Carrier? Or Barrier?

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

“’ [26] Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: [27] the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; [28] and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.’” [NKJV]

Are you a carrier of the blessing? Or are you a carrier of the blessing? According to our text today, we have two options by which we choose to live our lives.  One is based upon our diligence in obeying His Word, which delivers the blessing – the other results in a curse. It’s our choice.

Joshua told the nation of Israel:  “Choose you this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” [Joshua 24:15]

The choice really is ours to make! Will we be a carrier of the blessing or a barrier of the blessing!? It all comes down to obedience. A spiritual law has been set into place – just as the natural law of gravity has been set up – this law states that if we follow & obey the Word of God a blessing is promised!  But if we do not follow & obey His Word – a curse is promised. This is a spiritual law! Therefore, we can never blame God when we walk in a cursed life.  To do so would be the same as blaming God when the law of gravity was evident in our life. If we were trip and fall – or drop something valuable – it would make no sense to blame God for the law of gravity. It is just a law.  The same applies with the law of obedience. But with me at what the Apostle Paul declares regarding this.  Galatians 3:12-14

“[12] Yet the law is not of (based upon) faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them’ [13] (for) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… [14] that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus…” 

There is a curse – but Jesus has redeemed you from that curse so that the blessing may come upon and overtake you! Which do you choose?

You see, according to God’s Word there are three things that are promised to you and I over and over again.  They are:

1)    The Promised Protection

2)    The Promised Provision

3)    The Promised Promotion

Now I can spend all day sharing Scripture after Scripture to confirm each of these – but time will not allow. The real question comes down to obedience, according to our text. The choice really is ours to make!

The Father’s promised provision is not to give you “just enough” to get by.  In fact, in Leviticus 25:21 He promised the Israelites an overflowing blessing:

“’Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.”

Notice how God calls it “My blessing.” Wouldn’t you rather have HIS blessing than what the world has to offer?

But what is HIS blessing – it is all of the blessings, all of the promises in His Word combined!

Proverbs 10:22 promises:  “The blessing of the LORD makes [one] rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.”

When God makes you prosperous, it will not come with trouble!  Some blessings (from the world) are curses in disguise and bring nothing but trouble your way.  But if the blessing is the Lord’s – it brings NO TROUBLE! NO SORROW! NO GRIEF!

But – it’s important you understand – again, that this is your choice – choose you this day…whom you will serve and obey!

You see – not only does provision and protection come from the Lord, but so does promotion! It is honorable to serve your boss on your job –but according to Colossians 3:23 – we should do it as unto the Lord – and not unto man!

“[23] …whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 [NKJV]

Look at Psalm 75:6-7 with me:

“[6] For exaltation [comes] neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. {Notice, it doesn’t come from the east, west or south…what does that leave? North; above} [7] But God [is] the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.”

You see, you have been giving everything within God’s power to succeed in this life! In fact, some Christians have a hard time swallowing this for some reason, but in Deuteronomy chapter 8, God even tells us that you should “remember the LORD your God, for [it is] He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant…”  Deuteronomy 8:18

You’ve even been given the power to get wealth! And just so you don’t think this is mis-translated, let me tell you what the word ‘wealth’ is there in the Hebrew. It is the word chayil {khah’·yil} and it literally means the following:

Wealth                   Efficiency

Strength        Ability

Might            Force

It comes from a root Hebrew word which means “to turn around.”  God is in the business of turning your business around! He is in the business of turning things around for you!! 

 

Most men if not all desire to succeed and excel in life, business, marriage, career, ministry as well as every facet of life yet only a few understand the unseen force that compels and propels any man to succeed in any field or place. One major thing that propels one to succeed irrespective of age, status, tribe, background or academic qualification is THE BLESSING OF GOD.

 

The blessing of God is the empowerment, the ability and the authorization to succeed, be productive and fruitful as opposed to a curse which empowers to fail, irrespective of how much labor and resources are invested.

 

When the labor of man lacks the blessing of God, it remains unproductive, unprogressive and unprofitable. It is the blessing of God that makes a difference in our lives.

 

The way to walk in your inheritance is to walk in forgiveness and favor of the Lord!  Speaking of Esau, Paul wrote:

“For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”  Hebrews 12:17

 

But you see, wealth is not the accumulation of money. It is more than that!   Jesus said “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33  What things?  ‘What shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear.’  All of these ‘things’ will be added to us!

 

They will be added to you. If they are being subtracted, then you are not seeking His kingdom and His righteousness!  You are not obeying His commands! You are choosing to be a barrier to the blessing rather than a carrier of the blessing!

