Daily Wisdom

Psa 44:4  “Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.”

The Psalmist prayer is seeking the Father’s deliverance, Jacob is an ancestral term for generations. The strength of the prayer is that there is no foe to your growth in grace, no enemy in your faith walk, which was not included in your Savior’s conquest’s. Only be strong and courageous, fear not, nor be dismayed (Isa 41:10). Your faith is called to claim victory, not to coward to their attacks. The victory is yours, gather your spoil through the Savior’s victory; you are a child of the King. In which way do you then most honor your Savior, by failing to claim your promised inheritance and the victory it affords you, both in the flesh as well as the spirit!

The Christian mentality is a victorious mentality… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Jn 11:41 “… And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” 

Consider the unusual order of prayer. Lazarus is till in the grave, and Jesus’ thanksgiving proceeds the miracle resurrection. You would consider that thanksgiving would’ve followed the miracle? Jesus gives thanks for what He is about to receive. The gratitude breaks forth before the bounty has arrived, in the assurance that it is certainly on the way. Israel would sing their song of victory before the battle was fought in the Lord. It’s the sower who is singing the song of the harvest to come. The thanksgiving before the miracle! Is your thanksgiving based on what you got, or on what God has promised? You can tell based on when you choose to sing!

True faith sings amidst the battle knowing victory is forthcoming … HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 1Jn 5:4  “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

It can feel at times that every corner we turn in life there’s an enemy or foe waiting to rob you of your hope, joy, peace, or substance. Satan never retires from his efforts of deluding or ruining God’s children. But your faith is the game changer in any situation, it can snatch victory from the jaws of death. No matter the darkness of a situation, or trouble faced, the lifting of your heart to God in a moment of real actual faith, alters life’s situations in a moment. As a child of God your victory is promised and possessed by your faith and is activated as a spiritual 911 when applied.   

Faith never fails it only falters when man’s fear flourishes instead… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 Jn 19:30 “… It is finished…”

The death-kneel of man’s fleshly efforts rings the loudest in the dying words of Jesus, “it is finished.” Proof, Jesus rose again from the dead. If He had not completed His work of redemption for our penalty of sin, He would have been left in the tomb till then. Our preaching would have been in vain along with our faith, and we would still be in the penalty of our sins… but HE ROSE! And the repentant thief on the cross is the clearest picture in scripture of salvation coming to us by grace through faith apart from oneself.

Everything stinks until it’s finished, can you smell the sweet victory… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 "Lo, in the midst of the throne ... stood a Lamb as it had been slain." Rev 5:6

Why should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds in glory? The wounds of Jesus are His glories, His jewels, His sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus appearance is just because He is "white and ruddy;" white with innocence, and ruddy with His own blood.

The wounds of Jesus are far more glorious than all the splendor of His physical appearance. A soldier’s medals don’t define his honor, it’s the scars and blood that was shed. The thorny crown is more than an imperial diadem. It is true that He doesn’t bear it not now, but there was a glory in it though it that never flashed of gold. Jesus wears the appearance of a slain Lamb as His court dress in which He wooed our souls, and redeemed them by His complete atonement. Nor are these only the ornaments of Christ: they are the trophies He proudly bears showing of His love and of His victory.

The Lion: rest assured we will see the promise of His roar when our Lord returns… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 ‘And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.’ Exo 17:12

So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The prayers of Moses made inept the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both were needed. The prayers of Moses already showed its power when pleading with the Father over the need of water, and the Lord directing him to strike the rock (vs 6). Now Moses holds up the rod, a token of the covenant of the Lord's  promise to Israel, as a war cry for deliverance and victory. 

Yet, Moses grew weary, Aaron and Hur had to assist him. When at any time your prayer weakens, let faith support one hand, and let hope lift the other, and prayer seating itself upon the rock of our salvation, will persevere and prevail. Don’t worry, war but not alone, it only leads to faintness; our greatest strength comes in worship/prayer, it’s the more spiritual exercise leading to victory.

Hands raised until the setting of the sun and the evening of life is or’, with the rising of a better sun, then the glory of the Father’s promise shone… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Gen 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”

The Lord put before Abram a charge to walk before Him in perfectness (meaning completeness). In conjunction God promised five blessings towards Abram, stating “I will…”  But for clarity God is saying I have, meaning God’s will and promises are always complete and bring victory. The issue for us is this, are we willing to be the one who walks into them? Man will never thwart God’s perfect will, he can only thwart God’s will and victory working through them. God will, with or without us. Victory is found by those whose valor leads them to walk in the Lord’s will. The promise always lies a step ahead of us. No matter what we face we win in the Lord’s will. There are only two results by way of God’s promises, either we will live, or we will live, can’t lose!

