God is faithful no matter what! Rev. D shares this short message on how you, like him, can live on purpose declaring “I WIN!” Spiritually daily.
God is faithful no matter what! Rev. D shares this short message on how you, like him, can live on purpose declaring “I WIN!” Spiritually daily.
Finding where the Lord wants me – placed in Him – has been challenging experience. Honestly, I am guilty of not always trusting God to perfect His will concerning me. All my life I’ve been judged by others based on my appearance. Family, friends, etc. look at what they see and often fail to understand God’s will for me. People naturally voice what they think I should be, where I should be and so on. I can no longer be shaped by what people think or say relative to where I should be. Finding out where He wants me did not have to be so difficult.
I have made it hard for others to know me because of my personal struggles all my life. By covering up my pain caused by horrific acts I experienced that no one knew of, I have maintained a tough exterior which affected my authenticity to me and others. I have worked hard to hide the ongoing pain from my past. Today, my personal time is consumed with emotions I can’t understand or articulate. One minute I can be smiling and laughing on the outside and suddenly, without warning, I begin to feel disconnected from everyone and all I know. The older I get, the more these emotional swings drain me. My soul cries out to the Lord God Almighty “I am weak and I need Thy strength and power to help me over my weakest hours.”[1]
I Corinthians 12:20–27 But now there are many members but one body, and the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body but that the members may have the same care for one another, And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body and individually members of it.
Over the years, God has shown me how these verses help me to know where the Lord wants me to be. As I wonder where He wants me now, I am reminded of my mother. She loved me “just as I am.” She would sincerely ask me how I was feeling. She would not accept superficial answers that I learned to use to mask my true feelings. In the course of our conversations she always found a way to inquire about my experiences reading the Bible. She taught me to always read His Word for strength, leadership and power to live a victorious Christian life. She made time to listen to what God’s Word was saying in ways that inspired me to read it more often. She was never condescending or judgmental concerning the Bible. She lovingly wanted to show me that God loves and cares for me unconditionally. God placed me in my mother’s womb and knew she would give me Jesus Christ.
In spite of the failures to honestly relate with others, I am convinced that GOD has known me from the beginning. He knows me in my awakenings and my slumber. He knows my thoughts afar off. He ALWAYS loves me from a sincere place “just as I am.” I never would have made it to see my marriage to my husband and the birth of our 3 beautiful sons without His unconditional love for me. I never would have made it as I had to watch my husband suffer with sickle-cell anemia throughout our marriage. God’s love kept us while I cared for him as he withered away while maintaining his love for me and his boys. Living through his death and raising my boys to become men was possible because of His love keeping us in the midst of it all. God allowed me to come through more and more pain and disappointment as He lovingly convinced me to trust and believe Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. My church home has always represented my Spiritual placement.He placed me where He wanted me to be then and now.
I am writing this because God has shown me that He has ALWAYS wanted me to be placed in the cleft of the Rock of ages. Jesus Christ is my rock in which I have found a secure crevice in HIM where His love, grace, peace and care are never ending. In Him I am unconditionally accepted in the beloved. He will ALWAYS direct me in the way He wants me to go. When I focus on the exterior me I get confused concerning my insecurities. If I look around at others – family, friends, etc. I am overcome with uncertainties. My uncertainties, insecurities, struggles and fears are in my life to continuously push me to realize my position IN CHRIST. In Him I am uniquely positioned in the Body of Christ. In Him I have the ability to relate with a countless number of coequal members perfectly affixed into the Body. At the same time I am equipped to live an imperfect human life as more than a conqueror through Him that loved me. I know there is unlimited POWER available to me In Christ.
“Lord I thank you for a mother who showed me pure love without hypocrisies. Thank you for showing me your unfeigned love and making me feel accepted without pretenses or shadiness. Lord, PLEASE protect my heart, clean me up and create within me a pure, unselfish heart. Encourage me to continue to seek your face and give you all the Glory. Help me not to care how loved ones, family or friends view my intentions to serve you. Guide me into the fullness of your will for my life today and always. I thank you for how you enable me to have a closer walk with you. The Scriptures have given me the confidence to know you and rely on you in all times. Regardless of my human status, I stand daily IN CHRIST trusting I am complete. I must be honest with myself and appreciate who you have made me to be. Always help me to remember what you spoke to Samuel in the selection of David – Man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart! No one knows me like you do! I have moved my membership to a new church under your leadership. Now Lord, lead me in my new church home. Continue to direct me through your love. Reveal your Word to me and enlighten my life with newness. I trust in you who NEVER fails to place me where you want me. In Jesus name, AMEN”
By: Georgette Gude
[1] “Lead Me, Guide Me”, Akers, Doris, http://www.hymnary.org/text/i_am_weak_and_i_need_your_strength_and
After a busy month of birthday celebration, Father’s day, two speaking engagements and a monumental 4th of July weekend, I am very thankful to be back in the office producing the Surfer Bible Study videos. The blessings of the LORD continue to overwhelm me. Thank you for sharing with me in this time of certainty concerning the movement of Conqueror Ministries. This site will forever be a blessing.
This lesson demonstrates a fundamental approach to faith as a result of hearing the Word of God. In 2015 we still must hear from God via the preaching, teaching and reading of the Bible for our personal faith in God, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, to manifest and mature. Allow me to share with you how Abram teaches us how to “walk by faith, not by sight.”
