I'd like to thank you for joining us here on the first day of the year for service of the second service of the new year. And that's our Sunday afternoon service here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And we just thank God for as many blessings and for another year that he's given us to occupy till he comes. God's given us a great responsibility and I want to do all that I can to occupy with his business till he comes. We're going to continue from last year on Sunday afternoons we've been preaching in the book of Daniel and we find ourselves in Daniel chapter 10 if you'd like to find your place there. It's not an in-depth study here, verse by verse, but I think it's something that will help us practically. And we all need practical help as we live the Christian life. And there's a side to this that has much to do with the prophecy and the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and those 70 weeks and all these things. And it goes, spills on into Revelations, a lot of this. But I want to give you something practical this afternoon from Daniel's life. In Daniel chapter 10 and verse 19, it says, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not. And that's an angel talking to Daniel. Peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened and said, Let my Lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me. With the help of God, I'd like to preach for a few minutes on words that strengthen. Boy, don't we need those type words. Daniel found himself here in a place of weakness. The vision that he had received left him trembling, breathless, left him literally without strength. And you know, in life, there's going to be times when you and I are gonna be given information that's gonna leave us trembling, breathless, and without strength. It may be news from a doctor's visit, and we're told something about our health. that's not good, that's gonna require some intervention. It's gonna require us going to the Lord and asking God for mercy or maybe we're gonna find something out about our family and have a family issue or even a financial problem. And it's gonna leave us perplexed. It's gonna leave us with this feeling of hopelessness and this feeling of not knowing what's gonna happen. And here Daniel finds himself serving God, literally serving God and being given words from heaven that literally brought him to that position that he was without strength. And I mean, literally he was being given the words of the Bible. He was writing down God's Word for us. And I'm going to tell you, that was a lot for him to handle for most of us, just handling God's words a lot. and living up to God's demands and commandments. But just think, he was being given these words for the first time. First person to hear these words. First person to write these words down. And it was a lot for him. And we're going to need, like Daniel, some words of encouragement. I promise you, in 2026, we had the privilege of having a funeral here on the second day of the year. And a precious lady in our church and her family and her husband that served the Lord faithfully here. And we had the great honor and privilege of hosting that funeral here and that memorial service for her. And boy, just talking about lifting up the name of Jesus and how Jesus had made a difference in their life. But, you know, we needed words of encouragement here because we're all going to face situations and troubles in this life and we're going to need these words to help us get through the day, just to be able to face the day. In Daniel chapter 10 and verse 17 it says, For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord? For as for me straightway there remain no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. And Daniel needed encouragement. And God immediately sent him a word of encouragement. There came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not. Peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened and said, let my Lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me." You know, a lot of people lay out of church until they get in trouble. I mean, literally, they'll get in trouble and they know better. They know they ought to be in church faithfully. They ought to be there every time the doors are open. But they choose not to come. But then when they get in trouble, they make a beeline to the church. Why? Because they're looking for a word. They're looking for something that's gonna help them and thank God that can be found. But wouldn't it be better to already have a word before the trouble comes? That's why the Bible says that so much the more we ought to gather ourselves together. Because the more you know, the more prepared you'll be when you face these times of difficulty in our life. And you'll already have a Word that will help you and strengthen you and you don't have to come looking for a Word. But Daniel was not the only servant of God who, throughout the pages of Bible history, found himself needing a word of encouragement. You find men and women throughout the Scriptures who have came to different points in their life and different situations in their life and they needed a word from God. They needed something from the Lord, and only something from the Lord would lift them up and help them and strengthen them. You know, when you have a little baby or a little child and you tell them, everything's okay, everything's gonna be all right, they're crying, maybe they fell down, they hurt themselves a little bit, or maybe something scared them or something, and you take them in your lap and you say, everything's gonna be okay, everything's gonna be all right. That may work for a baby. Those kind words, I mean, you know what you're doing? You're strengthening that baby. And that works for them, but when it comes to an adult, we need a little bit more than that. Everything's going to be alright, is