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victory

The Surrendered Life

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

God offers us total victory in life. Though it’s a simple step of faith to reach out and receive from Him, it requires such a total surrender of ourselves that many fail to respond.  For example, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what to do to gain eternal life (see Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus demanded of the young man more than he could part with.  Jesus didn’t care about the man’s wealth—He cared about the man.  Jesus asked him to give up himself so that Jesus could give him life. The same is still true today. Many of us are willing to give our time, labor, and money to the work of the Lord. But when Jesus asks for ourselves, it’s a different story.  Yet total surrender to Jesus is where the victorious life comes from.

Only Jesus has the right to ask that we totally surrender to Him because He already surrendered Himself for us. Romans 5:8 tells us that God gave everything for us at the cross: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God says, “I gave everything for you; I totally surrendered.  Now you are to be like me.  Give me your life.”

God isn’t asking you to die on a cross to be like Jesus.  Jesus already did that! Jesus taught us how to be like Him through total surrender and submission to the Father. He humbled Himself and became like man so that we could become like Him and be exalted.  The whole process is summed up in Philippians 2:5-11, which outlines Jesus’s seven steps to total surrender and victory.

Verses 6-8 focus on His surrender: Jesus (1) “Who being in the form of God, (2) did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (3) but made Himself of no reputation, (4) taking the form of a bondservant, and (5) coming in the likeness of men. (6) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself (7) and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

You might be asking, “What’s so victorious about dying on a cross?” Well, verses 9-11 tell us that after Jesus totally surrendered (died), then God exalted Him in another seven-step process up from the grave: “(1) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him (2) and given Him the name which is above every name, (3) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, (4) of those in heaven, (5) and of those on earth, (6) and of those under the earth, (7) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 Godly surrender yields lifetime benefits because it delivers you from the herd attitude that tempts you to say, “I can’t do that! What will so-and-so say?” The herd attitude makes us embarrassed to show others that we are surrendered to God.  It’s the world’s attitude of “If it feels good, do it.” But folks, if you’re a part of the herd, you are surrendered to the herd; and if you’re part of them, who’s going to minister to the herd?

Instead of a herd attitude, develop your “Word” attitude.  The “Word” attitude is just what it says.  If the Word says, “Do it, do it!” When you surrender to the cross, then you can be a blessing to others and to yourself because you’ll reap what you sow.  If you sow forgiveness, you’ll reap forgiveness.  If you sow love, you’ll reap love.  God forgave you so you can forgive others.  He waited for you to surrender to Him, so now you can patiently minister Him to others and enjoy the fruit of your labors as the whole cycle starts over again with someone to whom you ministered.

This blog post is excerpted from Marilyn’s 101-day devotional, Beautiful Inheritance.

2025-03-20T10:37:29-06:00April 21st, 2025|

Triumph and Victory

NOW THANKS BE TO GOD WHO ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST…

-2 Corinthians 2:14

Nine years after David was anointed to be king, he was an outcast of Israel! He was living in a Philistine city, Ziklag, with several hundred of his men and their families. “Ziklag” means “overwhelming despair.” What a place for the future king of Israel to live!

One day after returning home to Ziklag, David and his men found that all their wives, children and possessions had been stolen by the Amalekites. David’s men picked up stones to stone him. Instead of saying, “Go on and get it over with,” David encouraged his men that they were capable of reclaiming their wives, children and possessions from the hands of the Amalekites.

David and his men found the Amalekites camp and not only got back all of their wives, children and possessions; they confiscated all that the Amalekites had as well. When David returned to Ziklag, it was no longer a place of overwhelming despair, it was a place of OVERWHELMING VICTORY. Shortly after returning to camp, men came to tell him that both Saul and Jonathan had been killed and that they wanted David to become king!

What would have happened if David had given up when his men wanted to kill him? He never would have received his promised reward! He would not have been made king. God has given you exceedingly great and precious promises, but if you give up before you receive them, you’ll cut yourself off from a blessing. Hang on! You can do it!

If you have been living in Ziklag, a place of overwhelming despair, purpose in your heart to live in a place of OVERWHELMING VICTORY. Go out and reclaim the promises that satan has stolen from you!

2025-03-31T12:44:28-06:00April 14th, 2025|

Overwhelming Victory

DECLARE:  TODAY IS MY DAY OF OVERWHELMING VICTORY.
NOW THANKS BE TO GOD WHO ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST…-2 Corinthians 2:14

Nine years after David was anointed to be king, he was an outcast of Israel! He was living in a Philistine city, Ziklag, with several hundred of his men and their families. “Ziklag” means “overwhelming despair.” What a place for the future king of Israel to live!

