May 30 –Victorious Overcomers

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” – 1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)

We again find a promise in the first letter by the apostle John written to the believers in the surrounding churches. As the pastor/teacher to the congregation in Ephesus, his concern was for all those who believed in Christ and who were beset by false teachers and pressures of the world. Christians who truly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior need to know that they are overcomers of evil. They need to know why and how they are overcomers. This promise tells us. Those born of God, everyone who is a child of God overcome the world. Jesus has made that possible and a fact in our lives. It is said very clearly right here, “this is our victory and we have overcome the world because of our faith.”  Then, as John has done throughout this letter he emphasized by saying it again more forcefully. Take this as for each of us. Who overcomes the world? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Unless a person believes that Jesus is who He said He was, they are out. But those who do believe Jesus, have already overcome the world in Him.

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April 26 – No, Not Burdensome

“This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” - 1 John 5:3–4 (ESV)

Struggling to be obedient to God as if obedience is a heavy burden is not evidence of love for Him. Our acts of loving God amount to much more than just keeping His commandments. Truly, loving God is having a heart for God that enables us to keep the statutes and instructions without that becoming a burden. John explains why God’s commandments are not burdensome. When we are born of God – and this is for all who are truly born of God – He makes us overcomers of the world system. We have what overcomes the many pitfalls and obstacles to keeping God’s will. It is the new nature we have through being born of God. That new birth creates in us a new creature and that creates a faith developing and maturing within ourselves. This faith in God who loves us and gave us His only Son, does more than enable us to assent to God will, it also enables us to embrace all that He is for us in Christ.  Eighteenth-century pastor Jonathan Edwards wrestled with this text and concluded, “Saving faith implies love. Our love to God enables us to overcome the difficulties that attend keeping God’s commands.”

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April 24 – When Freedom Is Not

“ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” - James 4:7  (ESV)

We find in the Bible promises that are within instructions. We have such a promise in our verse today. We have two commands, two actions we are instructed to do. The first is Submit and the second is Resist. Working together obeying these instructions has a promise. But instead, many times we Resist Submission. Submitting is contrary to our concept of “free will.” The word “submit” here is a military term “to be subordinated” or “to render obedience.” Submitting is required in many circumstances. Resistance fits more comfortably with our concept of freedom, but here’s a problem, that’s not freedom. When we resist God we are submitting to the way is the devil wants us to behave. Of course that’s backwards from what we are instructed. We’ll never see the promised results of running the devil off if that is the way we live. What we really want, and need is freedom from sin and the devil. That comes when we submit to God and resist the devil. The devil cannot overpower God power in our lives. Submit to God, Resist the devil, We must do this with consistency, over and over. The victory of Christ becomes more precious.

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April 14 – The Sting Is Gone

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NASB)

Our promise today is found in the last verse of  1 Corinthians fifteen. It continues instructions Paul gave in the first verses of the chapter (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Where we are spiritually depends on what we are taught and learn and then choose to believe. The gospel Paul had preached in Corinth (1 Corinthians 2:1–2) had not changed; but he feared that along with the declension in the church regarding the message of Christ crucified and its implication for believers, the same was happening with regard to the message of Christ resurrected. False teachers work for our enemy Satan to turn people away from the truth of Jesus’s resurrection. For the proof Christ is who He claims to be is His resurrection. So the enemies will always attempt to deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul had clearly stated the case for Christ’s resurrection and that if He did not rise from the dead our faith in Him would be useless. But his resurrection is true. Christ did not stay in the grave. He conquered the sting and power of death for all who believe. He secured our victory over death so that what we do for Christ’s Gospel is not in vain. 

