Victory & Hope

 

    Jesus opened the door for everyone to have victory.  His victory transforms the lives for those who choose to follow him in faith.  His victory gives us hope for the here and now, but also for eternity.  He enables us to live with purpose and peace.

    God is undefeatable.  He is the infinite victor.  He is incorruptible.  He is the unending well of good, purity, and power.    He is the source of true wisdom.  In Him we find hope when there is no hope.  

    God uses our everyday circumstances to show us victory.  We may have small personal victories, but all the big and small victories belong to God.  He is the source of what allowed us to have our small victories.  He is the only way for the big victories.  

    When you follow Jesus, then you are working in His perfect will.  That means He will use you to accomplish things that you may not even notice, be able to do alone, or imagine.  It is a good feeling to know that you are doing your part in God's perfect plan.  You know only eternal good can come from that.

    God commissioned every Christian to be missionaries.  We do not have to travel the globe for that to happen.  We can do so much in our own neighborhood.  We go out and tell people about Jesus, offer them to be a part of the family, baptize them, and then disciple them to go out and do the same.  It gives you family, purpose, and hope.  The victory and glory belongs to God, but it transforms you from the heart to action.

    No Christian is called to sit at church and listen to sermons.  No Christian is called to save themselves and then live their lives as they want.  We are all called to obedience and action.  There is no time to be passive with your life.  

    Stepping out in faith doesn't have to be scary.  You either trust God to have you or you don't.  You believe that Jesus is the victor or you do not.  The relationship will be your most stable and secure relationship you will ever have.  Why would you ignore that?  Don't.  Embrace victory that only comes through Jesus: Salvation.

    God's victory will happen with or without you.  Don't you want to be a part of something so much bigger than yourself?  Don't you want to be a part of something powerful and life giving?  God has promised victory.  You can believe that it is happening.

Proverbs 21:30-31, Romans 8:31-39, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, & 1 John 4:4-6

Haughty

 

    Haughty is an attitude or mind set of arrogance, disdain, or setting oneself above others in value.  In Bible you see Jesus basically call the Pharisees haughty.  He basically implies that people with power and money seem to struggle with this attitude.  Rich people tend to be titans over poor people.

    There is a difference in having self-confidence and being haughty.  Christians find their self- confidence in knowing who they are in God.  The haughty make their confidence independent from God.  It is all about them, so it comes natural to think that they are worth more than other people for a variety of reasons.

    Haughty people put their confidence in their accomplishments, money, the perfect picture of their lives, but all that can be taken away in a moment.  Their security is a lie.   Their imagination makes them believe that they are more than they really are.  

    The haughty set up high walls to protect themselves, but walls can crumble.  There is no depth or truth to a haughty attitude.  Their conceit is self-pride which holds no value with God.  They think that they are superior, but God will reveal the truth.  They are loved by Him, but no more than anyone else.

    The worst aspect of haughty people are that they deny their own salvation to be independent.  There is nothing that is worse than to reject Jesus' gift of salvation.  It is the only way into heaven.  You can't buy, earn, or demand a place in Heaven.  You can only get there through Jesus.  Jesus is the truth and to believe anything else is delusional and destructive.  True self-confidence only comes through Jesus.

Psalm 131, Proverbs 6:16-19, 18:10-12, 21:4-8, & Acts 4:8-12

Humility & Righteousness

 

    You get righteousness by having right standing with God.  You can only have right standing with God when you step into faith and walk with Jesus.  He is the only way.  It takes humility to realize what you really need in life and to actually step into faith.

    Humility and righteousness work together for you to abide in God.  To walk in faith takes trust.  You are walking blind in some circumstances, so you really have to believe that God has you to be successful.  There is no room for doubt here.  When you do trust God, you are able to see how he covers you in protection.  You get to experience God's strength without blind spots.

    Humility comes before honor.  It is a mindset and attitude.  You know what your worth is to God.  However, you choose to have a servant attitude to honor and love Him.  You are willing to be meek when the world tells you that it is weakness.  God knows the truth and He is the only one you really need to impress.  

    The world will never tell you that you need to be a servant to be great.  You have to really understand that you need to be last to be first.  You see how those who have to be first actually come in last.  Making yourself great does not impress God.  It doesn't get you anywhere in the long run.  It is better to treat life like a marathon, so you can stay steadfast, steady, and endure.

    Run to God for your salvation and wisdom.  Walk with purpose to those you want to introduce to God.  Walk slowly into your day and decide what you need to focus on versus what everyone else is telling you.  Stay hand in hand with Jesus while following the directions of the Holy Spirit.

    You have to have humility to submit.  Once you submit yourself to God and repent from your sins, then you can start walking in righteousness.  A righteous person will have their sins removed and forgotten by God.  That means you have to maintain your soul cleanliness, but you no longer have to be held back by the past.  Once you are saved, you are in God's family for eternity.

