Remind Us To Surrender


LORD, we need your love to remind us that our earthly home is NOT our eternal home.

Look Up - Jesus Is Coming Again
Look Up – Jesus Is Coming Again

It is hard to live in this world and not be distracted from this truth.  The rat race within the human race is perilous. From the outside your pace appears to be slowing down to where you can’t keep up with your peers.  External elements tell you that you are failing – physically, fiscally and socially.  There seems to be no reasonable human defense to wage – SURRENDER ALL INSTEAD!

This month’s principal is love. I am not focusing on any aspect of human love today. God’s love is my point of view.  I cringe when I consider how many times I failed to acknowledge His love for me. God loves you and me so much. He pours out His love through His grace.  His grace epitomizes His love. The magnitude of His grace in each of our lives is realized through daily salvation.  God’s grace has the Power to save us daily.

Whenever you are unsure of how to proceed in the midst of uncertainty, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are afraid you will loose something or someone you love, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are lonely with no one around to comfort and care, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are in need with no resources of your own, His grace is sufficient!

When you get tired and weary while running the race called “life,” His grace is sufficient!!!

Here are some Biblical references that will remind you to surrender:

Romans 3:23-26 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

1Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Reflect on the way in which you and I are blessed to experience the grace of God. It reminds us to surrender. God’s love for you and I extends beyond human comprehension. “I find my purpose, my strength and my salvation in Christ Jesus daily as I live the Conqueror Lifestyle.” He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins, your sins and the sins of all who would by faith believe this truth. Then He allowed His Son to experience human/spiritual death – being separated from His Father as He bore the sins of sinners like you and me. Then He allowed for His Son to resurrect from the grave of human death and gave Him (Jesus Christ) the authority over all that is in Heaven and on Earth.

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him — all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions,whether principalities or powers — all things were created through him and for him.
17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross — through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

The reminder to surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ and the blood He shed for you and me is where we are guaranteed to meet up with, find ourselves in and rejoice with praise and thanksgiving forevermore – GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT! By His grace you and I are blessed to be able to sit in “Heavenly places” IN Christ Jesus while we live life here on earth. By God’s grace you and I are also blessed to be adopted IN Christ and made one with Him. By God’s grace you and I are blessed with the  promise that we will be with Him eternally.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We all need a reminder to surrender to the authority of Christ over every aspect of our lives today. It may appear that the Enemy is winning, but that is just not so!  He is already defeated so winning is not an option from God’s perspective. We need our human perspectives checked with His “omniness” (courtesy of my brother Len the Gloryteller)on a regular basis to thwart the deceptions of evil. God’s sovereignty maintains His will over Heaven and Earth. We are promised an eternal place with His Son – a reminder to continue surrendering to His authority and to do all we can to share the truth of His Word while we live here. One day He IS coming back to rapture us to our Heavenly home in glory!

1Thessalonians 4:16-18 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

His love is the reason we can live with a blessed hope. Remind one another to surrender!

Rev. D

Cain & Abel: Family Matters of the Heart


Here is another video lesson from our series “Men of Old Testament:Timeless Lessons” which I am announcing here for the 1st time.  I hope that you will indulge yourself and the series with your time and listen to them in their entirety.

This lesson will exegete the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1-10 and surprise you with a Heavenly perspective of how their story helps us today with “Family Matters of the Heart.”  You will be empowered to experience these results in your life, like mine, when family members expose their anger towards you or for you as you walk by faith and not by sight. For more information on these weekly video lessons here is the link to our current online campaign:

Surfer Bible Study Campaign

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Stay in the race!

Darrin

Courage To Stand


         Children of God, when trouble comes (and it always does) do not succumb to the trial and fail by employing your own strength. You can find the courage to stand up and not be overtaken when you know the Divine outcome of the Troublemaker. You can have peace in the midst of the storm through “the God of Peace.” Enjoy this “shot” by way of my mom – Sister Cheryl DeGroat-Payne.  
 Stay in the race!   Rev. D

       “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly…” (Romans 16: 20).

