of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as their final and sufficient sacrifice for sins. So, the Apostle Paul implores them to “consider Jesus!” (Hebrews 3:1) They had been presented with the truth that Jesus was completely faithful to God, in every respect, and finally was obedient to God to the point of death, so that He would be the One who would taste death for everyone, and deliver us all from the one who held the power of death...the devil. (Hebrews 2:9, 14-15) Paul goes on to declare to his listeners the 95th Psalm of David, where the Psalmist declared this warning.

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As on the day of trial in the wilderness,

Where your fathers put Me to the test, And saw My works for forty years.

Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways’;

As I swore in My anger, ‘They certainly shall not enter My rest.’” - Hebrews 3:7-11 NASB

These Hebrews were in danger of following the same pattern of unbelief that kept their descendants out of the promised land, or the “rest” of God. How did this happen? God had miraculously brought this people out of the bondage and slavery of Egypt. He fed them miracle food every day and provided water from a rock for them, yet they failed to believe that God had redeemed them in order to bless them and provide for them in a perfect land of rest from their enemies. In other words, they didn’t trust God.

In the New Testament and under the New Covenant, we learn that the miracle bread, and the water from the rock, and the promised land are all beautiful hidden pictures of the grace, the blessing, and the provision of our salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 6:35; 1 Corinthians 10:1-10; Matthew 11:28) These were pictures of the ultimate rest and peace with God we would all be able to receive and enter into through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s Sabbath rest, the finished work! We are free now to have relationship with God the Father, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and walk in relationship with Him through the intimate leading of His indwelling Holy Spirit, not through rigid, religious observances, traditions, or efforts of our own flesh. The early Israelites had trouble believing God in the wilderness in the same way these Hebrew listeners were having trouble receiving the Good News of Jesus Christ, the final sacrifice and atonement for their sins.

Until Jesus comes again…, and He will... there will always be the fight to remain in faith, that Jesus finished the work of redeeming us from sin’s grasp, and that a person can be justified (or declared no longer guilty of sin) through faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. And this, my Friends, is why the writer of Hebrews (or the Apostle Paul) encouraged those he was addressing to “Encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called today…”

So dear Friends, I am here to tell you that Jesus is the final sacrifice to atone for our sins, and until He steps foot again on planet earth at the end of the Great Tribulation to judge all of the unbelievers, it is still called “Today.” So, if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior from sin and judgment, there is still time. Not much time, as the Holy Spirit has warned us... but there is still time! God’s message to the unbeliever has always been an urgent one...”Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:7)

With that being said, I would like to tell you that God is not mad at you any more. In fact, He is no longer counting your sins against you, either. (2 Corinthians 5:19; Hebrews 8:12) There is no longer a need for any sacrifice on your part. Why is that??? Well, because God sent His only begotten Son down to the earth in order to bear the penalty for all sin, for all time. If you will simply believe in Him, you can be eternally saved from the penalty, the curses, and the guilt of all of your sin. About 2000+ years ago, Jesus came down to earth, was born in a human body, lived a sinless life, and allowed Himself to be sacrificed or crucified upon a cross, receiving the lashes of hateful mankind against Himself and having His body nailed to that cross, until He cried… “It is Finished!”

As He hung on that cross, He received in His own body our sin. He took on our sin nature in His perfect, sinless flesh, and received the wrath of God against every sin and broken law of God, taking every curse of sickness and pain and suffering in our place, so that He could satisfy the justice of God against the rebellion of sin, and save the people He created to love. Jesus loved you so much, He was willing to go through all of that to save you from the devil’s hell, and from being eternally separated from His loving Father. God’s justice was so satisfied by the sacrifice of His Son for our sins, that He raised Him up from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven. Jesus is alive, and His resurrection is our receipt that our sin penalty and debt was paid in full, and we have been forgiven and justified, cleared of all guilt, for a lifetime of sin.