it? We need a word from God that we can hold on to. And throughout the Bible, God gives us examples of how men and women of God were strengthened by God's Word. That's why we need to be Bible students. That's why we need to soak in and get all of God we can. I'm going to tell you, you need His Word. You're going to need words that strengthen and you're going to need words to give to someone else that's going to help them and strengthen them. And Moses, when he was speaking to Israel in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 1, it says, and Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day. I can no more go out and come in. Also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The Lord thy God, He will go over before thee, and He will destroy these nations from before thee. And thou shalt possess them. And Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said. And the Lord shall do unto them as He did to Sion and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them whom He destroyed. And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and of good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." There's a whole nation here that Moses was at the point of death. Joshua was going to be taken over the reins. They were about to cross over into the promised land. And they were at a crossroads, an intersection here. and they needed to be reassured and they needed to be steadied and their confidence needed to be in the Lord that God would help them. And Moses literally gave them words from God that we have today and said, Be strong and of good courage, fear not. Why? Because the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee. I'm gonna tell you, you're gonna need those words in this coming year. You and I both, I've already needed these words this year. I ain't gonna lie about it, I needed to hear how we'll not fail thee, how we'll not forsake thee. Hey, I'm with you, I'm going before you, I'll deliver you, and I'm gonna take care of the battles that are coming up. I'm gonna tell you, we need words of encouragement this year. Sometimes we need words to stir us up. We need words of correction. Sometimes we need words of comfort. But we need words that's going to encourage us. And where do you get them from? I'm talking about words that'll make a difference in your situation. Whatever you face, you're going to get them from God's Word. Old Joshua, about to take over the leadership from Moses, he too needed some encouragement. For 40 years, he'd been Moses' servant. Everywhere Moses went, Joshua was there. And I tell you, he was a faithful servant, but now he was being put to the leadership in the top there of the nation of Israel. In Joshua 1a, it says, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. This is God encouraging Joshua. But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest." You know what happened when God spoke to Joshua like this? Hey, Joshua said, man, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. And I'm going to tell you, as he was encouraged, he passed that along to Israel. and a whole nation was encouraged. Your family is going to need encouragement. Your community and classmates are going to need encouragement, but somebody's got to be in tune with God. Somebody's got to be listening to God. Somebody's got to be getting those words from God so that, hey, you can reassure others and remind, point people to Christ in the times of difficulty. Or even David, the psalmist of Israel, the one that killed Goliath, A man after God's own heart, he too needed encouragement. In 1 Samuel 23 and verse 14 it says, And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God." And in verse 17 it says, "...and he said unto him." We're talking about strengthening words. Here David is running for his life and David's trying to live for God. He's already been anointed to be king, but yet he knows his time has not come yet. Oh, well, listen to the words that Jonathan gives him. He says, Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee, and that also Saul my father knoweth. And they too made a covenant before the Lord, and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house." Hey, that's the kind of friends you want to be right here. That's the kind of friends you ought to look for. People that are going to encourage you, people that are going to strengthen you. Hey, people that when they see you in trouble and they see you in a position where, hey, you need a little hope, they've got a word from the Lord. They got a word from God that'll sit there and bring you some hope in your time of need. Boy, think about when King Hezekiah was the king over Judah and Jerusalem. And I tell you, there was a time there, several times, that that nation needed encouragement. They needed to be reminded that God was fighting for them. And here's a specific time in 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 6 the king of Assyria had come up into Judah, and he was laying siege there to Jerusalem and the other portions of Judah, and he was going to take over the land. And then Ohazekiah, Hezekiah, he started putting some people in the right place. But it's very interesting there in verse 6, it says, And he sent captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably. Here's that speaking again, these right words. And spake comfortably to them, saying, Be strong and courageous. Be not afraid nor dismayed of the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him. For there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah, Hezekiah, and the prophet Isaiah. I'm going to tell you, you better have some good friends. You better have some friends that can get a hold of God with you. Called on the Lord God and God sent an angel to kill all the valiant men and the leaders and the captains of the Assyrian army and Oshunakrim is going to wind up