Peace

The apostle Paul exhorts Christians in Rome to endure the hardships brought on by the wiles of the devil.  The Holy Spirit of God – through the believer’s faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for remission of sins – inducts us into the army of God.  The resurrecting power of His shed blood within believers empowers us to resist the enemy-until His return. We have the blessed assurance as good soldiers of Jesus Christ to know we are predestined to victory – the source of the God of peace. His message still resonates Divine truth to us today.

The God of peace foreknew -from eternity past, into eternity present and further to eternity future – our status as a lost and trouble-ridden humanity.  He loves us so much that he planned to divest himself of His glory by stepping down out of infinity and descending into time. Lowering Himself to human form, He became as we are – human – so that we could become as He is – Spirit.

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).  Jesus knew humans are heavily reliant on their five senses. He also knew we would live our lives with limitations stemming from ignorance of the oppression of the spirit world system against us.

These spirits dwell in the heavens and stand in opposition to God and us. They have a steadfast allegiance with Satan, the archenemy of God, as their head. He governs this world’s system, known as the Kosmos (GR.). The Kosmos hated Christ and it hates us.  Jesus said, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you (John 15:18).  He went on to say, These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.  In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I had overcome the world (John 16:33).

C.I.  Scofield wrote of the kosmos saying:

“In this sense of the present world-system, the ethically bad sense of the word, refers to the ‘order,’ ‘arrangement,’ under which Satan has organized the world of unbelieving mankind upon his cosmic principle of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure (Mt 4:8,9; Jn 12:31; 14:30; 18:36; Eph 2:2; 6:12; and 1 Jn.  2: 15-17).  This world-system is imposing and powerful with armies and fleets; is often outwardly religious, scientific, cultured, and elegant; but, seething with national and commercial rivalries and ambitions, is upheld in any real crisis only by armed force, and is dominated by Satanic principles.” (Scofield Reference Bible footnote Revelation 13:8).

A “Hope” Shot

   “The God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly…”  The Word of God urges and encourages us to persevere in resisting the wiles of the devil with great confidence in Him and courage to trust Him. It promises we will find ourselves fully discharged from this ongoing spiritual battle. Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of the expectation of this promise being fulfilled.  In the meantime, encourage yourself in the faith (become more and more inclined to trust in the LORD) and await the thrill of having the neck of our enemy – Satan the devil – under our feet while witnessing the abject humiliation of our conquered foe.  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet (Psalm 91:13) .

         The exclusive purpose in the manifestation of the Son Of God taking up human flesh is to destroy the works of the devil in and through the Body of Christ, which is called the Church (earlier referred to as the Army of God).  It is an organism comprised of believers. These are they that have surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Christ – as their Head. This is the mystery hidden in God throughout the ages. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. He did this by defeating the power of sin and death through His triumphant resurrection. 

Hebrews 2:14-18  (PHILLIPS) Since, then, “the children” have a common physical nature as human beings, He also became a human being, so that by going through death as a man He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might also set free those who lived their whole lives a prey to the fear of death. It is plain that for this purpose he did not become an angel; he became a man, in actual fact a descendant of Abraham. It was imperative that He should be made like his brothers in nature, if He were to become a High Priest both compassionate and faithful in the things of God, and at the same time able to make atonement for the sins of the people. For by virtue of his own suffering under temptation He is able to help those who are exposed to temptation.[i] 

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) 

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.(Romans 15:13) 

The God of peace be with you all, amen. (Romans 15:33)
Cheryl DeGroat-Payne

[i] J. B. Phillips, “The New Testament in Modern English“, 1962 edition by HarperCollins

