“God does not bless laziness.  God rewards diligence.”

 

¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  ¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:14-17

 Victory Action

I will do all I can do in the natural and yet choose to believe God’s Word over every circumstance.

“Jesus has given us a blank check.  All we need to do is sign it.”

 

²³And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.  ²⁴Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16:23-24

  Victory Action

I don’t have to live on “Poverty Lane” or “Barely Get By Street.”  When I want something in line with God’s Word I’ll sign my “blank check” on “Abundant Blessing Blvd.” by asking the Father in Jesus’ name.

“When the pressure is on, refuse a pity party.”

 

²³And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:  ²⁴Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.  ²⁵And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  ²⁶And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

Acts 16:23-26

 

Victory Decision

When the pressure is on, instead of self-pity, I will choose the Lord.  I will be delivered and God will receive the glory.

“Nothing takes the place of prayer and eye contact with your Bible.”

 

⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  ¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. –Psalm 119:9-10

 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. –Psalm 119:105

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. – Psalm 5:3

We have so much information available to us today! You can watch, listen to and read about the Word of God. But the thing about relationship is spending time with the author of the book. The best way to do that is to read your Bible for yourself and spend time in prayer communicating with God and letting Him communicate with you. There is a reason it is called a PERSONAL relationship. Books, discussions with other believers, and listening to others teach and preach are all beneficial to spiritual growth.  However, the depth of your personal relationship with God depends on the time you spend regularly with Him in prayer and in His Word.

Victory Action

I will set aside time every day to spend time in the Bible and prayer to grow my personal relationship with God.

“You will see more when you pray more.”

 

³Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Jeremiah 33:3

 

¹³Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  ¹⁴He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

John 16:13-14

 “The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.”
― Rick Warren

Prayer is an opportunity to work with God to accomplish His will on the earth. It may be His purpose for the nation, your city, your family or your life that you are praying about. Whatever the request you won’t see answers to prayers that are never prayed. If you want to see revival in your church, pray. If you want to see your family saved, pray. If you want to hear God’s voice clearer, pray. J. Edwin Orr said, “History is silent about revivals that did not begin with prayer,” No prayer, no results.

Victory Action

I will purposely set aside time daily to work with God in prayer.

“To out love everybody is a good principle for every believer to pursue.”

¹⁰Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;  ¹¹Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;¹⁴Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. ¹⁷Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  ¹⁸If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Romans 12:10-11, 14, 17-18

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ² and walk in love, just as Christ also loved ^[a]you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God ^[b]as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NASB

Scripture tells us to imitate God like a child will imitate a parent. If anyone is the supreme example of walking in love it is God. He has been reviled and slandered. He has be rejected by untold numbers of His children. Yet He still extends His love to us. Love is a seed. Give it away to others and it will return to you.

Victory Decision

With a heart motivated by genuine care, I strive to “compete” with others by seeking opportunities to express love even more deeply. My goal is to be intentional, always aiming to love others as much as, or even more than, they love me.

“Don’t expect your companion (or anyone else) to be what only God can be to you.”

 

 ²¹Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.  ²²Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 45:21-22

 

Victory Action

There is a certain quality of relationship that I can experience only with God, so I will expect Him, and not others, to meet the kind of need that only He can fulfill.

“God wants us to enjoy, not endure our marriages and lives.”

1 Peter 3:7-12 (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

⁷ Similarly, you husbands should try to understand the wives you live with, honouring them as physically weaker yet equally heirs with you of the grace of eternal life. If you don’t do this, you will find it impossible to pray properly.

Be good to each other—and to all men

^8-12 To sum up, you should all be of one mind living like brothers with true love and sympathy for each other, generous and courteous at all times. Never pay back a bad turn with a bad turn or an insult with another insult, but on the contrary pay back with good. For this is your calling—to do good and one day to inherit all the goodness of God. For: ‘He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile: let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil’.

While endurance is an important characteristic when it refers to longevity, other times it has a negative connotation. We tend to just “endure” life’s tougher challenges because we have lost our power to resist and persevere. We just try to “get through” that long line at the DMV, or that holiday dinner with our loud uncle whoever. We cannot find joy in the situation. But that was never God’s plan for us! He is a good Father. He has good, enjoyable things for us. The scripture quoted above gives us some keys for enjoying, not just enduring. But here is the thing, The Word of God tells us to be generous and courteous AT ALL TIMES! What? How will that help the situation? It may not change the circumstances, but you will find that it will change you. Because when we obey God, we have His full backing in the situation. God will use the opportunity to change us from the inside out. Just think about it, the scripture says that if we do good, it will give us access to ALL of God’s goodness. Sounds like a good trade to me! Peter points out earlier in the passage that by not doing good when we can, we will not even be able to pray correctly. Wow! I guess this stuff is pretty important so maybe we should try it!

Victory Action

Effective relationships are foundational to an enjoyable life.  As I respect and walk in love toward others, I love life as I see good days.