Victory247

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose”  Philippians 2:13 (NIV)

Being a principal of a Christian school gives me plenty of unique opportunities to help young men and women to think through how to make their faith practical. There was a boy who was constantly getting in trouble in several classrooms. He was sent to my office for some serious correction. When I talked to him I could tell there was more that needed done then a couple after school detention halls. I walked him through a clear explanation of how he could receive Christ into his life (see “Start the Victory” on victory247.org).

Well, the student understood the message and wanted to pray with me. I told him now that he have accepted Christ into his heart, he has an amazing source of strength he can tap in to any time of day. It’s like having a backpack that you can reach in to for strength, forgiveness, or direction.  I told the young man to be aware of that backpack, especially now that the teachers are upset with him for causing so much trouble in their classes. When he feels like being ornery, unzip that backpack of God’s power to change.

I asked a few students if they saw a change in him. They agreed that he is still a little disruptive at times, but he has been getting much better.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, make me aware of the backpack of strength, forgiveness, and direction you have given me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”  Luke 12:15 (NIV)

No matter how wealthy you are, there will always be someone richer. No matter how much shopping you do, there will always be something else we will desire. It’s like being on a hamster wheel. I always wondered if those little guys truly think they are going somewhere. I doubt if they are just doing a cardio workout.

We need to ask ourselves if we are on a hamster wheel that leads to nowhere. We then can miss out on the “inner-stuff”; joy, peace, character, social abilities… That’s probably why God warns us in today’s verse to ‘WATCH OUT‘. Then take the time to work on the things that truly matter, like relationships with others and a tight relationship with Him.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, let me know when I’m on that hamster wheel. Continually remind me to take time to work on relationships, especially with You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayer, and thank him for all he has done”    Philippians 4:6

This is a tough passage to accomplish, but a good one to work on. ‘Worry’ can consume us at times. I know people who feel that if they worry hard enough, it will help prevent something bad from happening. Worry can tie us in emotional knots. “Worry doesn’t help tomorrow’s troubles, but it does ruin today’s happiness”.

Feeling a rush of anxiety coming over us can be that reminder to hand the situation or issue over to God through prayer. He loves when we give Him our stresses and worries. It is an act that grows our faith and loosens those knots. Many try to find relief by other means like drinking, complaining, poor eating… These all give momentary relief, but are like trying to quench our thirst with salt water.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I give You my worries. Please build my faith as I continue to hand You more and more situations and issues. Thank You for Your divine relief and protection. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense”  Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

We have heard the saying, “expect the unexpected”. That can be good, but I would like to also suggest that we “expect the expected”.

Sports coaches, players, and fans should expect that the refs will make at least a few bad calls. Spouses can’t be surprised when (not “if”) something is said that is hurtful. Parents shouldn’t go into shock when their teenager does something stupid. Friends need to be aware that they will get offended by selfishness. Teachers can’t be taken back when a student turns on them…

The key is to have a plan. There are times we need to let an offense slide by. There are times that offenses need to be addressed. But if we are ready (expecting, praying in advance and right after), our reactions to offenses can be much more productive. Offenses can actually help us develop our personal character and “patience muscle”.

We need to watch our reactions this week. Reactions are good indicators on how we are doing. It is worth it to use these hurtful moments to allow God to grow our character and patience. How we approach this can be a relationship builder, or a relationship killer.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me Your strength to handle offenses. Use them to develop me. Prepare me to expect the expected, and to tap into You for my reactions. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But He makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land”  Psalm 68:6 (NLT)

This verse is a preachers dream because it breaks up into a clean “three point sermon”.

In “point one” the preacher would talk about the ‘lonely’, and how living self-sufficiently creates a separation from an inner-security that only comes from God’s Holy Spirit within. BUT GOD ‘places the lonely’ in a caring environment when we allow Him to empower us through continual requests for His strength. For His wisdom to direct us. Being God-sufficient as we move along.

