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

The Tyranny of Self-Effort

Our human effort can never produce spirituality. No amount of carnal exertion, ceremonies, rituals or precepts can govern the spiritual world. Repentance is the first step to true spirituality. This humbles us and allows God into our life. The more we worship our Creator and King, the more spirituality we encourage in our life. This creates a new attitude and mindset in us.

God gives us gifts to use to minister to the lost and dying world around us (1 Corinthians 12:4). We testify to others about what God does in our life. Many will turn a deaf ear, because their life is ruled by the tyranny of self-effort. However, some who are tired of servitude to the dictates of the flesh will be ready to surrender their life to God and to enjoy His love and blessings like we do.

The steady habitation of our spirit by the Spirit of God gives us peace and joy, which transcends what the world and its religions can offer to us. Our connection to God becomes our foremost priority. We deepen our relationship through prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Believers and Christian service in our community. We encounter God’s hand in our life through many significant ways.

God cares about us. He even lived in human form and suffered in every area in which we do (1 Peter 2:21-22; Hebrews 4:15). God cannot fellowship with sin, so we must not grieve His Spirit with our carnality and self-effort (Habakkuk 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). God’s Spirit continually transforms us with the mind of Christ. If we give our constant attention to His will and ways in our life, we will sense God’s powerful presence.

Prayer:

Father God, we relinquish every area of our life, which serves as a distraction to us from following You with our whole heart. We confess every sin, which stands between Your heart and ours. We trust in Your faithfulness and surrender our anxieties and stress to You for Your miraculous healing and provision. Remind us not to allow the cares of this world to choke out our focus on You (Mark 4:19).

Thought for the Day:

A personal encounter with God on a daily basis will free us from the tyranny of self-effort.

Marital Wisdom

The Bible is a complete marriage manual, which God provided for us to use. It covers every little detail and even suggests consequences for a man who fails to follow its precepts (1 Peter 3:7). A man needs to listen to his wife and take her seriously (Colossians 3:19). If she mentions his inconsiderate habits, he can change them (Proverbs 28:13).

As the stronger vessel, he can carry heavy items or open the door for her, especially if she has both hands full (1 Peter 3:7).  He assists in the care of their children by helping with homework, enforcing table manners and supervising bath and bedtime (Galatians 6:2). He helps with the laundry, dishes and vacuuming, especially if she also works a full-time job (Ephesians 5:28). Above all, he speak kindly to her (Colossians 3:19).

Resentment will foster irritation, anger and impatience in your tone of voice and body language; so keep a short account of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Sometimes you may not even know what is causing these negative emotions, so take time to pray about it. Do not withhold physical attention from one another, except for a consensual time of prayer and fasting (1 Corinthians 7:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:4).

Not many men will neglect their own body, and God commands men to care for their wife’s needs with as much consideration as they have for their own needs (Ephesians 5:28). A godly husband honors his wife and appreciates all that she does for him and his family. He ministers to his wife’s body, spirit and soul – her mind, will and emotions, in the same way that Christ cherishes His Bride, the church (Ephesians 5:22-23).

Leave love notes, phone messages, emails, texts and little gifts to remind your wife that you cherish her. Spend time together having fun. Schedule a date night into your weekly calendar and guard it fiercely. Make one another your main priority. Ask what you can do to help each other every day. Pray together and submit to one another as joint heirs to the grace of life (Ephesians 5:21).

Prayer:

Father God, teach each husband to shepherd his wife and children as the loving caretaker of their body, soul and spirit, considering his family’s needs above his own, laying down his life for his loved ones as Christ did for His Bride (1 Timothy 5:8; Ephesians 5:25).

Remind all wives to give their full attention to their husband and to listen to him daily and show joy over his victories and concern about his setbacks. Teach her to show respect and appreciation for him for all that he does for their family and home (Ephesians 5:33). Help each couple to work together to raise their children in Your nurture and counsel.

Thought for the Day:

Take time in your marriage to nourish and cherish one another. - Ephesians 5:29

Reduced to Fools

Read: Exodus 20:18-20

Did you ever notice the absence of the fear of (respect for) the Lord in people today. Everyone is a god unto him/herself, and they make up their own rules for life as they go along. Or else, they create designer gods that fit their philosophy of life and which do not require anything from them.

 

Why should we fear/reverence the Lord? God instructs and confides in those who fear Him. The path of those who reverence the Lord includes prosperity (Psalm 25:12-14). He stores up goodness for them that take refuge in Him (Psalm 31:19). He delivers from famine and death all those whose hope is in His unfailing love (Psalm 33:18-19). He sends His angels to camp around those who fear Him and He delivers them in their times of trouble. He is a refuge to them and they lack no good thing (Psalm 34:7-11). He provides food for them who remember his covenant forever (Psalm 111:5). He takes His delight in them (Psalm 147:11).

Other reasons we have such a high regard for the Lord is that whatever He speaks and commands always comes to pass (Psalm 33:8-9). He puts a new song into our mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many unbelievers see why we sing to Him and then they put their trust in the Lord too and come to fear Him (Psalm 40:3). He gives a heritage to those who fear His name (Psalm 61:5). His love for us is a high as the heavens are from the earth (Psalm 103:11).

