Category: Victory & Power

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Walk of Victory

A new day! A fresh start – opportunities, potential, promise all lay ahead of you today. How will you spend the time that God has given you today?

If there are obstacles in your way do what Moses did:

“And the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” Exodus 8:20 NKJV

Speak to Pharaoh and tell him the Great I AM – has freed you from his power and set you in a place of victory.

Joshua told us we would have good success if we meditated on God’s word day and night.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 NKJV

And King David told us to rise early and seek God.

“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter.10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.” Psalm 143:8-10 NKJV

This morning in my prayer time the Lord reminded me of the times I have gotten up and told Him, “Father, I just feel like I want to fall into a heap”. But then He also reminded me of why I got up and kept going.

“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one who is in the world.” I John 4:4 CEV

Don’t despise getting up early. It’s God’s time of preparation, getting you ready for the day and a walk of victory!

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Time for A Jail Break

Last night before I went to bed I was strongly impressed with these words, “It’s Time for a Jail Break”!

So many are imprisoned by an enemy that wants to destroy their very lives. This enemy takes on many forms – self-loathing, alcohol, drugs, depression, hatred, narcissism, anxiety, prejudice, jealousy. I’m sure there are more but these are the first to come to mind.

The Apostle Peter was imprisoned because of hatred and jealousy. I’m here to tell you that a jail break has been planned on their behalf. Jesus Christ is the one who can set captives free. I need you to read his story – it’s a longer read but an important one.

“During this same time, King Herod began to do harm to some of those who were part of the church…5 So Peter was kept in jail, but the church was constantly praying to God for him.

6 One night, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two of the soldiers. More soldiers were guarding the door of the jail. Herod was planning to bring Peter out before the people the next day. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord was standing there, and the room was filled with light. The angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him up. The angel said, “Hurry, get up!” The chains fell off Peter’s hands. 8 The angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” Peter did as he was told. Then the angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.”

9 So the angel went out and Peter followed. He did not know if the angel was really doing this. He thought he might be seeing a vision. 10 Peter and the angel went past the first guard and the second guard. Then they came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened for them by itself. After they went through the gate and walked about a block, the angel suddenly left… Many people were gathered there and were praying. 13 Peter knocked on the outside door. A servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 She recognized Peter’s voice, and she was very happy. She even forgot to open the door. She ran inside and told the group, “Peter is at the door!” 15 The believers said to her, “You are crazy!” But she continued to say that it was true. So they said, “It must be Peter’s angel.”

16 But Peter continued to knock. When the believers opened the door, they saw him. They were amazed.” Acts 12:1-16 ERV

God intervened supernaturally in Peter’s jail break. People were praying faithfully for his deliverance. The soldiers and the chains were no match for the power of God.

“‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has chosen me to tell good news to the poor.
He sent me to tell prisoners that they are free…'” Luke 4:18 ERV

If you find yourself imprisoned, I have good news – Jesus has come to set you free. If you are praying for someone who has been chained, don’t quit praying and don’t be surprised when they walk free.

“So if the Son makes you free, you are really free” John 8:36 ERV

God still has the power to break chains and set the captives free!

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How Big Is God?

That’s a good question! How would you answer it?

This morning as I sit here trying to formulate my answer, I am reminded of the many examples of God’s greatness in the Bible. Let me share a few:

  • In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
  • He saved Noah during the flood
  • Parted the Red Sea
  • Had the sun stand still
  • Delivered Daniel from the lions
  • Helped David kill Goliath with a stone
  • Blinded an entire army
  • Raised Lazarus from the dead
  • Stopped a storm at sea
  • Orchestrated a jail break
  • Opened blind eyes
  • Healed a blood disease
  • Turned water to wine
  • Defeated death

“The Lord is your God. He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He is the great God. He is the amazing and powerful fighter. To him everyone is the same. He does not accept money to change his mind. 18 He defends widows and orphans. He loves even the strangers living among us. He gives them food and clothes. 19 So you must also love them, because you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 “You must respect the Lord your God and worship only him. Never leave him. When you make promises, you must use his name only. 21 He is the one you should praise. He is your God. He has done great and amazing things for you. You have seen them with your own eyes.” Deuteronomy 10:17-21 ERV

I guess the next question is this. How big do you need God to be?

