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.
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.
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.
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Choices (Photo credit: Sky Noir)
Every day you realize you are awake and able to live another day, you have a choice to make. In addition to the choices about what you will wear, what you will eat and what you will do first as you survey your list of options, you are responsible for an even greater choice. If you are not willing to make this choice, your decision is made for you. You can thank Adam for that. Whether you are God‘s child, or not, the life you live will always present opportunities for you to become willing to make a choice to serve the God who created the Heavens and the Earth or the gods of this world.
The choice is found in who you will serve – who you will work for through the service of your life. We all are destined to be used by God – goodness and evil are all manifested by God’s Sovereignty. Many of you seperate good from evil and designate good as being of God and evil exclusively being from Satan. We need toconsider Psalm 24:1 A Psalm of David and I Corinthians 10:26 An Epistle of Paul’s – “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” – EVERYTHING THAT IS HERE AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS HERE IS BECAUSE OF THE LORD’S SOVEREIGNTY. If you fail to accept this truth then your choice will always be manipulated by your own ideas. Even the evil that manifests through you is under the authority of Christ today.
Joshua was nearly at the end of his life when he delivered this sermon in Joshua 24. It gives attention to doctrine and application. The doctrine is represented by all of the deeds in which the Lord God Almighty provided for His people. From the calling of Abraham, the birth of Isaac, the deliverance out of Egypt and through the Red Sea and their warring victories into the Promised Land, God proved His determined will and put it on display for the world to know. The Hebrews were recipients of the consistent manifestation of God’s Sovereign Power. They had proof to know that no other god is comparable to the God of the Heavens and the Earth. But it is the application of the sermon where we find the purpose of the choice to serve.
Your acquaintance with good and evil notwithstanding, it is a fundamental Biblical truth that when your flesh is controlled by sin you can not please God. You sow seeds of sin through all types of lifestyle choices. Every decision you make is based on your pursuit to manifest and fulfill the desires of the flesh. Joshua was reminded of Moses who declared the importance to choose life with a heart that loves the Lord, His Word all with a willingness to serve Him daily. Read Deuteronomy 30:11-20. You can offset any affinity towards sin when you make a choice to serve God by praying for the knowledge of His will and the power to be all that He has created you to be. You can be of maximum service to God, realize the Conqueror Lifestyle and serve Him and others effectively, when His power is working in you and through you conforming you to the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But you can make this choice to serve God only because of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ which gives you access into His grace.
Others realize your choice by every word that comes out of your mouth, every deed of your hands and every direction that your feet move towards. The heart decides which choice is to be made. A heart that is willing to freely surrender to God’s Sovereignty is a direct result of a quickened spirit connected to the power of the resurrection at work in you. It’s not hard at all to make Jesus your choice when you accept all that He has freely done for you. You willingly desire to serve Him because of how effectively He serves you. Stop trying to be your best you independent of God’s spiritual blessings at work in you. You will know true service as He manifests His good works in your life when you make the choice to depend on and serve Him in all that you say and do. Agree with me and Joshua and make your choice THE LORD.
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“
"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.
16. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment ; because as He is, so also are we in this world.18. There is no fear in love ; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19. We love, because He first loved us.
“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.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
In the Book of Joshua the 2nd chapter you can read about the story of Rahab.
Rahab and the Emissaries of Joshua (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The mere mention of her name elicits the world of prostitution. Her Biblical story reveals that she was a ‘working girl’ who was willing to help 2 Israelite men who Joshua sent to spy on the land, including Jericho. The fact that she was willingly accommodating to these young, viral men could suggest the theory she was preying on their vulnerability giving rise to an opportunity for her to capitalize and get paid. The human mind will also fantasize about the origins of the spies ending up at a harlot’s house. In fantasy they may have deliberately ended up there to “blow off some steam.”
In the story’s enticing opening the reader will want to find out what happens. This is a great read in and of itself. However, the emphasis for this “shot” is on what Rahab heard and how she responded. As she takes the liberty to check on the spies she divulges her true nature. Here we see that the word was spreading about God‘s power being demonstrated through the chosen Israelites. The news worthiness of their trek through the Red Sea and the conquering of 2 kings was a source of awakening in the hearts of many. Rahab’s awakening is clearly stated in verse 11″When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath .”
Rahab heard what God had done and her heart awakened to TRUST IN GOD. The Israelite men were God’s men. She did not view them as objects for capital gain. Instead she was IN POSITION as a vessel for God to use as He deemed necessary. It is this design for FAITHTHAT WE WILL NEED TO REALIZE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A CONQUEROR LIFESTYLE. We live life from day-to-day under the auspices of God’s Sovereignty. NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, HAPPENS BY SURPRISE IN THE CREATOR’S WORLD. Yet human beings are constantly attempting to act as “the controlling force” of their destiny. Psalms 24:1 says the Earth is the Lords and the FULLNESS thereof. If you are ever going to be of use to anyone it is because of God and God alone. God is ALWAYS UP TO SOMETHING GOOD BECAUSE GOOD IS ALL HE DOES.
You have to hear about God’s power; hear about God’s grace; hear about God’s love; hear about God’s faithfulness; hear about God’s Sovereignty. Have you heard that Jesus Christ SAVES to the UTMOST?
Hear how He provides, protects and preserves His people. Hear how He can DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL. You can hear it from Genesis to Revelations as you read about the Mighty God we serve. All the while your heart will awaken to a continuous cultivation of FAITH in all that you hear about Him. As this faith matures, a newness in the way you think and respond to ANY life situation erupts. You will say things that you thought you would never say, do things you thought you would never do and life will take on new meaning. This and more is likely when you HEAR of his goodness, strength and power and discover He is always available for you. Faith comes by what you heard and what you hear from the Word of God.
ConquerorShots 