Everyone needs encouragement, but few people are getting enough of it. We live in a culture quick to criticize, compare, and tear down. Social media amplifies negativity. Work environments can be brutal. Even churches sometimes feel more like judgment factories than communities of grace. People are walking around discouraged, beaten down by life, desperately needing someone to speak life into their weary souls.
The Bible has a lot to say about encouragement because God knows how fragile we are. He knows we need reminding that we’re not alone, that our struggles aren’t meaningless, and that there’s strength available beyond our own. Scripture itself is meant to encourage us, to give us endurance and hope through its teachings. God doesn’t just tolerate our need for encouragement; He commands His people to actively build each other up.
These verses reveal that encouragement isn’t optional, nice behavior for Christians; it’s a core aspect of how we’re supposed to function together. When someone is struggling, the right word at the right time can be the difference between giving up and pressing on. God’s encouragement comes through His Word, His Spirit, and His people who choose to speak hope into hopeless situations.
Bible Verses About Encouragement
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Encourage One Another and Build Each Other Up
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
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2. Hebrews 10:24-25 – Spur One Another On
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
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3. Romans 15:4 – Through Endurance and Encouragement We Have Hope
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
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4. Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety Weighs Down the Heart, but a Kind Word Cheers It Up
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
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5. Isaiah 41:10 – Do Not Fear, for I Am With You
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
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6. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – The God of All Comfort
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
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7. Philippians 4:13 – I Can Do All This Through Him
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
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8. Joshua 1:9 – Be Strong and Courageous
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
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9. Psalm 46:1 – God Is Our Refuge and Strength
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
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10. Hebrews 3:13 – Encourage One Another Daily
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
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11. Proverbs 16:24 – Gracious Words Are a Honeycomb
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
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12. Romans 1:12 – That You and I May Be Mutually Encouraged
That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
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13. Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be Strong and Courageous
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
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14. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – May Our Lord Jesus Christ Encourage Your Hearts
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
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15. Psalm 27:14 – Wait for the Lord
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
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16. 1 Corinthians 14:3 – The One Who Prophesies Speaks for Strengthening
But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
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17. Galatians 6:2 – Carry Each Other’s Burdens
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
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18. Acts 20:35 – It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
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19. Ephesians 4:29 – Say Only What Is Helpful for Building Others Up
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
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20. Colossians 3:16 – Let the Message of Christ Dwell Among You
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
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21. Isaiah 40:29 – He Gives Strength to the Weary
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
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22. Psalm 121:1-2 – My Help Comes From the Lord
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
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23. 2 Corinthians 13:11 – Aim for Restoration, Comfort One Another
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
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24. Romans 8:31 – If God Is for Us, Who Can Be Against Us?
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
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25. Proverbs 15:23 – A Person Finds Joy in Giving an Apt Reply
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!
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26. 1 Peter 5:10 – He Will Himself Restore You
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
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27. Psalm 55:22 – Cast Your Cares on the Lord
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
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28. 2 Timothy 1:7 – God Gave Us a Spirit of Power
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
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29. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – Two Are Better Than One
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
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30. Jeremiah 29:11 – Plans to Give You Hope and a Future
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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31. Philippians 1:6 – He Who Began a Good Work Will Carry It On
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
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32. Psalm 34:18 – The Lord Is Close to the Brokenhearted
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
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33. Matthew 11:28 – Come to Me, All Who Are Weary
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
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34. John 16:33 – Take Heart! I Have Overcome the World
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
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35. Isaiah 40:31 – Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
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Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Encouragement
Encouragement is fundamentally about giving someone courage they don’t currently have. It’s speaking truth when someone’s drowning in lies, reminding them of God’s presence when they feel abandoned, and pointing to hope when everything feels hopeless. Notice that Scripture doesn’t just say “be nice” to each other. It says encourage, build up, spur one another on, and strengthen. These are active, intentional words that require paying attention to where people actually are and what they need to hear.
The best encouragement is rooted in truth rather than empty positivity. Telling someone “everything will be fine” when you don’t know that isn’t encouragement; it’s dismissal. Biblical encouragement acknowledges the difficulty while pointing to God’s sufficiency. It says “this is hard, but God is with you” rather than pretending the struggle isn’t real. Paul’s letters are masterclasses in this: he never minimized suffering but constantly pointed to God’s comfort, strength, and ultimate victory.
We’re also told to encourage one another daily. Not just when we feel like it or when it’s convenient, but as a regular discipline. Why? Because discouragement is daily too. The battle for hope and perseverance isn’t won once; it’s fought constantly. Your words today might be exactly what keeps someone going tomorrow.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I confess that I often fail to encourage others the way You’ve called me to. I get so consumed with my own struggles that I don’t notice when people around me are barely holding on. Forgive me for the times I’ve stayed silent when a word of encouragement could have made all the difference.
Help me to be someone who builds others up rather than tears them down. Give me eyes to see who needs encouragement and wisdom to know what to say. Let my words be sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Teach me to speak truth that strengthens rather than empty positivity that dismisses real pain.
When I’m the one who needs encouragement, remind me that You are my refuge and strength. Fill me with the comfort that comes from You so that I can comfort others with that same encouragement. Let Your Word sustain me when I’m weary, and let Your presence remind me that I’m never alone in my struggles.
Make me part of a community where we genuinely spur one another on toward love and good deeds, where we carry each other’s burdens and restore those who are struggling. Use me to speak timely words that give courage to the discouraged.
In Jesus’ uplifting Name, Amen.