“He made heaven and earth. He made the sea and everything in it. He can be trusted to do what he says. 7 He does what is right for those who have been hurt. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord frees people locked up in prison.8 The Lord makes the blind see again.
The Lord helps those who are in trouble. The Lord loves those who do right. 9 The Lord protects strangers in our country. He cares for widows and orphans, but he destroys the wicked. 10 The Lord will rule forever!” Psalm 146:6-10 ERV

What are you facing that is too big or too hard for God to handle?

There is a whole lot of craziness going on in our world but none of it is bigger than our God. All of it combined isn’t bigger than our God!

“God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the Lord, whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.” Exodus 3:14-15 CEV

As big and as great as God is He stills gives us an open invitation to come straight to His throne and find help in our time of need!

How big is God? He’s big enough to handle all my worries and concerns. My God, and my Father is big enough to handle it all!

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Unshakable, Immovable Part 2

This morning’s blog will be the conclusion of yesterday’s teaching.

I want everyone to realize that God’s promises are still true. They haven’t lost their power and they aren’t being withheld because we aren’t worthy to receive them. That’s just not the case.

Let’s continue…

But it’s not a given – the promises of God are true, but we have to appropriate them.

We all have electricity in our houses. But if we don’t know to turn on the switch we will sit in the cold and the dark. It’s that simple. Christ paid the bill, the power is flowing, we have to release that power.

2nd reason: There is a very real devil who is working against us. He wants to destroy us and he will if we don’t fight back.

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

When satan came and tempted Jesus, He resisted the devil’s attacks by using Scripture.  We must follow His example.

 “7 God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.8 Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. 9 But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith.” I Peter 5:7-9 CEV

3rd reason: We get rebellious and want to do things are own way.   Just like a child who is told not to touch the stove because its hot – if the child reaches up to touch the stove, ignoring the father’s advice, and gets burned that’s not the father’s fault. He didn’t allow it or cause it. It was an act of our will.

“16 Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things.”. James 3:16 CEV

4th reason: We get tired of fighting and give up. Seeing God’s promises come to pass is not for the faint of heart.  The Apostle Paul says it’s a spiritual battle. Don’t be moved away from God’s word, therein is our victory!

“Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:12-13 ERV

Never, ever, are we alone. The Father has promised to never leave us or abandon us.  We might get weary and want to give up but if we ask, God will give us all the strength we need.

“Christ gives me the strength to face anything” Philippians 4:13 CEV

God will not force His protection and blessings on us. We have to believe and receive His promises. There’s nothing the devil wants more than to defeat us and make others think God’s word doesn’t work. If he can deceive, he can defeat.

God’s word has stood the test of time, the very gates of hell cannot prevail against it. When we stand on God’s word, we will be unshakable and immovable!

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One More Time!

Yesterday I shared some insights from the book of Joshua. It seemed appropriate to draw on that book again today.

Years ago, I was given a copy of the book, Victorious Christian Living by Alan Redpath. It was written in 1955, long before much was being said about victory in the lives of Christians. Redpath uses Joshua’s experiences to show us how God has designed for us to win. (I would encourage you to find a copy [ebay’s a good place] and read it.)

This morning I was reading about all the kings that came out to fight Joshua and the Israelites when the entered their Promised Land. Moses had led them in successful military campaigns before they crossed the Jordan River but Joshua was given the responsibility to lead the warriors as they defeated the many kings occupying the land.

“…The total number of kings was 31.” Joshua 12:24 ERV

Joshua went from battle to battle. Sometimes he was the aggressor but at other times four or five kings would form an alliance and come out to attack him and the Israelite army. Each time Joshua headed into battle the Lord would give him the same message.

“All these kings met together at the small river of Merom. They joined their armies together into one camp and made plans for the battle against Israel. 6 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of that army, because I will allow you to defeat them. By this time tomorrow, you will have killed them all.” Joshua 11:5-6 ERV

Don’t be afraid – one more time go out to battle; one more time I will give you the victory.

Joshua wasn’t the only one who faced repeated battles. Young David first fought Goliath and then he battled many enemy armies, including one his oldest son led against him. Jesus also faced many personal attacks. Satan came to him with three different temptations when Jesus was physically and emotionally weak. He had just completed a 40 day fast when Satan tempted him with food, with proving his deity and with world-wide acclaim.

“Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!’ 11 So the devil left him. Then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.” Matthew 4:10-11 ERV

Joshua and David won great victories because they trusted God’s word. Jesus was victorious over the temptations of the devil because He placed His trust in God’s word.

