Victory247

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”  Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

When Jesus proclaims this statement, it kinda jumps out at you. ‘See God’? Now? In heaven? How? Where?!

We constantly do things and make decisions based on selfish motives. “What can I get out of this? What’s in it for me? I don’t have time for them because I’m way too busy with taking care of me“.

‘Pure in heart’ is a fantastic quality. Doing things just because God would want us to. Doing the right thing because it’s the right thing. Giving your time to those who need you, giving your money or possessions to someone who needs the help.

It seems like the more we take our eyes off ourselves, the more we can ‘see God’; understand who He is, how He thinks, what He is like.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me how to be pure in my motives. Help me to be more “others-oriented” so that I can see and experience You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”  Matthew 5:7

The word “kindness” comes up in the bible several times as an attribute that can be only truly generated out of depending on God. Kindness is one of those things that seems easy, but very difficult to consistently live out. Sure, it’s easy to be kind to someone we are trying to impress, trying to get to like us, or even trying to manipulate for our own gain. But real kindness happens when there is no hidden motive.

One time I asked a lady how hard it would be to quit smoking. She said that she could quit smoking easily, she just doesn’t want to. I scratched my head and wondered if that really meant, in a round-about way, “it would be very difficult for me to quit”. Same thing with kindness. It would be easy to be kind, we just choose not to most of the time.

A pastor once stated, “Some people think kindness is weak—not something for ‘go-getters’ to be bothered with. Big mistake! If we want God, who has ultimate control of how things go in the universe, to be kind to us, we’d better be kind to others”.  Just like in today’s verse, mercy comes to the merciful. Kindness give birth to more kindness if we are asking God to help us be others-sensitive. And that’s when our insides start to flourish.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me the eyes to see the needs of others. Then give me the strength to do the difficult thing; to be kind. I want my insides to flourish and my life to be fulfilled, so please don’t let me miss out on this window to Your power. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people”  Hebrews 9:27,28 (NIV)

The bad news is that we are all going to die. The good news is that through receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts by faith, we can inherit eternal life (see “start the victory” on victory247.org). It is good to have a healthy view of death. As we walk with God, knowing that heaven is in our future, remembering that our time here is limited will have a productive impact on how we choose to live.

I know I can get stuck in my daily routine and go months under the false facade that death isn’t really real. Or my brain will just refuse to accept the fact of death. Actor and comedian Woody Allen once stated; “I’m very proud of my gold pocket watch. My grandfather, on his deathbed, sold it to me”.

The mentality of ‘life is short so let’s party’ will corrode our insides. But living to help others and please God on our journey toward eternal bliss in heaven, will grow a fertile inner-fulfillment. Logically it seems upside down, but God loves to defy logic.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me a healthy view of dying. Bless me as I attempt to bless others. Thank You that through accepting Jesus’ work on the cross I can rest assured that heaven is in my future. In His Name. Amen.

“These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires… But you, dear friends, must build each other up”  Jude 1:16,20 (NLT)

I know of many who communicate using the “three C’s”; complaining, criticizing, correcting. This can be as contagious as a bad cold. The “three C’s” are symptoms of an infection in our spirit. As we go throughout our daily routine, we need to listen closely to what we are saying and thinking. If this infection isn’t treated, our relationships and our inner-peace will corrode.

The cure for this is in verse 20, “build each other up”. Prayer, encouragement, and looking for the good in others are our high powered vitamins.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, alert me when the bad symptoms and infections creep into my spirit. Give me the strength to be an encourager. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“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 aren’t hung out to dry and have to gut it out like the Nike slogan, “Just do it”. We can breathe a prayer for strength, then “just do it” with His might. Making those choices 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.

^“Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak”  Matthew 26:41 (New Century Version)

In Gethsemane the disciples were asked by Jesus to keep watch for an hour while He goes off to pray. I’m sure they were thinking, “no problem, Lord”. After that hour, Jesus returned to find them sound asleep. They had good intentions, but today’s verse is so true; ‘the body is weak’.

Many times we have good intentions, but when it comes down to it, we don’t ‘stay awake’. Jesus is giving out some great advice in this passage. Prayers for strength behind each good intention will go a long way. Those prayers give us His power to carry out our good intentions.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me good intentions and Your strength to live them out. “I can’t, but You can.” In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

The shepherd had a really tough job back in those days. He had to lead his sheep, and protect his sheep. This was all day, out in the hot sun. Also interesting to note is that sheep are very dumb animals who truly can’t make it on their own. He’s not calling us dumb, but compared to Him, we are.

I can imagine the conversation with the rebellious, self sufficient sheep; “Listen Mr. Shepherd, I can take care of myself from those lighting fast wolves with sharp teeth. And if I get stuck in a tough situation, I will use my slow, uncoordinated, awkward body to escape.”…”Well Mr. Sheep, I will take care of you and help you meet all your needs.” “Okay Mr. Shepherd, that’s not a baaaad idea.”

The main tool the shepherd had was the staff. It had a hook on one end, and a sharp point on the other. The hook was useful to pull the dumb sheep out of holes, bushes, or other messes they would get themselves into. The pointed end was to protect and fend off attacks from predators like wolves.

God uses His staff in our lives. His hook is there to pull us out of messes we get ourselves into, or situations that seem impossible to overcome. Also, we can call on Him to protect us, with the sharp end of the staff, from a world of people who want to take advantage of us.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, like the sheep to the shepherd, help me to be dependent on You to guide, protect, and watch over me. Lead me to green pastures (Psalm 23:2). In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“A man’s steps are directed by the LORD” Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)

How should I act?, what should I do?, how should I talk?, which path should I choose?, how should I treat others?, what are my goals?… These are questions that dance through our minds as we live out our daily routines. Usually the backdrop of how we answer those questions has to do with “what is everyone else doing?”, and “what will they think of me?”.

Comedian Brian Regan says, “I’m just trying to go through life without looking stupid”. The challenge in today’s culture is to focus on what God’s ways are for us. Instead of looking to fit in or impress others, we need to stay in constant contact with Him so that He can guide us. Sure, we need to consider others. But at the same time, act out our steps based on God’s principles and His direction that emerge from our prayers.

Today, think about your steps and ask yourself; are they “fit in”-directed, or are they God-directed?

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me the way I should take and the choices I should make. Thank You for the fulfillment that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert”  Hebrews 3:8 (NIV)

Many times we don’t feel God’s presence. We don’t feel like He cares. We may even have many times that we don’t feel like there is a God at all. These dry times come and go. Some dry times stay longer than others. It can feel like a spiritual desert.

We can’t base our faith and communication with God on our feelings. It has to be based on the facts laid out in the bible, history, and on all the evidence that Jesus walked on earth (Read “Evidence that demands a Verdict” or “More than a Carpenter” by Josh McDowell).

We can experience great growth in our faith if we stay the course during those desert times. Just like the great athletes who choose to train, even on those days they don’t feel like it.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I know my feelings and emotions vary throughout each day, week and year. I need You to help me to keep walking with You, especially in those dry times. 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 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 through the Bible and faith based people, or counsel that can come through persistent prayer.

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 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 is 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.