Category: Victory & Power

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Grateful for Freedom

I am really glad that our nation recognizes the service, dedication and sacrifice of our service members. We owe an invaluable debt to the men and women who have committed their lives to military service.

Thank you!

A soldier does what the commanding officer says without question or complaint. A soldier goes where they are assigned and does what they are told. They drill constantly while preparing for engagement and follow orders regarding all areas of their military life; eating, sleeping, uniform and tactics. This requires discipline, dedication and selflessness.

“Put up with your share of hardship as a loyal soldier in Christ’s army. Remember: 1) That no soldier on active service gets himself entangled in business, or he will not please his commanding officer. 2) A man who enters an athletic contest wins no prize unless he keeps the rules laid down. 3) Only the man who works on the land has the right to the first share of its produce. Consider these three illustrations of mine and the Lord will help you to understand all that I mean.” II Timothy 2:3-7 Phillips

As we say thank you to our veterans today let me remind you that we too enlisted in service. Each and every one of us who champion the name Christian are also called to be soldiers of faith. We follow the lead of our Commander as we go through basic training and AIT. We are training to serve and protect those believers and unbelievers around us who aren’t ready to take on the enemy. We’ve been called to warfare and if we battle as we were trained we will be able to say “Thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph.”

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Grateful for Good News

I have a few tabs on my desktop that I leave open because I visit the sites frequently and see no need to close them but when I do open a new tab my screen defaults to a news page and I am faced with the latest headlines of the day. Very rarely does that page bring me good news.

That is a stark contrast to the headlines I find each day when I open my Bible! I am grateful for good news, the good news of the gospel.

“Good news from a faraway place is like a cool drink of water when you are hot and thirsty.” Proverbs 25:25 ERV

Since all Scripture is inspired by God and since His throne is in the heavens I figure that constitutes a faraway place. His word, my good news, is refreshing to my soul. Each morning we are able to choose the path our day will take; we can choose life and joy or frustration and stress. All of us face difficult and trying times but we don’t have to let them control us.

“When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” 20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” 22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:16-22 NLT

Jesus is our good news! When he came, he came with purpose – He came to bring deliverance, sight, freedom and favor with the Father. He spent His entire life of ministry bringing good news to all He met.

The angels announced it on the night of His birth.

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:8-11 NLT

Good News!

And I am very grateful that I get to share the good news with you.

“Yes, the Scriptures say, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.” 12 It says this because there is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is the Lord of all people. And he richly blesses everyone who looks to him for help. 13 Yes, “everyone who trusts in the Lord will be saved.” 14 But before people can pray to the Lord for help, they must believe in him. And before they can believe in the Lord, they must hear about him. And for anyone to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them. 15 And before anyone can go and tell them, they must be sent. As the Scriptures say, “How wonderful it is to see someone coming to tell good news!” Romans 10:11-15 NLT

I hope you welcome this blog each morning as your good news. Extra – Extra. Today is a day of Good News – Jesus, our Savior, is here to save, protect, provide and deliver!

Read all about it!

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Outnumbered!

Do you ever feel outnumbered? Possibly it’s because your opinions differ from others or maybe you’re not as smart, talented, educated, wealthy or witty as those around you. It may be that you have faced a physical enemy or it could be an emotional attack. What do you do?

I’m reminded of Elisha and his servant.

“Time after time, when the king of Syria was at war against the Israelites, he met with his officers and announced, “I’ve decided where we will set up camp.” 9 Each time, Elisha would send this warning to the king of Israel: “Don’t go near there. That’s where the Syrian troops have set up camp.” 10 So the king would warn the Israelite troops in that place to be on guard. 11 The king of Syria was furious when he found out what was happening. He called in his officers and asked, “Which one of you has been telling the king of Israel our plans?”