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July 2 – Faith to Overcome

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? - 1 John 5:4–5  (ESV)

The pressures and circumstances of the world in which we live are challenging us in ways many have never experienced before. At every turn in the road one can find something that will rob him of their victory and peace of mind – if they permit it. Our enemy Satan is a long way from having retired from the business of misleading and ruining God’s children if he can. Faith can change any situation and give us the strength to overcome the fears, worries, and panic that might fill our hearts and minds.  No matter how dark it is, no matter what the trouble may be, taking a quick moment to turn to God in a moment of real, actual faith in Him, will alter our situation in a moment. We are promised in our verse today that we who by faith believe that Jesus is the Son of God will overcome the world. God is still on His throne, and He can turn defeat into victory in a second of time, if we really trust Him. A trustworthy statement by Marshal Foch* is, “When one has faith, one does not retire; one stops the enemy where he finds him”

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*Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and Marshal of France, Great Britain and Poland, a military theorist and the Supreme Allied Commander during the final year of the First World War.

February 9 – Worried About Opposition

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”  - Romans 8:31 (NASB)

Our lives, because we have professed our faith in Jesus, does encounter opposition from the world system.  Because it is ruled by the enemy of our souls and the father of lies, the heat can become unpleasant.  This is especially true and evident if we are about the work God has called us to as His messengers in the world.  When those times come our way and they are pretty consistent as we are pressing on for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.  The promise in today’s selected verse is an absolute truth. God is for us. Anyone trying to be against us is not succeeding.   With God being for  us, all the effort against us is disappearing like vapor, into nothing.  So, we can say that because God is for us, who can stand against us?   The only time the enemy gains ground is when we listen to his lies and give in to the fears and temptations, he throws in our paths. Like a spike strip to puncture proof tires, there is no effect.  Trust this promise today and become aware of how our enemy has been defeated.  

Next: Worrying about our loved one's welfare.

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December 8 – Fulfilling a Promise

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  - John 15:13  (ESV)

Continuing to remember the aftermath of Pearl Harbor – which we reflected on yesterday – we wish to honor the many who gave their lives that day and for many days hence as the they fought the evil threatening the world.  There is no higher expression of love then to give up your very life – to be willing to leave family and friends behind, knowing death is likely and even immanent. To the many brave heroes who have gone before, thank you for your sacrifice of love. Our verse today reminds us of the One who laid down His life for us whom He considered and called friends.  Yes, there is no greater love than what Jesus Christ demonstrated in the ultimate victory over death when he provided a way for us to escape the consequences of rejecting God.  It required his death as he sacrificed His life for the whole world.  That act was the fulfillment of a promise God made as far back as the Garden of Eden.  He considered our need for salvation even then and knew what it required.  A promise fulfilled.  

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January 9 – Thankful for Victory

“ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:57  (ESV)

This verse for today comes from the chapter which deals with the hope God gives to each of His children of a resurrection after death.  The victory is over death which is only a temporary state of our bodies if we are in Christ through faith.  We believe though, that God has also other victories to share with us as His children while we are still living out our earthly lives.  Yes we face problems while we are living here on earth and our Lord is aware of each situation.  As we trust Him He will bring us through these problem situations because we are His children.  Do you sometimes have difficulty understanding how this can be?  Our problems seem immense and even insurmountable sometimes.  We learn from this verse victory is possible through our Lord Jesus Christ.  We have been promised the victory over every difficulty.  This brings praise from our hearts to our lips for Jesus as we recognize that God is fulfilling His promises to us.  Friends, whatever you are facing today, trust in the Lord Jesus and in His Name and receive the victory God has promised.  Be thankful.  

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November 11 – From Whom Comes Victory

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.”  Psalm 44:3 (NIV)

One of the ways that the Children of Israel would preserve their stories and their history was in songs.  This psalm was written to be sung for the purpose of remembering what God had done for them in securing the Promised Land and to offer up prayer and thanksgiving to God.  It was good for them to remember that God was the one giving them the victory.  He did so by His right hand, His arm, and the light of His face, all out of His love for them.  We can rejoice that God is the same today and while Christians are not a nation of people possessing real estate and land, they are God's children and members of His family wherever we are in the world.  He cares for us and watches over us just as He did for the people of Israel.  As we reflect we can remember the ways God has intervened in our lives and it is by His grace and power and wisdom that we make it through day by day. 

