Living the Victorious Life Devotional Reading and Podcast
There is only one way for us to have victory: through Christ Jesus. Winning the battle between self-reliance and dependency on God requires human effort and Divine Intervention. The human effort of surrendering oneself to God is simply declaring your total dependence on your Heavenly Father. But how do we rely totally on God?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes…” —Proverbs 3:5-6
The practical application of King Solomon’s words of wisdom is for us to pray over every aspect of our lives and as King David admonishes us, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14).
Living a victorious life is guaranteed when we choose Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords over our lives.
Prayer: God, we surrender our minds and souls to You. We ask You to lead, guide, and direct us in the daily activities of our lives. In Jesus’ Worthy Name, we pray, Amen.
God Is Always Faithful Devotional Reading and Podcast
Lamentations Chapter 3, Verses: 22 to 26, and 55 to 57
Verses 22-24: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’ “
Verses 25-26: “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.”
Verses 55-57: “I called on Your name, O Lord, From the lowest pit. You have heard my voice: ‘Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.’ You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, ‘Do not fear!’ “
Without intentional effort, the human mind easily forgets the greatest blessings our loving and merciful Heavenly Father gives us. Every day, we receive breath in our bodies, our minds function without concerted effort, and we choose the foods that we will eat and enjoy.
Developing a heart filled with gratitude doesn’t come naturally. We tend to focus on our heart’s never-ending desires. Decide to begin your day with prayer and praise to the Most High God for His gifts of mercies.
“What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me?” —Psalm 116:12. Praise the Lord!
Prayer: God, we thank You for the mercies of a new day in our lives. And we thank You for all of the blessings that You lovingly give although we do not deserve them. God, we love You. In Jesus’ Worthy Name, we pray. Amen.
Receiving the Reward Not Based on Merit Devotional Reading and Podcast
Cambridge Dictionary defines work-life balance as “the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy.”
If you created a time log for hours spent working, preparing yourself [personal hygiene and dressing], and roundtrip travel would it exceed 60 hours a week? Then you may need to consider other career options. God always requires us to put Him first. He never places us in a situation in which we do not have time to worship and fulfill our spiritual assignment.
What are the chances of your employer rewriting your job description after hiring? The chances are very slim. The job description is specific and outlines the expectations of each employee. Unless specified, no variables or negotiable terms exist in the contractual agreement between the employer and employee. Job descriptions legally protect the employer as well as the employee.
The salary and specific time of merit raises are also included in the job description. Merit raises are based on an employee’s performance. Every employee who has not received disciplinary action can expect to receive a merit raise annually for a job well done.
Certainly, God created us to work and have the provisions for the requirements of everyday life. Yet, we also need sufficient rest for spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical restoration. Spiritually, we require intentional time with God in personal worship that should be part of our morning and evening routines. Love for God, faith, trust, humility, and obedience along with praying, studying the Bible, and witnessing are Christ’s requirements of every Christian believer.
Many Christians feel that the Great Commission of witnessing is optional. Every follower of Christ has a work to do: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20). Although we will not personally baptize, we are required to spread the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Like the employer who remains steadfast in their contractual agreement, God also expects that we will obey and complete our daily spiritual task of witnessing. We have limitless options to use our talents. Residents in nursing homes love sing-a-longs, teaching others how to paint or do crafts, joining a church’s outreach ministry, volunteering in a food pantry, or even in the store telling someone “Jesus loves you.” Our love and kindness displayed by a smile, and saying good morning are also nonverbal ways of witnessing.
Contrary to trendy beliefs, it is not enough for us to attend church, give tithe and offerings, and strive to live righteously. The reward of receiving eternal life also requires daily witnessing. Through the advancement of technology, we can witness of Christ’s love and saving power through various platforms. Share Scriptures, make reels, place an ad to do free lawn mowing, or make a meal for an elderly person. Helping others demonstrates our love for God.
There is no middle ground between obedience and disobedience. Either we love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds or not!
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” —James 2:14-17
Although our spiritual gifts and talents vary, every believer has a spiritual assignment with one goal, “To tell others of the love of Christ who died for the redemption of our sins.” Faith allows us to believe in and obey the Triune God. Every Scripture in the Bible applies to us including Jesus’ command to witness and make disciples. Who will tell them, if we don’t?
