Victory247

“I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is”

Ephesians 3:18 (New Century Version)

This is interesting that Paul was consumed that his friends in Ephesus could have the ability to ‘understand’ how much God loved them.

As a basketball coach of many years, I know that my players will perform at their highest level if they are convinced that I respect and care about them as people. Not just pons in my quest to use them to be a winning coach. I would pray and sacrifice for them. The “team” was theirs, not mine. I was there to serve and direct “their team”. There was no room for me to yell at and degrade them like almost all of my counterparts.

Because they were convinced of my love, our teams won a ridiculous amount of games. Even when I had a 3-18 season, those players played harder than their bigger and more skilled opponents.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me ‘understand’ more and more how huge Your love is for me. I want You to coach me how to live, think, and be. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit”

Ephesians 3:16 (New Living Translation)

A true believer in Jesus has the Holy Spirit indwelling. That’s where we get our ‘inner strength’. As we go throughout our day, God loves when we ask the Holy Spirit to empower and direct us.

Back in my Christian college days, in the cafeteria most students bowed their heads to say a quick prayer of thanks for their food. I was usually so hungry that I would say that prayer waiting in line! After getting my food and sitting down to eat, I felt the need to say a quick prayer purely out of peer pressure. That was stupid, so I started using that time to ask God to help me interact with those around me (especially if there was a cute girl at the table).

I learned a valuable lesson in doing that and saw the Lord develop my social skills as I began to pray about all of my interactions. The Spirit was working in me.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I need Your inner strength in all I do and say. Work in me and through me to make me the fulfilled person You created me to be. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“In Jesus and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”

Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)

Because God is holy and completely clean, we have no chance on our own to ‘approach’ Him. The mentality that we can be “more good than bad” to earn the rite to heaven or a connection with God is far from biblical.

One drop of poison in a pure glass of water contaminates the whole thing. Just as one small sin corrupts our ability to have a relationship with God.

Jesus was sinless and completely clean. By asking Him to be our Representitve, like an attorney representing a client, we now can ‘approach God with confidence and freedom’!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I accept Jesus as my representitive. Thank You that I can now tap into Your help, blessings and guidance. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

‘Workmanship’ sounds like a master craftsman using his hands to custom create something. If he has to make several copies, each piece is tediously crafted. Similar, yet very unique.

We are all unique, created with unique gifts, desires and abilities. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to compare ourselves to others. We just need to be “the best me I can be”. That comes out as we depend on God more and more in every area of life, especially in doing ‘good works’; helping others, giving our time or money toward a cause, serving in a church or ministry…

Not only does who we are start to blossom, but our mission or purpose in life starts to unfold to us.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, as I depend on You and help others, show me my purpose. Don’t let me get in the way of the fulfilled individual You uniquely created me to be. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints”

Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)

Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to truly comprehend, be ‘enlightened’, of what they have now and in eternity. A ‘glorious inheritance’!

There’s a story of a young English man who was so poor that he worked for a year to purchase a ticket to America. He boarded the massive ship with some cheese and crackers because he knew he couldn’t afford the food on the long boat ride. Everyday when all the other passengers feasted at the large buffet table, he would huddle into a corner to nibble on his cheese and crackers.

One day the captain of the ship saw the half starved young man eating the last of his meager food portions. The captain said, “Young man, didn’t you know that when you purchased your ticket that all the meals were included?”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, open ‘the eyes of my heart’, that I will understand all the blessings I have inherited when I accepted Jesus, the purchaser of my “ticket”. In His Glorious Name. Amen.

“Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”

Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)

Ephesus was a major seaport in which goods came from the eastern part of the world. The merchants from Rome would go there to purchase those goods. They would crate what they bought and put a wax ‘seal’ on their crate. They then pressed their personalized signet ring into the wax as a sign of ownership. It is a claim that “this is mine!”.

God has purchased us after we believed and trusted in Jesus. Then He went one step further, He put on us His seal of ownership. We can rest secure and strive forward with His blessings. (see “Start the Victory” atop Victory247.org to make sure you understand trusting in Jesus)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for the seal of Your ownership on my life when I accepted Your Son’s payment on the cross. I’m Yours to mold, protect, use and bless. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”

Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

‘Redemption’ is one of those big bible words that we sometimes browse over. But this word has “foundation to our faith” type meaning…

The idea here is to purchase a slave off the market who cannot pay his debts. He has been sold into slavery, because of his inability to pay his debts. And someone now has come along and paid his debt for him, has redeemed him.

We owed a debt we could not pay. We were sold into the slavery of sin. But Jesus paid the debt that we owed by shedding His blood. His horrible crucifixion death was the price tag. Think about it, He paid it!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for paying for my freedom and eternal life. Remind me of that purchase so that my day will reflect my enormous appreciation. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place”

Psalm 8:3 (NIV)

When I was a little kid I would lay on my back and stare up into the late summer nighttime sky. I remember thinking that it was almost ridiculous how big, vast and unknown it was. Why didn’t we just have a ceiling that ended?

As I grew older and gave my life to Jesus, He started to help me understand that He is practical, yet beyond understanding all at the same time. Like a multimillion dollar corporation owner wanting to hang out with a loading dock worker. Now when I look at the sky it is my reminder that I have a big God. “Big God, little problems. Big problems, little God.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, Your “bigness” makes Your personal interaction with me more special. Thank you that You care, and that You are bigger than all of my problems and needs. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye”

Psalm 17:8 (NIV)

In this day and age, people are considered to be important for so many different reasons—titles, position, possessions, where you go, what you drive. But God’s value system is very different from the value system of the world. God cherishes and values you so much today simply because He made you. You are ‘the apple of His eye’; the center of His world!

If you’ve ever thought that God has too many other important things on His plate to be concerned with you and your life, know this today—you are God’s number one priority. And there’s nothing you can do to be more important or less important to Him. He values you today and your value will never change. You are significant. Your life is significant. The things that concern you, concern God. He carefully watches over every detail of your life, and there is nothing too big or too small for His attention.

Don’t be afraid to take your concerns and cares to the Father. He loves to hear you call upon Him. He is waiting to show Himself strong on your behalf.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for loving me today. Thank You for keeping me the apple of Your eye. I open my heart and mind to You and cast every care on You. I receive Your love for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made”

Psalm 7:15 (NIV)

Sometimes we get ourselves into tough situations that we bring on ourselves. The common saying; “If you play with fire, you will get burned”, is from the same biblical logic (but this verse is a funnier picture).

A gossip will probably be gossiped about, a mean person seems to find people who are mean to them, one who doesn’t help others usually has to pay someone for help…

Also, if we mess around with sin, we will experience it’s sting. “If you don’t want trouble, stay out of trouble’s orchard”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me the ‘pits’ I am digging. Give me forgiveness and the strength to change. Don’t let me get in the way of the blessings You long to hand me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.