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August 28 – Awesome Victories

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 (NASB)

Our verse comes from the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans.  Earlier in the 8th chapter Paul confirms for us that various troubles such as distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword will never separate us from the love of Christ.  Then he writes these words to let us know what our outcome is when we do face them.  We are more than conquerors over all these troubles.  What does it mean to overwhelmingly conquer?  In the days of imperial conquests a conqueror took control and he reigned over the territory he had taken.  Those he had conquered became his subjects.  He was more than a conqueror, he was a king or a emperor over the conquered people.  So it is with us.  Because Christ has already given us victory over all the difficulties in our lives He promises to give us control and He wants to keep us in control reigning over all problems now and in the future.  What are you battling today?  Christ has given you the victory and made you more than a conqueror – You can, with God's grace and power rule over those problems.

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March 6 – Peace, not Fear

“ But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. ” Judges 6:23-24a (NIV)

We read today of another name for our God which comes to us in the story of Gideon.  It was the Angel of the the LORD sent by God to commission Gideon to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. When Gideon realized that he had been talking to the Angel of the LORD face to face, he became afraid and prayed to God. The Hebrew name Gideon used was Yahweh Shalom with is translated The LORD is Peace. In the context of Gideon's experience we realize that God gave him personally real peace in his heart. We can read further that God helped him to miraculously win victories over the Midianites with a very small army and the victories brought peace for the people of Israel. We can trust in this same God to fill our hearts with His peace. Because we know Him today we can experience this peace today, because it is the LORD of Peace who is the God we know.  It's a promise as sure for us as it was for Gideon.

September 26 – Victory!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)

This chapter which has our verse is a great chapter that focuses on the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and our promised resurrection in the future. God has promised this to all those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior. It is true that it will be a great day of victory when we are all together with our Lord in heaven and we expect to praise our God together throughout eternity. We are reminded in today's verse that victory is available for us now while we are still living on earth. We face problems and we face opposition and even persecution and hate from those who hate God. So, our verse promises us that our God is continually giving us victory in face of these challenging times. It is all through our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. 

November 11

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” Psalm 44:3 (NIV)

What a wonderful difference it makes to have a God in heaven who loves us. His love has always been a determining factor in His actions toward His people. This verse reminds us of that. It was God who did it. He brought the people of Israel into the land by His power. Why did He do it? It was because He loved them. It was not because they were perfect or because they never grumbled or complained. But He loved them and had a glorious purpose for them. That is why He did for them what they couldn’t do for themselves. And their God is our God! He will do for us what we are unable to do on our own. He loves us!

October 31

“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”  1 Samuel 17:47 (NIV)

The event is the encounter of David with the giant Goliath. Goliath laughed at David when he saw the He was coming to fight without a sword or spear. Then David gave him this answer. The fact is that David was not trusting in his own abilities or in what he was carrying to win the victory. He knew that it was God who would be giving the victory. He was willing to be used by God. It would be God’s power, not his abilities. We can trust God the same way. Let Him show us how He is involved. We can say with David, “The battle is the Lord’s,” and then watch Him win the victory.

September 12

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 (NIV)

We realize that David was referring to the chariots and horses which were used in his day for fighting battles. He had learned that it was better to trust in God for victory when he and his people were attacked. God had helped him many times and He would continue to help him and the people he was leading. For us the lesson is that we need to trust in God for the solution to our problems. Some might think that there would be other things, other plans of a human nature which bring us through. But there is, however, nothing better than a simple trust in God, nothing better than a spiritual solution to our problems.

April 27

“Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”  Deuteronomy 20:3-4 (NIV)

These were words of encouragement which Moses gave to the people of Israel at the end of forty years of wandering just before they were to cross into the Promised Land. They were words directed to an army in battle, but we do have spiritual opposition and need God’s help. He will give us the victory if we rely on Him. We can apply the promise we have read to problems that we face. Even in such cases we need to remember that our Lord is with us. It is He who will fight for us and give us the victory. Let’s trust Him.