Faith plus Works shows that our hearts are bursting with love for Jesus. The followers of Christ who pray and surrender themselves every day to the will of God reveal humility, faith, trust, and obedience. Works alone can never save us, yet, works validate our faith and indicate our spiritual status with God.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:58
Our spiritual raise will be given when Jesus comes again, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12). For our faithful obedience along with fulfilling our commission, we will receive immortality and life in a perfect, sinless, New Heaven and New Earth where the atmosphere is filled with Agape love. Let the redeemed of the Lord, say Amen!
Prayer: God, we ask You to reveal our spiritual gifts and talents so we can further the work of Jesus in these last days. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
Scriptures of Encouragement—Jesus Will Never Forsake Us!
Commit to putting all of your faith and trust in the only Loving, Powerful God who always keeps His promises.
“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. He does not forget the cry of the humble.” —Psalm 9:9-10, 12
“In my distress, I cried to the LORD, And He heard me.” —Psalm 120:1
“The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.” —Psalm 121:5
“…Thus says the LORD to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” —2 Chronicles 20:15
“…as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:5, 6, 9
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11
“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all of your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:12-13
“…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” —Isaiah 43:1-3
“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” —Nahum 1:7
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33
“Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:6-7
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:19
“Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” —Philippians 4:20
Believe in God’s promises! Be not dismayed, God will take care of you!
Wisdom the Divine Gift Devotional Reading and Podcast
Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. —Proverbs 3:13-15
“The book of Proverbs is all about helping us to make right choices, to choose the way of God and not that of the deceiver.”— SSQ, The Call of Wisdom
Wisdom is a divine gift from God. Yet we must ask for it. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). Wisdom gives us the ability to discern between right and wrong whether the deception is obvious or not.
Deception is spiritual warfare by Satan—the Master of Deception who seeks to trick us by developing customized temptations and presenting them to us with such proficiency that in our process of rationalizing, we become confused. Of course, his goal is to make the righteous fall. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14).
Satan deceived Eve with words that appeared to be full of wisdom. Imagine a serpent who can communicate with you. The distraction of a talking serpent who spoke about the wonderful benefits of eating the forbidden tree’s fruit cost Adam and Eve everything, including their face-to-face relationship with Jesus, loss of their home, and immortality.
Sadly, many Christians are deceived every day. When faced with life’s dilemmas, we rely on our emotions, academic degrees, strategies, and prior life experiences instead of praying for God to give us the wisdom to discern. By eliminating prayer for wisdom and guidance, we use our limited knowledge to make decisions that result in costly consequences.
The dilemma is orchestrated by Satan and comes to completion because of our lack of knowledge or pride. We feel pressured to make an immediate decision. Then Satan adds fuel to the fire with additional deceptive tactics by making us believe that our circumstances are trials or tribulations caused by God.
In John 16, Jesus tells us that we will have tribulations. Most of us have been through at least one season of darkness, and thankfully God has given us deliverance that we can use as a testimony to encourage others. But what happens when our lives are in constant turmoil from which we never recover?
Trials versus Consequences
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. —1 Peter 5:10
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed…” —2 Corinthians 4:8
Whether our lives feel out of control or everything is at peace, if we are Christian believers, we will experience hard times. Contrary to trendy [false] teachings, God does not crush us. The apostle Peter tells us that suffering has a Divine purpose. Our characters “as is” are not acceptable for the Kingdom of Heaven. Trials, sorrows, tribulations, and hard times are allowed by God to accomplish a spiritual transformation.
Are you impatient, unloving, have an anger management issue, or possess a prideful and selfish heart? Even if we do not admit our character defects, God’s purpose is for us to live eternally with Him. God does not punish us for long periods because He can. We serve a God whose name is Love. We have the assurance that our trials are given for one purpose, spiritual growth!
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
God does not crush or bring chaos and confusion into our lives. If we are living disruptive lives due to chaos and confusion then we are making decisions outside of the will of God. God’s purpose is to transform and provide restoration and peace to our lives. We benefit from trials because they place us on a firm foundation in Jesus Christ and prepare us to receive our reward of eternal life.
If you are suffering from the consequences of counterproductive decisions, pray a prayer of confession and repentance. Our Heavenly Father is loving and merciful. Every day surrender your heart and will to God by asking for wisdom and discernment. Develop the mindset of “Where God leads and directs me, I will obey.”
