Victory247

“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.

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it”  1 Corinthians 12:26 (NIV)

Paul is alluding to how our lives affect those around us. Sometimes we deceive ourselves when we feel that our actions are only personal, and everyone is on their own. People watch people and are influenced in a negative way, or in a good way. Our good choices are important for those around us, as well as for our own inner well-being.

There’s an old Liberian saying; “when you pull the rope, the rope is going to pull the bush”. Our actions and choices don’t merely ‘pull’ the rope, they also affect whoever the rope is attached to.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me make good choices so I will positively influence others. I need Your forgiveness when I fail, and Your strength to do right. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did”  James 2:22 (NIV)

In today’s verse, James was talking about Abraham acting out his belief in God. He didn’t just claim that he knew there was a God, Abraham actually did deeds that reflected his faith. Earlier in James 2 (vs 14-20) it says that faith without deeds is useless and dead.

Every time we apply one of God’s principles of giving, helping, and praying for others, we are saying; “I believe that there is a God, I believe that He will take care of me if I take care of others, and the time I give to others will place my life into better hands, God’s”.

Faith-based deeds will fulfill us. The less self consumed and self serving we are, the more we open the gates for God to invade our lives. George Eliot stated, “our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds“.

Our deeds don’t connect us with God, faith in Jesus Christ does that (see “Start the Victory” atop victory247.org). But our deeds allow Him to complete us.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me Your eyes to see the needs of others. And Your strength to act. Thank You for the blessings and growth that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them”  Proverbs 4:5 (NIV)

Why didn’t you do your homework? “I forgot”. You were supposed to clean your room. “I forgot”. If you stick your finger in that outlet, you could get ‘seriously killed’. “I forgot”. You have a stomach ache because you ate the whole box of pop tarts. “I forgot”.

Anybody who has been around kids, or tried to parent kids, has heard similar interactions. We can be like those little children…You are under the oppression of guilt because you did that secret sin again. “I forgot”. You are stressed over decisions you need to make because you aren’t handing them over to Me in prayer. “I forgot”. You’re confused about your future because you aren’t seeking My direction and peace. “I forgot”.

Many of us have nervous habits; biting fingernails, twirling hair, chewing pen tops… We can build a ‘good nervous habit’ into our daily routine. I call it “breathing prayers”. Whenever I feel tense or stressed, I breathe a quick prayer. Those quick prayers of instant communication with God can grow into a dynamic friendship with our Creator. We can chat with Him during bad and good times. He melts away stress, depression, anger…and develops an inner calm, direction, wisdom and confidence.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me not to forget to talk to You throughout the day. Build a prayer “breathing” habit into my routine. Thank You for the blessings and fulfillment that will develop. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us”  Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

There are situations that we enter in life that seem overwhelming. There can also be times when we encounter circumstances that seem to have us trapped.  We can come face to face with our biggest fears, and just want to run away. We hear our inside voice tell us that “there is no way out”, “it will never work”, “I can’t get over this”, “there is no escape”, “I will never get any relief”, “I am doomed, stuck, destined to fail”, “I’ll never catch a break”.

In those times of gloom, we need to think “BUT GOD”. “There is no way out, BUT GOD“. “I can’t do this, BUT GOD can”. Just like the old country preacher who told me to think about a turtle he saw on a fencepost. He realized that the only way that ol’ turtle got there was by an outside force. He couldn’t get there on his own, somebody had to have put him there.

When impossible times come our way, pray that we can be a ‘turtle on a fencepost’. People, as well as we ourselves, will realize that something outside of our own abilities got us through. Gave us relief. Put us on a fulfilling path. Empowered us to face fears or escape disaster. Or better yet, recover from disaster.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that You can do more than I can even think, ask for, or imagine. I can’t, BUT You can work through me, in me, and for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible”  Ephesians 5:11-13 (NIV)

It seems like we all have those secret sins that we keep in the dark closets of our lives. Those ugly private thoughts, actions or words that would disturb even our closest friends. I remember a famous preacher stating to the his audience, “If you knew everything that I thought, you wouldn’t be here to listen to me. And if I knew all your thoughts, I wouldn’t want to be here to speak to you”.

One day I saw a log in the green space behind my house. It had been on the ground for months, but I still figured it would be good for fire wood. When I rolled it over, I was taken back. Underneath was infested with pinching-like bugs, worms, and other creepy critters that lived in the darkness beneath the log. When the sunshine hit the area, all the critters hurried away to seek shelter from the exposing light.

Just like under the log, we can allow God to expose His light on those secret areas of our lives by confessing and handing it over to Him. Instead of ignoring our dark areas, we can invite Him to empower us to overcome and change. It all starts with turning over the log.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I hand You my secret, most private thoughts and actions that are dark. Shine on them. I know it can take time, but keep changing me. Don’t let me fool myself that You don’t already know everything. Thank You that You still love me and know what will truly fulfill me. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

And the Philistine giant, Goliath, cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” Goliath said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” David said to the Philistine giant, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty”  1 Samuel 17:43-45 

David was facing a very scary dude. Some say that Goliath was 9 feet tall. David’s inner flesh had to be a little intimidated by this monster’s booming voice, massive frame and violent threats. That inner flesh or inner self-talk can try to persuade us to back down from the challenges of life. To cower away from attempts at doing great things. To make us feel unworthy of accomplishing dreams and passions.

Read the words from one of my favorite Casting Crowns songs entitled Voice of Truth…

But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again “boy, you’ll never win!
“You’ll never win”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, continually remind me that You are bigger than anything I will ever face. And keep telling me that You and me are a majority, when I need to face my fears. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love”  Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

When we hear that we have freedom, it lends to the thinking that we can do whatever we feel like doing. But that kind of thinking leads to a restricted and unfulfilled existence.

Back in the ol’ college days, a group of 8 of us guys rented a condo in Florida. I remember looking around the place after just two days, realizing that we exercised our “freedom”, and junked up the whole place. The kitchen was so filled with trash that we couldn’t cook. We had to hurdle stuff to get around the family room. Our “freedom” made it an annoying hassle to exist in that messy, smelly living space. It wasn’t until we cleaned up that we could relax again.

Same in our own lives. God wants us to be free, but freedom doesn’t work well with indulgence. An out-of-control area of our personal lives can place bondage and restrictions on us. Freedom comes by following God’s principles, confessing those troubled areas to Him, asking for His strength, and “serving one another”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want freedom and enjoyment. Help me to make good choices. Show me how to depend on You so that You can guide me into a full life. 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.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”  Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

When I got a new bike for Father’s Day, I started riding it for exercise. There were some days of intense summer heat, but I stayed committed to “pedaling off the pounds” (actually, all this new exercise just made me hungrier. I think I even gained weight).

Most of my trail was directly under the heat rays of the brutal sun. But there was a stretch that I always looked forward to. It was about 100 yards of shade provided by a large line of trees.

As I read today’s verse, that was the first thing that popped into my mind. Even though I was exercising actively, I was still ‘resting’ in the shadows of those trees. If we dwell in an active relationship with God, attempting to walk with Him, then the Almighty can supply us with rest, relief, protection, and help from the intense heat of daily pressures.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to walk with You so I can experience Your relief, the ‘shadow of the Almighty’. Thank You that I can call on You for a break from the heat. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.