Victory247

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said,’… I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!”  Matthew 25:23-26 (NIV)

Jesus was telling a parable that contrasted a diligent man and a lazy man. The diligent man worked hard to grow his money and talents. The lazy man made excuses and rationalized away his lack of effort.

In our culture, having a life of ease with little responsibility is the goal that gets pushed on us. The thought of training, developing and working hard can make us cringe. But, successful and effective athletes, professionals, teachers, parents… work at it. Study it. Pray about it. THEN take breaks to enjoy some well deserved pleasures of life.

We all go through times of dreading what we know is the best use of our time. The key is to do it anyway, to ask God to help us fight through our feelings. When we fail, get ourselves back on the “diligent track”.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan talks about laziness; “You ever find yourself being lazy for no reason at all? Like, you pick up your mail, you go in your house, you realize you have a letter for a neighbor. You ever just look at the letter and go ‘Hm. Looks like they’re never getting this. It’ll take too much energy to go back outside’.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me the strength to fight through my feelings and my cultural pressure to not be diligent. Thank You for the fulfillment that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this”  2 Timothy 2:7 (NIV)

Paul was writing some interesting analogies in the previous verses. Then in vs 7 he gives us a vital bible study tip; a) ‘Reflect’ or think about what we read. b) Ask for, wait on, and expect the Lord to ‘give’ insight (maybe right away, maybe months from now).

Key questions to ask about a passage-What do I see? (major words and phrases, people involved, context, literal or figurative, contrasts, comparisons…) –What does this mean? (sanctified guesses and conclusions based on question #1) –How does this apply to me? (Figure out ways the meaning can fit in our daily routines).

Bible reading isn’t just a “check-off-the-list activity”. It is a critical collision with God, allowing Him to invade our thinking, our focus, our spirit.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me how to think about bible passages and give me Your insights to life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”  Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

I was coaching a basketball team one summer. Most of the players really wanted to win and do what they had to do on defense and offense to outscore our opponent. There was one player who didn’t care about winning, she just cared about getting her own points. This especially showed by how she played defense. In basketball, good defensive teams help each other by stepping over to “cover” for a teammate who gets passed, picked or beat by the player they are guarding.

Our one selfish player never helped a teammate, and always needed help because of her lack of effort on defense. She wanted to save her energy to run down the court on offense. I couldn’t keep her in the game long because the competition was too good to win with a player like that. Needless to say, this certain player and her parents couldn’t understand why I couldn’t play her as much as they wanted.

We can go through our daily routine just thinking about ourselves. Or we can look to help “cover” for those around us. We can look and pray to see the needs of others. When that is happening in basketball, the “law of sports” is fulfilling to all those unselfish players. More team victories are attained. But for the selfish, it’s a lonely road. You might get your points, but coaches and teammates are frustrated. The chances of victory are slimmer.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me the eye’s to see the burdens of others. Thank You for the fulfillment and blessings that come if I act on meeting the needs of others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts”   Phillipians 3:15

I was trying to cancel the last day of a 4 day hotel reservation as soon as I realized I only needed 3 days. Well, the booking service that I went through would only allow me to drop that last day for a larger fee than the price of the room. I calmly debated why they should make an exception to their policy due to the fact that I use their service all the time.

They would not budge. I really wanted to say some very harsh things to them, but choose to end the phone call. My flesh felt unsatisfied because I didn’t rip into them. But my deep inside “peace” was still in tact. I arrived to the hotel and the guy at the check in desk realized I only needed 3 days and mentioned that he will talk to the outside booking service for me and try to get me out of it. He eventually did pull through for me. I’m sure that service company wouldn’t have been so willing if I would have “vented” on them.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to walk in “peace” with You and with those around me, so that I can have Your inner peace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I urge you to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among unbelievers that they may see your good deeds and glorify God” 1 Peter 2:11-12

Today’s verse alludes to sinful (wrongful actions, thoughts, and words) desires as something we shouldn’t take lightly. They “WAR” against our souls. These desires usually aren’t thought through, but are reactions or impulses. The urge to yell at someone who annoys us, the urge to gossip about someone we are competing with, the urge to watch a show with way too much skin exposed, to buy that ultra-sized snickers bar at the gas station, to watch too much TV instead of quality time with key people and God, to buy more at the mall then our budget permits, urges to hate, use, or lie to others…

It is worth going to war with sinful desires. It is a show of faith in God. It opens us up to His strength and strong character to flow in us. Our sinful desires are traps of impulses that give short term satisfaction, yet long term inner-erosion. We will lose battles, but reentering the war, and not giving up, is worth it.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld talks about the Swiss having an interesting army. “Five hundred years without a war. Pretty impressive. Also pretty lucky for them. Ever see that little Swiss Army knife they have to fight with? Not much of a weapon there. Corkscrews. Bottle openers. Come on, buddy, let’s go. You get past me, the guy in back of me, he’s got a spoon. Back off. I’ve got the toe clippers right here.”

