Tag Archives: victory

September 15

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Esther 9:18-10:3; Ezra 4:6-23; Psalm 105

Those little troublemakers finally got their way. The Jews working to rebuild Jerusalem were forced to stop because a few foreigners got to the king. They had tried before with Xerxes but that king liked the Jews. So they waited for Artaxerxes and he listened to their complaints and stopped the work.

Has that been your experience with Satan? We win one victory over temptation only to be faced with another. We get through one difficult situation only to be hit with another, more difficult one. If we are God’s children there is a target on our backs and Satan is taking aim to prevent us from serving the Lord.

Take heart, dear one. Hold on. Keep trusting God no matter what circumstance you face.

The psalm we read today reminds us of how God worked through the nation of Israel. They faced hard times. They were slaves in Egypt but God brought them out with rejoicing and shouts of joy, laden with silver and gold. Why did God deliver them and settle them in Canaan? Verse 45 says:

that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

Obey God in good times and in bad. Face our enemy with God at your side. Our Lord can bring you out of whatever it is Satan is throwing at you with rejoicing and shouts of joy.

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your word to us again today. Some of us are feeling the stings of Satan’s arrows. Our lives are difficult and we hurt. So thank you for reminding us that you are here and you are able to defeat our enemy, to bring good out of our trouble. May we be obedient children regardless of our situations. Keep us strong. Keep us focused. And may others see your hand in our lives. We want to keep your work going, Lord, so that lost souls can find you.

July 10

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Psalms 75, 76, 77, 80

Have you ever had a bad day? I mean a really, really bad day – or week – or year when nothing goes right, when your heart is broken, when you lose hope?

The writer of the 77th Psalm was in distress. His soul refused to be comforted. He cried out to God in anguish. He groaned. He was too troubled to speak.

But he didn’t allow himself to stay there. Look at 77:5:

“I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.”

Then in 11&12 he says:

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”

Then he goes on to do just that.

Satan would have us live defeated. Let’s not give him even one minute. I think the psalmist had the right idea. Instead of dwelling on all the reasons you have to be distressed, try thinking about all the ways you are blessed. Starting with Jesus’ work on the cross on your behalf. Consider the ways you have seen God work in your life instead of continuing to agonize over whatever is troubling you.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to hurt when bad things happen. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. I’m just suggesting with the psalmist that counting your blessings goes a long way to defeating Satan’s attempt to steal your joy.

Father in Heaven, some of us are hurting. Some of us have reason to be distressed and downhearted. We give you our grief, our fears, our anguish. Help us to praise you, to remember how blessed we are in spite of what is troubling us. Help us not to dwell on the problems we face, but to look upon you our Savior, our Healer, our Shepherd, our King, our Friend, Almighty God who has the power to help us through the darkest days and who promises to go with us every step of the way. May we who go to you with broken hearts, know the strength that comes from you and the joy that comes from praising you.

June 13

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I Kings 14:29-51, 15:1-15, 25-31, 14:19-20; 2 Chronicles 12:15-16, 13:1-15:19

Rehoboam’s grandson Asa became king of Judah after Rehoboam’s son Abijah died. Abijah’s heart was not devoted to the Lord and he only reigned three years. Asa, however, did have a heart for the Lord.

Asa took down the altars of the false gods and once again the sons of David worshiped the one true God. In fact, anyone who refused to seek the Lord was put to death.

But in 2 Chronicles 15:15 it says all Judah rejoiced about the oath because they swore to follow David’s God wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly and God blessed them with rest and peace on every side.

Once again I am reminded that rest and peace come from seeking God.

Oh, restless spirit, look to the Lord. If you think happiness and fulfillment lies in wealth or popularity or a spouse or children or success you are looking in the wrong places. Seek God. Love God. Trust him. Submit to him wholeheartedly and you will find rest for your soul.

It’s a promise demonstrated in the life of Asa and Judah during his reign. And we worship the same God they did way back then. He has not changed. He still brings rest to those who seek him.

Let’s be seekers of God today.