12 “None of us, Your Majesty,” one of them answered. “It’s an Israelite named Elisha. He’s a prophet, so he can tell his king everything—even what you say in your own room.” 13 “Find out where he is!” the king ordered. “I’ll send soldiers to bring him here.” They learned that Elisha was in the town of Dothan and reported it to the king. 14 He ordered his best troops to go there with horses and chariots. They marched out during the night and surrounded the town. 15 When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning, he saw that Syrian troops had the town surrounded. “Sir, what are we going to do?” he asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha answered. “There are more troops on our side than on theirs.” 17 Then he prayed, “Lord, please help him to see.” And the Lord let the servant see that the hill was covered with fiery horses and flaming chariots all around Elisha. 18 As the Syrian army came closer, Elisha prayed, “Lord, make those soldiers blind!” And the Lord blinded them with a bright light. 19 Elisha told the enemy troops, “You’ve taken the wrong road and are in the wrong town. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the man you’re looking for.” Elisha led them straight to the capital city of Samaria.” II Kings 6:8-19 CEV

The odds were not good – two against an army. Outnumbered! The servant was worried and possibly had considered deserting Elisha but the prophet had his eyes on the Lord! He knew God’s promises – He was more aware of who God is and what God was doing than he was of the army sent to capture him.

David was the same way when it came to Goliath. He knew God had delivered him from a lion and a bear and that God would do the same with this enemy, an uncircumcised Philistine – a man who had no covenant with God.

Then there was Daniel and the lions; the Hebrew children and the fiery furnace; Moses and the Red Sea; Noah and the flood; Jesus and the storm at sea; Peter locked in prison; Paul & Silas chained in a dungeon and Jesus in the tomb. Each one of these circumstances is a reminder that God is faithful and we are never outnumbered when we are with God!

We must keep our eyes on the Commander and not the battle – with God we are a majority in any situation.

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 KJV

“What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? ” Romans 8:31-32 CEV

Take a page from Elisha’s battle plan – ” “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha answered. “There are more troops on our side than on theirs.” 17 Then he prayed, “Lord, please help him to see.”

When we are with the Lord – we outnumber the enemy!

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Under The Circumstances

This morning I will admit that I have been under the circumstances for the past few days. The circumstances of low cell service and internet connection. We are here, lakeside, in the early morning when I found that I can get a signal strong enough to up load this post.

I am an overcomer!

Too many times people become overwhelmed by the circumstances that surround them. I remember once I taught a ladies Bible Study on “Are You Under the Circumstances or A World Overcomer?” This was a six week study so suffice it to say that I won’t be doing the full teaching here…

However, I continually find myself going back to these verses and principles, putting myself in remembrance of what God says my life should be.

“I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

“4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NKJV

“4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:4-5 CEV

So when you are feeling overwhelmed or under the circumstances do what King David said.

“God, hear my cry for help. Listen to my prayer. 2 From a faraway land I call to you for help. I feel so weak and helpless! Carry me to a high rock where no one can reach me. 3 You are my place of safety, a strong tower that protects me from my enemies.” Psalm 61:1-3 ERV

I can almost hear someone say, “that’s fine and good for you but my lifestyle isn’t close to God. He probably doesn’t want anything to do with me and wouldn’t help me if I asked.”

Let me remind you of a young man who felt that way about his father. He had squandered his money – lived with prostitutes, gamblers and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Then when he got to the bottom, he thought he would try to go home and work as a hired hand.

The Father had other plans. He saw his son coming from a long way, ran to him, hug and kissed him and restored him to right standing. And so He WILL do it for you too.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the world but overcome it in Jesus!

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Victory Lane

You all know that I’m a big NASCAR fan. My driver, Kevin Harvick, hasn’t won yet this season but I haven’t given up hope.

In a race there is only one leader. The winner is the one with the most skill, the best engine and the fastest pit crew. A train is pulled by an engine, not a freight car. So in our walk with Christ, we need to determine our source of power and strength and let HIM lead.

The was a young, rich ruler who saw Jesus as an up and comer in Jewish society. Jesus was charismatic and the world was taking notice of the things Jesus was doing. This ambitious CEO was out to make a connection that would get him noticed. He wanted to be on the “inside” of the Jesus Jewish Evangelistic Association. He asked Jesus what he needed to do become one of his confidantes.

