Victory247

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”  John 14:27 (NASB)

When I see the word “troubled”, I think of a song written by Paul Simon, “Bridge over Troubled Waters”. I picture looking down at a cold river with choppy, swift waves, crashing into the walled banks, splashing high into the air and pouring over to the land. A ‘troubled heart’ can feel like this type of angry current.

I remember my 6th grade teacher teaching one practical lesson that I have carried with me over the years. He was a tall young man that didn’t seem very motivated. We played a lot of spontaneous games of dodgeball that year. It was a privilege to be picked to get him his two cups of coffee from the office. Two of us came back one time with the ever present spills running down the sides of the mug. He explained to us that if you look at the coffee while walking it will spill. If you look ahead, it won’t. IT WORKED! Don’t tell me why, but it worked. To this day I use that principle.

What is interesting is that it is also a principle that God is encouraging us to use in life. If we keep our eyes up on Him, He will calm the waters. Even in the midst of hard times, He calms the waters of our hearts. Peace is there for us. We need to walk with Him without staring down. We can ask for His calm and peace, for He says, “My peace I give you”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to look to You instead of down at the problems. Give me Your peace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps”  Proverbs 14:15 (NIV)

At times it seems that we just go through our “day to day” and coast along with the crowd, or float through our routines. God cares about our daily grind, and He wants to weave into it!

A basketball coach will go home after a game and watch the game again on video. This video session helps him focus on what his team did and didn’t do well. That way he can prepare a good practice for his team to correct specific flaws and build on strengths.

We need to daily have ‘video sessions’ with God. Quietly talking to to Him and reflecting on our day. The nice thing is that we don’t have to make the adjustments on our own. And we don’t only have to go over the things that need corrected, it’s also good and refreshing to gratefully focus on the positive things about our relationships, possessions and events.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to make time to sit down with You in prayer. Show me what to confess and give me the strength to change. Also, remind me of the things I can be thankful for. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”  Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

Many times we want things to be okay to do, or not to do, based on what we feel is best for our own interests. We can tend to twist our thinking that God would surely endorse, or at least not mind, some of our decisions and choices. A lot of students pick a major or career path based on what they think they need and want, and not based on any counsel of faith based people, persistent prayer, or biblical principles.

Old time comedian, Henny Youngman, actually had some insight when he stated, “a self-taught man usually has a poor teacher and a worse student”.

Realizing that God cares more about us than we even care about ourselves is vital. Pleading for His guidance is a way to show that we don’t completely know our needs and how to meet them better than He does. Sure there are many times we make good choices, but going to God grows our minds and opens us to direction that will ‘pleasantly surprise’ us in the long haul.

We need to constantly seek God’s ways(“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  Isaiah 55:8). The old comedian also said, “a doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so he gave him another six months”. What are the basis of our choices?

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want Your way instead of my short minded source of making decisions. Remind me to seek You in all I do. Thank You for the blessings that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool”  Jeremiah 17:11 (NIV)

Throughout our lives we will experience unfair situations. People may get promoted or hired over us, even though we know they aren’t as qualified. Others may get honors that we should have gotten. Some get awards that we know we are much more deserving. Sometimes we are even unjustly criticized.

I personally have experienced these disappointing and frustrating unfair situations. From being overlooked for a job that I trained the person for, to being cut from a middle school baseball team. I look back over my life and realize that this is common. The key question isn’t, “how can I avoid this happening to me?”. Life happens, then the question becomes, “how do I handle this when it happens to me?”.

Anger, frustration, disappointment, feeling like a failure, are all natural responses. But recovering strong is supernatural. Living in anger or discouragement eats us up over time. I have found that quickly venting to God for advice and comfort has built my character and ability to work through unfair situations. My skin thickens and expectations of people being fair are lowered.

‘Unfair situations’ are like a rock. If we stay angry, stay discouraged, slander, gossip, hate, or get depressed, the rock will crush us. If we give our natural response and unfair situation over to several conversations with God, then the rock becomes a stepping stone to higher ground.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that You know I am unique and special even when I don’t get what I deserve. Help me to get past my natural responses “when”(not i”if”) I experience unfair situations. I need You to raise me to higher ground. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take”  Jeremiah 31:21 (NIV)

American Heritage Dictionary defines guidepost, “a post with a sign giving directions for travelers, usually placed at a crossroad“. We are always looking for guidance and direction. There are small and major decisions that seem to be always pressing our way.