God’s Priceless Gift


Now that Christmas is over many of you received all kinds of gifts – expensive, inexpensive, thoughtful, thoughtless, etc. – which you are now getting accustomed to having. For example, someone got a new coat and is getting used to it being in their closet. Now he can include it in his selection of outerwear choices or, more simply, she now has a coat to wear as opposed to not having one prior to the gifting. Anyway you look at it, the coat is a blessing and its new owner continues to receive the benefits of the blessing every time he/she wears it and it actually protects her from the elements of the world – the cold, rain, snow, high winds and stormy weather.

gift_box_red_bowGod‘s priceless gift, Jesus Christ, who’s birth we are to celebrate on Christmas day, is a far better gift than any earthly gift we can receive. But once Christmas is over, and the earthly gifts have lost their splendor, many people are still uncertain about the reason for the season. They go on living life, trying to be righteous in themselves, doing the best they believe they can to get on God’s good side. Many are attending all sorts of religious assemblies to manifest a sense of spiritual praise that is heavily influenced by human practices that ease God (who created the Heavens and the Earth) out and allowing for the God of this world – Satan – to have his way. Others are maintaining some appearances of goodness which they feel is their reasonable service to get to Heaven, when all the while they live in  fear, terror, and absolute abandon to the truth of their spiritual salvation and their place in eternal life.

The idea of Heaven seems to be a potential place of arrival often overshadowed by the fantasy of alternative ideas made possible by human imagination. Ecumenical ideas exist -brought about by devout, scholarly theologians – which offer competing approaches to reaching Heaven that are based in worldliness rather than God’s Word. Furthermore, the denouncement of Hell as being a real destination in God’s Word continues to have a growing audience.  it is much more comfortable to assert that Hell is here on Earth. Once the Word of God is challenged as one of many sources for man to understand the future, all kinds of human approaches to Hell become viable alternatives.  Human hope purports Hell as an uncertain aspect of the future that won’t be as bad as it is described. The worldwide deception of the existence of Hell is obviously winning as people are more focused on getting their Earthly wealth and prosperity, and living their best life now rather than getting ready for Judgement Day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ, the priceless gift of God, is Lord.

Thankfully, God’s grace is still making ways for His priceless gift to save lives. You may know someone, or you yourself may have found this “shot” in order to be a recipient of God’s gift to humans. Let any and all know that this good news is available. Here is how His priceless Gift can be yours too:

By faith you can receive His gift – which has 2 parts!
By faith, believe that Jesus Christ was born to die on the cross for your sin- past, present & future – and He was buried and rose up from the grave and now sits on the right hand of the Father making intercession for you daily.    ***He loves you unconditionally.***    As you trust Him daily in your prayers to Him  (end your prayers “in Jesus name Amen.”)  your faith will mature & your life will be enriched more than you can possibly imagine. That’s Part #1 – forgiveness of sin.
Part # 2 is the best one – you are GUARANTEED Eternal Life IN Heaven.  By faith you know that you will spend your life after this life with Him in Heaven.


Here are some verses to help u in your developing faith:
Romans 10:9– because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
 10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.                       Rom 10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
Romans 12:1-2

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice — alive, holy, and pleasing to God — which is your reasonable service.
12:2 Do not be conformed to this present world,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God — what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received — that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures


Galatians 2:20&21 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!


Ephesians 2:8-10 (gift part #1) 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.


Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of (faith) witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,
:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

I John 1:8-10 8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

 

1John 5:13 (gift part #2) Assurance of Eternal Life    I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

May the grace of God wrap you in His everlasting care from this day forward. If we never meet in this Earthly life we will praise God together eternally in Heaven.
God bless you & Happy New Year.


Conqueror Ministries is always available for you to experience getting the “more” in Romans 8:37 on a daily basis.

Why We Need Grace


Many people use the phrase “But for the grace of God, but for the grace of Godthere go I” as a way of expressing their personal account of God’s grace in and over their life. But my Uncle Junior has taken this personal account to another level by posing the question “Why do we need grace?”   His answers are truthful and will compel you to be more deliberate in your use of this popular phrase. I am so grateful to him for his willingness to be of service to Conqueror Ministries by way of his writings. We will continue to deliver them to you even in the New Year.  Please keep reading and get his spiritual shot of encouragement to trust God more.