“Jesus replied, “If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.” 22 When the young man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich. 23 Jesus said to his disciples, “It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven! 24 In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God’s kingdom.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly surprised and asked, “How can anyone ever be saved?” 26 Jesus looked straight at them and said, “There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything.” 27 Peter replied, “Remember, we have left everything to be your followers! What will we get?”
28 Jesus answered: Yes, all of you have become my followers. And so in the future world, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, I promise that you will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 All who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life. 30 But many who are now first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matthew 19:21-30 CEV

Now look at Jesus instruction to his disciples on the pull of riches. Jesus wasn’t saying that you can’t have money or riches and be a dedicated Christian. These were successful businessmen that Jesus was talking too. Peter and Andrew had a fleet of fishing boats; James and John were the CEO and COO of their father’s fishing business and Matthew had been a director at the regional IRS office. Success ran through their veins so they were shocked when Jesus made comment that it is hard for rich men to enter the kingdom.

Jesus quickly responded to their question and said that with God all things are possible. If a man is trusting in his riches, his trust is misplaced but when a rich man trusts God – all things are possible. Peter reminds the Lord – we left everything to follow you. We just walked off the job and came with you. It was then that Jesus words became a reality in their lives.

“Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:31-33 ERV

Winning as a Christian doesn’t come from talent, strength, education or wealth or Jesus would have gladly welcomed the rich, young man who came to him.

Our victory in Christ is dependent on Who we are willing to follow; it’s an attitude of the heart.

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Fix My Wagon

I heard a story once about a little boy who had a broken wagon. He came to his father with tears streaming down his cheeks asking his father to fix the wagon. It was the child’s favorite toy. Each time the father would reach for the wagon the son would tighten his grip and tell his father another fond memory or special time he had had in it.

Finally, the father in loving firmness said to his son, “If you want me to fix it, you have to let go. You can trust me. I love you and I’ll fix your wagon.”

How many times have we come to the Father with our “wagon” that needs fixing? Asking for help but not wanting to let go!

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.” I Peter 5:7-9 AMP

We are to cast our cares on the Father. Than means we are to throw our worries, our fears, our heartaches and our problems to the Lord and leave them in His capable hands. If we don’t, our enemy will seize the opportunity to use our fears and defeat us. But if we do give the worries, problems and fears over to the Lord, we will be able to stand strong in faith (believing God to fix it) and be victorious.

It’s time to let go and let God!

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Do It Again

Have you ever noticed how sometimes things we had victory over in the past come back and start to cause problems again? Little things like temper, doubt, pride, insecurity, jealousy, criticism or even laziness.

This morning it’s not about writing a thought that will inspire or encourage; it’s about DOING what we have already been taught. We should never stop learning, never stop receiving good teaching but it’s imperative that we LIVE what we hear.

“17 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. 20 Anger does not help you live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.

22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.

26 You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. 27 The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.” James 1:17-27 ERV

If we aren’t doing the things that God has put in His word for our instruction we cannot be surprised when our lives experiences are less than we hoped for. We need to be diligent to keep “doing” God’s word. Here’s a novel idea, we can’t do God’s word if we aren’t reading it. We must apply what we read and hear. It’s like anything in life that we become skilled at. We have to keep doing it or our skill level decreases.

I’m glad you join me each day for this blog. It is my goal to stay focused on God’s word. I ask you to put Bible reading on the top of your “to do” list each day. You won’t regret it.

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Everyone Needs a Cheerleader

And the fans go wild…

Do you remember your high school or college years when you would go to the “big game”? The teams would be engage in battle; the rivalry would be intense. Often the home team would be down in points and the cheerleaders would do their best to get everyone in the stands up on their feet and cheering for the players.

Hearing the crowd cheering for you can be game changing!

The thought of a cheering crowd is what came to mind as I was reading my Bible this morning.

“Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, 2 then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think.” Philippians 2:1-2 ERV

Can you hear it from the grandstands of heaven? The cheers of encouragement coming from the mouth of Jesus; the Holy Spirit calling us in to the huddle and speaking words of kindness and mercy into our lives as he sends us out on the next play.

We are never in this Christian walk alone. God, our Father, owns the field, the lights, the ball and we can keep playing until we win!

“You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.” Colossians 1:21-23 CEV

We are on the winning team. There’s no greater coach than the Holy Spirit. His job is to strengthen us and give us proper training through the power of God’s word. We are on a team with other Christians. We need each other to accomplish the goal that God has given us.

“…But if you live to please the Spirit, your harvest from the Spirit will be eternal life. 9 We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. 10 When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.” Galatians 6:8b-10 ERV

You may feel like it’s fourth down and you’re still nine yards from the goal but your front line is strong; there stands faith, joy, hope, mercy, peace and the Word. The gates of hell and all its players cannot prevail.