What should I do tonight? Who should I ask out? When should I leave? What occupation should I pursue? Should I change jobs, schools, girlfriends…? How we use our time is a continual issue. Our direction is based on what? Feelings, what most people expect, pleasure, ease…?

If we really think about it, this process can send us into a tailspin of frustration. Psychics make a lot of money from people who just want answers. We impatiently jump into decisions to avoid more stress. Alcohol and drugs are easy escapes from decisions that pound our brains and force our hand.

God wants to give us a healthy guidepost. “Good direction in life is obtained by the building blocks of  daily, Godly choices”. The WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) mentality of decision making can effect the ‘right now’, as well as where we end up.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want the most out of life. Give me a clear mind and conscience as I seek Your direction. I know You know what will truly fulfill me. Help me to be patient as I choose to do what’s right in Your eyes, so that I can relax in knowing that it makes it Your responsibility to get me to the best situation. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” Psalm 37:8 (NIV)

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me”  Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

Our past choices, feelings that question God’s existence, discouragement, being treated unfairly, all can play a part of those times we just don’t feel like doing what is right in God’s eyes. Maturity comes to those who “press on”, inspite of feelings, rationales, or emotions.

Faith isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision to walk with God regardless of emotions or circumstances. We need to remember that we aren’t ‘hung out to dry’ or left alone to gut it out like the Nike slogan, “Just do it”. Instead, we can breathe a prayer for strength, then “just do it” with His might. Making right choices that go against the grain of those shallow feelings are opportunities to strengthen our inner character and social aptitude.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to recognize those “opportunities” for personal growth by taking steps of faith, especially when I don’t feel like it. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“He forgave us ALL our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross”  Colossians2:13-14 (NIV)

Ever want to just start over? Ever go through a day filled with poor choices, bad thinking, or missed opportunities?

Have you ever said some things that you regret? Like comedian Brian Regan talking about saying something he regrets, even as he is saying it, is like releasing a flock of doves that there is no way to corral and bring back. “Oh no, what did I just say?!”

We need to admit it to God, then realize that wrongful words, thoughts, and actions have been NAILED to the cross. Know that you are forgiven, and start over.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I know You understand that I make mistakes and poor choices at times. Thank You that You allow me to keep starting over. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“We constantly pray for you that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith”  2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NIV)

We tend to separate our “spiritual life” and our regular life. But the key to ‘fulfilled’ living is to allow the two to collide. We can let God weave into our passions, work, sport, relationships, dreams, desires… by continually handing them over to Him. Our conversations with God need to be very personal and specific. Let Him hear our most intimate feelings and thoughts.

Too often, people will search for satisfaction in life through their work, sport, relationships… That will eventually disappoint and come up empty. But God wants to intertwine into all of those. Only then do we find lasting fulfillment.

My daughter was playing in a basketball event. She looked at me and said that basketball isn’t fun anymore. Now, understand that she loves and works extremely hard at the sport. I told her basketball is like a balloon. If the balloon is flat, basketball will grow stale. If you inflate it with God, it can be very fulfilling.

Every area of our lives can be filled up by allowing God to inflate them through our prayers asking for His ‘power’, and His perspective.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, invade every area of my life so that by Your power I can pursue what I enjoy while finding Your purpose and fulfillment. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves… without self-control… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”   2 Timothy 3:1-4 (NIV)

Our minds seem to always go to; “what can I do that will be fun?” Or, “what will make me feel good?” Believe me, I desire fun, but it’s like chasing a shadow. Try to catch up to it and the shadow goes away from us. Walk away from it, the shadow pursues us!

In the same way, when we are constantly seeking pleasure, life gets shallow. We seem to lose fulfillment and enjoyment. But when we are making better efforts to have times of prayer, checking out scripture, and serving others, then life’s enjoyment and fulfillment seems find us.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to seek times with You. Remind me to think of other people’s needs, not just my own. I know I can trust You for life’s fulfillment, pleasures, and enjoyment. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.