Victory247

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us”  Psalm 103:10,12 (NIV)

Believing and acting on today’s verses can give us a true relief. It’s almost like, in the midst of a diet, eating way too much rich and greasy food one evening. We go to bed feeling bad and bloated, which is exactly how we deserve to feel. Then we hit the Tums or Rolaids for the relief we don’t deserve. But if we eat like that for years, there would be discomfort caused by more severe health issues than what a few Tums can tame.

The word “transgression'” is defined; “a violation of a law, command, or duty”. God says that He will not treat us as that violation deserves if we hand it over to Him in confession. It’s like Tums. But if we don’t allow God to help change our wrongful actions, we will be forgiven, but we would have to live with the damage that this does to our lives.

Comedian Phyllis Diller says that “I’m eighteen years behind in my ironing”. No way can we catch up. God only wants us to make progress and keep striving to go in the right direction.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can keep starting over when I mess up, and that You see me as forgiven of past sins. Thank You that they are REMOVED. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“… a gossip separates close friends”  Proverbs 16:28 (NIV)

I have learned to NOT believe everything that people tell me. I have found that we all tend to bend the truth to our own advantage. Sometimes we can damage someone elses image to uplift our own. My favorite form of slander is via the prayer request; “Marge, we really need to pray for Bill. He is struggling with his marriage, and that large mortgage is causing them a lot of stress. I can just tell”.

I have worked in schools for many years, and ‘deflection slander’ is commonplace amongst students to get themselves out of trouble. “Mom, I know I got a detention for constantly disrupting class, but the teacher is out of touch, mean, hard to understand, and most of all, gets confused about names and accidentally gives detentions to the wrong students…just like the one I got”. Sounds silly, but parents fall for it and then pass on the harsh comments to others. Before you know it, teachers, coaches and administrators are falsely labeled.

This is why we need to watch the information that we pass on secondhand. We need to watch how we paint the truth to others. We need to watch how we receive information from others; take it with a “grain of salt” and consider the bias of the source. A lot of relationships are damaged and even severed if we don’t heed the warning of today’s verse.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, open my ears to the words I speak and the words of others. Give me the wisdom to know how the “true truth” that is spoken. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults”  Psalm 19:12 (New King James Version)

I learned a medical/first aid concept the hard way. If a cut is infected, or potentially infected, then there is a process to go through to help heal the wound and avoid major complications. Years ago I had a staph infection that was painful. So I applied ice to help with the pain. Big mistake. That caused the infection to go deeper into my body. Well, a hospital stay and one month later, I was able to function almost normally again. A nurse told me in the hospital that if I would have put damp heat on it, I would have probably avoided all these complications. Because the infection is drawn toward the heat.

Recently, I was cut with a dirty piece of metal. It looked ugly, so I applied that lesson I stumbled across years ago. For several nights before going to bed I put a damp heated cloth on the wound followed by anti-bacteria cream and a bandage. Each morning the bandage would have a yellow ooze on it. That was evidence the heat drew the infection to the surface and out of my body.

There are also secret infections in our thinking, habits, actions, words, or perspectives. If we ignore our ‘errors’ and ‘secret faults’, it is like applying ice to the infection. Driving it deeper into our spirit which causes even more serious problems or even death to our personal character, morals, and ethics. On the other hand, bringing these flaws to light by confessing them to God and continually asking Him to help us confront them, is like applying a damp heated cloth. It may take extra time and pain, but so worth it. The infection comes to the surface and leaves our body so that we can experience life to it’s fullest.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, don’t allow me to ignore the “infections” I see in my life. Bring them to the surface and heal me. Thank You for the blessing that will follow if I take the time to apply heat through confession and confronting them with Your strength and insight. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit”  Psalm 147:3,5 (NIV)

We all go through times of ‘heartbreak’ and disappointment. Those are situations that can create loneliness, discouragement, and hopelessness. Life has it’s way of hurting at times. There can be experiences that we run into that make our spirits feel like we’ve been punched right in the nose of our emotions. Other instances may not be as crushing, but still nag away at our being.

The challenge is to not try to escape pain. Instead, we need to confront it. Sure we may have those key people that we can go to for comfort or advice. But going to our all-powerful, yet intimate God is the key to true healing. True growing from any experience. True comfort. ‘His understanding has no limit’!

I recall a time I was hurt deeply by someone. Confused and empty, I decided to go for a car ride with God. That drive was a huge breakthrough for me. I talked a loud to Him, pouring out my heart. Then I listened. Over the years this type of communication with my all-understanding God grew my relationship with Him to another level. I even would have fantastic counseling sessions with Him over dinner at Pizza Hut (I didn’t talk a loud, Mr. Hut and the waitresses would think I flipped).