At this time I want to thank you, our readers, for continuing to stop by and choose a spiritual shot.  May the God of all grace strengthen you, protect you and bless you during this holiday season and may the gift of a New Year be filled with precious accounts of His faithfulness in your life.
Stay in the race!
Darrin

 

So why is Grace so needed? 

Jesus said in John 6:37-44 KJV (37)All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (41) The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. (42) And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? (43) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. (44) No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:65 KJV And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

This is not to be misunderstood – NO MAN can come to Christ unless he has been effectually drawn to Him by God the Father. This is why we need God’s grace.

Every man who is so drawn will be endowed with the matchless grace of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The gift of Eternal life also demonstrates His grace when He exchanges our human, sinful bodies for a glorified body, just like Christ’s at His resurrection, when we begin our eternal life. There are no exceptions to this clear teaching from God’s Word (the Bible).

Of course most men think of themselves as “good” and “capable of doing good” and they are able to go to God on their own, whenever they feel the need to.   This is the epitome of human deception. In your flesh you can NOT please God, nor can your human works make a difference to God.

 

But Scripture, which should be our final authority, proves man is a liar and unable to please God, as demonstrated below:

Men are evil continually” Genesis 6:5 KJV And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Men love evil and hate good” Psalms 52:3 KJV Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Men unable to go to God” (John 6:65 given earlier)

Men in the flesh (unregenerate state) cannot please God” Romans 8:7-8 KJV Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Men are under Satan’s control” 1 John 5:19 KJV And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

So as we consider the matter of God’s grace,and why we so badly need it, review this conclusion thoroughly.

No one can come to God the Son unless God the Father enables him.” 

Ephesians 1:1-14 KJV Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: (2) Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (11) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We need the grace of God to realize who we can become IN Christ! The only reason anyone comes to Jesus Christ is because the Father has drawn him. Through Christ we are made complete and fit for the Master’s use. Our standing is made perfect in God’s sight through our faith in Jesus Christ and we are justified to find peace with God. We can live undefeated lives as we realize we are “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

Merry Christmas!

Defining “Grace”


After much time living life, ministering the Gospel of the grace of God along the Eastern Seaboard and representing the Conqueror Lifestyle, there is much that I must do to catch up here on ConquerorShots. God willing you will come by and get more “shots” for your spirit as God gives me the wisdom to serve them up.

Thankfully, my Uncle (mom’s brother) has agreed to contribute to ConquerorShots. He prepared a series of posts that I am grateful to publish on his behalf. Thank God for email, it still has significant purpose in the world of internet communications.  What is Grace? is the first of several posts on the way from Uncle Ralph (AKA Uncle June) who the Lord has gifted with a message of truth that will inspire you to work out your own salvation.

Philippians 2:12 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (with fear and trembling, used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty – http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Phl&c=2&v=12&t=KJV#s=t_conc_1105012)

Thank you for continuing to stop by. Stay in the race! D


We often hear the word “Grace” but what exactly is it? Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is where God shows us mercy, kindness, and patience instead of the judgement that we deserve for sinning against Him.grace

God’s grace cannot be earned by our actions or sincerity. It cannot be lost by our rebellion or sin. Grace is based on the character of God and not on our sincerity, performance, or ability to keep the Law of God. Otherwise, grace would not be grace. Here are some Biblical examples:

[Romans 11;6], ” But if it is by Grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

[Galatians 2:21], ” I do not nullify the Grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law (our own good works), then Christ died needlessly.”

[2 Timothy 1:9], ” who has saved us, and called (chosen) us with a Holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and Grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”

If it were not for God’s Grace, we would not ever be saved from His righteous judgement. It was the Grace of God that worked in Christ who bore our sins in His body on the Cross.