leaving. and all his plans have been foiled, and God has showed himself strong on behalf of his people and delivered them, and he's going to head back to his own country, and he's going to go into the house of his little G, fake God, and his own children are going to kill him. Boy, you know, you get over to the New Testament, and time after time, the disciples needed encouragement. In John 16, 33, it says, these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. the world. Jesus conquered death, hell, and the devil. The disciples just needed to be reminded that they were going to have to suffer in this life, and many of them did. But Jesus had already overcome any enemy or any situation. I'm talking from Moses to this present day, God's people have always been strengthened by words. I'm talking even Moses at the Red Sea. What did he tell the people in Exodus 14, 13? He said, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today. For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. I want us to consider here for a few minutes the power of words that strengthen. the power of words that strengthen. And I'm not talking about these little cliche, you know, words that you find on Facebook and all these other things, you know, these little Christian bookstores and how these people write all these books about little old sayings, little, you know, motivational, you know, speakers and things like that. I'm talking about words that come from God. I'm talking about to have power in them words. Strengthening words remind us of God's love toward us. Old Daniel, when that angel came to Daniel in chapter 10 and verse 19, he said, old man, greatly beloved. Ooh, you know what he was reminded of? The fact that God loved him. God, you know what, we need to be reminded, God loves you today. If you're lost, just know that God loves you. If you're saved, God loves you. Now God loves you a little different now that you're saved. But you know what, he loves the whole world in a way that he wants everyone to be saved. In Jeremiah 31.3 it says, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. In Romans 8.38 it says, nothing can separate us from the love of God. In verse 38 and 39 there. John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 15.13 says, greater love hath no man than this, that a man laid down his life for his friends. Strengthening words. They'll remind us of the fact that God loves us. Strengthening words will drive away fear. In Daniel 10, 19, it says, fear not. Don't fear, Daniel. In Joshua 1, 9 it says, Be not afraid, for the Lord thy God is with thee. In Isaiah chapter 41 in verse 8 it says, But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant. I have chosen thee and not cast thee away. Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee by the right hand of my righteousness." On June 6, 1940, Winston Churchill gave a speech called, We Shall Fight on the Beaches. And in that speech, he gave these famous words that literally inspired a nation. He said, we shall never surrender. And we know the outcome of the war, and they needed much help to not surrender. But you know, powerful words will remind us not only that God loves us, but powerful words will drive away fear. Strengthening words. They'll impart God's peace into your life. I think we all need peace. Everywhere I go, people need peace. Daniel 10, 19, what did he say? He said he was greatly beloved. He said, fear not. But then he says, peace be unto you, unto thee. In John 14, 27, it says, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Philippians 4, 7, the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds. Jesus said, peace be still in the storm. What them words do, they calm the storm, but they also calm the disciples and led them to worship. It strengthened the disciples' faith. Strengthening words will impart God's peace. Strengthening words inspire courage to go forward. In Daniel 10, 19, it says, be strong. Yay, be strong. Ephesians 6.10 says, Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 2 Timothy 2.1 says, Now therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses. The same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Strengthening words are going to inspire courage for people to go forward. And boy, don't we need those today. Strengthening words empower us to listen and obey Christ. In Daniel 10, 19, it says, when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened and said, let my Lord speak. Nehemiah 8.10 says, the joy of the Lord is your strength. In John 14.1 it says, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also. You know, words can wound people. And sometimes we need to be wounded. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Sometimes we need to have our feelings hurt. We need to be reminded of things so that we can do better. But we find hope in those words as well. Now words can also wound in a terrible way. But words can also strengthen. God's word is filled with promises designed to encourage his people in their hardest moments. Just as Daniel was strengthened by hearing, O man greatly beloved, fear not, peace be unto thee. Be strong, yea, be strong, so can we. Would you purpose this year to speak strengthening words to others? Would you purpose to have strengthening words from God to give to others? Strengthening words will remind people that God loves them. Strengthening words will drive away fear with truth. Strengthening words will impart peace. Strengthening words will inspire courage and encourage God's children to obey. Proverbs 25 11 says, a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pitchers of silver. Be a voice of strength in a weary world. Would you purpose right now to share God's word with others? Would you purpose to hide his word in your heart? Not only so that you won't sin against God, but so that you can share it with others who need help.