I recently heard a story of a young woman who had been in a car accident when she was very young and now relied upon crutches to help her walk. As a child wanting to run and play, she had been very frustrated. However, she slowly became accustomed to what was to be her "lot in life". As a young woman, she attended church regularly and had developed a close relationship with the Lord. Over the years she had become a prayer warrior and her friends knew they could come to her when they were hurting or just needed a listening ear. She recalled a time when she was approached by someone who confided in her that they had been struggling with lying. The person was feeling discouraged; feeling that no matter how hard they tried to do God's will they just kept failing; continuously falling back into the same sin. The young woman listened to the confession and considered her own plight. How many times had she struggled with her disability? How many times had she, literally, fallen from trying to walk on her own? She had clearly needed to rely on her crutches just as her friend had needed to rely on God to help keep her from falling.

Sin is a plight that will be with us until the day we leave this world, so we must learn to rely on God and confess to Him the sins that continuously trip us and make us fall. When you find yourselves returning to the same bad habit, or allowing yourself to become complacent with your wrongs, that's when it's time to give it over to the Lord. Confess that sin, ask God for forgiveness and then ask Him for the willpower to keep you from going back to it. God promises to be with us when we call upon Him; and because Satan's goal is to keep you down, we must keep trying to get back up! Psalm 37:31 says that when The instruction of his God is in his heart, his steps do not falter. Let that be your source of encouragement today!

Suggested Prayer: Dear Lord, I confess to you the sin that makes me anxious. I ask that you help me to rely solely on you to get me through those moments of temptation to do what I know displeases you. Give me the strength to overcome my sin and bring honor to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

1.    Philippians 2:13 (CSB).

Today's Encounter was written by: Veronica B.