 

1 Peter 2:24 KJV   Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

God’s grace makes it so that we might be forgiven and justified (i.e. declared righteous before a Holy God) by faith (Romans 3:23-28, 5:1 Read these verses often). And it is because of God’s gracious kindness to all who put their trust in His work on the Cross, they will receive forgiveness, Salvation from their sins, regeneration (i.e. God the Holy Spirit comes within you to impart new life: you are “Born-again), and the Eternal love of God epitomized in the precious gift of Eternal Life.

Again, God’s kindness to us is based on His character not on ours. His Grace to us is completely and totally an act of His free will and not based on any ability, merit, or performance of our own. God’s Grace is also manifested to the unbelievers also. Ultimately, all people deserve the judgement of God because all people have sinned.

 

Romans 3:23 KJV
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

But, God does not execute His judgement upon all people right away. Instead, He is exceedingly patient and kind towards them. Please consider what Jesus said regarding loving our enemies even as God loves the unrighteous.

 

Matthew 5:43-48 KJV Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. (44) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (46) For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? (47) And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? (48) Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

May God’s Word fill your heart with a desire to seek Him, and Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.
Uncle Ralph

Humble Thanks


After much time spent on releasing our second book “Qualities of a Conqueror Vol. 1” and experiencing real change personally, the Lord God Almighty beckoned me to write here. God willing ConquerorShots will regularly coincide with our “#TellUrSelf tweets.”  Ultimately you will experience spiritual delicacies to enhance your experience living the Conqueror Lifestyle. Our goal is to make it easier for you to get familiar with our Christian brand through our books, ConquerorShots, upcoming workshops and teaching materials and more all to enhance your walk with God through Christ Jesus one day at a time.

 

Psalm 136:26 NET BIBLE Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loyal love endures! If you have never read this chapter we suggest you do so and make it a regular reading for your personal gratitude prayers. Giving thanks, i.e. gratitude, is a necessary daily experience children of God, MTaCs, practice. We learn that in giving thanks we find the production of the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in amazing circumstances. God, who created the Heavens and the Earth, you and I and everything we appreciate while we are living day by day, is worthy of our daily gratitude because of His loyal love. The NET Bible uses the word loyal so perfectly here. No matter what we do, or do not do, in the way of service to God and others, God’s love for us NEVER changes! He is the most loyal love I have ever known.

 

When we put emphasis on gratitude for the material, human accomplishments – education, money, success, children, spouses, careers, houses, land, cars, boats, vacations et al – we are subject to the evil of deception and confusion as we focus on the Earthly rather than the Heavenly.  This is where the application of “Humble Thanks” is best realized. When you are in spiritual acceptance of your NEED for a Savior, and Jesus Christ is REAL to you, you willingly humble your human nature under the authority of God.

Wenceslas Hollar - The kneeling sinner
Wenceslas Hollar – The kneeling sinner (Photo credit: Wikipedia) A Depiction of Humble Thanks to God

By regular confession of sins, transgressions, iniquity, guilt,shame and fear before Him in prayer and thanksgiving for the simplest of blessings you come to realize through your need for His providence, you will humble yourself under God’s mighty hand for His continual protection and power in your life and the lives of others. The air you breath, the blood running warm in your veins, the activity of your limbs and your mind being sane and at peace become blessings of enormous praiseworthiness.

 

In humble thanks to God’s loyal love which endures through any and all human conditions, your gratitude will always be acceptable to God and it will reflect His love off of you into many other lives, situations, circumstances and conditions here on Earth. Heaven is our home but the Earth is our training ground. Be humble before God as your realize your spiritual training. Every scripture in Psalm 136 KJV ends with “His mercy endureth for ever” to emphasize that all of the human accomplishments acknowledged in the list exist because of the eternal endurance of God’s faithful, goodness and kindness towards His children. Give humble thanks daily and create your own list – IT WORKS!

 

Stay in the race!

 

Darrin

 

Let It Go




When ANYTHING is keeping you from spiritual progress – “LET IT GO!”


