Today is Resurrection Sunday and I am grateful for the gift of Salvation through Christ Jesus my Lord. I know you are too.
This post is one of the first to make up “ConquerorShots.” The Lord reminded me of it as I was making breakfast and fellowshiping with the sweet, Spirit that resides in me today. We all need to experience REAL Hope & Faith. Every day is a blessing of gifts, miracles and wondrous, Divine Provisions when you practice these 2 spiritual principles daily.
Stay in the race!
Darrin
It feels like Christmas today. I have waited patiently for this day to arrive and thank God it is here. As I developed the thematic content for ConquerorShots in January, I got excited then about today’s post. From now on 3/1 will forever be “Hope & Faith” day. You see, we have a progressive transition that is God-ordained.
All of my anticipation about this post is fueling my fingers to hit these keys because I no longer have to hold this in. I pray this blesses you all.
Hebrews 11: 1 is often referred to as the “introduction to the Hall of Faith.”
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hope and faith are clearly defined here. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for us to misuse these Heavenly gifts UNLESS you are not in agreement with this verse.
This issue of UNCERTAINTY has come up in varying conversations this week. It continues to be a condition souls from all walks of life are having difficulty with. The most obvious difficulty I continue to realize during the talks is in recognizing how UNCERTAINTY is an OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD STRONG FAITH. This article was published last year at this time and God reminded me of it last night.
Gracious Eternal Heavenly Father, I pray that this truth will anchor in the souls of your children and that they too will realize how EFFICIENT your grace is as they recognize their indwelling potential to live a Conqueror Lifestyle daily. In Christ Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.
Take a moment and step into yesterday’s happenings and get a bird’s eye view of how my faith muscles got a good workout on life’s bench press of uncertainty. I must admit I never understood the benefits of a series of events that are designed to “work out” my faith like this.
In the past, when uncertainty presented itself during the course of a day, I would allow it to rob me of any peace that was present. Uncertainty has the ability to get us all caught up in hypotheticals, ego, pride, fear, shame, guilt, and most of all ANXIETY. I am so glad to have Philippians 4 as a source of encouragement to fuel my spirit. It is one of many gold mines throughout the Pauline epistles that NEVER dries up.
I pulled up into the church parking lot that was almost empty at the height of the early morning…
Being more than conquerors is a spiritual principle that keeps you hopeful on a daily basis. It requires continuous action. Faith is the action Conquerors use daily. With all of the issues we deal with today – economic uncertainty for one – discouragement, by way of distraction, is a design to disrupt faith. Dismay breads fear. It is extremely common for me to walk through the course of any given day and get overwhelmed by some situation that is not going the way I expected it to. Any circumstance with designs to overtake my faith and replace it with fear becomes an opportunity for new faith to develop.
Here in Atlanta
the traffic can create varying results. Anger, stress, rage and distraction are in the forefront for me. Using MARTA does have its advantages. When I have left home two hours earlier to get to my destination on time and…
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
In the Book of Joshua the 2nd chapter you can read about the story of Rahab.
Rahab and the Emissaries of Joshua (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The mere mention of her name elicits the world of prostitution. Her Biblical story reveals that she was a ‘working girl’ who was willing to help 2 Israelite men who Joshua sent to spy on the land, including Jericho. The fact that she was willingly accommodating to these young, viral men could suggest the theory she was preying on their vulnerability giving rise to an opportunity for her to capitalize and get paid. The human mind will also fantasize about the origins of the spies ending up at a harlot’s house. In fantasy they may have deliberately ended up there to “blow off some steam.”
In the story’s enticing opening the reader will want to find out what happens. This is a great read in and of itself. However, the emphasis for this “shot” is on what Rahab heard and how she responded. As she takes the liberty to check on the spies she divulges her true nature. Here we see that the word was spreading about God‘s power being demonstrated through the chosen Israelites. The news worthiness of their trek through the Red Sea and the conquering of 2 kings was a source of awakening in the hearts of many. Rahab’s awakening is clearly stated in verse 11″When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath .”
Rahab heard what God had done and her heart awakened to TRUST IN GOD. The Israelite men were God’s men. She did not view them as objects for capital gain. Instead she was IN POSITION as a vessel for God to use as He deemed necessary. It is this design for FAITHTHAT WE WILL NEED TO REALIZE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A CONQUEROR LIFESTYLE. We live life from day-to-day under the auspices of God’s Sovereignty. NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, HAPPENS BY SURPRISE IN THE CREATOR’S WORLD. Yet human beings are constantly attempting to act as “the controlling force” of their destiny. Psalms 24:1 says the Earth is the Lords and the FULLNESS thereof. If you are ever going to be of use to anyone it is because of God and God alone. God is ALWAYS UP TO SOMETHING GOOD BECAUSE GOOD IS ALL HE DOES.
You have to hear about God’s power; hear about God’s grace; hear about God’s love; hear about God’s faithfulness; hear about God’s Sovereignty. Have you heard that Jesus Christ SAVES to the UTMOST?
Hear how He provides, protects and preserves His people. Hear how He can DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL. You can hear it from Genesis to Revelations as you read about the Mighty God we serve. All the while your heart will awaken to a continuous cultivation of FAITH in all that you hear about Him. As this faith matures, a newness in the way you think and respond to ANY life situation erupts. You will say things that you thought you would never say, do things you thought you would never do and life will take on new meaning. This and more is likely when you HEAR of his goodness, strength and power and discover He is always available for you. Faith comes by what you heard and what you hear from the Word of God.
ConquerorShots 