If you are looking for encouraging Bible verses about encouraging others, this list gives you Scripture for building up friends, family, coworkers and fellow believers when you want to speak life into them. It is written for anyone who wants their words and actions to strengthen someone else. These verses share a common thread: the people of God are called to notice one another, speak truthfully and kindly, and carry each other’s burdens in ways that reflect God’s own care.
Verses for Speaking Words That Build Up
Words are one of the most practical tools you have for encouraging someone. The verses in this group remind you that what leaves your mouth can either tear down or lift up, and that God takes that seriously. Start with the verses below and let them shape the next conversation you have.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
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Paul asks believers to let their talk be useful for building others up. Before you send that text or answer that question, pause and ask whether your words will help the person hearing them. One simple habit is to name one specific thing you appreciate about someone each day and tell them plainly.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
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This verse calls believers to encourage one another and build each other up, as they are already doing. The phrase “as you are doing” matters, because it recognizes that real encouragement is ongoing work. Choose one believer you know who is weary and send them a note that says, in your own words, that you are glad they are part of your life.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
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Proverbs compares gracious words to honey, sweet to the soul and good for the body. Think about the people who have spoken to you that way and how much it meant. Try writing down one gracious sentence for a friend this week and offering it without any need for a response.
Verses for Standing Beside Someone in Hard Seasons
Some people do not need advice as much as they need company. The verses in this section focus on presence, patience and bearing weight with someone who is struggling. They show that encouragement often looks like showing up and staying put.
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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Paul tells believers to carry one another’s burdens, which fulfills the law of Christ. When a friend is overwhelmed, look for one concrete load you can take off their plate, such as a meal, a ride or an afternoon of childcare. Small practical help often speaks louder than a long speech.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
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This verse asks you to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Encouragement means matching the emotional moment someone is in rather than rushing them toward a happier feeling. Try asking a grieving friend how they are really doing and then listening without fixing anything.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.
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The writer urges believers to consider how to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, and not to neglect meeting together. Gathering with others is one of the ways encouragement becomes regular rather than occasional. If you have drifted from your church community, consider reaching out to someone who has been missing too.
Verses for Lifting Up Those Who Are Discouraged
Discouragement can make a person feel small, forgotten or unable to continue. The verses here point to God’s faithfulness and invite you to reflect that faithfulness toward someone who has lost heart. They are useful when you are not sure what to say and simply want to point someone back to hope.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
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Moses told the people of Israel to be strong and courageous because the Lord goes with them and will not fail them. When you encourage someone who feels afraid, you can point to this same assurance of God’s presence. Say something simple like “You are not walking through this alone,” and mean it.
Isaiah 40:29-31
29 He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. 30 Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; 31 But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
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Isaiah speaks of God giving strength to the weary and renewing the strength of those who wait on him. This passage is especially helpful for someone who is exhausted and needs hope that their energy will return. You might share it with a friend and then pray with them about one specific area where they feel depleted.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
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Paul writes that the God who began a good work in believers will carry it on to completion. This verse helps when a friend feels their progress is stalled or their life seems unfinished. Remind them, gently and truthfully, that God’s work in them is not over yet.
Verses for Celebrating and Affirming Others
Encouragement is not only for hard moments. Good news, growth and small victories also deserve a response. The verses in this section help you notice and celebrate the good things God is doing in the people around you.
Romans 15:7
Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.
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Paul urges believers to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed them, for the glory of God. Welcoming someone well is a form of encouragement that makes them feel they belong. Think of a newcomer at church or a colleague who seems left out, and invite them into a conversation or a meal.
1 Corinthians 12:26
When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
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Paul describes the body of Christ as one in which, when one part suffers, every part suffers, and when one is honored, every part rejoices. When a friend succeeds, celebrate with them sincerely and tell others about their good work. Their joy becomes part of your own family’s gladness.
Colossians 3:12-14
12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. 14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
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Paul lists compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience as clothing for God’s chosen people, with love binding them all together. Affirming others often begins with these qualities in your own response to them. Choose one of these virtues and look for a chance to show it to someone today.
How to Use These Verses
Write a few of these verses on cards or in a notes app, and keep them where you will see them before you talk to a friend, a family member or a coworker. Reading one before a difficult phone call or a meeting can shape your tone and help you speak with patience. Some people find it helpful to choose one verse each week and look for a way to live it out with someone in their life.
You can also pray these verses over the people you are trying to encourage. Read the verse slowly, then ask God to help that person hear the truth in it and to show you the right words or actions. Praying this way keeps your encouragement rooted in love rather than in a need to fix or impress.
A Short Prayer for Others
Lord, thank you for the people you have placed in my life and for the ways you have encouraged me through them. Help me to notice those who are weary, discouraged or quietly doing good work without much thanks. Give me words that build up rather than tear down, and make my hands ready to carry someone else’s burden when they need it. Let my encouragement point them back to your faithfulness and love. Amen.
