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“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” 1Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul was telling his friends in Corinth to watch and imitate his walk of faith. Doesn’t that seem pretty cocky of him?

But Paul wasn’t talking about following him in “being perfect”, instead I believe he was referring to following him in “perfect direction” of heart. His goals and passions were eternal, which affected every area of his life.

Paul knew of Christ’s continual dependence and communication with His Father. By following this, Paul’s actions and motives “got centered” around pleasing the Father, and influencing others to seek Him (eternal stuff).

Paul also discovered that this approach to life gave God free reign to bless, fulfill, and especially to “perfectly direct” his life.

PRAYER FOR TODAY.

Heavenly Father, “center” my actions and motives. Help my heart be “perfectly directed” toward eternal stuff, so that You can “perfectly direct” my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”                         1 Peter 5:7(NIV)

What we do with “worry” can effect our physical, mental and emotional health. The famous quote, “worry bankrupts the spirit”, is so true.

We need to think about the two key words in this verse, ‘cast’ and ‘care’.

I usually relate ‘cast’ to fishing. As a child I learned how to cast. It was more fun for me to cast than to actually catch fish. I realized that the more sinkers (those little lead weights, for you city-folk) I put on my line, the farther I could cast.

We need to put some “sinkers” on our fishing lines and give our worries a lengthy cast deep into God’s grasp.

The second key word, ‘care’, now becomes important to dwell on. God isn’t an impersonal being in the sky, He really cares about us individually.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I cast my worries onto You. Help me to handle life’s anxieties with You at my side. 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, 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 “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.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me”  Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

I grew up watching the original Superman. I didn’t care that a pair of glasses distracted everyone from connecting the true identity of the world famous Superman, with “mild mannered newspaper reporter” Clark Kent.

I loved when Mr. Kent changed into that outfit accessorized with a cape, and branded with a large “S” in the front. That “S” wasn’t just a cool logo, it served as a shield against bullets(I didn’t care that bad guys only shot him in that “S”, why not aim at a shoulder or leg?… oh well). He transformed into a man of great strength that protected the city. When he toted those tights, I felt safe.

The show would end and little boys all across America, myself included, would wrap a towel around their necks and go into pretend mode. As I grew up I realized how far fetched this was. But it did give me a glimpse of how God can be my strength and my shield. In a sense, not only can we lean on God to help us, but spiritually we can put on that “outfit” of His power to live and His protection from evil.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving the Holy Spirit to indwell in me, so I can tap into that strength to live a fruitful life. Remind me to put on that “outfit” each day by acknowledging You in prayer, and asking You to live through me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ”  Philemon 6 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is writing to his good friend, Philemon. Paul was very encouraged in his own “faith-walk” with God just by hearing about Philemon’s strong faith. Now Paul is urging his friend to be active in telling others about faith. This will not only to be a blessing to others, but also it will open up to him a fuller understanding about Christ.

When real little kids play together, they don’t really ‘play together’. I remember my wife setting up play dates with other kids to ‘play together’ with our little ones. It always ended up in a tug-o-war over toys. “Mine!” was the piercing shrill that always was the eventual conclusion of each session.

Kids that age don’t share in a game with toys, they only play beside each other. In the same vicinity, playing their own thing. All the play date did was to allow other kids to attempt playing with our kids’ toys. It was amazing how my son would all of a sudden desire to play with a toy that laid dormant for weeks, just because this ‘intruder’ picked it up.  “Mine!”

As children mature they can develop the ability to share, and actually join forces in a game. That’s when it really gets fun for them.

God wants us to share our faith with others. Even if it is a passing, “I have been praying more lately, and it has helped me focus”, “Our pastor talked about handing conflicts over to God, it has made a huge difference”, “Have you ever thought about why Jesus died for us?”(great conversation as a change of pace with the NFL draft), “Have you ever prayed about that?”… Share faith stuff.

This week think of ways to share, even encourage them to subscribe to VICTORY247.org. The habit of sharing faith-stuff is a guarantee to impact you and others.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, bring people into my path that I can share faith stuff with. Thank you in advance for the great blessing that will eventually follow in my life, and in those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”  Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Sometimes we read the bible and have to read between the lines to try to figure out what He is saying to us. But today’s verse gets right to the point.

What does He want us to do and be? 1-Act justly; be fair, don’t cheat.   2-Love mercy; don’t have to “get even with” or “get back at” those who wrong us, let Him take care of it, and move on. 3-Walk humbly with our God; hang out with Him as we go through our day.

I remember taking walks with my toddlers when walking was new to them. They would take seven steps to my one. They got distracted so easily, but knew I was right there. They would find a rock or piece of glass, tread through the nearest available puddle, lose their balance veering off the edge of the road…

My favorite part of the walk was when they would tug on my pants, extend both arms, and proclaim the magic word; “up”. It’s like a humble acknowledgment that they need a break, “I’ve done my own thing, now I need a hug and a ride to where we are going”.

I loved those times. I wasn’t going anywhere in particular, I just wanted to walk with my child.

God longs to walk along side us. He will redirect us when we take a poor turn, pick us up when we trip, gently takes away sharp objects, steers us around the deep puddles…if we would merely humble ourselves to acknowledge His presence, assistance, and wisdom. And when we need a break, being humble enough to extend our arms to Him and say, “up”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me the strength to treat others right, and remind me to walk and talk humbly with You. Thank You that You want to direct me in life, and carry me when I need a break. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us… And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” Romans 8:26-28 (NIV)