AN OVERWHELMING VICTORY

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord
and in his mighty power.



The amount of work that a computer can complete in just a few seconds can really surprise you at times, yet it’s been found that to match the computing capabilities of the human brain, a computer would have to be the size of the Empire State Building. The Bible tells us that as, “a man thinks, so is he.” This Biblical truth teaches us that discouragement or negative thinking is one of man's biggest enemies. The architect of the Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland drafted and submitted sixty plans, one after another, all of which were rejected. Just as he was about to give up, his wife told him, “Create a sixty-first one, John.” It was the sixty-first plan that was accepted and built. Keep on keeping on because the Word of God says in Romans 8:37, “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” The mighty power is ours, don’t let anybody tell you differently.

AN OFFER YOU SHOULDN'T REFUSE

Romans 1:28
When they refused
to acknowledge God,
he abandoned them
to their evil minds
and let them do things
that should never be done.



According to Romans 1:29-32, when people didn't acknowledge God, “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” If you find that you fall into any of the categories listed, humble yourself before God and acknowledge Him as your Savior. Don’t refuse God, the result isn’t ever worth it. His offer of salvation is an offer you shouldn't refuse.

THE GODLESS & BARREN

Job 15:34
For the company of
the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents
of those who love bribes.



During World War II, French industrial multi-millionaire Joseph Joanovici helped the invading German Nazis by selling precious metals to Hitler's forces. When the Nazis occupied Paris, Joanovici used his wealth and influence to bribe several German officers for his personal safety, which resulted in him later being implicated in the deaths of many French resistors. Eventually, the law caught up with Joanovici and bribery was the root cause of his downfall. So what’s the moral of this story? Well, it's simply that one can disregard the principles of the Bible, but you can’t disregard the aftermath of that decision. Face it, you can't buy, bribe or excuse your way out of the trials of your path. Give yourself over to Lord and you'll find your barren life filled with joy.

NEITHER HOT OR COLD

Revelations 3:16
But since you are like lukewarm water,
I will spit you out of my mouth!

Author Andrew Carnegie once said that, "The average person puts only 25 percent of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50 percent of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100 percent.” The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” And in 1 Corinthians 7:23, “God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.” It would only be proper for us to give 100 percent to the One who owns us, anything less really ought to be unacceptable to Him. Serve God with hotness and He won’t reject and spit you out.

A FACE LIKE STONE

Jeremiah 14:21
For the sake of your own name,
LORD, do not abandon us.
Do not disgrace yourself
and the throne of your glory.
Do not break your covenant with us.
Please don't forget us!



Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.” (Luke 21:33) Jesus' promises are true because they’re all anchored upon His Holy name. Dwight L. Moody, an American evangelist and publisher, wrote that one of his favorite verses that he would always call upon during emergencies says, “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.” (Isaiah 50:7) And triumph he did. If you set your face like stone, and you display the determination to do his will, you’ll triumph, too.

GLORY AND HONOR

1 Timothy 1:17
Glory and honor to God forever and ever.
He is the eternal King, the unseen one
who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.



Let’s wake up to the reality that God is real, and He will remain our Eternal King forever. According to psychiatrist and author, Dr. Leonard Zunin, mankind’s biggest problem is loneliness. It's believed that King Charles II of Spain could not sleep unless a priest and two monks were present in his bedroom. God made us as social beings created to be in fellowship with Him. From the beginning, our allegiance was to Him and Him alone, until Satan cheated man into believing the lie that we could stand independently like gods. Isn't that how many people live today? What really needs to happen is for man to return allegiances to the Eternal King for the gift of eternal life. Give glory and honor to Him and you’ll have eternal glory with God in Heaven forever.

YOU'RE SET FREE

1 Corinthians 15:28
Then, when he has conquered all things,
the Son will present himself to God,
so that God, who gave his Son authority
over all things, will be utterly supreme
over everything everywhere.



Ephesians 4:8 tells us why Jesus came to earth: “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." Also, Jesus came to conquer death, the greatest enemy of man, because as declared by Paul in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Alexander the Great ruled over Macedonia at the age of sixteen, became a victorious general at eighteen, and ascended to become king at twenty, but ultimately he died a drunkard before he was thirty-three. He had conquered the known world of his time, but was captured by the world’s vices. When you surrender to Jesus, you’re surrendering to the Conqueror that has set you free from death.