May 28

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Proverbs 5-7

Solomon talks a lot about the adulteress. His warnings against her are urgent and strong. But if we look at this section of Scripture as simply talking about sex between people who are not married to each other we miss some urgent and strong warnings directed at all of us.

God is our bridegroom. Remember Solomon’s Song? The relationship between God and those who accept his grace is as intimate, as personal, and as exclusive as a marriage relationship is designed to be.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” is one of God’s top ten commandments.

So when I read these verses in the book of Proverbs I need to remind myself that anything that compromises my relationship with Christ is to be taken seriously. Anything. 

The “adulteress” in my life could be another person. But it could also be my career. It could be a prideful heart. It might be gossip, fun or fantasy, lying or lust. 

Solomon is warning us to flee anything or anyone that would lead us astray. If you haven’t read today’s chapters in Proverbs I hope you do. And if you have, I challenge you to reread them and ask God to put a face on your “adulteress”. Identify that person or thing that is actively seeking to compromise your relationship with your bridegroom.

Then, my prayer is that you will commit that adulteress to the Lord, asking him to help you resist, to flee, to have victory over the temptation to be unfaithful to Jesus. God wants to give you victory today.

April 17

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Psalms 5,59,133,34, I Samuel 21:1-15, 22:1-5, I Chronicles 12:8-18

Saul was actively searching for David in order to kill him. David had to leave his home and hide in a cave. He knew he had done nothing wrong to Saul, yet here he was – running for his life.

In the midst of this turmoil David was able to write some pretty encouraging words. Here are a few of them:

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

“O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

“O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

Later he wrote:

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

and:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

God is reminding me today that he is greater than anything this world can throw at me. I am not a righteous person in and of myself. I am a sinner saved by grace and when Jesus came into my heart he put HIS righteousness on me as though it was my own. 

So because of Jesus, when I cry out the Lord hears me. When I have troubles he makes himself known and helps me in the midst of those troubles. It’s not because I’ve cleaned myself up. It’s because Jesus stands in my place.

Satan is the Saul in our life. He is actively searching for us in order to destroy us… me. He would steal our joy, cause us to doubt, make us think a little sin doesn’t hurt anything. We have done nothing wrong to Satan, yet he is out to destroy us.

I have shared that I am grieving the loss of my sweet nephew and dear father. Both men have been gone less than a year. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about them and miss them. There have been days when I found it hard to get out of bed, to breathe.

But during this grieving I can honestly say that God has been my refuge. He really has been my strength. I can say with David, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” When I “…sing of (God’s) strength, in the morning I will sing of (His) love”, even when my spirit is crushed, he reminds me that I really do have reason to praise him. As hard as it’s been to lose Dad and Geoff, I am reminded how blessed I am to have had them in my life. They will forever be a part of me. I thank God for that.

My prayer today is that whatever battle you are facing, you will have the same confidence in God that David had. May we all know the sweet release of allowing God to be our Strength. 

April 15

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I Samuel 17, Psalm 144

This is probably one of – if not the most – familiar Old Testament stories. The boy David kills the giant Goliath with one stone. The little guy destroys the big bully. The story has been referenced in politics, business, sports, warfare. But what is the spiritual truth God would have us learn from David’s story?

David was able to face Goliath, not because he trained or studied hard to prepare, not because he had confidence in himself or his ability. He would face the giant because he had confidence in God. He had seen God help him kill a lion and a bear. Hear what he said to Goliath:

You came against me with a sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me…

Some of us are facing giants from our past, from loss or disease, from difficult relationships. But we all face the biggest bully of all – Satan who would steal our joy, render us ineffective, cause us to doubt.

May we, like David, face our giants in the name of the Lord Almighty. May we see victory today over sin and Satan – over our giants because of Jesus.

Father in Heaven, thank you for sharing this account of David. Thank you that you are the God who defeats giants. Help us to identify our personal giants and then commit them to you. And help us to believe when it’s hard to believe that you are able to help us defeat our enemy. May we trust you today and go boldly into battle. Give us the courage we need.