Victory247

“Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayer, and thank him for all he has done”

Philippians 4:6

This is a tough passage to accomplish, but a good one to work on. ‘Worry’ can consume us at times. I know people who feel that if they worry hard enough, it will help prevent something bad from happening. Worry can tie us in emotional knots. “Worry doesn’t help tomorrow’s troubles, but it does ruin today’s happiness”.

Feeling a rush of anxiety coming over us can be that reminder to hand the situation or issue over to God through prayer. He loves when we give Him our stresses and worries. It is an act that grows our faith and loosens those knots. Many try to find relief by other means like drinking, complaining, poor eating… These all give momentary relief, but are like trying to quench our thirst with salt water.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I give You my worries. Please build my faith as I continue to hand You more and more situations and issues. Thank You for Your divine relief and protection. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”

Philippians 3:13 (NIV)

Sometimes our past can haunt us (recent or long ago). We can hear a little voice say, “who are you to expect good things from God?” “Who are you to expect God to forgive and then bless you?”

THE GOOD NEWS is that God is the God of the “Start over!”

The apostle Paul, who wrote this passage, is convinced that God allows us to ‘forget what is behind’. That’s what motivates him, and hopefully all his readers, to ‘strain’ ahead to be all God can create in us. Also, to strive to do meaning things and have a life of significance.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that accepting Jesus’ payment on the cross gives me the right to continually confess wrongs and move on. Give me the ability to ‘forget’ and ‘strain ahead’. All because of Jesus. Amen.

“…Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend”

James 2:23 (NIV)

The all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe wants to be our friend! He wants to walk with us, talk with us and simply share life with us. That’s why He created us, first and foremost, for His fellowship.

The Bible says that God is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He will never leave us. He is with us always.

What an honor and privilege it is to be called God’s friend. Let that sink down into your heart today. The enemy tries to tell us that we are alone in this world, or no one understands what we are going through. With God as our friend, He’ll lead us and walk with us down the path of victory!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for being my friend today. Thank You for loving me and being faithful to me. Help me understand Your friendship today so that I can be a better friend to those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”

Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

Paul was writing to his friends in Philipi. He tells them that he is consumed with‘knowing Christ’. WHAT did he mean by this? The amplified bible describes it well; “progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]”.

HOW does this happen in our individual lives? I believe we need to treat God as a personal friend, as well as,…ah…God. Prayer is like talking with an intimate companion. The bible is God ‘s desperate attempt to make Himself known by us.

WHY? Blessing, fulfillment, to impact others, to better understand life and living it with inner peace and satisfaction.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to know You more. Teach me how to know You more. Fill me with the desire to know You more. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become pure children of God, living in a crooked and depraved generation, shining like stars in the universe “

Philippians 2:14-15

As you go through your day, listen to all the complaining and grumbling. Nobody seems to be content. Nobody spends a lot of time looking at the other side’s point of view. It feels good to gripe and paint ourselves as the expert.

I was pulled aside by a wise man who noticed that I came across like I had all the answers. He advised me that I needed to have a healthy self-doubt. He told me to ask myself, “could I be wrong here? Could I be not completely understanding the whole picture? Could there be a variable I’m missing? What are they really trying to say to me?”

So outside of the essentials, like faith in Jesus being the only way to salvation, I’ve become much more thoughtful and open to others’ point of view.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want to ‘shine’ in this dark generation by not ‘complaining and arguing’. Give me understanding, tact and compassion as I interact. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others”

Philippians 2:4 (God’s Word Translation)

Sometimes we get so self-consumed that we miss out on a life of significance and blessing. When we take the time and effort to care about the needs of others, God will use that as an open door to invade our lives. It’s almost as if the more we look to help others, the more He will take care of us.

There’s a saying that also helps motivate an others-oriented mentality; “Blessing shared, double the blessing. Burden shared, half the burden”. Even watch our conversation. Do we only talk about ourselves, or do we ask caring questions of others?

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give  me the strength to open the door to Your blessings and care by being ‘concerned about the interests of others’. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”

Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Paul was talking about his deliverance from a tough situation. He seems to be saying, “I can’t lose, even if I die”. He is going to continue his mission of helping others understand a relationship with God through Christ. But if he dies, it is ‘gain’.

It’s almost as if he is enjoying an amazing plate of spaghetti and meatballs (my personal favorite) while knowing at any time he could have that taken from him. Then getting that replaced with a hot fudge sundae.

I’m scared of death, but Paul was convinced of how great heaven will be- the ultimate dessert of our existence.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You that through Jesus I can be convinced of heaven (see “Start the Victory” atop the victory247.org site if you are unsure). Help me live a full life without those fears that can restrict and hinder me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I thank my God every time I remember you”

Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

Paul is writing to the followers of Christ in Philippi. They are a group of believers that he must have had some good times with and took their relationship with God seriously. When he thinks and ‘remembers’ them it made him feel encouraged.

If we have people that have been in our lives, past or present, it is good for us to think of them and thank God for them.

I use to keep pictures by my bedroom mirror of past friends that influenced my life. Those who God had impacted their lives. Several mornings I would wake up and not “feel” like God even existed. Feelings come and go, but those individuals who were effected by a living God were real! It sustained my growing faith.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, as I think about friends, family and others You have allowed to intersect my life over the years, I want to thank You for them. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you”

Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)

God may want to take you places that you’ve only dreamed of. He can cause things to fall into place so that you can accomplish what He has placed in your heart.

Your mind may try to talk you out of it, but present your dreams and desires to Him. Don’t let discouragement keep you down. Allow His ‘glory’ to ‘rise upon you’.  Choose to expect His goodness. Choose to ‘arise, shine’ and receive every blessing He has in store for you!

Don’t let “Johnny RainCloud” tell you who you are and what to expect.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I give You my hidden dreams and hopes. Thank You for preparing a bright future for me. Help me to ‘arise’ and ‘shine‘. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure”

Proverbs 11:14 (NIV)

In this verse, God is telling us to be humble enough to get advice. Other people can see things with a different twist. Or derive good suggestions based on varied life experiences. When making difficult decisions we need to seek the advice of good people that have biblical and moral values. Not just from those who we think are going to tell us what we want to hear.

I’m sure that LeBron James only listened to those who didn’t want to rub him the wrong way and told him just what they thought he wanted to hear. As a result his image was tarnished because how he released the big news of his decision to leave Cleveland. Not the fact that he left, but how he tactlessly did it. When I heard the interview my first thought was; “doesn’t this poor guy (a very wealthy one) have any friends that will shoot straight with him?”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, show me how to use the ‘advisers’ in my life to make good decisions. Lord, be my biggest adviser and counsellor. Guide my heart and mind. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.