Victory247

‘God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor…but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people…, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor…‘ 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 (NIV)

King Solomon was asking God for wisdom so that he could serve His people well. God loved that he didn’t just ask for a bunch of selfish things, but He saw Solomon’s heart desire was to get true wisdom and knowledge. He wanted it so to please God and to do his job well.

Why wouldn’t God honor our requests for wisdom? We need to allow Him to do a work on our hearts so that our requests for that wisdom isn’t for selfish gain. Instead, for helping others and doing our jobs well as a reflection of Him working in us.

We can continually ask for direction and wisdom. When it comes from God, we will impact others, as well as, it will spill over into our personal needs and desires.

Picture the little boy asking his dad to show him how to pump up bike tires so that he can help one of his little buddies having a transportation crisis. Or the little girl who asks her mom how to braid hair so she can take care of her girlfriend who’s having a bad hair day. How much greater is our heavenly Father’s joy and pleasure to pass on that wisdom!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me a genuine desire to help others. I’m asking for the wisdom and knowledge to serve, live, and work well. Thank You for the spillover into my personal needs and desires. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss” Judges 20:16 (NIV)

These men were called upon to fight for the Israelite army. I guarantee that these soldiers didn’t “just happen” to be good at the sling shot. It must have taken years of training and practice. Today we expect things to come easily and quickly, with very little extra effort.

To be great at a craft or sport, we need this type of focus that is accompanied by lots of sweat, training and practice. We can ask God to build this into us.

But more importantly, we need to take the time to train our spiritual side. We need to study and think about the bible and it’s principles. Memorize it. Spend extra time talking to God(see “prayer tab” at victory247.org). Plead with God to get us out of harmful habits. Ask Him continually to give us strength to live well. Confess wrongs, then move forward…

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to make the time to train in my craft, sport, occupation, and especially in my faith-walk with You. Thank You for the blessings that will result. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Let us not love merely with words or tongue but with actions” 1John 3:18

People need to hear that they are cared about. They need words of encouragement. And it is important for us to give out those words for our good, as well as, for the good of the receiver.

But taking it a step further is what God is telling us in today’s verse. To actually give time out of our already booked up day. To make an effort to do something for someone in the midst of needing a helping hand ourselves. By doing this we are saying to God, “I believe that You are real, I believe that You will take care of me, I believe that giving my time and effort to others will be rewarded and multiplied back”.

Very rarely do I feel like running to the store for my wife, helping my son clean up the broken glass from his dropped candle, pulling out my jumper cables for someone when I’m in a rush to get home, moving a friend’s couch (the ol’ ‘bad back’ excuse only works so many times), the dreaded ride to the airport, or the all time worst; watching the neighbor’s out-of-control kids.

We can view these as opportunities to grow. Opportunities to allow God an invasion into our hearts with His character, power, and fulfillment.

Henry David Thoreau once penned, “There are few who do not love better to give advice than to give assistance”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to seize the “opportunities” to put my faith into actions. Thank You for the blessings that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

I grew up watching the original Superman. I didn’t care that a pair of glasses distracted everyone from connecting the true identity of the world famous Superman, with “mild mannered newspaper reporter” Clark Kent.

I loved when Mr. Kent changed into that outfit accessorized with a cape, and branded with a large “S” in the front. That “S” wasn’t just a cool logo, it served as a shield against bullets(I didn’t care that bad guys only shot him in that “S”, why not aim at a shoulder or leg?… oh well). He transformed into a man of great strength that protected the city. When he toted those tights, I felt safe.

The show would end and little boys all across America, myself included, would wrap a towel around their necks and go into pretend mode. As I grew up I realized how far fetched this was. But it did give me a glimpse of how God can be my strength and my shield. In a sense, not only can we lean on God to help us, but spiritually we can put on that “outfit” of His power to live and protection from evil.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving the Holy Spirit to indwell in me, so I can tap into that strength to live a fruitful life. Remind me to put on that “outfit” each day by acknowledging You in prayer, and asking You to live through me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time” Ephesians 5:15-16 (NASB)

I hate when I drop a piece of paper in the wind. It is always an adventure. My last episode found me briskly walking after a note that was skipping along the parking lot. It’s like the paper is trying to escape. When I bend over to pick it up, it springs forward as if it knows it’s about to be captured. I have learned to use the “stomp method”; don’t bend over, just stomp on that pesky, little fluttering run away. This shortens the chase, and avoids further embarrassment if there is an audience.

Sometimes life can feel like we are chasing papers all over the parking lot. We know our goal is to get from our car to the building, but we find ourselves chasing “distracting pleasures” and “time wasters”. We know where we want to end up, but we keep dropping important papers in the wind.

I found relief when I learned to pray consistently about my time management. First, I plead with God to give me the right goals. Then, I made it a daily prayer to allow Him to direct my use of time. Over the years I have seen God’s hand in my gaining control of my discipline of time management.

Motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, says, “discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I hand You my ability to use my time well. Give me goals that will glorify You, and fulfill me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad”  Proverbs 12:25 (NASB)

I have been getting into crossword puzzles lately. I heard that it is good exercise for the brain of those who are getting old. Now that I am in my 50’s, I figure I need to keep my aging brain in training.

I have noticed that these puzzles usually have a couple major phrases that intersect many words. If I get these phrases, I have a huge advantage because I obtain letters of many intersecting words. Every letter is a hint to the clues. The more words I get, the more hints I have created. The puzzle gets easier as more hints appear.

In our daily routine, our lives intersect with others. We can ignore them, be rude to them, or throw a good word their way. People we run across all have their secrets, philosophies, pressures, worries and anxieties. According to today’s verse, we can impact their hearts in a positive way!

I once saw a sign outside a 4th grade classroom; “PEOPLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. KIND WORDS SPOKEN HERE”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to be a letter that intersects the lives of others, so that my words give them a hint toward a glad heart, and a hint toward them looking to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act”  Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)

We don’t always have time to stop our busy schedules to hop on a plane to Kenya and help construct a bridge. But we always have time to give those around us some words of encouragement.

We can battle through the ‘withholding roadblocks’ of “they don’t need a compliment, they are popular”, “they won’t respect my opinion anyway”, “they never go out of their way to encourage me”, “he has it all together, what I say won’t matter”…

Here’s a formula; Be convinced of how special and adored we are by the God of the universe + go past the ‘withholding roadblocks’ + actively look for something good + let them know by written or verbal words = Harvests of inner and outer blessings!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, get me out of this self-consumed shell in which I tend to live. Help me to enter the harvest field of blessings through selfless encouragement. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power”  Isaiah 40:29 (NASB)

All our lives we are taught to be strong, independently self-sufficient, and know as much as possible so we don’t appear weak in any way. It’s worse for men. Maybe that’s why a man, in the pre-GPS days, would drive around lost for a long time before asking someone for directions.

This independent self-sufficiency concept seems to be a fine goal in our quest of life. But it doesn’t work. Just try having a close friendship or intimate relationship with a person who has to be right, has unwavering opinions, doesn’t accept change, and a “my way or the highway” personality. It’s a recipe for a miserable social life.

I was in the hospital a lot as a young boy with circulation problems. It took me a long time to learn a valuable lesson about getting a shot. I was always getting shots. I hated shots, and not sure who doesn’t. My mentality was to be as tough as possible and tighten my little butt cheeks (little, back then). The nurse would “stab” me, and leave. It hurt! Finally, a caring nurse told me that if I would just relax and not flex, the needle would easily go in with little pain. It was worth the try, but it was like I was told to relax while a Banchee Indian throws a spear into my backside. Needless to say, it worked. A major breakthrough to my most feared enemy, the needle.

That experience helps me to understand that our natural reflex isn’t always the best way. We need to be strong in our faith, yet relax our self-sufficiency muscle and allow God to come along side us. We have to admit to Him that we need Him to guide and help us. Confess that we don’t have all the answers, and are open to listen to Him and others. The more we let go and allow Him to strengthen us, the more our life, and especially our relationships, will flourish.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I can’t do this alone. Remind me to continually to ask for Your guidance and power to live effectively. Live through me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart”  Colossians 4:2 (NLT)

Devoting to something is a lot more than just doing it. Being devoted to a sport, cause, or person has focused passion behind it.

God knows that prayer, talking to Him, is critical to our fulfillment in life. So He is basically challenging us to be devoted to something that will bless our socks off. It’s like asking us to be devoted to cake; it takes time to make, but it’s so good!

See the “prayer tab” at victory247.org for some prayer suggestions. But the method or the words aren’t the focus. Instead it’s the Person in whom we are communicating.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Heavenly Father, help me to devote myself to prayer. Make the words I say to you very real, not routine. Thank You for wanting to fulfill and complete me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time”   Matthew 28:20 (God’s Word Translation)

Leading up to these last words of Jesus recorded in the Book of Matthew, He went through a horrible time of torcher, mocking and an ugly crucifixion. They put Him in a cave-like tomb with a huge rock and guards to secure His removal from the people. His removal as the One that so many hoped in and followed. The removal of any chance that His claims of raising and returning would happen.

Think about it. The disciples saw how He was treated and ran, denied Him, hid and huddled together. I can imagine their conversations…”We are next, what do we do now?, we need to hide till the coast is clear then hightail it out of this region!”

These men went from being scared cowards to bold ambassadors, willing to even die for God, in a matter of days. Something had to have happened in that time frame. I personally am convinced that Jesus ‘beat death’, got out of that tomb, and called a meeting with these guys just like it is recorded here in Matthew.

In this meeting, He didn’t talk about a big revenge plan to go get those terrible people who brutally killed Him. Instead, He told the disciples to go ‘teach them’ all the stuff that they had learned from Him. AND that He will ‘ALWAYS’ be with them.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord Jesus, thank You that you ‘beat death’ for me. Come into my heart. Invade my life and help me to help others. Thank You that You are with me all day, every day. Amen.