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
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 12:1Therefore, since we havesogreat a cloud of witnessessurrounding us, let us alsolayasideevery encumbrance (WEIGHT) and the sin which so easilyentangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is setbefore us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joysetbefore Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has satdown at the righthand 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 have not written a ConquerorShot in quite some time. My life’s journey has allowed me to realize new opportunities to write, speak, teach and live the Conqueror Lifestyle. Yet I have missed this outlet to share truth relative to life situations and how we experience the “more” in Romans 8:37 . This month’s principle is INTEGRITY. Today, in my awakening, the resounding voice of truth of the blessed freedom we, children of God, possess, gave me clarity of mind and spirit as I reflect on God’s faithfulness. I pray that every reader and follower will rejoice with me in knowing that John 8:36 says “So if the son sets you free, you will be really free.(NET)” “Our God IS FAITHFUL.“
I was awakened by a phone call from my daughter (progress) “Daddy, I need you to come here… I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT… HURRY DADDY!” As the urgency in her voice called me to immediate action to “get there” I rushed to my 2 car garage (progress) and got in my car (progress) to go and see about my “baby girl.” I was too “busy” to pray, ponder a principle, reflect on Scripture or anything concerning my spiritual hygiene and therefore it was on “auto.” Similarly, I had not brushed my teeth, washed my face or showered my body. My call to action only gave me time to “get there.” When I pulled up I immediately noticed her car. Then I saw her standing there on the side of the curvey, 2-lane, slippery road. To my surprise she was standing, tall, unharmed in any way from this obvious loss of control with life-threatening potential. I had to contain myself concerning my visceral response to what I realized driving up. As I hurried over to her my heart was pounding with overwhelming joy for God’s faithfulness. “He protected my daughter once again!”
My 1st image of my daughter’s 1st accident
As I grabbed her into my arms I could feel her tension as she was in shock. Her embrace was firm until she exhaled and sobbed in anguish over what she had just experienced. The obvious loss of her car was annunciating her regret as she was just starting to get used to her freedom of having her own vehicle in her fourth week. As I listened to her lament over this apparent “MTaC” moment, the Lord reminded me of this passage of scripture:
7 The angel of the LORDencampsaround those who fear Him, And rescues them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good ; How blessed is the man who takesrefuge in Him!(Psalm34:7-8 NASB)
While I was on my way to “get there” God and His angels “were already there!” There was no other way to help her than to share my thanksgiving for the faithfulness of God concerning my daughter and His child. He gave His angels charge over the entire aspect of her first accident. What I knew as I drove up was she was driving in the same direction I was, yet her car did not hit the tree HEAD ON! The impact was TOTALLY absorbed by the rear of her car as it amazingly was ‘TURNED AROUND.” She could not explain how it ended up in that position as she described the spinning experience as she braced herself for impact. But God was fueling my spirit with the POWER, THE SAME POWER, that managed her miraculous outcome. He was the reason for her protection, safety, and most of all her blessed freedom to walk away from that accident without ANY injury to her body.
I COMMENCED PRAISE & THANKSGIVING by testifying of His goodness, grace and faithfulness all around that accident scene and reminded her of the evidence as she was standing there, tall and beautiful, unharmed with no visible scars. There was no need to visit the ER and, as she would later prove, she was in good enough condition to go on to school later that morning and take a physics test, pass it and maintain her A average. There is Blessed Freedom in knowing God IS able!!!
In the same manner, I am fortunate enough to have an ongoing experience with Blessed freedom as the Conqueror Lifestyle continues to make my pathway straight. I told you I had not performed any spiritual hygiene or bodily hygiene as I rushed to “get there” But the fact that I have routinely upheld my responsibilities towards personal and spiritual hygiene daily prior to the accident, there was evidence of it as I had to interact with my daughter, the officers, the tow truck driver and even myself. The qualities of a conqueror include being prepared to walk in the freedom that is realized as I maintain my position In Christ. His blessed freedom is possible because I continue to trust in, rely on and believe that His Power is in me. If you know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, He will sustain you, protect you, provide for you, mature you and most of all bless you with “more than you could ever ask or think of.” We serve a Mighty God with unlimited resources. It is in your best interest to allow for your integral attachment to the Spirit of Christ, through His death, burial and resurrection to sustain your integrity in Him on a daily basis. The results include Blessed Freedom to realize His faithfulness. “John 8:36 says “So if the son sets you free, you will be really free.(NET)”
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 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.
