Victory247

“They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. After the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city”  Acts 14:19-20 (NIV)

Paul was speaking and ministering to the people in Lystra. The fickle crowd went from wanting to worship Paul, to being persuaded to throw stones at him. Sounds like Ohio State football, or Philadelphia baseball fans.

I can picture Paul lying on the ground with blood, bruises, and broken bones. They thought he was dead. He came back to consciousness, stood up, and went back into the city! He had a mission, a focus, a goal, a passion, and a lot of guts. I’m sure he didn’t feel like going back in, but he did.

There are days we know what we need to do, but we are pummeled. Hit by figurative stones from bosses, friends, co-workers, neighbors, enemies, illness…, and the heaviest ones from those we love. We feel bloody, bruised, and broken. We don’t feel like moving forward, we want to escape, sulk, complain, fight, or just quit.

How did Paul do it? Why did he go back in? He had the right perspective that life is a side-issue compared to eternity. Time is short, and he is just passing through to a great place. He also tapped into God’s strength. The prayer,“I can’t, but Lord, You can”, needs to be paramount in our minds. Feelings didn’t control Paul. His perspective, mission, and God’s energy did.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I can’t, but You can. Give me Your perspective and energy. Thank You for heaven. 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)

Most of us have heard the saying, “nothing is certain except death and taxes”. Death is one of those issues that we try to avoid thinking about. We even call the death insurance policy ‘life insurance’ instead of what it really is, ‘death insurance’.

I was talking to a friend about his son that had a football coach die. This man was close to his son, and even considered him a mentor. He told me once his son worked through this difficult experience, that it has really effected, in a good way, his whole view on life.

Death puts life into perspective. I was the math student that understood the process better if I started with the answer and worked backwards. In the same way, realizing the fact that it will be over some day should help us make better choices, not take things for granted, and appreciate the people in our lives more.

Some may say that “if I’m going to die, why not party my life away?”. I say, “I want people at my funeral who were touched by my life of faith, of helping others, and living right”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can go to heaven when I die because I placed my faith in Christ. Help me to make good decisions based on the perspective that death gives me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation”

Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

Paul was in a smelly, nasty prison when he wrote this verse. Chained twenty-four hours a day to a different Roman guard (for those of us who can’t relate; no TV, cell phone or internet access). Paul was a wealthy, top corporate exec of the Pharisees before he turned his life over to Christ. But now he is in a very humbling situation. So he really knows ‘what it is to be in need’ and ‘to have plenty’.

So what’s ‘the secret of being content’?—>

-> He truly trusted that God would take care of him, even if he died. His life was in God’s hands. He knew it was God’s responsibility to work things out.

-> He didn’t have the “if-then” mentality. “If things work out, then I will be happy”, “If I get this new job, then I will be fulfilled”, “If I had a romantic relationship, then my life would be complete”…

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to truly appreciate where I am in life, who I am, and what I have. Give me peace in my spirit, quench my unrest with thank You’s. I place my life in Your hands. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble”  Hebrews 12:15 (NASB)

Camping our minds and hearts on the ‘grace’ of God is the key to an inner peace and joy. ‘Grace’ means that we have His undeserved favor.

After we receive Christ as our Savior (see “Start the Victory” a top victory247.org), we no longer have to work toward His love and acceptance, instead we work from His love and acceptance. We can’t earn any more of His love, because we have it all already!

There are many days that I don’t “feel” His grace for some reason or another. Could be that I lack sleep, lack prayer times, lack self-control with the Oreo cookies, lack judgment by not confessing a wrong…

There are days that I “feel” that most people I deal with are idiots (the idiot is probably me on those days). I wake up in the morning and the birds aren’t singing, they are yelling.

These are signs that ‘bitterness is springing up’. Those are the indicators that I need to sit down with God and regroup. He will show His grace, and adjust my heart.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to see the signs of ‘bitterness springing up’. Thank You for being a God that understands and lets me start over. And a God that wants me to flourish. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites into their hands, because they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him”  1 Chronicles 5:20 (NIV)

I received an e-mail prayer request from a co-worker. This plea for prayer support went out to many. It was about their son, a Marine, who has been missing in the wilderness of Montana. He completed 3 intense missions for his country, so was sent home to regroup.

This has been in the news, and is very sad. The authorities decided to go on one last search. The e-mail asked all of us to pray for the search team to have wisdom, and a MIRACLE. Another e-mail came the following day saying that their missing Marine son was not found, but their was a MIRACLE (here’s the e-mail from the parents):

Did God answer the prayer like they intended, no. Did God answer the prayer, yes. I’m not sure how this prayer thing works, but I do know that God works through prayers.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, convince me that You hear my prayers. Thank You that You care, and that You actually want to hear from me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD”  Jeremiah 17:5 (NIV)

Websters dictionary definition of cursed; “being under or deserving a curse“. I hate when I look up a word and they use the word or form of the word in the definition. So I’ll look up curse; “a cause of great harm or misfortune”.

