victory

The Battle Before the Blessing

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12 Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is 90 miles away from where Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. While it would only take an hour and a half by car today, back then, it was at least a weeklong trip over rugged terrain. On top of that, it was wintertime, so it was very cold and rainy. Though we know that the Lord had to be born in the City of David so that prophecy could be fulfilled, it’s interesting how much this young couple had to endure before the arrival of the world’s Great Redeemer. Just like Mary and Joseph had to travel a rough road to arrive at the place where the Savior would

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Progress On The Inside

“…to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:12-13 Today I want to share with you that personal development is something you can control. Something that you may not have recognized about yourself and others is that all of us want a sense of personal progress in our lives. The way most people measure personal progress is with individual milestones. You get married, and you have children. You receive tenure as a professor or become promoted to partner at your law firm. Perhaps you secure the ideal job or sell your business. These are all significant milestones, but they are not always within our control. So what can

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Re-setting Our Hearts

“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,” – Mark 11:15 Did you know that Jesus was not just the Messiah, but also called to be the Prince of Peace and the King of our lives? With this role of King comes authority to set things right in your life and in my life. Mark Chapter eleven speaks of Jesus entering the temple courts in Jerusalem. He sees the money lenders and knocks over their tables and drives them out. So, why all the commotion surrounding the money lenders? During Passover, many Jews would come from all over to celebrate, but were only allowed to take kosher money into the temple. They had to exchange their currency for shekels that didn’t have any pagan

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The New Thing is a Great Thing

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19 In the above Scripture, God is doing a new thing! He’s doing a new thing in your life and my life right now. The new thing God is doing in our lives often feels painful, weird or may even feel like we’re losing everything. I want you to trust at this moment that the new thing God is doing in your life is actually good. God is preparing you for a season of real victory and abundance! Maybe God is doing what feels uncomfortable in your life right now, but my prayer is for you to comprehend this: When God does a new thing in your life, in

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Run to God and Wait

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 When I am aware of thoughts that are causing me to lose sleep or I have feelings of discomfort in my body — I am learning to just run to God. It is easy to blame others, like your spouse, a political party, or the government for your frustrations. I am thankful that as I run to God, I can just say, “Lord, this is what is on my mind and my heart. God, what is your answer to my frustration? How can I align with you in this situation?” I can then wait for God’s answer. God has victory in store for your life, and half of that victory is just believing that it is so.  Looking at the life

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From End to Beginning

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” – Revelation 22:13 As we wrap up our discussion on faith, here’s an interesting thought for you to meditate on: God has already written the final chapter of your life. The Lord stands outside of time and He sees your story in its fullness. In fact, He writes from end to beginning and everything in-between is part of getting you to where He has destined you to be! Isn’t that a great thought?  Although you read a novel from start to finish, you always have the luxury of turning to the final chapter to see how it all turns out. While you don’t exactly have that option in life, knowing the character of the One writing the story enables you to get a glimpse of how it will end. In fact, because the

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Who’s on the Throne of Your Heart?

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.’” – Isaiah 14:13-15 Yesterday we looked at how evil doesn’t always look that way at first, and how the devil’s attacks are not always as obvious as we might think. Today, I want to talk about what I believe to be his primary method of attack and goal in the life of a believer — getting us to worship ourselves.  Isaiah 14 says that Satan wanted to be enthroned above God. He didn’t want to submit to Him or

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Claiming Victory

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” – 1 John 3:4,5 The Bible is not ignorant of the world’s suffering. When you study the Jewish Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, you’ll see that the authors grappled with this question: why do good people suffer? Job, one of the first books of the Bible, is devoted entirely to the subject. Moreover, the majority of the minor prophets and the Psalms are lamentations: Oh Lord, how long will you forget the poor?, How long will you forget the downcast, oh Lord?, How long must we sing this song? In fact, Jesus Christ’s words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” are a Psalms quote. The

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The Possibilities in God

“Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’” – Luke 18:27 Today, I want to persuade you that if you work with God, anything is possible in your life. Above all, I want you to believe one simple truth: if you live your life with Jesus, He can accomplish anything. That is something I firmly believe. God enjoys doing impossible things with unlikely people and using imperfect people to accomplish incredible exploits for His Kingdom. I am confident that if you live your life by faith, He will do amazing things in your life. Although it’s easy to fall into a pit of despair and believe that God has abandoned you, that God is angry with you, that your life is finished, or that your future is bleak, I want to encourage you to believe that with the Lord, something better is always on the horizon! His

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The Anti-Fragility of Jesus

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” – Galatians 3:26,27 After discussing how love is anti-fragile, I want to continue our conversation focusing on God’s anti-fragility, more specifically Jesus and the early church. Jesus Christ exemplifies what it means to be resilient. More people followed Him when others cursed Him and lied about Him. More people talked about Him when they said He was sent by demons. They grew jealous as He grew in popularity, and eventually crucified Him; but little did they realize, that was the worst thing they could have done! Why? Because new life spilled into the universe as a result of His death and resurrection! Everything shifted at that point, and time was snapped in half like a twig. Because the veil was broken in half, history

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