Overcoming By Grace

Overcoming By Grace

The strength in our verse today does not come by gritting our teeth. It does not come by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It won’t be wrought with statements of self-affirmation – “Yes, I can!”. The strength Paul described to Timothy doesn’t come from within. We only become strong through the grace that is in Jesus Christ.

Just like the old hymn says, grace is truly amazing, and it will carry us through. Consider how many ways grace works in our lives: We are saved by grace. We are justified by grace. We are sanctified by grace. We are to live every moment of every day by grace. And we are empowered by grace to overcome every struggle that comes our way in our daily lives. However, we must accept the grace that God offers.

Our lives are filled with distractions, and we have busy schedules. That’s why, all too often, we forget what the power of Christ can accomplish in our lives. How many times have you found yourself in a challenging situation, facing an unsolvable problem—only to respond with panic, anger, or blame? How often we forget to call upon the Lord and ask for His wisdom in our times of need!

Today you may ask how do we begin to do this in our daily lives? We start by immersing ourselves in the Scriptures and dwelling on God’s Truth. The Bible delivers God’s promises to us afresh and reminds us of the beautiful story He is writing with our lives. Are you lonely? God’s Word will comfort you. Are you burdened with guilt? God’s Word will set you free. Are you full of bitterness and resentment? God’s Word will show you how to forgive. Are you discouraged? God’s Word will lift your spirit. Are you lost? God’s Word will light your way back to Him. You can know triumph in times of defeat. You can know peace in the midst of chaos. And when fear, shame, and discouragement threatens your joy, you can stand strong in the grace of God.

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). 

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit, who gives me strength and Your Word that reveals Your sure promises. Father, I have hope because You are with me. Your grace uplifts me and gives me courage. Grant me boldness to serve You and Your Kingdom. I pray in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Victory Over Worry

I meet people daily who worry about everything. They worry about the kids, finances, job and even their health.  Is there something that you are worrying about today? To worry means to allow something to revolve in your mind over and over again. God doesn’t want you to live worried or anxious about anything. He knows that worry steals your peace and joy. It affects every area of your life.
 
Have you heard the saying, “Don’t worry yourself sick?” That’s because worrying affects your physical body. It affects your sleep. You won’t ever gain anything by worrying; in fact, you’ll lose precious moments that you can never get back again. The good news is that God has promised that you can have victory over worry. It starts by making the choice to trust in Him. When you cast your cares on Him, He will give you His peace.
 
Today stop worrying. Choose to feed your faith and fill your mind with God’s promises. As you focus on God’s word, you’ll drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and God given expectancy; and you’ll be empowered to move forward into the life of blessing He has in store for you!
 
 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV)
 

Let’s Pray
Yahweh, I choose to put an end to worry in my life. Father, I give You all my worry, stress and anxiety. Please lift them off me today, so that I can be free. I choose to feed my faith by studying Your promises, and declaring them over my life. Help me to have total trust in You today and every day. In Christ’ name. Amen.

Vision of The Mountain of Victory and The Turning of the Tide

Vision of The Mountain of Victory and The Turning of the Tide

Do things feel hard? Are you facing a massive situation that seems impossible? Does it seem like you will never get what God has promised you? Joshua 6 tells the story about how the odds were stacked against Joshua and the people of Israel. They were standing at the massive unbreachable wall of Jericho that many thought was not penetrable. 

As he was standing before the walls and gates of the city, many around him didn’t think his future was too bright. But Joshua had something others overlooked; he had the promise of Almighty God. Joshua had faith because He knew God was on His side, and God had already promised the victory. Sure enough, just as God promised, the people marched around the city for six days, and on the seventh day, they shouted the victory and the walls came tumbling down!

Today, don’t look at the walls in your life; look at the promises of God. He is for you, and if God is for you, nothing can stand against you. Get a vision of victory and don’t let it go. Keep moving forward in faith and obedience knowing that when you do, the Most High God is on your side! Hallelujah!

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, NIV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for Your favour, grace and victory in my life. Father, I choose to trust You. I choose to follow Your leading. I choose to be faithful. I choose to believe in Your promises, because You are faithful to me. God, please tear down the walls and the trials that seem impossible in my life. I love You and bless You, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

I Promise

I Promise

The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does” (Psalm 145:13). The mothers of the nation of Israel, Sarah and Rebekah, both have stories marked by the power of God. They both saw God move in wonderful and amazing ways, in impossible situations. Wouldn’t you think they, of all people, would trust God completely?

Yet both women’s stories show them taking God’s promises into their own hands. Sarah heard God’s promise to give Abraham a son through whom He would build a great nation. When the promise was delayed Sarah devised a plan for Hagar to serve as a surrogate so that “through her I can build a family” (Genesis 16:2). The world is still suffering the consequences. The Lord told Rebekah that her younger son would rule over his older twin brother, yet when the time came for Isaac to give the blessing, Rebekah schemed to make sure her favorite younger son was in place under his father’s hand. Because of her actions Jacob was forced to flee from the wrath of his brother and she never saw him again.

I understand that tension. God has made promises to me and circumstances made those promises seem impossible. The truth is, I am as guilty as my ancient sisters of trying to manipulate God’s promise into fruition. And just as it did for them, my actions always led to frustration, heartache, and emptiness.  Sarah and Rebekah doubted God would keep His promise. So have I. They determined it was up to them to see God’s plan fulfilled. So have I.  Ultimately God did fulfill His promises to them and to me. He was and is faithful after all.

The Bible assures us that “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Unlike you and I, God does not make promises He cannot or will not keep.  Charles Spurgeon says, “God keeps His promises before He makes them.”  Think about that.  When God makes a promise, it is as good as done no matter how the situation looks. God can be trusted to fulfill what He has promised.

Now think about what God has promised to you.  Can you see the thing coming into reality right now?  Probably not.  Does that mean that God will fail to keep His promise?  Absolutely not.  It means you need to keep your eyes on Him and not on the circumstances.  It means God is going to do something amazing before your eyes.  In fact, the more impossible the situation looks, the bigger the miracle to bring it to fulfillment.  And you don’t want to miss that do you?

Beloved, you and I do not have to doubt that God will keep His promises.  We also don’t have to scheme and plot and manipulate to bring God’s promises to fruition.  It is completely His job and He doesn’t need any help from us.  Anything you and I may accomplish by our feeble actions will be empty and vain.  Everything God does to accomplish His promises will be extraordinary and beyond our wildest expectation.  I know this from His Word and from my own experience.  When I stand aside in faith and let God be God, He blows my mind!

Our only response to God’s promises should be “May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38) as we wait — not in frustration and doubt — but in eager anticipation.  God is faithful.  He will not fail you.  He always keeps His Word.

Always.

Holy Father, You are the great Promise Maker and the faithful Promise Keeper.  Sometimes You make such amazing promises we wonder if they can really be fulfilled.  Give us faith to watch and wait, knowing that when You do what only You can do, it will be more than worth the wait.  Amen

 

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