Because God doesn’t answer our prayer our way, doesn’t mean He hasn’t answered our prayer anyway…HSAY

Daily Wisdom

2Co 2:14 “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”

Paul acknowledges God’s opening of doors in (vs 12), causing him to give thanks unto God which brings victory in Christ. Are our victories self-edifying our profitable for others as well? Notice Paul’s conviction: (2Co 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.) Does our life offer a sweetness that is palatable for others to grow in? God, give us an ability for our life to be a pleasant, sweet victory for others to partake.

Our life should embody victory in Christ, not an occasional lucky coincidence… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

2 Cor 10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 destroy arguments… take every thought captive to obey Christ”

Ever heard the statement, don’t bring a knife to a gun fight? Like Paul, we’re merely weak humans, but we mustn’t rely on human plans and methods to win our battles. The Lord’s arsenal (Eph 6:13-18) is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds against us and our faith. Our weaponry is empowered by the Holy Spirit through the gospel which neutralizes carnal attacks.

David didn’t use the weapons of man to defeat Goliath, his arsenal was empowered by God through his faith… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Jn 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

We’re called to experience life in Christ, and according to (Col 1:10) walk worthy, being fruitful in every good work and increase in His knowledge. To do so, we must wage war against any temptation that would cause us to retreat into complacent Christianity. And instead strengthen ourselves in His power with all patience, long-suffering and joy (vs 11).

A victorious life lived can never be separated from the victorious life sacrificed on the Cross… HSAY  

Daily Wisdom

1 Cor 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There may be a battle ragging within you but know there was a greater battle that was fought and won in the grave for you. While Christ was laid in death and darkness and the weight of ever sin upon Him, there the war on eternal death was waged; so great of a battle that Heaven looked away (Mt 27:46). And the power that death possessed was forever defeated. Showing us that His perfect love could not be overcome. Every battle we face has already been defeated eternally and the power has been given us to face it in the flesh. Our sin and pain may run deep, but God’s grace runs deeper. Not lacking sympathy for one’s pain and thoughts of loneliness, but we must understand no one, except Christ, has ever been truly abandoned (Isa 53:10). But to Christ’s glory He told us in (Jn 19:30) “teleo” meaning: “it is finished.”  He won the battle/s for us!

“And forever He is glorified, forever He is lifted high and forever He is risen” … HSAY

Daily Wisdom

16:33 “… I have overcome the world.”

The scriptures tell us “rain falls on the just and the unjust.” Even with faith we encounter difficulties but just because we experience a defeat does not mean we’re defeated. If we’ve grown our faith through the battle, then we didn’t lose. Do not, for a second, believe you’re defeated. Lift-up your eyes, you’re a child of the King who has overcome the world and conquered death. The Father will never lead us to a battle He hasn’t given us victory over.

We’re not defeated by our enemies, but by losing hope and faith in the work Jesus… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

“… take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted…” Isa 7:4

God’s promised Judah that evil will not prevail against them. Doesn’t mean the enemy won’t try, just that they won’t prevail. One mustn’t let their spirit weaken and fail when attacked, be patient and courageous in the Lord (Psa 27:14); the evil man has no future (Pro 24:20).  In our patience in the Lord, no matter the evil, we’re to respond and overcome it with good (Rom 12:21). It’s out of a good heart, that good things prevail amidst evil (Mt 12:25). In the sorrow, faith draws the string of good out of the enemy’s garment.

Even in the darkest of valley, God promises the brightest of victory (Psa 23)… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

“Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Jm 4:10

The most nullifying act against victory in our life is the unwillingness to surrender. “The Christian life is the only battle where surrender brings victory” (Debra). The extent of our willingness to surrender to the Lord’s purpose will proportionally determine the victories experienced. God’s desiring to build Ark’s with our life, like Noah, and we’re thinking rafts. That’s the problem, rafts don’t deliver victory against the storms. Surrender the pieces of your life to the Lord, He’s got the blueprints to build something beautiful and victorious with them!

Absolute surrender is absolute success… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

“Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.” Psa 108:13

A dear friend of mine shared a thought the Lord had given her which I believe is spot on.