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” —Proverbs 3:5-6
Prayer: God, we ask for forgiveness for excluding you from our decision-making. We ask for wisdom and discernment and pray for Your Divine Guidance in our lives. We also ask You to resolve our current dilemma that is present due to a spirit of self-reliance. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in the Worthy Name of Jesus, Amen.
Three Prayers Guaranteed to Change Your Character Devotional Reading and Podcast
We struggle to become better people. Many are doing their best to get rid of their learned behaviors and hereditary characteristics, yet they never quite make it. Although spiritual transformation requires a lifetime, we make it more complicated. By attempting to change we leave out the most important factor—we cannot change ourselves without God’s help. And that is the issue, we need Divine Intervention to develop a Christ-like character.
Praying is our connection to the Power Source, Jesus Christ who sent the Holy Spirit to lead us through our earthly lives. The intervention of the Holy Spirit orchestrates the change of our hearts. Only those who surrender and obey God’s will can experience a transformation of mind and character.
The three prayers that act as spiritual catalysts for changing our hearts are the human effort required before we can receive the Divine Intervention of the Holy Spirit who changes us.
The Obstacle: “The heart is deceitful above all things And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, those evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23).
TheSpiritual transformation of our Characterrequires Faith, Love, Humility, Obedience, Knowledge, Prayer, Bible Study, and the Holy Spirit.
Faith: “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” —Hebrews 11:6
Love: “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The greatest commandment to love God with everything you have was given in the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:18 states, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD”.
The emancipated Israelites did not have loving hearts. Not only did they fail to love God, but they also hated their neighbors and mistreated their parents. Because we are born sinful, and our backgrounds and life experiences differ, God has not left us to define His Righteous Standards. Study 1 Corinthians, chapter 13 for a description of love and its’ characteristics.
Love, Humility, and Obedience: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” —Micah 6:8
To give us a foundation, in the book of Micah chapter 6, verse 8 describes three character traits, “to do justice—treat others with fairness, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” which describe acceptable and righteous interaction with others and God.
“But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ ” —Jeremiah 7:23
Obedience is surrendering our will to God every day—this is the spiritual meaning of taking up our cross which is mandatory to receive spiritual transformation and eternal life. “Lord, speak to me and reveal Your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Knowledge: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” —Matthew 11:28-30
From the pages of the Holy Bible, we learn the righteous traits that God requires and we see them demonstrated in our Role Model, Jesus Christ. Change requires knowledge. What are we striving for? What are God’s expectations of the righteous? The Bible is our first Resource when seeking change. It is God-breathed and written for our edification, to instruct and improve, especially in moral and religious knowledge.
Three Daily Prayers: 1. Prayer of Confession, Repentance, and Surrender, 2. Prayer to Receive Guidance and Power from the Holy Spirit, 3. Prayer for the Strength and Wisdom to fulfill God’s will and purpose for your life.
“Now it happened that at this time He went off to the mountain to pray, and He was spending the whole night in prayer to God.” —Luke 6:12. From this prayer, Jesus received an outpouring of Divine power and He healed every sick person in the multitude of people.
Praying: If we learn nothing else about Christ, we know that praying to God was always His priority. Jesus always kept close communication with His Father for strength and, most importantly, to align with God’s will. Something that many have never thought about, Jesus had to learn obedience. Yes, the Commander of the angel armies had to acquiesce to His earthly parents until He matured and was fully into His Divine purpose on earth.
Put God First! Jesus clarifies that God is first and holds the highest status, even above His [and our] earthly family. “Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.’ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’ ” —Matthew 12:47-50
Prayer keeps us on the Path of Righteousness. Prayer keeps us from falling into the spiritual warfare of earthly distractions. Prayer keeps us in alignment with God’s will and purpose.
Our deceitful hearts cannot stay focused on Jesus without surrender and intervention from the Holy Spirit. Nor can we have victory over hereditary tendencies and learned behaviors without consistent and fervent praying. Yes, change requires intentional prayers that verbalize our desire to mature into the likeness of Christ.
Prayer: God, we are in the struggle of our lives. We need Your help. Lord, we pray for the forgiveness of our sins. We acknowledge that we cannot change our deceitful and wicked hearts without surrendering and receiving the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. We desire to have the characteristics of Christ. We ask this prayer in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
You must be logged in to post a comment.