To those who obey His precepts and remember His covenant, His love is from everlasting to everlasting…in modern vernacular that is as far as infinity and beyond! (Psalm 103:17-18). He is our help and our shield in times of danger (Psalm 115:11). When we fear Him and walk in His ways we are blessed, we eat the fruit of our labor and His blessings and prosperity are ours. Even our family increases and is fruitful (Ps 128:1-4) and His mercy extends from generation to generation (Proverbs 1:50).

Conversely, those who are wicked and sinful and flatter themselves too much to repent of or to hate their sin do not fear the Lord (Psalm 36:1-2). God brings to everlasting ruin those who do not make Him their stronghold, but trust instead in their earned wealth and grow strong by destroying others. He snatches them up, uproots them and removes them from their homes (Ps 52:5-7).

Therefore, it does not make sense for us to be wise in our own eyes. If we fear the Lord and shun evil, God will bring health to our body and nourish our bones (Proverbs 3:7-8). In Exodus 20:18-20, God shows His mighty power to the Israelites. They are so convicted of their unholiness in His sight, and are so fearful of His awesome power, that they cower behind Moses. The wise will hear this message and learn from it (Matthew 7:24).

Prayer:

Lord God, You are a great God and most worthy of our praise. You are to be feared above all gods. For other gods are mere idols made of wood and stone, but You are the one who made the heavens. We will fear You and praise You and we pray that all of our descendants will honor and revere You (1 Chronicles 16:25-26; Psalm 22:23).

Thought for the Day ~

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...without it, we are reduced to fools.

An Eternal Perspective

Read: Isaiah 57:14-19

"Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You."  - Psalm 9:10

Living with an eternal perspective gives life all the vibrancy and fragrance of a blooming flower. This lifestyle makes it so much easier to align the desires of my heart according to God’s ultimate plan for my life. I no longer look to the body or the soul to find fulfillment, although I do not neglect their legitimate needs. I delight more in reading His Word and in fellowshipping with His Body instead. I start taking every opportunity to invite people to church and to share Christ with every weary soul that He brings my way.

In order for us to have an eternal outlook, God needs to pull out all of the roots of pride, selfishness and self-reliance that prevent us from fully surrendering to Him. This takes years as the roots are strong and deep. Initially, this pruning is uncomfortable. However, ultimately, it frees us from the encumbrances of the flesh and the world. This new spiritual mindset allows us to walk in abiding joy, peace and gratitude as we accomplish His will for our lives on a daily basis.

When we sell out for Christ, we live with a stronger desire to please Him. We love God with all of our heart and we lean on Him for wisdom and guidance throughout the day. We follow Him to the cross and we lose our life for His sake; but then, we find new life through this glorious new intimate relationship with Him (Matthew 10:38-39). As we faithfully follow His precepts, our love for and trust in Him also increases. Simply doing the will of God on a daily basis brings both Him and us so much joy and satisfaction. From then on, the grief we experience when we live outside of His will sends us running back into His everlasting arms.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of Your peace and let me inspire others to believe in You and to willingly shed the pounds of earthly ties that cripple us in so many areas of our life. Give us Your eternal perspective and help us to relinquish the areas of our flesh that bind us to a carnal life.

Thought for the Day:

God's will is a continual journey, not an ultimate destination.

Blessing or Cursing

Read: Number 14:18-24

5 “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” - Exodus 20:5-6, NKJV

When I first read Exodus 20:5, I was hurt to the core. I could not understand how a loving God would curse three or four future generations for the evil behavior of one person. I collapsed on the couch and cried out to God for understanding, trying not to feel too angry at the injustice I saw here.

In His sweet, loving way the Lord said, “Hey, Kathy…read the next verse.”

WOW…He shows mercy to 1,000s of generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. I love that ratio: one to a thousand as compared to one to four. As a just and holy God He must hold us accountable for our choices and behavior. The expected consequences of our actions would naturally affect future generations. Think about it. If a young father goes to jail, his children run the risk of feeling rejected, abandoned, hopeless and helpless, with the possibility of following in his footsteps.

Loving the Lord and keeping His commandments does not necessarily guarantee that our children will follow in His precepts as well; but the chances are much higher. The wonderful thing about this law of generations is that even if our children do not honor the Lord, they are still blessed, because of our decision to trust God with our life. Even our future progeny reap the advantageous blessings that God bestows on thousands of generations that come after us.

This caused me to realize the awesome responsibility that we carry as parents. Our behavior absolutely affects future generations. It is the law of reaping and sowing. I had to take stock of my thoughts, words and actions - to make sure they line up with God’s standards.

I find great comfort now in the fact that He shows mercy to many more generations than He holds accountable. We can assure the success of our children and their children’s children for generations to come by making Jesus our Lord and living according to His precepts (Mt 7:21). In this way, we pass down mercy and blessings, rather than cursing and suffering to our descendants.

PRAYER:

Thank You for Your mercy, Lord, in the face of Your justice. Mold me into Your image and give me both the desire and the power to walk in Your will (Philippians 2: 13).

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

A God who is only merciful, presents just one side of the coin.