I feel Christians live too much in a spiritual defensive mode rather than a mindset of victory in which we’ve been promised. (Deut 20:4; 1 Cor 15:57)

Here’s her statement: “We should stop thinking about faith as a magic wand that we wave when we want to feel better about unmet expectations (defeat). Instead we should think of it as a muscle we flex to do the heavy lifting that removes the pain of unmet expectations and allows us a way to see God at work (victory) without temporal distraction.”

I added faith should not be isolated for a defeated response, but rather a victorious hope.

Point being: Don’t use faith to coupe but to conquer!

Often prayer lives end with requests for help in order to coupe with stressful situations.

David’s Psalm (108) was not a prayer for rescue, but victory.

With God’s power we can claim more than mere survival, we’re promised victory!

You’re not fighting for victory… you’re fighting in victory! Victory is already yours. (Jn 16:33)

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

1 Cor 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

While temptation will test you, it tests everyone, it has no dominion over you. It can only become destructive when you entertain it instead of escaping it. Your ability “to bear” temptations antics is laid out in God’s escape plan… “make a way to escape.”  Your ability to do so will be predicated on your first step, as Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Tim 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts…  out of it’s presence out of it’s power. Effective spiritual escape plans don’t include resistance and resolve, but rather flee and flourish; ready to fight again. The counter-intelligence is recognizing the enemy, acknowledging wrong, respond in what is right, pray for strength. But, the assurance of victory occurs when you chose to take the first step to escape. But, it’s advantage to the enemy for those who seek to resist temptation rather than fleeing it!

Temptation is the devil looking through the key hole, yielding is opening the door seeing what he's up to.

HSAY… Todd 

Daily Wisdom

1 Jn 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Jesus never promised His children that following him would be absent of temporal problems, but in doing so would be full of eternal promises. Despite the difficult seasons that blow our way at times, the hard work and self-discipline of serving Jesus is given a temporal promise. That when our load starts to feel heavy or too burdensome, we can always, in our faith, trust Jesus to bear it with us (Mt 11:28-30). In the 23^rd Psalm, David describes the Lord as a shepherd, wrote out of his own experience as a shepherd in his early years. Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. Thus, we are His sheep – not frightened, passive animals, but faithful obedient followers, wise enough to follow the One who will lead us, deliver us in the right places and in the right ways. The eternal victory is promised, a fight we don’t have to encounter, that was won and provided on the cross. But, how we experience and “overcome” the battles along the way is directly determined by our willingness and “even our faith” to follow our Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11; Heb 13:20; 1 Pt 5:4).  You're a victor, not a victim; VOICE IT!

Victory belongs to those who are the most persevering, in God’s promises!

HSAY… Todd  

Daily Wisdom

“ARISE, SHINE; for thy light is come, and glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Isa 60:1

Isaiah’s reference to the light was a vision of Christ and the gospel (Isa 58:8; 10 & 9:2); that delivers a soul from its darkness. Isaiah’s encouragement is just as called for today and even more so with the fulfillment of Christ. Man was not made to mourn; he was made to rejoice in the Lord. The worlds view calls one to sit in the midst of life’s joys, looking for the coming sorrow; Christianity empowers the believer to arise and shine in the midst of the world’s sorrows, foreseeing the coming joy.  Understand that happiness is not found in perfection, but in the ability to look beyond the imperfections. Don’t live in the shadows of yesterday, walk in the light of today and its promised hope of tomorrow; not for the purpose of everyone hearing you say you’re a Christian, but rather for everyone to see Christ SHINE in you.

It’s not happy people who are thankful, its thankful people who are happy!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

“And the Lord said unto Joshua, get thee up, wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?” Joshua 7:10

Joshua laid in mourning, anguishing in fear over his men being defeated by their enemy Ai; Joshua would rather leave the Promise Land God gave them and retreat. But Israel’s problem wasn’t their enemy, it was their own heart and the sin they let permeate within that was their obstacle, not their enemies.  God’s response was one of encouragement not consoling; “get thee up” address the problem, don’t dwell in it. Often we pray for our situation to change and God is waiting for our heart to change first. We all make mistakes (sin); have struggles, and even regret. But that’s not who you are; don’t let it define you by living life prostrate in the dust of such problems. Live in the promise of God’s love. The greatest victory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising in Christ every time you fall. Every day may not be a good day, but there’s good in every day; but you have to “get thee up” to find it! Look up, get up and never give up, because Christ got up, and never gives up on you!

I CAN is far more important than IQ

HSAY…Todd