One day after returning home to Ziklag, David and his men found that all their wives, children and possessions had been stolen by the Amalekites. David’s men picked up stones to stone him. Instead of saying, “Go on and get it over with,” David encouraged his men that they were capable of reclaiming their wives, children and possessions from the hands of the Amalekites.

David and his men found the Amalekites camp and not only got back all of their wives, children and possessions; they confiscated all that the Amalekites had as well. When David returned to Ziklag, it was no longer a place of overwhelming despair, it was a place of OVERWHELMING VICTORY. Shortly after returning to camp, men came to tell him that both Saul and Jonathan had been killed and that they wanted David to become king!

What would have happened if David had given up when his men wanted to kill him? He never would have received his promised reward! He would not have been made king. God has given you exceedingly great and precious promises, but if you give up before you receive them, you’ll cut yourself off from a blessing. Hang on! You can do it!

If you have been living in Ziklag, a place of overwhelming despair, purpose in your heart to live in a place of OVERWHELMING VICTORY. Go out and reclaim the promises that satan has stolen from you!

2025-03-12T13:25:24-06:00March 31st, 2025|

You Must Remember This

“These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:7)

God likes to remind His people to certain things.  Jesus has given Christians two very special things to remember, and if we keep both of these things in mind, we can have victory over past failures, victory over present circumstances, and victory every day throughout our lives.

Remember how the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the promised land?  The waters miraculously parted, and they walked across.  Then God told Joshua to set up two memorials of 12 large stones one was in the midst of the river, and one was on the riverbank (Joshua 4:20). The stones were to be memorials to the Israelites so that:

“When your children ask in time to come saying, ‘What do these stones

              mean to you?” Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan

              were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD…these stones

              shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:6-7)

The heap of stones at the site where they crossed the Jordan was to remind them of all the miracles God wanted to work on their behalf in the present and the future.  They were to keep their eyes on God’s miracles and His promises—and never look back at the past.  They were constant reminders of God’s miraculous care and provision.  Each time they saw the memorials, their faith would increase, and increased faith meant increased victory.

God’s two memorials for Christians are designed the same way.  The first memorial is baptism.  In John 1:28, we learn that John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River at Bethabara.  Bethabara means “house of the ford or passage.” I believe this is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan.  Jesus went there to be baptized by John.  The one who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) went under the waters, which pictures His death for you and me. But that’s not all.  You were buried with Jesus—that is what your baptism symbolizes: “buried with Him in baptism” (Colossians 2:12). That’s how God transformed your past—He eliminated it!

The second memorial that Christians celebrate is communion.  First Corinthians 11:26 tells us that in communion, we remember not only the Lord’s death but also His second coming: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” In communion, we have a reminder of the daily power needed to live a victorious life (Christ’s life within) and the glorious future that awaits us (Christ second coming).

Like Israel, God has forgiven our past and provided for present and future needs in our lives. Sometimes we forget that God has done everything He can do to ensure we live triumphant Christian lives.  That’s when we need to take a long look at the two memorials God placed in our lives: baptism and communion.  When you recall that your past, present, and future are taken care of by the death, resurrection, and return of Jesus, your faith will increase, and your life will be transformed.

2024-12-19T09:52:22-07:00January 13th, 2025|

How To Stand in Faith and Victory

First Position of Victory:  Stand Praying

Now is the time to STAND and see your victory.  Jesus told us, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him…” Mark 11:25 (NKJ).  So, our first position of victory is to stand praying.  And when we pray, we must forgive those who have wronged us.  You cannot stand in victory if you harbor unforgiveness in your heart.

According to Colossians 4:12, prayers should cause us to “…stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”  Prayer matures and perfects our Christian faith.  Whenever we encounter obstacles to our faith that refuse to move, we need to go to prayer and learn what it is that is hindering us from walking in complete victory.

How long do we stand in prayer?  Until we change the circumstances around us!

Second Position of Victory:  Stand Fast on the Word

Our second position of victory is to stand fast on the Word of God.  Psalms 111:8 says, “They [God’s commandments] stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”

Paul said something similar about standing when he wrote to the Ephesians: “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness” Ephesians 6:14 (NKJ).  We must take our stand on the truth standing on the Word with the breastplate of righteousness.  And if we try to stand on the Word, but live in an ungodly way, it won’t work.  Truth and righteousness go hand in hand—you can’t be a winner while you’re living in sin.  God’s Word will always point you to holiness as the way to stand in faith.