Unlike the Swiss, we have some pretty powerful and effective weapons at our disposal in God. He wants us to keep asking for His strength to fight those battles, and to continue to confess and start over when we fail.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, keep convincing me that entering the war against our wrongful desires is worth it. Give me the power to win, and the humility to confess and start over when I lose. Thank You for the blessings that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“…that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God”   Ephesians 3:19 (NASB)

I was noticing some really nice cars as I was driving to work. The thought hit me that even the best cars won’t work without fuel. An older vehicle that is filled with gas is much more useful than the 2012 Saab that is empty. The owner may have the manual memorized and can even rebuild the engine himself. But without gas, he is stuck.

God wants to fill our tanks every day. He longs for us to depend on Him so that He can be our fuel. Many times we try to just work it out with our own resources. That would be like pushing the new car from the rear bumper. It is easier if we get others to help push, but still not better than the gas powered motor.

We merely need to ask God to empower and direct us daily, hourly, and better yet, moment by moment. He wants to honor that prayer. As a matter of fact, that is the foundation to what the bible explains as trust and faith. That is why He left us with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says, “… be filled with the Spirit”.

A benefit of using this “divine fuel” is that it will turn an old jalopy into a high powered driving machine. The more we fuel up with God, the more He can refurbish our whole being. Inside and out.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, fill me with Your Spirit. Empower me to live my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“…He who has been forgiven little loves little”  Luke 7:47  (NIV)

Prayer for today

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving me and setting me free. In light of that, give me the strength get some victories over my emotions and feelings. I know this battle will be worth entering. Fulfill me so that I can live life to it’s fullest. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”  Hebrews 12:3 (NIV)

People and circumstances can be very distracting, especially if those people and circumstances are obnoxiously bothersome. When I read today’s verse,  I think about Jesus enduring those people who beat Him with whips, made fun of Him, laughed at Him, and judged Him totally unfairly.

He didn’t lose His focus and goal. He kept moving forward. Even when those around Him, who tried to hurt Him, were the ones He walked down that path and hung on a cross for!

Really think about it (‘consider Him’)! A freaking wooden cross, nails, blood, people yelling… And He stayed the course. Undistracted. Not angry or feeling sorry for Himself.

The thing is, He was God. He had a supernatural inner-strength. And He left us His Holy Spirit so that we can tap into that supernatural strength. Like a hot knife cutting through butter, we can slice through life’s obnoxiously bothersome distractions.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I can’t do this without You. Give me the strength to not ‘grow weary and lose heart’. Bring to my mind what Jesus endured when I am struggling. In His Name. Amen.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 (NIV)

We so often are comparing ourselves with others around us. When we look at their flaws and faults, “well, I’m not too bad”. But when we look at the Lord, that purity, that holiness, that righteousness, we say, “Oh God help me”. That is what ‘poor in spirit’ is. It’s a true evaluation of ourselves, not in the light of man but in the light of God, where we see the real truth about ourselves and it brings us to that, “Oh God I need help”.

Jesus said, ‘really blessed’ or ‘happy’ is that person. Why? Because he has had a true encounter with God, and as the result, the kingdom of heaven belongs to him. Not just living for the temporary stuff, but for eternal things.

This verse is the first sentence Jesus says as He is beginning the famous “Sermon on the Mount”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that You love me in spite of my flaws, and thank you that I can be ‘blessed’ (happy) because I communicate with You and encounter You. Keep changing me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life”
 Matthew 6:27 ( NIV)

Are you worrying about something today? To worry means to allow something to revolve in your mind over and over again. God doesn’t want you to live worried or anxious about anything. He knows that worry steals your peace and joy. It affects every area of your life. Have you heard the saying, “Don’t worry yourself sick?” That’s because worrying affects your physical body. It affects your sleep. For the athlete, worry hinders performance. The good news is that God has promised that you can have victory over worry. It starts by making the choice to trust in Him. When you cast your cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7), He will give you His peace.
Decide today to put an end to worry in your life. Choose to feed your faith and fill your mind with God’s promises. As you focus on God’s Word, you’ll drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and expectancy; and you’ll be empowered to move forward into the life of blessing He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, today I choose to put an end to worry in my life. I choose to feed my faith by studying Your promises and declaring Your Word over my life. Help me to totally trust in You today and every day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.