Here’s the deal...While all of this work has been accomplished on your behalf, you must “receive” this grace, this gift of God by faith, and believe that God has done all of this for you, to set you free from unrighteousness, sin, and the devil. Jesus declare that you must be “born again” or you will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven; not born again of the flesh, but born again in your spirit. (John 3:3) This happens by believing in Him through faith in your heart. If you want to see heaven and live forever in peace with God, you must have two birthdays; the day you were born on earth in human flesh, (what we call our natural birthday), and the day you made the decision to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, (we call that the day you were “born again” of the Spirit of God… your spiritual birthday.) So, if you are believing what I am saying to you, I encourage you to read the following Scripture and declare the following prayer from your heart to God. Let’s go...

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 NLT

Simply declare this from your heart and with your mouth…

“I believe in Jesus! I receive Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Father God, for forgiving my sin and cleansing me of all unrighteousness through the sacrificial blood of Jesus. I look forward to enjoying my everlasting life with You and being able to receive all of your blessings in Christ. Thank You that You no longer judge me by my own works, but by the finished work of Jesus. I receive Your righteousness as a gift, and I thank You that You are now my Father and I am Your child.”

Congratulations, my Friend! Welcome to the family of God. (Please pay attention to the “Note” at the bottom of the article for you.)

Now, as we continue to explore the importance of encouraging each other daily, I would like us to consider a few sobering thoughts. Since we know from the prophesies of the Word, that the time of the ministry of the Church is winding down, we want to be diligent in fulfilling our commission to preach the Gospel and disciple the nations. And yet, we must move forward with discernment and be sure we understand the true nature of our God and be accurate in the Gospel message that Jesus has commissioned us to share.

I have a great concern for this generation that they truly know their God and Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the true activity and work of the Holy Spirit, through the written Word of God. We must not remain ignorant to what the Bible declares. It is God’s Word concerning His Son. The accurate interpretation of the Word of God is our anchor. We will drift off course, if we do not know and understand the Word of God. There have always been false apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers. The Word of God calls them tares (or weeds) among the wheat. (Matthew 13:24-20) However, in these last days, the Bible tells us that there will be “many” of them. (Matthew 24:11) I highly recommend that if you do not have a paper Bible, that you get a hold of one soon. You cannot count on digital Bibles to always be available or actually be accurate, as many have and are changing the words to fit their false ideas. God will preserve His Word as He has done all through history, but you do not want to be among those who do not possess an accurate copy.

As we continue, we will learn from the book of Jude, that in this last generation there will be apostate or unbelieving deceivers among us, the same as there were in the early days of the Church. The devil wants to keep as many as possible from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation from sin, so that he can torture them throughout the Great Tribulation and ultimately see them burn in the Lake of Fire that was created for him. (For more on this see our article, Have You Thought Much About Hell, Lately?)

So, my Friends, we must be serious about knowing the Word of God and growing in our relationship with Him, as we also remain awake, alert and discerning, so we may be quick to identify these deceivers. Please... do not go out and start accusing every minister of being false, but learn how to discern according to the Word of God, and learn to be dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God, whose job it is to tell you and make things known to you. Now, let’s look closely at how Jude describes these last-days, deceivers...

“...some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” - Jude 1:4 NLT

Jude goes on to describe these folks as…

“...dreamers [who are dreaming that God will not punish them] also defile the body, and reject [legitimate] authority, and revile and mock angelic majesties.” - Jude 1:8 AMP

Notice again how Jude continues to describe these apostate unbelievers…

“But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.

What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.

They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.” - Jude 1:10-13 NLT

“These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.” - Jude 1:16 NLT.

Now, also keep in mind, that as this last great harvest begins to erupt, and people begin turning to the Lord, the devil will rise up more and more false workers to draw these new converts away into deceptive teaching and doctrine. Some of these new converts might get over excited and think they are well ready to pastor a church, or start a You Tube channel. That doesn’t make them false immediately, just immature and uninformed. Discipleship by mature believers is going to be absolutely necessary in this last hour. So this next exhortation is important, and the heart and passion behind this first article for the year. Let all true believers in Christ, who live by the discernment of the Spirit of God, in the righteousness of God in Christ, through faith, be on the alert, but also take courage and be ready to minister truth. If you are called to minister, get as equipped in the Word of God as you can, because the need for soul-winners and disciplers will be great.