The Christian life isn’t void of trials or attacks but like Joshua and even more, like Jesus we can go from victory to victory when we put our trust and confidence in the promises of God.

“But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 ERV

I just had the feeling that some of you woke up this morning with a battle ahead of you. The Lord wanted me to remind you, you’re not in this alone. “Be not afraid, send the devil running. Our victory comes from the Lord”. You’ve got this – He’s got this!

Trust Him – one more time!

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The Power of Prayer

For the last several mornings a bit of my quiet time has had me reflecting on Daniel. When he was a young man, many from the nation of Israel had been taken captive and led away to Babylon.

There he was taken into the king’s palace and groomed to be a royal aid. Daniel remained faithful to the Lord and refused to serve any other gods. The Lord blessed Daniel for his faithfulness. The kings whom Daniel served, recognized his wisdom and promoted him, even over those who were citizens of the land.

The other advisors in the king’s palace were jealous of Daniel and tried to figure out a way to get rid of him. The only flaw they could find in Daniel’s character was his faithfulness to God. The advisor’s had the king draft a law which said anyone praying and worshipping anyone but the king would be sentenced to death in a den of lions. When the king realized he had sealed Daniel’s fate he was filled with remorse. But the law was the law and Daniel was sealed in the lion’s den.

“ So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve save you!” 17 A big rock was brought and put over the opening of the lions’ den. Then the king used his ring and put his seal on the rock. He also used the rings of his officials and put their seals on the rock. This showed that no one could move that rock and bring Daniel out of the lion’s den.” Daniel 6:16-17 ERV

“The next morning, King Darius got up just as it was getting light and ran to the lions’ den. 20 He was very worried. When he got to the lions’ den, he called to Daniel. He said, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you from the lions? You always serve your God.”

21 Daniel answered, “King, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel to save me. The angel closed the lions’ mouths. The lions have not hurt me because my God knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, King.” Daniel 6:19-22 ERV

Daniel’s crime was prayer. God’s answer was deliverance. It was then and it still is now.

“So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes. 7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. 8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. 9 Refuse to follow the devil. Stand strong in your faith.” I Peter 5:6-9 ERV

We have an enemy, the devil, and he is “like” a roaring lion, but he won’t defeat us or devour us if we stand our ground and remain faithful to the Lord. I like to say the devil is a toothless lion because Christ defeated him and stripped him of his powers.

“He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:15 ERV

The Lord closed the mouths of the lions for Daniel, and He will do the same for us. We have the power in prayer to resist the devil and he must flee!

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Scattered

Many of you know that we spent the summer in the mountains. For two weeks we were in an “evacuation ready” status. The grass and the trees were dry, we’d had no rain and the conditions were right for lightning strikes.

One thing we were told to watch for were smoke plumes. If we saw smoke in an area where we hadn’t seen it before we were to notify our managers who would in turn relay the information to the Forest Service.

We were always on alert.

Oftentimes we experience the same conditions in our everyday life. We are emotionally dry, adverse circumstances come and we begin to smolder. The smoke plume is evidence that we may begin to burn. This isn’t a good sign but it’s something the Father knows how to correct. We alert Him to the danger we are experiencing.

“God, get up and scatter your enemies! May all your enemies run from you. 2 May your enemies be scattered like smoke blown away by the wind. May your enemies be destroyed
like wax melting in a fire. 3 But let good people be happy. Let them gather before God and enjoy themselves together.” Psalm 68:1-3 ERV

God scatters His enemies like smoke blown by the wind, scattered like the seeds of a dandelion, scattered like dust across the prairie. The Lord scatters our enemies, putting out the fire of contention and destruction and brings us to a place of joy.

One of the names the prophet Isaiah used when foretelling the coming of Christ was “Powerful God”, Mighty God.

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

Our powerful and mighty God is victorious in battle, able to defeat His enemies and also those who seek to do us harm. He has given us victory, He has scattered our enemies.

“ Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5 It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I John 1:3-5 ERV

Our faith in Jesus and who He is and what He has done for us is what brings us to a place of victory. Our Mighty God, our loving Father stands with us against our enemies, (physical, emotional and spiritual). As we stand with Him, we can boldly proclaim “Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!

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Shout of Victory

Today there will be lots of shouts for the winner at the racetrack.

…a little late with this morning’s blog. Kim and Austin came to spend most of the weekend with us and we set up there air bed in the living room area, i.e., my writing room while we are in the 5th wheel. Didn’t want to wake them at 4 am so waited until breakfast was over to put this out.

