Victorious Living

 

In this life, we often struggle with victory and are overcome by negative circumstances and trials. We focus on the negative aspects and surrender to Satan's lies, ending in depression and defeat. We cannot allow the devil to win victories in our life.

If we consciously embrace the fact that we are blood-bought children of God, we get a glimpse of what it means to live in abundance in body, soul and spirit. We find this life of freedom only through total submission to Christ in God.

God is our Father and He made Jesus our all, who is above all - even the angels - and lives in every authentic Believer. He also lives through us as we totally surrender our plans, goals and desires to Him.

Jesus and our Father are one (John 10:30); and in Christ we too are one with Jesus and our Father God (John 17:21), led by the Holy Spirit and fulfilled in both this life and the next (Galatians 5:15-25). We no longer live, but Christ lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

Jesus came to live, suffer and die so that we might have abundant, victorious life on earth and for eternity (John 10:10). We are born of the flesh and are hindered by the flesh, but as authentic Believers we are also born of the Spirit (John 3:6).

We cannot see the wind, but we can see the effects of the wind. In this same way, we cannot see the Trinity at this time, but we can see and feel the effects of their presence within us and as they use us to further God's Kingdom on this earth (John 3:8).

Jesus made the point with the rich, young ruler that no one is good regardless of how closely we keep the precepts of the law. Jesus even told the young man that only God is good. Only as we recognize God's presence in us can we accomplish anything for the glory of God (Luke 18:19).

Prayer:

Father God, You call all of us who are weary and heavily burdened to come to You to find rest - not as this world gives, but only as You supernaturally give us in abundant supply. As we share Your yoke, we learn from You and You shoulder and take the burden of our load of worries and cares and give us Your light and easy yoke in its place (Matthew 11:28-30).

You are our God of peace and you wholly sanctify us as we totally surrender our life and our burdens to You. We live a victorious life of abundance in You. You preserve our spirit, body and soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings - and make us blameless when we stand before You at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Thought for the Day:

God is faithful, and He calls us to Himself and provides us with eternal salvation for our entire body, soul and spirit now and throughout eternity. - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Great and Precious Eternal Promises

By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him as our only true and living Savior (John 17:3).

He called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3). All of our accomplishments in this life pale when compared to what we gain when we surrender our life to Christ (Philippians 3:8).

God called us into His Kingdom to share in His glory and He shields us by His power (2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:5). He encourages and comforts us as He urges us to live lives worthy of His name (1 Thessalonians 2:12; Psalm 23:3).

In this world we have tribulation, but Christ always restores us and makes us stronger, more stable and unfaltering (John 16:33; 1 Peter 5:10). The more we read His Word and learn of Him and His ways, the more abundantly we experience His grace and peace (2 Peter 1:2).

If we escape the corruption of this world through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and then allow the world to entangle us again and overcome our resolve to follow God, we are worse off than we were before we heard about Him (2 Peter 2:20).

However, as God's Spirit increases Christ's character in us, we are more effective and productive in this life. He confirms our calling and election and keeps us from stumbling (Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Peter 1:5-10).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for delivering us from the corruption of this world by allowing us to personally know our Savior Jesus Christ. Keep us from the entanglements in this world, which attempt to overcome us again (2 Peter 2:20). Lead us into the unity of the faith with Your family as we mature in our knowledge of and intimacy with the whole measure and fullness of Your Son (Ephesians 4:13).

We want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior and to live our life to give Him all the praise and glory forever (2 Peter 3:18). Thank You for the great and precious promises that You give us, which enable us to share in Christ's divine nature and to escape the human desires which attract us to the corruption of this world (2 Peter 1:4).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises as our human standards often accuse Him of being; but He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish in the torment of hell, but for all of us to come to Him in repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

Abundant Supply

Read: 2 Kings 4:3-6

When the creditors threatened to put the widow’s sons into indentured service, she cried out to God for help. God sent Elisha to meet her need. After collecting every available pot and jar she could find from all of her neighbors, the widow started pouring oil from her tiny oil jar, as directed by the Prophet of God. The oil did not stop streaming out until the last jar miraculously filled to the very top.

After selling the abundance of oil, the widow paid her bills and spared her sons from a life of slavery for someone else’s profit. She also had oil for herself, the prophet and her family.

What if she told the prophet she was too tired to gather all of those pots and jars? What if she decided not to bother her neighbors? What if she had quarreled with her neighbors and no one agreed to lend her a jar or a pot? She would have missed out on the blessings of God. It is to our advantage to keep our relationships with our family, friends and neighbors open. You never know when God will call upon you to reach out to them in your time of need; or to minister to them in theirs.

What if she went a little further out into the neighborhood and gathered even more pots and jars? Did she limit God’s provision by gathering too few containers? She had no idea why the prophet gave her this command. She may have considered him a little crazy for telling her to do such a silly chore. As we obey the promptings of God’s Spirit and trust Him no matter how silly His directions sound, He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). God gives us the anointing of His Spirit to do all that He calls upon us to accomplish.

Sometimes, I feel too tired to talk to one more person, go to one more meeting or visit one more church prospect. What would happen if I failed to obey the Spirit of God and decided to hide under my covers instead? I would miss the benefits of God’s supply and deny someone else the blessings that God has in store for them. God gives us the anointing of His Spirit to do all that He calls us to accomplish. He gives us the energy to rise up with wings like eagles and soar (Isaiah 40:31).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You that You care for us and already provided for every need we will ever have. Thank You for Your Spirit to lead us every moment of every day in the center of Your perfect will for us.

Thought for the Day:

God never promises more than we need, but He does declare that He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory (Matthew 6:33).