Develop & Maintain The Conqueror Lifestyle Pick up your copy of "Qualities of a Conqueror - Volume 1" Today
Develop & Maintain The Conqueror Lifestyle
Pick up your copy of “Qualities of a Conqueror – Volume 1” Today

If something is hindering you from moving forward, you are responsible for honestly identifying the problem and willingly letting it go. No one is going to do this work for you -GOD HAS GIVEN YOU ALL THAT YOU NEED TO EXPERIENCE BLESSED FREEDOM. Your ability to “let it go” is found in your belief in God’s faithfulness.

Hebrews 11 is a well known chapter in the Bible as it is often described as the “Hall of Faith.”  There you will discover the actual definition for faith, specific instruction on how to access faith and realize ALL its benefits and a comprehensive account of several Biblical characters who demonstrated faith during  their lifetime.  Then the writer offers inspirational instruction on what to do when you are faced with matters that affect your progress in spiritual maturity through faith. He uses the analogy of a runner in a race to demonstrate the process of realizing your potential to move through the race of life victoriously living the Conqueror Lifestyle. Remember, the race is not given to the swift or to the strong, but to the person who is willing to endure unto the end. As you run this race (live the life God has called you to) you are going to have to LET SOME THINGS GO.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance (WEIGHT) and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faithwho for the joy set before Him endured the crossdespising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

The list above is based on my own personal account of weights that have served to affect my spiritual progress. Ultimately, God allows them so that you and I will be forced to trust Him more. The same applies to you and whatever matters are hindering you from moving ahead in faith. You are going to have to trust in infinite God, not in your finite self if you really want to move ahead. Otherwise, your momentum in the race is lost, you are not willing to change and your human endurance will give out. Stop giving the weight more strength to keep you in bondage.   My book “Qualities of a Conqueror – Volume 1” will show you, among other instruction, how to LET  IT GO and LET GOD ABIDE.

 

I Honestly Need The Lord To Be of Service


A Conqueror’s need presents from two perspectives – human needs and spiritual needs. Human needs range from the basics of food, shelter, air and water to the complexities of sex, security and social prominence.  Spiritual needs are initialized at birth and begin to manifest in the regeneration, reconciliation, justification and sanctification of the spirit through salvation. All of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit develop us spiritually– love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, fidelity, tolerance and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Human needs are the focus of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need and the Attachment Theory. Studying these psychological and sociological perspectives serve to elevate your human experience to varying degrees of human success.  But the basis of your human growth and development and all the success you will realize throughout the course of your life is found in the structure and manifestations of your human needs.

A pyramid illustrating Maslow's hierarchy of n...
A pyramid illustrating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)5=GRACE NOTHING IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE GRACE OF GOD.

“My spiritual need for the Lord secures a Godly experience of consistent, faithful maturity and my spirit is able to soar to new heights and depths. This ConquerorShot is a personal submission of how honesty is always at the helm of the Conqueror Lifestyle. It is essential to the development and maturity of our spiritual lives.”

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I honestly need the LORD to mature me spiritually so that I can realize all the goodness, grace and mercy I can experience through Him. When I am willing to give of myself in service, through financial outpouring or in any way in which I can show benevolence, I immediately tap into the unimaginable spiritual riches in Heavenly places. Meeting someone else at their point of need signifies my honesty about my spiritual need for Him in my life. But I need the Lord at work in me to have the wisdom to know when to meet the needs of others.

I have no earthly idea what may come up and how to be prepared. I most definitely do not have the ability to be a god to anyone else.  In fact I can drive myself insane trying to prepare for all the scenarios which demand emergency preparedness. And then, in all my efforts to be “ready” God can systematically present circumstances far different from all the ones I prepare for. He can bring up a matter of need that only He can fulfill to cultivate my willingness to trust in Him. Then, in His infinite wisdom, He will use whatever vessel He chooses to be of service to me in my need. If your honest with yourself you know I am not the only one with these spiritual experiences.