Psalm 91, Proverbs 18:10-12, Ephesians 4:1-4, & Colossians 3:12-17

Being Humble

 

    It is wise to be humble because you find safety provided by God.  There is power found in the name of God.  It is His power that protects or curses.  His name endorses what is good and right in the world.  He is the creator and overseer.

    God is the anchor to a stability for the humble.  He is their defense and offense.  He prepares you for life.  He provides wisdom to navigate through life.  He is their protection.  His protection can be literal, but it is most significantly comes in the form of salvation.

    God has given people the ability to be self-sufficient.  However, if you choose to rely on Him, then you are choosing to be humble.  He is always there for the humble and righteous.  The righteous choose to run toward God because they understand what He has done for them.  

    When humility and righteousness work together you find yourself in a fortress of protection given by God.  You find the rescue you need in Him.  You discover true safety that can remove all fear.  Follow the Holy Spirit and He will guide you through anything.  Never forget your salvation because that is where you find your hope.

    The humble feel things just like the rest of us, but they understand what is righteous versus selfishness.  Righteousness empowers your feels to push you to do good.  Selfishness will cause you to self-destruct.  

    You find power in righteousness because you choose to trust God.  You discover your confidence to do anything you are called to do.  You gain an inner peace because you know He is with you as you hold onto God's promises.  They discover honor by living life in faith.  Humility will lead to wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2, 18:10-12, Philippians 2:3-8, & James 4:7-10

Choosing Righteousness

 

    Righteousness does not come naturally.  Jesus is the only one that lived a truly righteous life.  He made it where we can become righteous.  He is a good teacher, but more than that he is the doorway to God.  He is the only way to righteousness.

    One lesson that holds great impact is the service on the mount.  He teaches us that the core values of who you are can be subtle and impactful.  If we choose to put all our worry into submissive prayer, then we are able to replace it with values of Jesus.  God gave us value by making us.  We need to see our value.

    Replace your anxiety with hope, faith, and seeking God's guidance.  Worry and anxiety display a lack of faith.  If you want more faith then you have to remove the grip that Satan has over your mind and emotions.  You have to stop listening to his lies and replace them with God's truth on your heart.  

    Seek God's righteousness daily.  He will give you what you need everyday.  You just have to believe that it is enough.  He provides for all of our needs.  It is time that we live our our gratitude and trust in him.

    There is a difference between reality and delusion.  Satan makes delusions look and feel real.  God is reality.  He provides safety for the humble as they follow Him.  The haughty live in a delusional world where they believe that they are living independently from God.  

Proverbs 18:10-12, Matthew 5:3-12, & Luke 6:20-23

Words of Wisdom Part 5

 

    It takes wisdom to live righteously.  Righteousness is a treasure from Jesus.  It is not something that we can accomplish without him.  We received is upon our steps in faith.  It is placed on your heart at salvation and grows as you get closer to God.

    The wicked will loose everything in the end.  They risk too much to achieve what they want.  They push God aside or out of sight to they don't have push back in how they choose to live.  It is a troubled life that is condemned.  We are all condemned until we yield to Jesus in faith.

    Life is not about possessions.   Your treasures are stored in Heaven where they can't be taken, destroyed, ruined, or disappear.  Your treasure on earth is your relationship with Jesus, character, and morals.  You miss out on it if you do not have a connection with God.  Once you belong to God, then nothing can take it away from you.

    Wisdom speaks truth and commends it.  If you want to be wise, then you must life by God's truth.  You have to testify about what He does in your life.  You have to submit to God's authority over your life.  You need to be a witness about how life is better when you choose to submit.

    The wise person will go out and make disciples of Jesus.  That means you make friends, lead them to Jesus, and teach them his ways.  As a Christian, you are a forever student, so you never stop teaching what you learn from Jesus.  The truth needs to be shared.  Everyone deserves the chance to have a real relationship with Jesus. Only fools will horde the truth, give false hope, and lead others to destruction.

Psalm 19:14, Proverbs 15:1-7, Luke 12:13-21, & John  13:31-35, 14:27-31

Words of Wisdom Pt 4

 

    Wisdom take practice.  It doesn't not come naturally.  True wisdom comes from God, so it can't be found in the world.  A fool will not want to hear this.  They want to be their own authority and do not want anyone telling them different.

    Correction leads to prudence.  You need prudence to be wise.  It is how you honor the truth in how you live and talk.  It is important to give respect to those whom speak and live the truth because only fools will separate themselves from it.  God did not create us to be independent creatures.  We need God and other people to thrive.

    Submission provides wisdom.  If you submit to God's will, then you start to understand His power.  You comprehend that you don't need to understand the why behind what He does.  You trust Him.  You believe that He has not forgotten about you, but is there experiencing it all with you.

    Prayer is the wisest tool you have in life to understand what God is doing and accept what you do not understand.  It is how you connect with God.  When you turn to prayer first, you display your trust in Him.  It is foolish to wait to pray as a last resort.  Be wise and discover stability in this unstable world.

Proverbs  4:4-9, 13:20, 15:1-7, & James 1:5-8