“But you, Lord, are a mighty soldier, standing at my side. Those troublemakers will fall down and fail— terribly embarrassed, forever ashamed.” Jeremiah 20:11 CEV

Run forward – all of heaven is cheering you on! You WIN!!!

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More Than Shadow Boxing

Remember, years back, all the Rocky movies?

Cue theme music, roll tape, see Rocky running through the streets and up the steps. Now he stands at the top and raises his arms above his head in triumphant victory! And the crowd goes wild!!!

I have to be honest, I only saw the first one; it was good but it didn’t entice me to see the sequels. The thing that I took away from that movie was the heart’s desire of the underdog. The never give up, never quit determination that can consume some one’s life.

Long before Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed there was someone else who knew the importance of never giving up.

“You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! 25 All who compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a prize—one that doesn’t last. But our prize is one that will last forever. 26 So I run like someone who has a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something, not just the air. 27 It is my own body I fight to make it do what I want. I do this so that I won’t miss getting the prize myself after telling others about it.” I Corinthians 9:24- 27 ERV

The Apostle Paul compared our lives in Christ to a athletic competition.

We’ve got to be disciplined. We’ve got to train with someone who will challenge us to be our best and won’t allow us to quit. Victory is not the result of an overnight success; it comes from dedication and hard work. We don’t run a marathon in our first week of training and we don’t get the champion’s belt after our first sparing match.

Of course not!

The same holds true with the battles we fight with our physical desires that don’t honor the Lord. The Apostle Paul says that we are to crucify (deaden, kill, destroy) our fleshy desires. John writes the same thing.

“Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. 16 Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. 17 The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.” I John 2:15-17 CEV

We all know we shouldn’t be doing those “big” sins. It’s the little ones we need to conquer. Things like gossip, the little white lie, loosing our temper, saying something unkind or critical, laziness. These are the conditioning races or shadow boxing. Perfecting our technique and skills. We need to conquer the small things.

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. 2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! 3 So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:1-3 CEV

We have the best coach and trainer, we have Jesus. He came and faced every temptation that we do and He was victorious every time. If we follow His instruction, we will also be victorious!

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV

Cue the music – We are the champions!

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Few or Many

Which is better many or few? I guess that would depend on the circumstances, right?

This morning I was reading in I Samuel. King Saul was going out to battle with the Philistines. His soldiers were scared and had deserted him. Many of them were hiding in caves, among big rocks and some even went to hide in old tombs. Saul was greatly outnumbered. They were many, his army was few.

Saul’s son, Jonathan, was with his father as they strategized a battle plan. Saul was hesitant because of the size of his army and the many who had deserted.

“That day, Saul’s son Jonathan was talking with the young man who carried his weapons. Jonathan said, “Let’s go to the Philistine camp on the other side of the valley.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.

2 Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor at the edge of the hill. Saul had about 600 men with him…These men did not know that Jonathan had left. 4 Jonathan was planning to go through a pass to get to the Philistine camp. There was a large rock on each side of the pass. The large rock on one side was named Bozez. The large rock on the other side was named Seneh. 5 One of the rocks faced north toward Micmash, and the other faced south toward Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his young helper who carried his weapons, “Come on, let’s go to the camp of those foreigners.[c Maybe the Lord will use us to defeat them. Nothing can stop the Lord—it doesn’t matter if we have many soldiers or just a few soldiers.”

7 The young man who carried Jonathan’s weapons said to him, “Do what you think is best. Whatever you decide, I am with you all the way.”

8 Jonathan said, “Let’s go!” I Samuel 14:1-8 ERV

At times, circumstances seem stacked against us. The odds are overwhelming. We’re not qualified enough; expectations of others seem to be over exaggerated; financially we’re limited; physically we’re weak.

In times like these we remember our teaching from yesterday; we are in Christ and so we do like Jonathan and we go for it!

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

When we follow the Lord’s direction it doesn’t matter if we have an army standing behind us or we stand alone, in Him, we are the majority and able to win any battle. We may feel like David standing before a Goliath of a problem but we can stand there in confidence because it was David who won with God’s help.

Look at today’s challenges. Get a word from God and go for it. Nothing can stop the Lord!

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