There shouldn’t just be shouts of victory from the racetrack, you and I should start our day with victory chants – praise because we made it through the events of yesterday and cheers because we are going to be blessed with many more victories, large and small, today.

Every day is an opportunity for the Father to show His love and kindness on our behalf. It’s also an opportunity to share His love with those around us.

“All of you nations, clap your hands and shout joyful praises to God. 2 The Lord Most High is fearsome, the ruler of all the earth. 3 God has put every nation under our power, 4 and he chose for us the land  that was the pride of Jacob, his favorite. 5 God goes up to his throne,
as people shout and trumpets blast.” Psalm 47:1-5 CEV

“SHOUT joyful praise” because “God goes up to his throne, as people shout and trumpets blast”. When we shout with a voice of triumph the unseen world recognizes that our Father, our God, is our source of victory!

Find a reason to shout – for today is your day of victory!

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Spelling Lesson

School is back in session for most of the kids and they have spelling lessons. Today, I’m going to teach you a new way to spell two words, defeat and quit.

How do you spell defeat? It’s spelled q-u-i-t. How do you spell quit? It’s spelled n-e-v-e-r!

Things come up in life and it looks like we’ll be defeated. Some times the hard things make us want to quit! It could be a relationship, an illness, financial problems, a continued process of setbacks but we must not quit!!!

Fight the battle – victory will come.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

ALWAYS!

Do you remember the story of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Pharaoh and Egypt ? They had seen God do mighty things and now they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land. The Lord told them they would go in and possess the land so they sent in spies to see what the land was like.

Twelve spies went in; they brought back clusters of grapes so big that two men had to carry them on a pole. It truly was a land flowing with milk and honey as God had said it was (He doesn’t lie you know). The land was lush and beautiful. A land to be desired but…the spies reported there were giants in the land.

God knew the giants were there when He said He would give them the land. Were the giants really any bigger an obstacle than the Pharaoh’s army or the Red Sea? If God had provided victory for them in the past, why would they doubt His ability now?

The spies took their eyes off of their God and looked at their own ability. They had given up. They were defeated! Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, tried to get their eyes back on the bigness of God and the people were ready to stone them.

“ It is a land filled with many good things. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us. 9 So don’t turn against the LORD! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land. We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the LORD with us, so don’t be afraid!” 10 All the people began talking about killing Joshua and Caleb with stones.” Numbers 14:8-10 ERV

Trusting God isn’t “a way” to get things done, it’s “the way”. Jesus didn’t say I am “a way”, “a truth” and “a life” – NO! He said I am THE way, THE truth and THE life.

We must stay focused on the greatness of our God or we’ll be like the Israelites and quit before we get started.

I don’t know your situation or what battles you have been fighting but don’t quit! You’re not in this alone – God is there to fight the battle with and for you!

Don’t quit – don’t give up – don’t accept defeat and you will ALWAYS TRIUMPH!

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Singing in the Storm

Imagine with me that you and your closest friend had been arrested. Before you are taken to your cell you were beaten and then chained in a dungeon. You know you are innocent of any crime and still here you are!

What will you do next? Many of us would probably curl up in a corner and bemoan our fate. Life is unfair! Fear would seep in and probably cover us like a blanket. Hope would be gone BUT not if we had our hope anchored to God’s love and His promises. (we read about being anchored yesterday)

This is a real life story so let’s look at what these two friends did.

“After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. 24 The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. 26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.” Acts 16:23-26 CEV

Paul and Silas sang at midnight!

They prayed and they sang. Maybe they remembered the words from Psalm 23:

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” Vs 5 NLT

Maybe they thought of Daniel being thrown to the lions or of those three Hebrews would were condemned to the fiery furnance. Whatever their thoughts, they were focused on the Lord and they were singing.

One of the songs we sang at on-line church on Sunday was running through my mind as I got up this morning. Here’s just a few of the lyrics of Raise A Hallelujah by Bethel Music:

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me


I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

No situation or circumstance is hopeless when we know the One who opens prison doors and sets the captives free. No situation can defeat us when our faith is established in Jesus. Our Father, the God of heaven, comes to our cry.

“Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5 It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5 CEV

If you’re in the middle of a storm right now, warm up those vocal chords and get ready to sing. Anchor your hope in Christ – the King is Alive!!

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