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to go to You first with my hurts. Thank You that You completely understand and completely care. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Therefore we do not lose heart.Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”  2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NIV)

When I hit the age of 50, I physically felt really old. Though I am a lot slower when I try to play basketball with my children, my interpersonal interactions are still sharp. My mind forgets more stuff, but there’s more stuff up there to forget. I enjoy life, and I credit that to my close friendship with God. I think about Him everyday, talk to Him as much as possible, and depend on Him continually for advice, direction, and strength.

This close friendship with God is the key to the “inward renewing” in today’s verse. This also puts a different light on why we confess and avoid wrongful actions and words (sin). Confessing is a fast way of maintaining and reaping the benefits any close friendship, especially our relationship with God.

The late comedian George Burns made the following statement as a 90 year old; “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that walking in Your presence renews my insides. When I stray, remind me to confess and rekindle our friendship. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body    1 Corinthians 12:15 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is writing this to a group of people who had a tendency to compare themselves to each other. Imagine that ( I sarcastically state).

If we really look around, we can’t help but to notice that people have so many differences in likes, taste, personality, goals, philosophy, hobbies, strengths, occupations…but at the same time, with a lot of help from the media, we set each other up in a hierarchy of importance.

Is the president of some company a better human than the accountant because he makes more money? Maybe a guy decided to take a lessor job to spend more time with his family. Or the woman who stays home with her kids instead of  holding a position at a major firm.

Some are better at making money, so don’t scoff at them. Maybe certain others are more effective helping people by using their abilities to make more finances.

Anyway, the point is that we need each other to make our society work. God knew that, hence the differences. So, why compare? Enjoy how you were made! Just work on being the best “you”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for making me like this. Help me to realize that nobody can be a better “me”. Forgive me for comparing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

^” How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?”  Matthew 7:4 (NIV)

Many times we find comfort in complaining or criticizing others. It easy to do, especially when talking about someone that we feel threatened by, competing with, or someone we just don’t like. The challenge today is to draw closer to God when this feeling or temptation comes to us. At that moment “verbally stop in your tracks”, and breathe a quick prayer asking God to instead point out a flaw in ourselves. This challenge will bolster the personal character of any taker. It will amplify your communication with Him.

The famous Groucho Marx stated, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member”. Humorous, yet profound.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to see the ‘planks’ in my life. Thank You that You love me anyway. Give me the strength to do the same for others (love them anyway). In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“In their pride the wicked do not seek Him; in all their thoughts there is no room for God”  Psalm 10:4 (NIV)

In today’s verse we shouldn’t assume that going a day without thinking about God puts us in the “wicked” category. This verse is just pointing out one characteristic of the “wicked”. The key to a fulfilled life ISN’T walking around trying not to be bad. INSTEAD, true fulfillment comes to those who allow God to invade their minds, mentality, thinking.

We need to ‘make room’ for God in our brains as we go throughout our day; asking Him to help us make decisions, bouncing ideas off Him, talking to Him about life direction, and pleading with Him to form our perspectives on Biblical teachings (and seeking out more and more of these teachings through daily devotionals, personal Bible reading, sermons, bible study groups, or discussions with other people walking in faith).

Many of us have formed a rut of a daily routine. I had a good friend once say, “I really enjoy my rut”. We can periodically check out of the “auto-drive” mode, and give some silent prayers to God which will escort Him into our “brain-room”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to make room in my thoughts for You and Your insights. Thank You for the fulfillment and blessings that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you”   Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)

God may want to take us places that we’ve only dreamed of. He can cause things to fall into place so that we can accomplish what He has placed in our hearts. Sometimes, even through hard times.

Your mind may try to talk you out of it, but present your dreams and desires to Him. Don’t let discouragement keep you down. Allow His ‘glory’ to ‘rise upon you’.  We can expect His goodness. Choose to ‘arise, shine’ and receive every blessing He has in store.

Don’t let “Johnny RainCloud” tell us who we are and what to expect.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I give You my hidden dreams and hopes. Thank You for preparing a bright future for me. Help me to ‘arise’ and ‘shine’. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy”   Matthew 6:20 (NIV)

When we make decisions, use our time, or even do something for others, we seem to have the mindset of  “what’s in it for me?”.  It’s a common practice for a businessman to give away football tickets to a client to keep them using their services. Or for a mother to offer to babysit a neighbor because she knows that next week she will need a sitter for her kids.

There’s nothing wrong with these practices. But the challenge is to do something for someone and give to others, expecting nothing from them in return. Do it  “just because”. This is what Jesus is talking about with ‘storing treasures in heaven’. If this “just because” motivation becomes a common practice, not only will we get rewarded in heaven, He also will impact our lives abundantly so that we can continue to do even more ‘storing’.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me opportunities to store treasures. Help me to check the motives behind my actions. Continue to mold and change my self-centered heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.