Blog – Page 18

Victorious Living Day 10: Victory During Grief

October 11, 2017 by Mary

Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.

Psalm 77:2

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

Lord, I come to you giving thanks today that you help me fight the good fight. I do not walk alone through my grief or sorrow, but you walk with me. I am victorious in all of the battles of this life because I have you, my loving Father. You are my shield and my protector, and I am victorious over all of life’s challenges because I have you. Amen.

Praise: Praise god, from whom all my blessings and my healing come. He takes away my grief and replaces it with hope.

How has God comforted you during grief and sorrow in your life? Can you think of three?

Praise the Lord for the comfort he brings us in our grief. Write three praises:

Write a victory prayer:

Victorious Living Day 9: Victory in a Renewed Spirit

October 10, 2017 by Mary

Today is Day 2 of Week 2 in our study titled, Victorious Living.

The theme of our study today is finding victory in a renewed spirit. This could not be a more timely study for me. I hope that it comes at a perfect time for you today. Have you lit a candle to prepare for your prayer time today? I would love to see a picture here in the comments or on my Facebook page! I would also love to see pictures of your workbook pages!

Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
    “Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.”

Isaiah 62:11

There will come a time when the Lord comes again.We should seek after holiness, for He comes for His servants and saints. His promises are proclaimed in the Bible and they shall come to pass. Spend time in prayer today renewing your spirit. His salvation is with us. The world may be turning upside down but our God is steadfast. His promises live on forever. He will never go back on His word and salvation, His reward.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Oh, how I love this passage! God IS peace. Paul prays that the “God of peace” will sanctify us (to set apart as holy). He speaks of the WHOLE person-spirit, soul AND body, for we know that we are all of these. One cannot exist without the other. So, Paul is praying in his letter that God will sanctify (make holy) our body, mind and spirit (the WHOLE) of us. Such beautiful words, in essence praying that God would touch His people with His complete peace, from the inward part of us to the spiritual part of us that we cannot deny ( that which is the sum of who we are), and our physical being, (the temple by which the Holy Spirit makes a way through the world).

As you are praying today, think about the word, “holiness”. When we are sanctified by God in our mind, body and spirit, we are renewed. At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be renewed and find our final victory. As Christians, this is what gives us strength, hope and encouragement to carry on in the faith. This assurance brings us from victory to victory, knowing that the things we face here today are only temporary.

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

To “put on the new self” is to change our lives to put on righteousness. We have a desire to go to heaven when the time comes, but we often lack the discipline to change our lives. As a Christian, your life should look fundamentally different than before you were in the faith. We must have a lifestyle of daily repentance, growing in faith and relationship with Christ. When we receive new life in Christ and we walk in it, our hearts will show us areas that need to be conformed or changed more into the likeness of Christ rather than in the futility of our own mind.

As we put off our old lives and put on the new life, change happens. As we grow in the faith and we come to know Jesus more personally we let go of our “deceitful desires”.

Lord, because I am your child, my victory has already been won. You will come again and bring your reward with you. During these troubled times here on earth, I pray that you will continually renew the spirit within me, that I may find comfort. Let all of your creation rejoice as you make your proclamations to the ends of the earth. Amen.

Praise: Praise the Lord, for He says to rejoice! I have victory through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Take time today to list some times when God brought you comfort and a renewed spirit while you were going through a trial:

Give God praise that He is able to renew your spirit. Write three praises:

Think about the message today and write a prayer of victory for the ways that God spoke to your heart.

Victorious Living Day 8: Victory in His Peace

October 9, 2017 by Mary

???Week 2: Focus on Prayer??

Take time during the study this week to seek God in prayer. Place a cross or a picture of Christ in your prayer area to give you a visual reminder of His faithfulness and love. You can scroll through Pinterest to find a beautiful picture ?and print it out to help you along this journey. Perhaps you have a favorite card, cross, pencil sketch or painting to use for inspiration. These visual reminders sometimes help us to focus our intention on prayer and draw us away from other distractions.

Father in heaven, I will rejoice in you, forever. Keep me from anxiousness and in all that I do I will present my prayers and petitions to YOU. Oh, what a privilege it is to know you. You give me peace because YOU are near, regardless of my circumstance. I know that I am victorious and I rejoice in the peace of your presence. Amen.

Praise:

I praise you, Lord Jesus, that you give peace to those who call upon your name.

Only God can give us perfect peace. If you are struggling through a difficult season in your life, prayer and daily relationship renewal with Christ are a crucial ingredient to keep you from anxiousness. Make sure to tell the Lord what you need, make your requests known, but praise him for all of the answers to prayers, the peaceful days and the many times He interceded for you.

Jesus be with me.

We need only call upon His name in the quiet corners of our hearts and minds and He will calm the storms.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

Are there areas in your life where you could use a fresh dose of the peace of Christ? If so, list a few:

Write three ways the Lord has given you victory in your prayers and petitions to Him:

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Take time today to write a victory prayer! Thank God for the victory you have found in Him. Think about the many ways He has helped you find victory in difficult and trying circumstances in your life.