Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I give you the opportunity to be a comfort and a helper with, in, and through Me to others. For that makes you like Me for I am the God of all comfort and am ever present as your helper. I am a very present help in time of trouble.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1.
I give you a very fruitful opportunity that makes you about My business and I call it the ministry of helps.
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28.
Blessed are those I find busy with My affairs in the world when I return, I shall put them in charge of all My possessions.
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Matthew 24:45-47.
Jesus told you that whatever you did for the least of His brethren, i.e. the members of His body on earth, the members of the household of faith, you did for Him, and He is in Me.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:37-40.
There is a huge difference between offering sympathy and actually coming alongside to carry another’s burden with them to a successful result.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2.
It is one thing to say to one in need, “stay warm and well fed,” and another thing to supply their need with your finances. It is one thing to say you are sorry to hear the person’s sufferings, it is another thing to pray with them, lay hands on the sick, encourage them with My Words, and help them to cast their cares on Me for a good result. And then, turning to Me for guidance, you should be willing to look for help for them after consulting Me about what the solution is. It is one thing to listen to a person’s bitterness and unforgiveness and let it continue, it is another thing to counsel them with the freedom of forgiveness and casting all that care on Me to give them a perfect result.
It is one thing to pass by another, even in your own home, who is in need of comfort and help, it is another to stop and see what you can do to make it better as you work with Me on it.
Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. Isaiah 40:1.
Jesus would look at crowds and saw them as sheep with no shepherd, wandering and lonely, so He would heal them, comfort them, and teach them until they were filled with consolation and encouragement. He invited them to bring Him their burdens and rest in Him. He is the same yesterday today and forever.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
But this is not just about your refreshment from Him but about your being this to others as He is to you.
The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25.
For as He is so are you in this world. And in seeing Him, you see Me.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.
Have you ever considered, especially if you find joy in lighting up others lives and helping them in dark times, that you are called to the ministry of helps? It is a special calling.
I send people, things, signs, Jesus, My Spirit, and My Words to comfort, strengthen, build you up, and refresh you. When I see you struggling, I reach out to touch your heart. And then in turn you can be one of the people I send out to comfort, strength, build and refresh.
Know it is all right. All is well. I am pleased with you, not mad at you. I see you clothed in Christ and with Him I am well pleased. In Him you are holy and blameless in My sight. You are forgiven. And others need to hear this too in their afflications.
I refresh your soul. If something stresses and burdens you, it is not from Me. If you have no joy, it is not from Me. In Me, you will find joy and peace. And the more you share it the more you have.
Now, I will tell you the real secret of happiness. You must die to yourself to be happy. You must be free from selfishness to be happy. You must be free from addictions to be happy. You must be in control of your emotions to be happy. You must exercise self-control in every area of your life to be truly happy. And these are all the fruit of the Spirit produced in your spirit when you attach to My Son as your vine by remaining in My Word and letting My Word remain in you.
To be free and happy and really enjoy every moment and be anxious for nothing, you must be free of yourself, open to Me and others. Your flesh can be a tyrant of demands and disappointments, of preoccupation with your own appearance and the impression you are making, concern over self-glory, and plaguing you with being overly sensitive to how you believe you are being viewed by others. You must turn your back on these feelings to really be happy and free. Which My Son sums up as dying to yourself. You must die to yourself—those plaguing doubts and selfish desires that trap you from really living, loving and achieving greatness—and live My Word. You must learn to step away from being locked in to yourself to soar with eagle’s wings.
Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single grain but if it dies it produces a rich harvest, multiplying seed for the sower and bread for the eater.
Do you understand what I am telling you? As long as you are controlled by the ups and downs of your emotions which are triggered by current circumstances, people, your appearance, your performance, how your body feels at the moment, and things that you cannot depend on, you will not be happy. As long as life is all about you, you will not be free or happy. You will be laughing one minute and a little while later you will be depressed, unhappy, and dissatisfied. You will slip into darkness and fear. You will not be excited most of the time or looking forward to wonderful things to come. You will not rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give constant thanks. You will complain, be negative, and nothing will ever be enough to totally satisfy you and make you happy. For with the flesh it is never enough and if not disciplined it will become a glutton and a slave driver. You will be miserable under offense, addictions, disappointment, and jealousy.
Take authority! I gave you a spirit of power, love, and self control. Sin lurks at your door but you can be its master. And it is not hard. It just takes one decision and then the help of My grace will flood you and My Spirit in you will strengthen you. A fruit of the Spirit is self control. You have it when you have been born again.
Or don’t you know that all of you who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? You were buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through My glory, you too may live a new life. Romans 6:3-4.
For if you have been united with Him in a death like His, you will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For your old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that you should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:5-7.
If you died with Christ, you will also live with Him. Know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to Me. Romans 6:8-1o.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to Me in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to Me as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Me as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:11-15.
So next time you are slipping into depression or other forms of negative behavior that steals your joy, line yourself up in front of the mirror and tell yourself in no uncertain terms that your flesh and emotions, the old you before you were born again, is no longer controlling what goes on in your life. Tell yourself firmly and loudly in no uncertain terms that you refuse to live under the bondage of the old you any longer. That the old whiny, self preoccupied you is dead and the new creation in Christ, which is the new you, lives and controls—that you no longer live but Christ lives in you (and greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world) and that you will permit nothing in your thoughts, words, or actions except what My Word tells you to think and do.
And since My Word directs you to rejoice always, you declare to yourself that you are going to enjoy every minute of every day as you spend it with Me. And then begin being happy as you enjoy the moment. You must give to receive and what you give will be given back to you, and more besides. So you will find that as you make yourself rejoice and give out that joy to others, joy will come back to you in the measure you are giving it and more besides. You will find there is freedom in denying yourself every day.
And I am present as your helper to help you to do this by My grace in you.
I love you. And you can do all things in My Son who strengthens you. And all things are possible to those who believe. Believe that you have self-control and that your life can be happy and free as you begin exercising it with faith, for that is the truth and the truth will set you free, and others whose lives are filled with fear and depression will be helped by hearing from you as if hearing from Me.