The Joy IS in the Journey

Posted on by conquerorshots

I know a man who taught me a valuable life-lesson that is based in hope. At the time he shared this with me I was 27 and clueless. I had my own idea of how life was supposed to be and I was working hard to realize my dreams. I was living well but I was always caught up in some type of chaos I was creating due to my inability to find the joy in the journey. My friend must have realized this and shared this lesson with me.

A Journey Called Life
The joy IS in the journey. The journey is life. Destination?

He had been a mail carrier for the USPS for decades. It brought financial security and marital stability along with a lifestyle that was envied by his family. He described his experience as what he thought were “the best years of his life.” His circumstances changed when he became ill. He lost his job and all of the financial security. He became unemployable and homeless. He found himself alone, needy and hopeless. After a major hospitalization caused by his apparent demise brought about by his “seemingly hopeless case of mind and body,” he heard, through a series of interactions with people who survived the same problem that was killing him, there is a solution. He stayed the course of a particular treatment plan wherein he found a constant presence of hope within. His life gradually began to change for the better. He became employable again but he dealt with serious blemishes in his history that deterred many potential employers from hiring him. Frustration ensued but willingness prevailed. A training program with the regional transit authority yielded him favorable results and he once again had work. He found unspeakable joy day after day as he struggled to establish himself again. He gained a new life that was exponentially better than “the best years of his life.” His joy still remains to this day as he is living better than ever in the second half of his life.

As I reflect on this life-lesson I am blessed today to realize that I now understand the value of his story that never abandoned my memory and I have used it to generate hope in my own hopelessness. God is always present. His realized presence provides an unlimited source of hope to carry us through life situations with a constant spirit of joy that positively affects our lives and the lives of others. As long as we are willing to show-up for life each day, we can live through any circumstance that materializes victoriously. This is a virtuous reality based in an Conqueror lifestyle. THE JOY IS IN THE JOURNEY!

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I Have Hope

Posted on by conquerorshots

A Polish made Unitra turntable atop an Electro...
vinyl productions burned music on my soul permanently

Growing up I heard this classic Roberta Martin song “I Have Hope.” In addition to hearing it from the choir on Sunday mornings, I can recall the 33 playing on the record player ringing out the lyrics from the speakers in our living room on Aspen Place, Columbia Ave and Pennington Ave:

“I have hope, I have hope when trouble comes my way

I have hope, I have hope since Jesus has come to stay

I have hope, oh yes when things are not well with me

I have hope, it’s a beutiful hope and it sets me free

If your distressed , Jesus says come unto me. If your depresed I know he’ll give you liberty

Time may find you at the end of your line, but keep the faith its not too late the Lord will be on time.

I have hope, I have hope when darkness fills the sky

I have hope, I have hope since Jesus is ever nigh

I have hope, oh yes through dangers I can not see

I have hope its a beautiful hope that sets me free.”

http://www.last.fm/listen/artist/Roberta%2BMartin/similarartists is a link to this genre of music that features the Roberta Martin classics.

It was written in 1968 but the melody and message is timeless. Hope is a life principle that fuels my daily pace. It puts pep in my step and glide in my stride. Most of all it keeps a smile on my face that springs from true joy in my heart. The goodness of God is constantly present. Thank you Lord for saving me at Calvary. It gives me Hope, a beautiful Hope that sets me free one day at a time.

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A Cause for Prayer

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My grandmother was a woman of faith.  She stood for Christian principles and if you knew her in any way you were in the presence of victorious Christian living.  I learned many lessons of faith, hope, determination to follow God, standing on the promises of God’s word and “being more than a conqueror” that I realize from week to week.  Her daughter, my mom, continues to be a beacon of light into these lessons and His word by continuing to stand for the truth. We all have access to truth when we read the Bible. Who was the first person who read the Bible to you?  Did they have you to read the passage or did they read it? Can you remember what passage it was?

I started out doing video blogs. There’s a link to that google site. A particular video blog there was the first difficult experience I encountered posting.  There were numerous problems I had to work through to get it accessible.  Amazingly, the more difficult it became the more determined I was to get it done. And to God be the glory it IS posted – “PRAYER CHANGES THINGS”.  
sites.google.com/site/beingmorethanaconqueror85
When you are faced with difficulty what is your immediate response? 
 I know that “letting go and letting God” is not always a first response.  Trial and error is sometimes necessary to arrive at the place where you know your are in need for Heavenly intervention. You can get so animated that you just “look up”.
Prayer is not a hardship but I know what it feels like when it is.  The causes of my unwillingness to pray are rooted in my human nature.  There is a constant warfare present in all of us that is between doing it my way and doing it God’s way.  Romans 7 is written to address this dilemma.
I have found out that a synergy between the two wills – soul and spirit – is possible only when the Holy Spirit is actively in control.  I give Him that control when I pray, when I read the Bible, when I meditate on Scripture, when I sing hymns, Psalms and good gospel music and when I fellowship with other children of God. When these activities are not present I am left with all of the appeal of the world as a poor substitute.  So I have a responsibility to CHOOSE which way I will direct my thoughts and actions from day to day.  
 Being More Than a Conqueror becomes your identity when you choose God’s way and not the way of the world which is natural.  

Faith Works When You Work It

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Being more than  conquerors is a spiritual principle that keeps you hopeful on a daily basis.  It requires continuous action.  Faith is the action Conquerors use daily. With all of the issues we deal with today – economic uncertainty for one – discouragement, by way of distraction, is a design to disrupt faith.  Dismay breads fear. It is extremely common for me to walk through the course of any given day and get overwhelmed by some situation that is not going the way I expected it to. Any circumstance with designs to overtake my faith and replace it with fear becomes an opportunity for new faith to develop.
Atlanta Skyline
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Here in Atlanta 

the traffic can create varying results. Anger, stress, rage and distraction are in the forefront for me. Using MARTA does have its advantages. When I have left home two hours earlier to get to my destination on time and I have to encounter “a parking lot” on the interstate, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.  No matter how much I try to control the outcome and be efficient, I am forced to STOP! It is in this state of “stop” that being more than conquerors begins to minister to me. The traffic, i.e. hindrance to get where I THINK I need to be at the time I THINK I need to be there, is an opportunity to reaffirm who I am in Christ and my real purpose through allowing His Sovereign will to “be” the driving force in and over my life. Can you relate?

I must remember that I am “more than a conqueror through Him that loved us” by any means necessary.  I can live victoriously, not arrogantly.  Victorious living is derived from my spiritual condition and my spiritual position; arrogance is directly linked to my ego.  Biblical truth keeps my ego in check and it keeps me sane.  We can actively engage in ALL that we do as  “more than conquerors.” God has given us this infinite gift – JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

The scriptures will continue to serve you as a source of encouragement in these perilous times we live in.  I have created this site to actually assist you. Keeping my commitment to defining the “conqueror lifestyle” is a goal that God has given me and I will share it with you in various ways through Conqueror Ministries. This work is getting done one person at a time, one day at a time.  Your support by regular use of ConquerorShots and your personal willingness to learn to live a conqueror lifestyle will serve others as well as you. 
I am excited about hearing from you and learning how this principle works in your life as well.  Tell your friends, acquaintances and loved ones to join in.  Together we can stay in the race. 
Endeavor with me to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 
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