Thank you for your support and purchasing my books.
Darrin a.k.a. Rev. D
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:
Thank you for your support and prayers.
Stay in the race!
Darrin
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.
God‘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:
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.
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.
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
[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.”
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.
Romans 3:23 KJV
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
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.
Everywhere you go someone else is promoting the homosexual lifestyle. If you are in any way uncomfortable with the discussion, what do you say? How do you respond to this ongoing socially relevant identification? More importantly, do you know what God has to say about it? If so, how do you stand for the truth of God’s Word and not be offensive to someone who has misconstrued the written word of the Bible? Better still, what do you do if the person you are speaking to does not even believe in the Bible?
For a compelling perspective on the historicity of homosexuality, specific Biblical analysis and a loving response to its increasing popularity I am posting this truthful Christian message to provide some life-changing honesty for you to answer all the questions above and more. Your sexuality IQ will be much appreciated by this content.
I pray that you will have an improved appreciation for the issues of sin and how it affects us through the judgement of others. homosexuality has taken on an identity that is increasingly permissive to humans while it is still sinful to God. We divide ourselves from the very people who are in our lives – broken, flawed, lost i.e. conquered by sin all because of their actions and we forget they too are created by God. From a Biblical perspective, sexuality is a sin issue. Christianity is the antidote to sin. We are ALL born in sin. Therefore, you can not choose to identify someone by their sin. Furthermore, God is either the source of your spiritual life or He is not! If you truly buy into your need for a Savior because of your personal sin life, God is everything to you. But if you do NOT buy into the Biblical content on sin then you are left with individual human perspectives. God has no official say. One is born homosexual today and perhaps one can also be born a witch or warlock tomorrow. Your human intellect and rationalization decides. You won’t concur with the notion that in God’s sight “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The moment we speak of what God has said about this specific matter, we see the glaring, diabolical opposition that pushes for its social relevance. Humans characterize sin to disavow God’s supremacy over it. Are you included?
Perhaps, like me, you too were once just like them “lost in your trespasses and sin…” and now, as a, good, wholesome Christian, you walk around with the antidote for sin in you and are now completely unwilling to reveal it to them because of your personal criticism. Enough is enough! If you can share the good news of Jesus Christ that saved you, JUST DO IT! The saving is God’s business anyway. God can change anyone just like He changed me and you.
Stay in the race!
D
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.
“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.”
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.
You, me and every child of God need the Lord to be of service. Be honest with Him starting today.
“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!!!!!
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.
When one is willing he/she is practicing the act of making a choice. Decision making is a process we are introduced to as early as our toddler years. Remember when you or your child was learning to walk. The toddler develops a comfortable stride and encounters the opportunity to demonstrate willingness. Will he walk up the stairs, down the stairs, out the door, outside the fenced area, etc. His willing heart will try to venture about with his new found gift – the ability to walk.
A Willingness to wait on the LORD requires faith. Faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus establishes the relationship between you and the LORD. The onset of the relationship is when you become willing to trust that He died, was buried and arose from the dead to save you from your sins and the judgement of eternal separation from God. Faith produces a willingness to believe that all things are working together for your good and the difficulties have intentional results DIRECTLY associated with His will JUST FOR YOU. REMEMBER He died so that you can live. Your life’s spiritual awakening, development and maturity is the relationship. During the maturity of the relationship, He uses the “waiting” to mature your faith through His Word. The Christian faith establishes the power of God in us through the resurrection of Christ Jesus. By this we are equipped to walk by faith; not by sight.
Christians are often referred to as “children of God” mainly because of the spiritual adoption principle found in Romans 8:14-15. We are His children always. When we are in receipt of the “gift of God, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” we are forever classified as children of God which makes up the family of God here on Earth.
In today’s world we live in everybody wants everything NOW. NO ONE LIKES TO WAIT FOR ANYTHING – phone assistance, public transportation, traffic jams, DMV lines, restaurant seating, the cable man etc., etc., etc… The wait produces the need to focus on God’s presence during the wait!
“God is our refuge and strength – a very present help in trouble.”
He maintains this description to ALL of His children no matter what level of spiritual maturity we are working with.Try as hard as you can to disprove this Heavenly attribute while you engage life matters from day to day. You will find that He Is ALWAYS present and He NEVER COMES UP SHORT. But you do all the time, and you will even try to blame others, including our Heavenly Father, for your own shortcomings. Ultimately you will find a need to wait on Him and encounter your own willingness to wait. In times of waiting, the trials will mature you and you will be better because of your willingness to wait.
The fact is that a willingness to wait on the Lord is a practice that yields an experience similar to how a toddler practices his decision making skills when learning all the opportunity “at his feet.” My hope is that you will benefit from the use of the Conqueror Lifestyle to willingly wait on the LORD and grow in the process. It will help you soar to new heights In Christ that you could never experience outside of Christ. All of the possibilities are manifested in your willingness to wait. Waiting develops patience. Patience develops perseverance. Perseverance develops hope. Hope propels a Christian to maintain his/her position in Christ because He NEVER fails. Surrender to win and be a witness to the power of living victoriously day after day.
“Qualities of A Conqueror Volume 1” – a textbook/workbook compilation available now to help you develop and maintain The Conqueror Lifestyle.
Stay in the race!