Encouragement or Endurance?

Kevin explores the balance between encouragement and endurance in the Christian walk, emphasizing the importance of realistic expectations, sound doctrine, and the dangers of false prophecy on social media. He highlights the need for believers to understand that suffering and perseverance are integral to faith, and encourages discernment in spiritual guidance.

Transcript

Kevin Toomer (00:02.87)
One thing I've come to discover as I've continued to grow as a Christian is that God is a God of balance. That yes, God is a God of love, of grace and mercy. But He's also a God of wrath, of judgment, and of power. So if God is a God that believes in justice and being things being equal and balanced, we too as Christians need to have a life also of balance and equilibrium.

But what I'm beginning to see it, and I see this a lot on social media, maybe part of it is because of the the algorithm that I have to have for Christian things, but a lot of things that I'm seeing on social media, there's definitely an imbalance when it comes to Christianity. There's definitely an imbalance of the things that we're seeing that is being considered Christian content. But if we're really honest, it's really just Christian motivational speeches. Let me go a step further.

A lot of it is really just a lot of people who say they're Christians, and maybe they really are, but they're not really teaching or they're not really leading and giving sound doctrine. What they are, they're acting as this acting as if they're Christian fortune tellers. Like everything they say is about how this is going to be your time, about how this is going to be your season.

Is your moment. This is your season. And they use scriptures, of course. Sometimes they don't. These scriptures that say that God has seen your seen your tears. He has heard your prayers. And now this is the season for you to come out of what it is you're in. And they'll say things like they declare and decree. They'll use scriptures, of course, that says that you know that Isaiah, I'm doing see, I'm doing a new thing.

They use all these scriptures that just really proclaim and prophesy over people. And what makes it more interesting is that these prophecies or these declarations are blanket declarations. A lot of them start off with the infamous, I don't know who this is for, right? Or they'll say, I pray that this reaches the person it's intended to. And then from that point, there's a a diatribe of just Christian cliches.

Kevin Toomer (02:27.266)
That God's gonna do it, God's gonna work it out, He's seen you, that this is your season to come out of it. This is your Egypt and you're coming out of Egypt. And they'll quote something about Exodus, or they'll quote something Jeremiah 29, 11. For I know the plans that God has for you. Now, am I saying that all those things are wrong? No, I do believe there are moments as Christians where we do need to be encouraged, where we do need that that reminder that this is not the end, that we do need to be reminded.

That this is there is more on the horizon. But what I've also learned, family, is that when it comes to being a Christian, the Christian life is not a Hollywood production. Meaning, sometimes people don't live happily ever after. Sometimes people don't get their full just due here on earth. Sometimes a person may die and they don't get their reward.

Now, I do believe the scripture does say that there's some we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. But some of us may not. Some of us have to go through some rough times. But even if we get our blessings, so to speak, later. What I'm again, back to the balance. The title of this episode is endurance. I'm sorry, encouragement or endurance. Which one are we seeing the most and which one is needed more? And I think.

The problem is because we're seeing too much encouragement, but not enough pleas or words of endurance. Because one of them is exciting. The other one is sobering. So we don't like to hear that the reality is that sometimes we're going to have to endure this season we're in. Because what happens is that person will come and give that blanket statement that this is your season, just your coming out. But what if God says that's not the case?

What if this is your season to endure? What if you just came into the season and God is trying to purify or to say or to take some things off of you that needs to be worked out in your life? But here comes person X or so-called prophet Y on TikTok or Instagram or Twitter telling you God's going to take you out of it. So you're telling me this person knows what God's plans is for your life better than God Himself?

Kevin Toomer (04:47.32)
That they don't have an interest in knowing, or they don't have insight rather, in knowing what God's plans are. And let's take it a step further. We're gonna go, I got a couple of scriptures I want share. The Bible is replete with scriptures telling us that suffering is required for a Christian. That even though, yes, we do need to be encouraged, but more times than not in this Christian walk, you're gonna need help to endure. You're gonna need help trying to maintain your.

Christian decorum and character. One of the things, again, I've learned as I've grown is that endurance is a lot more required for me. Because more times than not, as you grow as a Christian, yes, you need encouragement, but sometimes you get to the point where I know God can. And I know God will. But that's what I know here. But my reality is telling me, man, I'm going through right now. I need something to help me continue believing that I will get this.

And it's not enough just to tell me well, God's gonna take you out. Sometimes I need God to tell me or show me or give me the strength to continue to believe in the midst of it. Because sometimes it's not a case of believing that God can do it. It's seeing it happen. And so far you haven't seen it. So how do you endure under that? And and and I heard a phrase recently on social media, which I thought was very powerful.