1.Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
Self-service kiosk (Photo credit: melitroncorp)
Self service is a common part of human services that we realize throughout the course of every day. Whether it is at the ATM, airport, gas station, supermarket, workplace, etc., there is always some type of self service facility where you can serve yourself. It has become the basic standard of service that we as Americans have come to expect. It is a simple, time and cost effective service tool which provides us with a new level of independence. You can go, choose what you want and quickly keep it moving. It’s that simple!
The key to spiritual self-service is the acceptance of Christ’s unconditional service to humans, through His birth, life, Earthly ministry, death and resurrection, thereby establishing and fulfilling a Divine plan of redemption through the forgiveness of sin. His Service to us At the Cross was unconditional work because He was born to provide us with the means of spiritual salvation that we all can benefit from Eternally. Whether we choose to believe in Him or not, His service to us is forever established. When we surrender our bodies to our Heavenly Father because we need forgiveness of our sins on a daily basis, we begin the process of spiritual self-service. True holiness is realized through your own personal identity with your need for forgiveness. Spiritual self-service is that simple!!
There is Spiritual power of unknown proportions available to you when you are willing to present your body to God on a daily basis, totally surrendered to His Sovereignty over your life. His Power is revealed in your walk, your talk and your manner of life. Through every opportunity that makes up your day, you can experience the spiritual freedom of the conqueror lifestyle. You see, when you choose to start your day, or in some cases re-start your day, by surrendering yourself under God’s authority, you are securing His leadership over every aspect of your day. However, if you go through your day without this simple, spiritual self-service, you are living a life that is solely reliant on your own abilities. Every idea, desire, motive and goal is born out of a spirit that is quenched by a soul that is sickened by unconfessed sin. Your body becomes a host for evil rather than God’s goodness. Unconfessed sin is a breeding ground for a swarm of complications that are designed to continue to distract you from His goodness as the world’s appeal demands your attention.
Your life can greatly benefit from the simple, spiritual self-service of surrendering to the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ daily. The reasonable service begins with a mindset to pray without ceasing, having a thankful heart and mind willing to submit your body, mind i.e soul and spirit to Him all reliant on His will for your life from day to day. A healthy prayer life and daily attachment to His Word completes the simple, spiritual process. It is a simple process that can humbly begin every time you wake up from rest you are blessed to realize. It gets you going spiritually!
Find out how I was trained to realize the importance of this self-service model in my new book “A Conqueror In Training“
Psalm 121:1 A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. Ps 121:2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Ps 121:3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Ps 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Ps 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. Ps 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Ps 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. Ps 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
My awakening was greeted with the severest of pain. I have learned to live with it from day to day. Yet this morning, like so many others, it began with the horror of stillness summoning the acuity of my spirit. The stabbing, burning suffering in my flesh upon awakening is more consistent in the last year. There is literally nothing immediate about the relief process naturally. It can happen at the most inconvenient moments and with no apparent reason.
Hopefully, you will read my new book, “A Conqueror In Training” over the holiday season and discover how I came to realize the “Conqueror Lifestyle.” In fact, I pray you will want your friends and loved ones to have the blessed experience of reading it as well through your gift giving via ebooks. When you have read it, the message of this post will resonate in your spirits more brightly. His training has effectively taught me to “pray 1st.” Today, and everyday I start out in prayer 1st helps me to continue to stay in the race and run on some more. Doing this has proven His Sovereignty over my life from situation to situation, experience to experience, outcome after outcome ultimately revealing that “Prayer Changes Things.”