THE PROMISE OF PROSPERITY

Psalm 1:1-3
Oh, the joys of those
who do not follow
the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with scoffers.
But they delight in doing
everything the LORD wants;
day and night they
think about his law.
They are like trees
planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each
season without fail.
Their leaves never wither,
and in all they do,
they prosper.



Patrick Henry once said, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and I had not given them a single shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them the entire world, they would be poor indeed." The promise of prosperity is there for everybody. The only challenge is to obey the will of the Word of God. If you're obedient in all that you do, it is certain that you will find prosperity.

SOUND THE ALARM

1 Thessalonians 5:14
Brothers and sisters,
we urge you to warn
those who are lazy.
Encourage those who are timid.
Take tender care of
those who are weak.
Be patient with everyone.



As Christians we tend to get comfortable with the blessings of God and with His promises. We forget that we are soldiers for Christ with marching orders to advance His kingdom. Paul reminded Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18, “Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they give you the confidence to fight well in the Lord's battles.” In giving his testimony to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7, he wrote, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” Be warned – while success is at hand – you don’t want to adopt a nature of laziness or timidity.

EVERYDAY

Psalm 16:8-9
I know the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken,
for he is right beside me.
No wonder my heart
is filled with joy, and
my mouth shouts his praises!
My body rests in safety.



A student once asked a teacher, “Instead of giving the Israelites manna everyday, why didn’t the Lord provide a years worth of manna to His people all at one time?” The wise teacher responded, “I’ll answer you with a parable. Once there was a king who had a son to whom he gave a yearly allowance, paying him the entire sum on a fixed date. It soon happened that the day on which the allowance was due was the only day in the year when the son would take time to see his father. So the king changed the plan and began issuing a daily allowance that was sufficient for that entire day. After that, the prince visited his father every morning. He didn’t just receive the daily allowance; he received his father’s much needed unbroken love, companionship, wisdom and giving! Thus God dealt with Israel and deals with us.” This is likely to be the reason why Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. He knew that our hearts would be filled with Joy when we are in His presence. The Lord doesn’t want to see us once a year or every so often, He wants us to be by His side everyday.

FEAR NOTHING

Psalm 34:4
I prayed to the LORD,
and he answered me,
freeing me from all my fears.



Fear is something that can paralyze a person. Faith and fear are proportionally correlative meaning, when your fear is high, your faith is low. The way to decrease fear, however, isn't to increase your faith, but rather to increase love. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” I remember once seeing an illustration about mothers where suddenly a snake appeared and everybody ran off except for the mothers, who instead of showing fear stayed put because of love to make sure the babies were safe. Their love for their children outweighed their fear of a deadly snake. The love in our hearts for God increases our faith in Him and makes us fearless to do seemingly impossible things.

FAVOR AND KINDNESS

Ephesians 2:7
And so God can always point to us
as examples of the incredible wealth
of his favor and kindness toward us,
as shown in all he has done for us
through Christ Jesus.



During the reign of King Henry VIII, it was customary for each of the bishops to bring gifts to the monarch on New Year’s Day. Bishop Latimer went with the rest of his brethren to make the usual offering, but instead of a purse of gold he presented King Henry with a New Testament Bible. The greatest gift that we could ever give someone is the knowledge of Jesus because in Him is abundant life and incredible wealth. John 1:1-3 and 14 tells us all about Jesus: “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make.” If the Creator of everything is sincerely in your heart, you can be certain that you're an heir to his vast kingdom and incredible wealth.

CLAY IN HIS HANDS

Psalm 37:11
Those who are gentle and
lowly will possess the land;
they will live
in prosperous security.



Psalm 37:11 is true not only for Old Testament times, but also for the modern generations. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5), Jesus says, “God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them.” You also may have heard of the saying, "The horse that wins the race is the meekest on the track.” The meekest horse is the one with the most control; the horse that responds most quickly and obediently to the jockey’s guidance and command. Conversely, the self-willed horse might run faster than many others at the beginning of a race, but often will not finish the race and lose. Meekness is the proper recognition of who we are and who is in control. God is the Potter and we are the clay. We are clay.

REWARDS

Psalm 18:20
The LORD rewarded me
for doing right;
he compensated me
because of my innocence.



Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:9, “So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” In 1971, boxers Joe Frazier and Muhammed Ali each received $2.5 million to fight each other – regardless of whether or not anyone actually watched the match or not. As Life magazine had parlayed, it was “the most money ever paid to any man for a maximum 45 minutes work.” That statement, however, was inaccurate because both boxers worked hard throughout their careers to prepare for those forty five minutes. Work hard towards your goals because the rewards for your good work will be waiting for you.

WORST CASE SCENARIO

1 Peter 4:7
The end of the world is coming soon.
Therefore, be earnest and
disciplined in your prayers.



The end of the world is something that is surely coming. As for when the end will occur – no man knows that information. The end is described in the book of Matthew 24:21-22 with, “For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.” When disaster would strike a ship of the British Navy, a bugler would play “The Still” to alert the men on board to stop, collect their senses and prepare for emergency action. That said, our bugle call has been sounded in the Word and we need to be disciplined in our prayers to God because an emergency is upon us and the worst is yet to come.

WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

2 Corinthians 6:17
Therefore, come out
from them and separate
yourselves from them,
says the Lord.
Don't touch their
filthy things, and
I will welcome you.



As a child of God you are commanded by Him to separate yourself from people that make a practice of doing the wrong things. Matthew 7:21-23 says, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” What does this mean? It means that not all people what say they are Christian actually are Christians, so choose your circle of friends with great care. A poor decision could cost you.

PAYBACK

Romans 12:17
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
Do things in such a way that
everyone can see you are honorable.



A philosopher once said, “He who injured you was either stronger or weaker. If he was weaker, spare him; if he was stronger, spare yourself.” There is an even better way to handle this kind of situation from the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:39: “Don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too.” This doesn’t mean that you will allow yourself to be mistreated, but rather you get to show the world what kind of character you have. God’s part in this is clearly stated in Romans 12:19, “Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord.” Let the Lord take vengeance for you. He does a better job than us at that, too.

BE STILL AND KNOW

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts,
since as members of one
body you were called to peace.
And be thankful.



I once saw a painting where the artist depicted perfect peace as a bird's nest overhanging through a raging waterfall with the winds whipping about. That bird sat peacefully over her unhatched eggs, safe from predatory enemies, shielded and protected by the roaring falls. Peace doesn't mean that there's an absence of problems, but rather it means that you feel safe in the midst of those very problems. Find your peace today in the arms of God, through Christ the Savior and the in encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

ETERNAL PAST AND FUTURE

Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were created,
before you made the earth and the world,
you are God, without beginning or end.



God is omnipresent. He is in the eternity past and in the eternity future. He was there when you were born and is even now in the future on the day of your physical death waiting to start an eternal life with you. Herbert Fisher said in A History of Europe that, “Men wiser and more learned than I have discovered in history a plot, a rhythm, a predetermined pattern. But these harmonies are concealed from me. I can see only one emergency following another, as wave follows upon wave – there can be no generalization. There is only one safe rule for the historian – that he should recognize in the development of human destiny the play of the contingent and the unforeseen.” We are limited, but our timeless God knows the paths that we’ll take. Let Him hold your hand and make His Word a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. You can start it off simply by making Him your Lord and Savior.

BEYOND YOUR CONTROL

John 14:1
Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God,
believe also in me.



Are there situations in life that are beyond your control? I have been through so many of those situations and today as I write this I’m in one of those situations again. As I started this day with the Word of God, the first words that He showed me were, “Let not you heart be troubled.” Even before I made a decision for myself, He already gave comfort to my heart and reminded me that He is in control. An extraordinary nurse that served patients for more than twenty years, but wasn’t well compensated, was asked by one of the doctors she worked with, “Why don’t you make them pay you more?" He added, "You ought to have at least a little more. God knows you’re worth it.” There was a short pause and the nurse smiled and responded, “Doctor, if God knows I’m worth it, that’s all that matters!” The Bible says promotion comes from the Lord. Just be patient, because some situations are beyond your control. God knows what you are going through. Remember, He is a just God.

AMAZING GRACE

Romans 5:2
Through whom we have gained
access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand.
And we rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God.



Grace is the undeserved blessing of God. He has given us an all access pass to enjoy this grace, even though we’re unworthy, because of our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s believed that when John Newton, composer of the hymn Amazing Grace, was asked his opinion regarding grace he said, “When I was young I was sure of many things; there are only two things of which I am sure now: one is, that I am a miserable sinner; and the second is that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior.” You might know all the right people and you might even have access to high places, but only Jesus can give you that all access pass to the amazing grace that leads to the heavenly places.