That when we are fighting back against the enemy, when we get that encouragement, that that boost to keep going, we sometimes oversell that thinks that that one particular boost is going to win the war. But look at it this way you get encouragement. That's that's tantamount to firing a weapon. Just yes, this this is the thought that that's someone that someone shared that was interesting. If you're in a gunfight or battle or war, right?

If you shoot your gun one time with one bullet, that doesn't end the war. So the attacks are still gonna come. Yes, you have this moment of endurance or or or you know encouragement, but you're gonna need endurance to keep you in the fight. And again, I think we have this dis unbalance because I think, again, talking about social media, we have a lot of people who who claim to be Christians and they cater to

Kevin Toomer (07:15.84)
was popular. They cater to what's going to get the likes and the shares and the comments and things of that nature. But a lot of them, I'm going to say something that may be controversial, are basically, you can make the case of committing Christian slander. They're telling you God said and God really didn't say. All they're doing is giving again cliches and regurgitating things that they know that people need to hear.

Now again, I want to reiterate this before I could continue. We need encouragement. Encouragement is something every Christian should get, but it should not come at the expense of the endurance we need to continue to stay in the fight. Encouragement is basically a shot in an arm to numb you. Encouraged endurance means that when the numbing wears off, I continue to use my arm.

I need endurance to continue to continue to fight when the pain is still there. So it's like Novicane versus fighting through the pain. And that's what endurance is required for. So I have a couple scriptures that I want to share. Again, I don't want to make this a very long episode, but I want to give you know two scriptures that kind of talk about why we got to be careful with receiving this encouragement and who it's from, especially when these people are committing Christian slander.

And then two scriptures that talks about the reality of what we face and why why it would and two what we're read what we're gonna face and why endurance is required just as much so if not more so than encouragement. So the first scripture is this that a lot of times again we hear people telling us this is your season, God heard you, God's gonna do it. You know, you know, your that spouse, you're close, that house, you're close, that job, you're

You're close, and it's always things that you want, it's always the creature comforts, it's always the tangible blessing, something financial, something that we can touch, tell, touch, taste, smell, hear, or feel, right? But let me give you a scripture. The first one, this is old testament, but check this out: Deuteronomy 18, 21 and 22. This is what it says. But you may wonder how we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord. If the prophet speaks in the Lord's name, but his prediction does not happen.

Kevin Toomer (09:41.676)
Or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared. So look at that, right? And I've seen this a lot, and you've probably seen it too, depending on your algorithm on social media. People telling you the same way they start off. There are no hashtags, you know what the Lord put this on my spirit, and I came to tell someone today that you know what to

This week is gonna happen. You know, I got a prophetic word that this is the week you're gonna happen. I remember I actually got one of those in my feed. And the person said, You're gonna get a phone call or an email about something you've been waiting for today. Literally, that's what it said. The person said that, and they said the same thing. I I don't hashtag, so you know, if you get this, it wasn't because of me.

It was because of the Holy Spirit. Now, maybe the person genuinely meant well, maybe they weren't a false prophet. Maybe again, they're thinking there's someone out here who needs to be encouraged. There's someone out here who's waiting. And let's be honest, I've talked about this in previous episodes. The easiest thing to do to get people's attention who are Christians is to tell them things about their health, things about their finances, or things about a relationship. Most people are dealing with one of those three areas at one time, if not all three. So it's easy.

Low-hanging fruit for me to say that God's going to deal with you or bless you in area one, two, or three. Because most people are going through areas, going through something in one of those areas. Most people are waiting for God to move in one of those areas. So again, it's easy pickings. And most of us, the one thing we want to hear is that God's going to do it. Now, again, am I saying he's not? Of course not.

God absolutely may be doing it for you, but it's on his timing. And when he says, and for these people to make these proclamations, again, how can you be prophetic if you're not specific? Meaning, you're saying this to a cadre of people. You never met them, you don't know their names, you don't know anything specifically about them. But you're making this blanket statement that you're speaking for God. Again, that's slander. Now, why is that slander?

Kevin Toomer (12:05.09)
Because you're saying that God says something he didn't, and that could be damaging because you're saying God said it. When this person believes it, it doesn't happen when you said it is. They're not going to blame the false speaker. They're going to blame God. And now God's name has been slandered. But then look at what it says. It says that the person spoken without my authority and need not be feared, meaning not feared as in scared, but feared as in respected. Adhered to. And again, imagine if that was the case. Imagine if.

A person can go on social media and give a prophecy like that. And if it didn't come true, they were banned from social media forever. And we would have to document it. You and I will hear this proclamation. I will say, okay, Susie told me I'm going to get a phone call or an email today about issue X. And I have to say I get her information. I'll wait a day. I don't get it. I report it to whatever place. Susie told me I was going to get a phone call email and I didn't get it. Okay.