Third Position of Victory:  Stand for Holiness

To stand for righteousness is to stand against evil.  Psalms 94:16 says, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?  Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”  God is calling us to take a stand for Him—to make a bold stand for holiness in our own lives and within our country.  Someone has said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything!”

Queen Esther took a stand that could have cost her very life!  Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, told her of an evil plot to wipe out all the Jews in Persia.  Esther had to choose whether to take a stand by revealing her Jewish nationality to the king, or to remain silent and see her countrymen slain.  She chose to stand for what was right, and she came out victoriously.

People need to know where we stand.  They need to know that we are Christians—that we read our Bibles—that we pray—that we are faithful to our spouses.  Yes, we must make a stand for holiness.

Fourth Position of Victory:  Stand Fast in the Faith

Sometimes when I’ve been standing for something a long, long time, I start thinking, “It looks like this is never going to happen.”  Have you ever thought that?  Sometimes it seems that no matter how much you pray and confess the Word, discouragement hovers like a dark cloud.  That’s the time to heed Paul’s words in I Corinthians 16:13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”

God hasn’t called us to be Christian “wimps”; so, when discouragement rolls in like the fog, that’s the time to stand in faith all the more.  To “be strong” means to keep exercising your faith moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day.  When you feel faith ebbing away, feed your faith with more of the Word of God; the bread of life, and the water of the Spirit will strengthen you to stand fast in faith.

Fifth Position of Victory:  Stand Together

Standing in prayer, standing fast on the Word, standing for holiness, and standing fast in the faith are all things that you can do alone.  You cannot end this year in faith, however, until you’ve learned to stand together.  I need you, and you need me.

As great as Moses was, he wasn’t able to lead the Jews alone.  Over one million Israelites had left Egypt under Moses’ direction, but the responsibilities of governing that many people were too much for one man.  God’s solution is found in Numbers 11:16: “So the Lord said to Moses:  Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.”

Like Moses, God intends for us to help one another and stand with one another.  Ask of us have financial, physical, mental, material, and spiritual needs.  We can’t meet all those needs ourselves, but we can stand for one another’s need and watch God work!

I know of a woman who had cancer, and the doctors told her she had one month to live.  A group of Christians went to her and began to pray.  Nothing happened at first, but they just kept praying and fasting.  The woman couldn’t do anything for herself by this time, but the group of Christians wouldn’t give up.  Finally, 20 days later, she was able to eat some lettuce, and then some bread, and then some…

You know how this story ends—eventually that woman overcame cancer.  She’s alive and serving God today because she didn’t stand alone.  As we stand together, God is able to get the greater victories.

IF YOU want to end this year in victory, find other Christians who will stand in prayer—stand fast on the Word—stand for holiness—and stand fast in the faith with you.  The devil doesn’t have a chance when we’re standing together to defeat him!

Sixth Position of Victory:  Stand as a Conqueror

The last stand you must take is found in Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.”  The “evil day” is whenever you have a crisis!  And in that day, you’re to put on God’s armor from head to foot and then STAND—as a conqueror!

We are stand as conquerors by faith and by saying—and saying—God’s Word!  Get others to say the Word for you too.  Stand together, and speak the Word for each other.

As you stand in prayer—and on the Word—and for holiness—it’s as a conqueror.  And when you stand fast in the faith and stand together, IT WILL BE AS A CONQUEROR!  Live each day from a position of victory, and you will end this year in faith.

2024-12-04T11:54:21-07:00December 9th, 2024|

Walk in Victory

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says…the man who looks
intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this,
not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22, 25 NIV)

Approach every day as though it were the only day you have to achieve your goals and be a winner.  In reality, that is true.  Yesterday is gone forever, and tomorrow isn’t here yet.  Nevertheless, yesterday is the foundation you’re building today on, and today is the foundation for tomorrow.  Too soon, today will be gone and you will be faced with tomorrow.  What you do right now sets the stage for your future, for achievement or failure.  Choose to be a winner.

We hear a great deal today about stress and how to handle it.  Our society seems to be plagued with stress, which manifests in confusion, frustration, anxiety, fear, etc.  Let me give you valuable keys to stress management.  Put God first, plan each day wisely, schedule your time, write things down, stick to your goals, and avoid delay.  This will enable you to eliminate a great amount of stress.

God wants His people to reflect joy and walk in victory.  He doesn’t want them stressed out under their circumstances.  Remember, others are watching you.  The world needs to see a different kind of person—an optimist instead of a pessimist, a winner not a loser, an overcomer rather than an underachiever.  That kind of person just might have the opportunity to lead others to Christ.  Will you be that person?

2024-04-04T09:15:41-06:00April 15th, 2024|
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