Then the “second point” would cover how we tend to put ourselves in ‘prison’ through bad habits or striving mainly in life for self-satisfaction. BUT GOD ‘sets us free’ when we invite Him to come along side of us as we go through our daily routines. And ceaselessly pleading with Him to chisel away at those habits that gnaw at our inner-peace. Ceaselessly pleading with Him to help us reach out to others so to open the door for Him to meet our own needs.

“Point three” would be the clincher. Mr. Preacher hopefully would define ‘the rebellious’. We think back at our elementary school days and recall the “rebellious” kid that got in trouble on a daily basis. That’s not it. ‘Rebellious’ in this verse probably takes on a more subtle form. It’s more like seeing the self-sufficiency in “point one”, and the bad habits or selfish living in “point two”, then ignoring it.

But isn’t there a lot of people who could care less about walking with God, and they don’t seem to ‘live in a sun-scorched land’. On the contrary, they have the nicest cars, beautiful homes… This verse is talking about the insides of a person. I grew up in a wealthy family and trust me, it was ‘sun-scorched’ and Godless.

Not to say we can’t have both wealth and inner-fulfillment. Many men and women know how to make a living, but don’t know how to live.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me how to live. Be my guide and my strength. Make my insides an oasis as I learn to allow You to daily walk with me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye”

Matthew 7:5 (NLT)

We seem to have the tendency to see flaws in others pretty easily, especially those we don’t like. It can make for enjoyable, yet damaging, conversation if we join forces with someone else who shares the same dislike.

But Jesus is telling us to handle our ability to criticize differently. Our focus needs to be on correcting our own shortcomings. If we are dealing with those, it will help us to be more compassionate and understanding of others. People may even be more compassionate and understanding of us.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to be a person of good character, not a loose cannon of criticism. Thank you that You really love me in spite of my flaws. Give me the strength to gradually change, AND to view others through Your eyes. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

him”  John 14:21 (NIV)

Our goal isn’t just “sin management“. We shouldn’t be walking around just figuring out ways to avoid sin. Those wrongful actions, thoughts, and words will happened. We then confess and start over. That is what we should do, but that can’t be our focus.

An athlete can enter a game with the attitude of not making a mistake, but they won’t score. A salesman can work all week trying not to be forward or offensive, but he won’t make many sales. A student can go to school and not talk at all. They won’t get a detention, but they won’t make friends with peers or teachers.

Our goal in all these cases should be to learn how to be more effective as we strive to get better. Not sit in a bunker hoping to not mess up anything.

God wants us to learn from Him, “have His commands“. Attempt to do what is right, “obey them“. He wants us to set our focus on living an exciting life while attempting to grow and develop. Taking some chances. Striving to reach the potential that God can fuel us to be and do.

If we do this, He promises to “show Himself ” to us. Our efforts need to go toward knowing Him. Then true fulfillment happens. Sin just gets in the way of that goal. Merely confess and move on to great achievements!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want You to be real to me. Help me to focus on knowing You, doing right, and helping others, so that my heart’s eye can see You. 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 even 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 does. 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.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you”  Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)

Some people really like who they are, and others feel bad about themselves. Then there are those who fluctuate between the two.

Everyone would probably admit that there are things about themselves that need changing. If they won’t admit that, then right there is something that needs adjusting.

New technology has helped me cover up one of my weaknesses, spelling. Spell check has saved me many embarrassments (even just now, the word ’embarrassments’ took me several tries, thanks to the red underline popping up). It’s amazing that I can highlight a whole paper or letter and all my miscues are brought to light. The computer gives me the option to “change” or “ignore” each misspelled word.

God places a new spirit in us when we accept Christ into our lives(see ‘Start the Victory’ a top victory247.org). Now we can communicate with Him throughout the day, praying in our heads. He can talk back to us through bible reading, sermons, devotions like this, others believers, and even in our thoughts.

He has given us a new heart and spirit that can enhance our whole being if we allow Him to. We can get direction and strength. But we also need to realize when things we do get a ‘red underline’, or when “change” pops up on our screen to click it.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for a new heart and spirit that can make me the best and most blessed I can be. Remind me to communicate with You continually, and not “ignore”. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.