False prophet, you're done. How many people would still be doing it? How many people would still be going up, giving these again, these proclamations, giving these encouragements, and not being held accountable for it? So we need to be a lot more discriminating in what we say, right? As people of God who just want to maybe, you just want to encourage, but then encourage with the scriptures and keep it simple.

Or we need to be more discriminating as Christians who we listen to and who we feed to say, okay, I saw a random TikTok that said my blessings on the way, so that must mean it's true. We won't listen to anybody else crazy, but because they say they're Christian and because they quote a scripture out of context more times than not, we take them at their word. Did you pray about it? Did you ask God? Did you go to the Lord and ask for confirmation? And some of them.

May even say, all right, I'm gonna give this word, but you need to go to the Lord for confirmation. Then why I gotta listen to you? Why don't I just go to the Lord? Why don't I need to go to you to hear what you say and then ask the Lord whether you're true or not? Why not just go to the Lord and say, Lord, if you have a word for me, you send them. Make it clear that this person is from you. That's the first scripture I have, right? But here's another one that I think would be really interesting.

Kevin Toomer (14:31.798)
If most people who were on social media and places like that, if this was the reality, I wonder how many people will continue to give these blanket encouragements. This is Jeremiah 28, 15 to 17. Listen to what it says. Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: you must die.

Your life will end this very year because you have rebelled against the Lord. Two months later, the prophet Hananiah died. Let's up the ante. The first scripture I use, let's say a person gave a false prophecy, a false declaration, libel was slander, right? And they were just banned from social media. Imagine if a person went online and gave one of these false encouragements.

And because they were false, they died immediately. How many people you think would be on social media giving these declarations? How many people you think would be on social media just saying that, you know what, you're gonna be this, you're gonna be that, you're gonna have this, you're gonna have that. You know, I got a prophetic word, and God told me this is your time. And again, I want to belabel this point. There are times when God will send a person to encourage you.

There may be times where God will absolutely say that, okay, Kevin, right now you need to be encouraged. You know what? you know, Barbara, Susie, Latoya, Helen, you know, Mike, whoever you are, there are moments where you will absolutely need to be encouraged. But encouraged may not again always be exciting. Encouraged may not always mean that your blessing is imminent. Encouraged may mean, and look at the word encouraged.

Word courage is in there, so you gotta have you will be encouraged, meaning basically you'll be able to continue to hold strong. If you look up the word encouragement and encourage in the actual Bible, in the Greek and the Hebrew, it doesn't mean to make you excited or in anticipation, it means to help you to stand under attack. We need to be encouraged.

Kevin Toomer (16:50.786)
Because we're going to be discouraged by the things we go through as Christians. So most encouragement should not be anticipating a blessing. Most encouragement should be continuing to serve despite the attacks. So now encouragement should not come at the expense of endurance. Encouragement should be the precursor or a cousin, close relative to endurance.

Because we have to be encouraged, and then we get infused with endurance. Now, again, as a Christian, and this is some this is something, especially if you've been a Christian for any amount of time, you will co-sign what I'm about to say. That the more you grew as a Christian, the less things you were waiting for God to do, and the more you just wanted Him. Because you realize, wait a minute, a lot of things I wanted, I don't really want anymore. As you grow as a Christian,

The things of the world become less and less attractive to you. And the things of God become more and more attractive. But then conversely, the enemy, because you're growing in Christ, his attacks are more pronounced. He's coming hard after the person who's dedicated to Christ. He's coming harder after the person who's decad who's decided to study their word. He's coming hard against the person who says, now I'm I'm

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. In the ministry in church I've been always afraid to do, I'm going to do it. There are people at my church now that I go to who I'm so happy to say this year, you know, the pastor gave a great start for the year. And they stepping out on faith and being in part of ministry in church, doing things that, you know, they were afraid to. They felt like, well, I'm not good enough. I don't know if I can do it. I'm uncomfortable. Stepping out of the comfort zone, doing things for ministry, but almost to a person.

Those same people have told me, man, I've been really catching it. The attacks have been coming to me so much more harder because I decided to do this. Because I decided to start reading my word. I have a particular person, they told me, since they tried to start reading their word now, they made a commitment. They say, Man, Kevin, I've been catching it. And I know it started when I started reading my word. So again, the encouragement about

Kevin Toomer (19:14.594)
God's gonna bless you. This is gonna be your season. Ain't gonna cut it when you just trying to get into the word and get closer to God. You need endurance. You need to be told that, Kevin, keep going, keep pushing. You know, my friend, my sister, my brother, keep going. Let me give you the boost. Let me give you the energy to keep coming because the closer you get to God, the closer the enemy's attacks come.