Billie Holiday penned the song “Good Morning Heartache” while wrestling with her reality of pain and heartache experienced every morning when she needed another “fix.” Her addiction to heroin was breaking her spiritually as her body required the drug more and more. Over time it destroyed her talent and took her life in death far too young.
English: Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The imagery contained in this powerful recording demonstrates a heart overcome with brokenness and unwilling to “pray without ceasing.” I Thess. 5:17. When you are caught up in your flesh and your spirit is conquered by sin, you will do everything humanly possible to discover change which can only come through the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Pain is painful. God allows pain for the purpose of perfecting His will in us. A personal identity to Jesus’ suffering on the Cross is where this truth begins.Thanks be unto God for the mighty power of His Spirit at work which manifests and maintains the Conqueror Lifestyle in me from day to day. You too can come to know the Conqueror Lifestyle God has just for you. When you pray 1st, you call His power into the situation immediately. Humanity ceases and Divinity commences in spiritually defining ways to demonstrate His power in us. And He will do, what no other power, can do.
"Lead Me, Guide Me" by Doris AtkersVerse 1I am weak and I need Thy strength and power, To help me over my weakest hour. Let me through the darkness Thy face to see, Lead me, oh Lord lead me. ChorusLead me, guide me along the way, For if you lead me I cannot stray. Lord, let me walk each day with Thee. Lead me, oh Lord lead me. Verse 2Help me tread in the paths of righteousness.Be my aid when Satan and sin oppress. I am putting all my trust in Thee: Lead me, oh Lord lead me. Verse 3I am lost if you take your hand from me, I am blind without Thy light to see.Lord just always let me thy servant be,Lead me, oh Lord lead me.
“Where Your Feet Are IS Where You Are”
Solid as a rock (Photo credit: Joybot)
For years I struggled with the TRUTH in the slogan above. Furthermore, for decades I maintained enormous opposition against the idea of “God‘s leading” over my life. As I look back over my life I can now see that all of my struggling with the prospect of surrendering to God’s will for my life was due to me wanting to be in control, my ego leading me in the fulfillment of the desires of my flesh and my human affinity towards being a product of this world rather than a servant of the God who created me. I could not “Be still and KNOW THAT GOD IS GOD” and appreciate all of the goodness that He brings into my life through His Sovereignty over my life. The best I could do was to continue spinning my wheels of human potential landing in life situations where I ultimately got stuck in ditches that got deeper and deeper over time. I could not appreciate the joy in the journey because I was always frustrated with one aspect (or another) of my life’s reality where I kept coming up short.
Along the way to the point of realizing God’s mission for my life, I came to appreciate all of the hardships, pain and suffering, grief, loss, guilt, shame and remorse my life manufactured. Today “I do not regret the past nor do I wish to shut the door on it.” Like Iyanla, “I did my work.” The evidence of the task is soon to be realized publicly with the release of the books. Today I can be grateful for where my feet are because my heart and mind are humbled under the “mighty hand of God.” There is a consistent awareness of God’s presence that sustains me. The reason for the presence of peace, love, joy, thanksgiving, faith and hope that wakes me up every day and preserves me throughout most of my days is because GOD IS LEADING ME. The essence of His leadership in and over my life is realized in the Conqueror Lifestyle that He prepared just for me.
God has a Conqueror Lifestyle prepared just for you as well. To find out more about the Conqueror Lifestyle follow me on twitter @ConquerorShots.
This month we will talk at length about forgiveness on Conqueror Talk. Every human being has experience with this principle in one way or another. All week this ConquerorShot has lingered in my spirit and I pray that you will be as blessed by the formula revealed in the title of this article. It adds up every time. When you can forgive anyone who wrongs you and forget anything that caused you to linger in an unforgiving stupor, you will experience a freeness in your spirit that is life-giving.
How many times have you held a grudge against someone because they did not do what you wanted them to? Perhaps they could have done something for you that you needed but they did not. Maybe they had no idea of your expectations and they were unable to meet your unrealistic mark. More importantly, God is allowing the disappointment you must eventually forgive and forget to demonstrate the gracious, loving kindness His Son Jesus Christ manifested at the Cross. There are so many wonderful gifts available to us. His hand reveals just a few good ones.