Let’s examine these final words of Jude…

“But as for you, beloved, remember the [prophetic] words spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

They used to say to you, “In the last days there will be scoffers, following after their own ungodly passions.”

These are the ones who are [agitators] causing divisions—worldly-minded [secular, unspiritual, carnal, merely sensual—unsaved], devoid of the Spirit.

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit,

and keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ [which will bring you] to eternal life.

And have mercy on some, who are doubting;

save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy but with fear, loathing even the clothing spotted and polluted by their shameless immoral freedom.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight,

to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” - Jude 1:17-25 AMP

Friends, if you are a true believer, this passage ought to encourage you. There is a promise here that the Lord will “keep you,” (which means to guard you) from being swept away by the gross deception that is already here in our midst. Keep yourselves in the love of God and be ready for our departure to eternal life. That trumpet will be sounding soon. But in the meantime, we can follow a principle from our Hebrews key verse and “take care,” or keep your eyes opened. Notice also that Jude tells us to have mercy on those who are doubting. Snatch others out of the fires of deception. This last days deception will leave many confused, discouraged, and misinformed. This is why the writer of Hebrews told his listeners to…

“...encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” - Hebrews 3:12-13 NASB

Yes, many will become confused, discouraged, disillusioned, and simply misinformed (or deceived completely.) The believing Church must become engaged in being excellent encouragers in the Word of God. Apparently encouraging people daily to believe God through the Word is the antidote to hardness of heart, because sin is deceitful. The sin spoken of here is the sin of unbelief, and it kept the unbelieving Israelites out of the promised land, and it will keep the unbelieving today out of heaven, if we do not help them see their need for Jesus. (Hebrews 3:19) God’s heart is that all people would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) Let us consider God’s heart as we encourage the unbelieving to become believers, and disciple the new believers with the truth that will set them free and keep them from stumbling.

Let’s look at one more little truth. When Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, he appeared before His disciples in His resurrected body, in an upper room that had been locked. Everyone was there, except for one disciple named Thomas. Let’s follow the story to see what Jesus says to him…

“But Thomas, one of the twelve [disciples], who was called Didymus (the twin), was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later His disciples were again inside the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though the doors had been barred, and stood among them and said, “Peace to you.”

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but [stop doubting and] believe.”

Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].” - John 20:24-29 AMP

Jesus cared about Thomas and made a special appearance just to help this precious disciple to be believing and not a doubter. Just like Jesus, we need to be ready to help people believe the truth, and not doubt, before it is too late for them. So, let’s follow this instruction…

“...in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.” - 1 Peter 3:15 AMP

This is our time to shine, Friends! We have the best news in town. It is the Gospel of the grace of God...not an invitation for people to remain in sin and blindness and make up their own gospel, which is no gospel at all… but an opportunity for all sinners to receive the free gift of Christ’s righteousness, and the forgiveness of sins, and the removal of the old sin nature, along with eternal life, through faith in the final blood sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He is alive and risen for our justification, and that should be grounds for the greatest revival on record. What Good News we have to share!

This year, we will be endeavoring to encourage you as often as possible with the trusted teaching of the Word of God, so you may be equipped to encourage those around you with the Gospel of the Grace of God...the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. For those who follow us on any of the social platforms...Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, etc., or our website at EileenJacobs.org, we want to request that you share and like as many of our posts as have encouraged you, so that others may be encouraged as well.

“Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,

who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For just as Christ’s sufferings are ours in abundance [as they overflow to His followers], so also our comfort [our reassurance, our encouragement, our consolation] is abundant through Christ [it is truly more than enough to endure what we must].” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 AMP

Now that, Dear Friends, is grace!

written by

Eileen R. Jacobs (January, 2024)

Copyright © 2024 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.

A Message to the New Believer:

Congratulations &

Welcome to the Family of God

If today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, this is an exciting day! All of Heaven is rejoicing over you, and your name has been officially written in the Lambs Book of Life. (Luke 10:20)

 “I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” - Luke 15:10

We would like to encourage you to write this date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth, like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence.

This date or marker is important because, as we have discovered in this article, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself, or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was forgiven and saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”

Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us at info@EileenJacobs.org to let us know!