And that's a reality we don't like to talk about. And this is why an encouragement part is so damaging because it's so one-sided. So people have this view that being a Christian is just about being waiting for the next blessing. You just got to endure this season to get to the goodies, and then endure the next season to get to the goodies. God's not trying to make you and I better recipients of grace and mercy. He's trying to make us different people altogether.

Different creations. We're new creations in Christ. That means that yes, we need encouragement, but He's saying, Because you're my child, you are going to suffer. You are going to go through trials. And this is why you need endurance to continue. When you are endeavoring to serve God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You don't need somebody on on social media just telling you banal.

Cliches about God's going to work it out for you. Because you already know it's not about God working it out. It's like God helped me to continue working for you. I need help to continue serving. I need help to continue believing. And again, as you grow, those little things, those little small, little well, you know what, the house, the car, I mean, they're great things, but that doesn't move you as much when you get to become a more mature.

But in case I can, but you know, so I don't keep it too long. Got two more scriptures I want share. I love this one. This is Acts chapter 14, 21 and 22. Look at what it says. After preaching the good news in Derby and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, Pasidia. Well, they strengthened the believers. Here it is. They encouraged them to do what?

Kevin Toomer (21:39.48)
Continue in the faith, reminding them that they must suffer many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. So wait a minute. You see the encouragement, but what was the encouragement? The encouragement was not keep going because the blessings on the way. The encouragement keep going because the kingdom is yours if you endure. The encouragement was not anticipating a blessing, it's to continue for the ultimate blessing.

Which is heaven himself, heaven itself, which is God's presence in itself. That is the encouragement that's required. So even when we do encourage, what are we telling people? That encouragement is not just waiting on God to move, it's telling us to continue to move for God. And that's where we get our wires crossed. That's where we have such an imbalance.

And that's why we almost are training ourselves to look at God as merely just a resource. Just someone who gives me what I want. So let me play the game and just hold on tight because if I get through this bumpy road, the house, the car, the spouse, the job, whatever it is, is mine. And again, let me reiterate I'm not saying God can't and won't give us any of those things. But the scripture says, see first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And all these things, the job, the house, the car, the spouse, all those things, he knows you want them. He gave you the desire for them. But he doesn't want to give you those in spite or in the you know at the expense of serving him after you get them. Maybe he's saying, I can't give it to you right now because you would mishandle it. I gotta make sure you're in a proper position.

To even handle what comes with it. Because with the bigger the blessing, the bigger the attack. And some of us, again, we have this rose-colored view of thinking that it's all about just waiting for the next blessing. And that's not how God wants us to live as Christians. It's not a reality for us as Christians. One more scripture and I'm done. I don't want to take too long. Colossians chapter 1, verse 23. Look at what it says here. But you must

Kevin Toomer (24:02.744)
Continue to believe this truth and stand firm in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you receive when you heard the good news. The good news has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it. You hear what it says there? It says, if you continue, if you believe, if you push on, push forward, if you do those things. So it's not a case of us again.

Having this encouragement to just wait on God, the endurance, the endurance we need is because he's saying we have to stand firm in it. We have to remember that we still have to trust him when we don't understand. Trust him when it seems hard because it's going to be hard. This Christian walk is not a leisurely stroll through a garden with rainbows and butterflies. There are going to be storms.

And the closer you get to God, the more monstrous those storms are going to be. So every now and then, yes, you need encouragement. But throughout our entire walk with Christ, you need endurance every single day. Because this Christian walk is not one for the weak, it's not one for the timid, it's not one for those who are in it just to see what God can do for you.

If you are a Christian, the Bible says that our lives belong to him. And if he's the one that's driving, he may take you and I down paths that are dark and perilous, a lot of bumpy roads and a lot of storms. So we're going to need endurance just so we can hold on for the ride. Now he promised us he would get us to the other side, but he never promised us that that road was going to be easy.

So I hope that we as Christians get out of our minds that says, I need something to encourage me all the time. Every now and then, you gotta realize I need more than a quick fix. I need more than just a let me feel good message. And also, as I talked about in the episode, consider who's saying it because the enemy can also send people to seem as if they got your best interest at heart.

Kevin Toomer (26:25.206)
And give you Christian cliches. And all along, they're trying to make you think that the storm is over when the storm has really just started. So that's this episode. I just felt led to kind of do something today in that in that particular vein because it just really got on me. So now let me know what you think. You know, leave in your leave in comments, you know, what do you think is more needed or required or necessary for Christians in 2026? Do we need

More encouragement, or do we need more endurance? Let me know what you think in the comments. Thank you for watching and listening. This is the first episode I've done in a while, but I got some more coming up in the future. But as always, make sure your light shines brightest for the Lord Jesus Christ beyond the benediction. Until next time, be blessed.