As Children of God, our spiritual needs outweigh our natural needs in such a Divine way that we become  well acquainted with the fact that He intimately allows for all of us to experience human needs so that He can make us realize His Sufficiency in all things. When we are willing to give cheerfully God meets our spiritual needs in amazing ways.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

You, me and every child of God need the Lord to be of service.  Be honest with Him starting today.




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God Goes In Deep


“I had to be STRIPPED of it.” This is a quote from a friend of mine who recently posted a piece on her blog entitled “The Blessing Is In The Pain.”  I was leaving a comment when the inspiration to write this piece  showed up.

No human being likes to lose. Losing anything from a wallet, to a bet, to a track meet, to a loved one (OR EVEN A WELL-PUBLICIZED COURT DECISION) is never something to get happy about. (at least in the early stages of the loss anyway!)  Let’s state the obvious here, “LOSING SUCKS.”  It is painful beyond words.  Yet it is in the pain that God reveals the POWER OF THE RESURRECTION AND THE GLORY HE IS DUE.

Your human nature is NEVER going to buy into this spiritual truth.  The only way to arrive at a place of inner humility under His mighty hand is to SUFFER.  In our suffering GOD GOES IN DEEP and begins to excavate through all of the sin that is exposed in our human nature and  renews us through His Spirit, HIS WORD, HIS PLAN, HIS POWER all at work IN US!!!!!   

Philippians 3:10 My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death,
 3:11 and so, somehow,to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  NET

Nothing makes a cushion for suffering better than the CROSS.
Nothing makes a cushion for suffering better than the CROSS.

 

As God begins to strip us of our cushions of materialism, idolatry, pride/ego, etc., you begin to mourn the loss. The pain increases in this God-ordained cycle.  However, at the point when you realize you had to be stripped, as Portia so wonderfully wrote, the blessing is in the pain.  In that moment your gratitude for God’s OMNISCIENCE has bloomed through all your suffering.  Then you can see how GOD will change you as you continue to humbly surrender to His SOVEREIGNTY on a daily basis. YOU BEGIN TO LOVE THE RESULTS of being “more than a conqueror through Him that loves us.” The Conqueror Lifestyle  is achieved and your winning begins.  YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO TRY TO FIX UP WHAT HE HAS ALLOWED TO BE  BROKEN. TRUE HUMILITY IS REVEALED IN YOUR WILLINGNESS TO RELY ON GOD’S ABILITY TO PUT YOU BACK TOGETHER AGAIN, PUT THAT LIFE BACK TOGETHER, THAT BROKEN HEART BACK TOGETHER, THAT HOME BACK TOGETHER, THAT CAREER BACK TOGETHER……….   Ultimately the losing is your catalyst to surrender which is the gateway to REAL WINNING!

Paul’s aim to know Christ intimately was a direct result of intense suffering. The suffering revealed God’s POWER in Paul’s life in a mighty way. This SAME power is available to you and I. ConquerorShots was born out of intense suffering. I am so grateful for all He has done and ALL HE IS UP TO IN ME AND THE LIFE HE HAS CALLED ME TO. ARE YOU??????

Consider the comment I was compelled to share with Portia.  God bless you my sister.  THANK YOU LORD FOR KNOWING HOW DEEP I NEEDED YOU TO GO ! 🙂

Losing all the "stuff" that the flesh "THINKS" it needs is painful but OH SO NECESSARY. Your post today reveals TRUTH that provides your readers with depth. God goes IN DEEP with us in our personal lives for the purpose of exposing our human nature & all the inadequacies which cultivate a desire from our core to realize the spiritual renewal we need to be His instruments. He resides in the depths of us. You can't stand for Him UNTIL He "goes in deep." Yes He knows the plans for us because HE CREATED US. How is it that humans don't get that TRUTH????? It's simple. They live after the flesh rather than the spirit. Well, I thank God that you do and that you exposed it here in this piece. To GOD BE THE GLORY FOR HIS GREAT PLANS REVEALED IN AND THROUGH US.