CLAIM IT

2 Peter 1:1
I am writing to all of
you who share the same
precious faith we have,
faith given to us by
Jesus Christ, our God
and Savior, who makes
us right with God.



An heirloom is precious because of its value and because it's usually from a person near and dear to you. Something precious is typically priceless and indeed Peter was writing about a precious and priceless faith. Faith is something given to us by Jesus and if any person receives that faith, their lives are guaranteed to change. I read a story about a wealthy old man who died and willed everything from his estate to be auctioned off. The first item to be auctioned was a crayoned childlike drawing of the old man’s son. The people attending the auction came only for the well known pieces of art and they certainly weren’t going to waste time bidding on a scribbled drawing of a person they'd never seen before. Silence came across the room as no bids were made on the drawing until a weak old voice emerged from the rear of the room. It was the old nanny of the rich man's son, and she knew exactly who the person was in the portrait and how much the old man loved and valued his precious son. She said, “I’ll bid for that drawing,” and easily won the bid without competition. The auctioneer handed the silly looking drawing over to the nanny and then heavily pounded the gavel announcing, "The auction has ended." The other attendees shouted, screamed and complained about the auction ending early and yelled that they wanted to bid on the other treasured pieces in the rich man's catalog. The auctioneer told the angry crowd, “The deceased’s will was that whoever bid and won the drawing of his son would get all the paintings.” What's the moral of the story? Simple. If you want the beauty and treasures of life, you first have to claim the precious Son as the foundation of your life.

BUSINESS FIRST

Proverbs 24:27
Develop your business first
before building your house.



This verse's big challenge can be traced back to the "smaller" issues facing families. Modern families are sometimes set up with the wrong priorities. We find kids blaming their parents and parents blaming grandparents and so on and so forth. It’s truly just a vicious cycle of blame. King Solomon said that there’s nothing new under the sun and I've heard some preachers say, “It’s just the same old stuff happening to new people.” A preacher who was solemnizing a wedding asked the bride, “Do you take this man for better or worse?” The bride responded, “He can’t get no worse, and there's no hopes of his gettin’ any better, so I'll take him ‘as is.’” When someone enters into a marriage unprepared, or just prepared for the status quo, a seed for future problems is planted. King Solomon said that a person's business should be developed first and this means that you should fix yourself first before you start building a house, a home or a family. So, how do you fix you? Easy, get right with God and seek His righteousness first.

EQUAL FOOTING

Genesis 5:2
He created them male
and female and blessed them.
And when they were created,
he called them "man".



Isn’t this verse interesting? Contrary to what most of the world grew up thinking, this verse shows the equality of man and woman as God’s creations. The only differences are the roles and the birth rights, which is why a male's role is to be a father and a female's role is to be a mother. The male is the root of the word therefore the provider, and the female via birth is the life giver. Author, poet and artist, John Ruskin said, “All that I have ever taught of art, everything that I have written, whatever greatness there has been in any thought of mine, whatever I have done in my life, has simply been due to the fact that, when I was a child, my mother daily read with me a part of the Bible, and daily made me learn a part of it by heart.” Men should respect women as equals. After all, that’s how God intended it to be.

WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES

Romans 1:22
Although they claimed
to be wise,
they became fools.



Technological advances have made the world smaller. Centuries ago, nobody would've thought that man would one day venture into outer space, that man would be able to see every part of the world via satellite, or that man would communicate faster and clearer without wires by cellular phones. Through new technology, these types of things became possible and it makes us feel quite intelligent. Interestingly, I’d read this joke about a foolish woman who met the angel of death after being killed in a car accident. She said to the angel, “I’m still young and have plans for my life, so please give me more time to live." The angel granted her wish and revived her. As soon as she regained consciousness in the hospital, she asked the attending doctors if she could have plastic surgery performed to make her look like Marilyn Monroe. The doctor complied with her request, but as she was released from the hospital and crossing the street, she was tragically hit by a car and killed again. Meeting the angel of death again she asked, “Did you make a mistake because you just gave me a life extension?” The angel replied, “Marilyn Monroe?!? I thought I took you already.” It’s a silly story, but the reality of it is that we just can’t play around with our lives and still find success. The world might seem smaller, and we may be more technologically advanced, and we may certainly feel more intelligent at times, but we still need God's wisdom to prevent us from making silly and frivolous decisions. Let God guide you with His wisdom so you won’t be fooled.