During Jesus’ Earthly ministry to the Jews, the Gospel of Luke reveals specific analysis relative to the formula we are using. Luke 17:4 “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”His message helps us to be aware of our human propensity to be trespassed against i.e. disappointed numerously by one or many individuals. What comes to mind for me is family. Whether it is immediate family or distant relatives, family will trespass against you. In fact, no one can hurt us more than our family members. They can gutt us to the core with their words, actions, attitudes, silent scorn and whatever else their flesh can think of. But Jesus reminds us that when they are willing to admit they have wronged us, it is our duty as humans to forgive them. When we make the decision to disagree with their appeal and disallow for them to experience our forgiveness through our personal charity, we CHOOSE to stay in spiritual bondage. This bondage includes a loss of spiritual unity with the finished work at the Cross for you and the effectual working of His Hand in our lives.
2 Corinthians 2:10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Your forgiveness of anyone else is required because of the continual forgiveness Christ supply’s you with on a daily basis. When you can’t extend that to someone else/anyone else it is most likely because His Hand is not working in your life. God can and will fix it EVERYTIME!
Next week we will get into the second part of the formula “forget” here on ConquerorShots.
“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.
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 !🙂
“If you believe
Within your heart
You’ll know that no one can change
The path that you must go
Believe what you feel and know you’re right because the time will come around when you’ll say it’s yours…………That’s why I want you to believe in yourself right from the start. Believe in the magic right there in your heart. Go ahead believe all these things not because I told you to. But believe in yourself; If you believe in yourself; Just believe in yourself as I believe in you.” source:http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/w/wizmusicallyrics/ifyoubelievelyrics.html
The Wiz was released on October 24, 1978. I was entering the preadolescent stage of development. My toddler aged sister was with my mom and I when we saw this groundbreaking movie. This was during a tumultuous season in my history as the dysfunction of my family was negatively impacting my maturity. The imagery of Ms. Lena Horne‘s performance singing “If You Believe” was a breathtaking moment as she entered the scene with an entourage of small, black babies, adorned in identical, purple outfits, complete with head coverings, as Ms. Horne captivated the screne and a stellar display of sparkling stars illuminated their background. At the close of her dialogue with Dorothy, the orchestral score initiated the transition and Ms. Horne delivered the soul stirring vocal captioned above.
How does this timeless portrayal of Glenda the good witch tie into this month’s theme – spiritual integrity? Here at ConquerorShots we maintain the definition of integrity as the quality or state of our spirit being complete or undivided. We stand on the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and rely on the finished work at Calvary to realize spiritual completeness. This is the foundation of our belief in the power of God, NOT THE “MAGIC” IN YOUR HEART, through the Holy Spirit working in and through us from day to day. The results of which are a cumulative source of power to spiritually conquer our biggest enemy – sin.
The lyrical content of “believe” in the song has a strong identification in one’s self. However, ConquerorShots maintains that “self” needs a Savior in order to be its best. The Word clearly defines the condition of our heart i.e. “self” as “deceitful and above all desperately wicked…..”So, today the lyrical content helps to apply the principle of spiritual integrity in a defining way where we can attain belief in “self.”
When you have “Blessed Assurance” in your heart – not in your mind – about the finished work at Calvary and how it serves your spiritual needs from day to day, you are NO LONGER left with the task of being the source of your own destiny. God has provided all of the Mastery of ordering your steps before you lived your first day. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God has prepared in advance that we should walk in them.”
The spiritual principles of Honesty, Hope, Faith and Courage, all stemming from a healthy spiritual appetite for the Word of God and prayer, serve our daily belief system in “The Christ in us”. If you believe in yourself from this prospective, as God believes in you because He CREATED you, you have a ROCK SOLID foundation in spiritual integrity that can NOT be shaken from day to day.
Experience the blessing of SECURITY in CHRIST which yields FREEDOM to be who GOD created you to be IF YOU BELIEVE.
ConquerorShots 