So, “being under or deserving a cause of great harm or misfortune” is our destiny if we place our trust in man for security, and depend on our own abilities (flesh) instead of God’s.

Seems like a pretty heavy sentence. We all have that bent for creating a secure place that is self and man made. Then we go out and take care of our own needs. We may not admit it, but we’re looking out for “ol’ number one”. So, are we all doomed?

Yes, based on this Old Testament passage, yes, doomed. That is why Jesus had to come and rescue us (see “Start the Victory” a top victory247.org). After we receive Him, then we have the ability to release the curse. We can depend on Him, ask Him for strength and direction, seek His desire for our lives, walk by His principles, take the time to know Him, and then follow His leading. And BOOYAH, curse broken!

He doesn’t expect that do everything right, just that we are making progress going in the right direct. The chains of “harm and misfortune” fall off.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want a full life. Help me to depend on You, and dissolve that curse. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me”  John 10:27 (NIV)

This is Jesus talking in today’s verse. He was using the picture of us as sheep listening to the shepherd. He is a shepherd worth listening to and following. He has our best interest in mind. On the other hand, if we just do our own thing, we will wander into danger and self-destruction.

How do we listen to God so that we can follow Him? We can hear Him directing us through reading the bible, wise faith based counsellors, sermons, and devotionals. Our conscience can also be a part of hearing His voice. We have in us a sense of right and wrong. Trusting that can get mixed in with our selfish feelings, so be careful.

One more I would mention is that God can talk to us through impressing thoughts in us that have to be filtered by His Word. On long car trips, I like to listen to music, pray, and think though my life. I can honestly say that He has impressed valuable thoughts in me on those trips. It’s a time to stop the entertainment, and focus on my situation with God guiding my thoughts.

One of my motivations to live by God’s principles isn’t to get on His good side. Instead, I want to know Him so I can hear Him more clearly.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to listen, know You, and follow. Thank You for the blessings and wisdom that will result. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures”  Luke 24:45 (NIV)

The Scriptures are also referred to as God’s Word or Holy Bible. The Bible can be described as “God’s thoughts written down in book form”.  He doesn’t just want us to read it, He longs for us to read His mind. He wants us to know how He thinks.

Close friends often times seem to “read each others minds”. And I’ve heard the conversation between a husband and wife, “let’s go to the game early so we can get the seats we like. Good idea, you just read my mind.” They aren’t actually ‘mind readers’, instead they just know each other so well from being together, sharing thoughts through multiple conversations, watching each other react to situations, that they get a pretty good idea what the other is thinking.

We can get to know God by reading the Bible and praying, and according to today’s verse, we can also ask Him to open our minds to a greater understanding of how He thinks. That encompasses an understanding of people, relationships, handling money, ourselves, as well as, knowing His character and personality.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, open my mind so I can understand the Scriptures. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin”  Psalm 32:5 (NIV)

“Admitting” is a great habit to get into. When we confess our wrongdoings, mistakes, and bad choices to God, He not only forgives us, He forgives “the guilt” that usually follows. Guilt can eat our lunch! Admitting is a “guilt prevention tool”.

We need to watch how we handle our times after we have erred. Do we justify, rationalize, deny, or even try to forget we even did it?

Admitting is also a very good “relationship building tool”. Confessing when confronted by others. Not just defending ourselves, instead try to see things from their perspective. Admit to them the part we played in the situation, not just point out their contribution to the problem at hand.

Here’s a little poem/saying that can ring in our minds; “Admit it, ask God for strength to quit it”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, make me a good “confesser” to You and to others. Help me to “admit it, and get Your strength to quit it”. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow”  2 Corinthians 4:15 (NIV)

When I think of grace, I think of a completely undeserved gift. We can’t earn God’s favor. If we have accepted Christ (see “Start the Victory” a top victory247.org), we have all of His favor already.

So why should we keep His principles? Because it allows Him to protect and provide for us. It is also a way to say thank You for this gift of grace.

After we have received Christ, no longer do we need to work toward God’ s love and acceptance. Instead, we now can work from His love and acceptance!

Grace means; room to keep starting over, room to grow. One of my favorite old hymns says the following…

“Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free; for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, let my service to others, my time with You, and my walk of faith, be a thank You. Not an attempt to earn Your love and acceptance. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.