Victory247

“The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” James3:5 (NIV)

I have heard it said that there are two types of people. Those who carry a bucket of water, and those who carry a bucket of gasoline.

When a bad issue comes up, a juicy piece of gossip, a complaint or criticism about someone, there are those who pour water on it to help protect others and squelch it. And there are those who pour gas on it to keep it going and make it grow into destruction.

Our words effect lives. They can cause major damage, or can breathe much needed life, hope and  encouragement into others.

I learned as a kid that messing around with gasoline can literally backfire on you. The warning throughout James 3 is that it WILL backfire, and burn up your insides as you damage others.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to confess and start over when I pour gas on situations. Help me to pour water to protect and uplift others with my words. Thank You for the great blessings that will follow. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The LORD God is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights”  Habakkuk 3:19

This verse was written to people who were going through really hard times (see vs 3:17-18). I like the meaning of the word ‘strength’ here. It stands for “personal bravery” or “invincible army”.

But why are we to be encouraged with being made ‘like the feet of a deer’? Think about the deer-like animals that manage to easily maneuver around the treacherous and unstable footing of those high mountains. Their little hoof is hard and flat enough to handle the rocks, and pointed enough to dig in to the loose terrain for stability.

This reminds me of a saying I use to keep with me as a teenager, “do not pray for an easy task, pray to be stronger”. Back then, life was easy. This only applied to stuff like not hoping my golfing opponent would slice his ball into the woods, but pray that I would execute my game at a high level.

But now life is a lot tougher with job, wife, kids, bills, health…we shouldn’t pray for God to flatten the mountain, or to smooth out and lay outdoor carpet over the cragged rocks. We need to ask for deer feet.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I need Your strength. I need You to make my feet like those of a deer, especially when times gets tough. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”   Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Sometimes I feel like we are forced to make our own plans. “What are you going to major in?”, “What are you going to be when you grow up?”, “What are your goals in life?”…

Sure, striving for something is okay as long as we are convinced that we have a God that knows what’s best for us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what direction will fulfill us.

WHAT A RELIEF to not have that all on our shoulders. This verse can change our prayer times.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I know what it seems I should be doing and striving to do, but what do You want? Give me Your direction for my life. Open me to what You have for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand”  Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)

All throughout the bible we can find the message to keep trying, keep starting over. Admit wrongful words, thoughts and actions then ask God for the strength to keep going in the right direction.

I had 4 children and one of the highlights of parenting was teaching them to ride a bike. I recall my wife and I sprinting along side of them while barking out encouragement and instruction. Of course the inevitable crash, followed by more words of encouragement (my favorite is one of my sons plowing straight into a fluffy pine tree and completely disappearing).

Needless to say, they each got back on their bike and tried until they could ride like the “big kids” could. They failed their way to success!

God doesn’t want us to beat ourselves up for mistakes and poor choices we make. He ‘delights’ that we go in the right direction; not  be perfect, just going in the right direction.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your continual forgiveness. Give me the strength to keep getting back on the bike that is going in the right direction. Don’t allow guilt to crush 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”  Philipians 4:12 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul went through a lot in his life. He was wealthy and poor. Experienced great joys and deep heartbreaks. Amongst a lot of friends and completely alone in a dark prison cells.

So when this guy says ‘every situation’, he means ‘every situation’.

He unlocks his ‘secret of being content’ throughout his writings in the bible. Here’s the one’s I have found.

1) Understand that God will use all circumstances to help us grow, mature and learn if we depend on Him.

2) Be convinced that we are “just passing through” to a better place one day. Also, He will get us to the other side of hard times, they will end.

3) Be thankful and not a complainer. A young man named Rudy fulfilled his dream of being on the Notre Dame football team as a practice player. On senior day he finally got to actually dress for the game. He was thrilled just to run through the tunnel onto the field with thousands cheering. Getting in the game for two plays was a bonus. He was content and thankful just to be on the sideline in uniform watching his teammates.

Being a coach, I know that his team was filled with unhappy players because they weren’t in “every” play. Others weren’t getting to run the ball more. Some weren’t getting enough newspaper praise…

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, make me a content person. Teach me to be thankful for what I have, not focused on what I don’t have. To be thankful for the good in friends, family, bosses…not focused on the bothersome stuff. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” Exodus 33:11 (NIV)

I have always been intrigued with this verse. Moses would go into a special tent and actually talk to God.

I do understand that things worked a little differently in the Old Testament. But the description of how they conversed blows me away, ‘as one speaks to a friend’!

This changed my prayer times. This changed how I view God. Sure, He is a holy, all powerful Deity. Yet, He is my friend.

During some really stressful times, I have gotten in my car to go for a drive to get alone and  pour my heart out to my Friend.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, teach me to be Your friend. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” Luke 6:27-28 (NIV)

Jesus said this with several reasons in mind, one being to show the people that it is impossible on their own to live up to God’s standard.

And for me, this verse seemed impossible until the the day I decided to take the challenge. I sat down, prayed, and made what I called a “hate list”. It was the people in my life, past and present, that truly bothered me.

The list was surprisingly longer than I imagined. I came up with past coaches, girls that didn’t want to date, jerks…but most interestingly, some were family who I wanted to love.

I asked God to give me the ability to forgive and care about each one I daily and individually prayed for on my list. My ‘enemies’ started to turn into people with needs and insecurities. I could forgive them. I realized that I was guilty also! That my offenses to God were undeservedly forgiven by Him.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me keep a short list by forgiving quickly. Remind me to hand people over to You and watch You do supernatural social and mental healing. Thank You that You forgive me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Sometimes we limit God by trying to make prayer an exact equation, or by putting Him in a box that we can wrap our minds around.

God is bigger than we can imagine. He is bigger than our problems. He is even bigger than our prayers!

As we move forward in developing a personal relationship with God, we need to allow Him to unfold His power and “size” to us. When we talk and walk with Him throughout the day, we need to realize that He invented this world and created us.

There was a man that went ice fishing. He cut out a huge, 10′ x10′ hole. His buddies told him that he only needed a hole that a fish can fit through. The man replied, “I know, that’s what I’m doing”.

Maybe God expects us to have higher expectations of Him.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to live in light of knowing that You are a big and way more than capable God. Increase my faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds”  Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)

I was always fascinated with cowboys on TV when I was a little kid. I had no idea all the equipment they wore had a purpose, I just knew they wore it and it was so cool!

The hat, chaps, scarf, boots, gloves, and most importantly, the spurs. They would jingle, jingle as the cowboy would strut through those swinging saloon doors.

It wasn’t until later in life that I realized that spurs weren’t just a form of the Early West bling. They would be jabbed into the sides of the horse to jolt him to go faster. I guess we could say they were the horses’ form of an energy drink.

Today’s verse is telling us to ‘spur’ others. Words of praise or encouragement, acts of kindness and gifts, all can give us that jolt of energy we need to keep going. When people see us, hopefully they are hearing that jingle, jingle coming their way.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me be convinced of how much You love me, so that I will be a ‘spur’ for others. 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.