 

Jesus said, in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say unto you, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].’” [KJV]

Notice Jesus give us a process here, in this order:

(1)  Desire {being translated means ‘require; crave’}.  “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

(2)  Ask {prayer}.  James says “You have not because you ask not.” James 4:2

(3)  Belief {faith}.  Why even pray if you are not going to have faith in what you’re asking?  Jesus said when you ask, ‘believe that you receive and you will have.’

(4)  Receive {acquisition}. 

 

Notice the order of this process. You see, when you desire something, it becomes easier to imagine yourself having it.  It begins with desire. Desire (or passion) comes before petition! And petition will always precede possession!  But it all starts with obedience!

 

Remember, this entire sermon started with this one concept:  we have two options by which we choose to live our lives.  One is based upon our diligence in obeying His Word, which brings the blessing – the other results in a curse. It’s our choice.

Look with me at the blessing chapter; Deuteronomy chapter 28.

{Read Deut. 28:1-14}

When you read & obey His commands – blessing will overtake you!  We talked a couple of weeks ago about sowing into the womb of your day – Psalms says that the morning is the womb of the day – the early part of the day when the seed is more abundant.  I suggested to you that if you begin your day blessing God in the morning, and calling your day blessed, your family blessed, your home blessed – your day will go so much better because you will reap what you have sown.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 tells us that if we sow our time to read, study & walk in obedience to His Word – blessings will overcome and overtake us. Remember, Psalm 1 says that when we do this ‘goodness and mercy’ will follow us – we will not have to follow after goodness and mercy.

But here in Deuteronomy it tells us that these blessings will overtake us.

• We will be blessed no matter where we go (country or city)!
• The fruit of our body – our children, our seed – will be blessed!
• The produce of our ground – or our work, our labor – our job will be blessed!

• The increase of our herds, this is speaking of our animals. Your pets will be blessed! Our cat is blessed and favored of the Lord!
• Our basket and needing bowl – our groceries – will be blessed!
• You will blessed both coming and going!
• Your enemies may come against you one way – but by the time the Lord is done with them – they will flee from you seven ways!
• God will command a blessing on your storehouse. What is your storehouse?  That could be your bank account; your savings or checking account; your IRAs and CDs; your retirement account; your 401k will be blessed! Hallelujah!
• God will command a blessing on everything you set your hand to!  Whatever you put your hand to will prosper!
• You will be the head and not the tail! You will always come out on top and never on the bottom!

 

Verse 12 says that God will open His good treasure over your life and you will be called Blessed!  But it begins with obedience! It’s our choice!  

Obedience is our choice to make! God will not force us to obey!

Now – that all sounds great – but if you were to continue reading Deuteronomy chapter 28, you would see all that would come upon you if you chose NOT to obey!  That goes from verse 15 all the way through to the end of that chapter – to verse 68!  It’s not pretty! 

And the fact is, if you read Deut. 28:15-68 and you see what naturally – again by a spiritual law – happens to you when you don’t obey – it really does explain a few things in your life. At least it did for me.  While reading the curses that ensue rather than the blessing – it began to shed some light into why I’ve experienced some of the junk in my life previously.  It all stemmed from my choosing to disobey His commands!

 

Folks, I would MUCH rather choose to be a CARRIER of the blessing in my life! Rather than being a BARRIER of the blessing because of my disobedience! How about you?   I mean verse 20 alone can kind of freak me out when I read it.  There it says that because of not heeding the Word of God – there will be a cursing, confusion and rebuke of all that you put your hand to do! That does NOT sound appealing to me!

 

God’s desire for you is success! Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts [plans] that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [hope and a future].” (KJV)         

There was a farmer once who bought some property to begin growing crops.  But after several years of not getting anything to grow – he became frustrated. He was losing money year after year trying to figure out what was needed to get his crops to produce a harvest on this land. He paid to have the soil tested. He paid to have fertilizer brought in. He spent money on better grain and seed. Nothing seemed to work.  By this time he had lost more money than he had put into buying the property and out of frustration he put the property up for sale.  He ended up selling the land for less than he had bought it and lost money. There was just something about this land that would just not produce a harvest for him!

The family who bought the land – for now a great price – while living on it decided to have a well dug.  While digging guess what they discovered!   They found out why nothing would properly grow on that land – yep they struck oil!  When this family decided to sell their property they ended up selling what turned out to be one of the largest oil deposits in the entire Midwest. 

Now – what is the moral of this true story?  You’ve got to dig a little deeper to find the blessings –but they ARE there!  You’ve got to make an effort – dig a little deeper – take some time to read, study AND obey His Word – and you will be able to stake your claim to the blessing that awaits you!   The choice is yours! Choose you this day…..but as for me….. 

Singing a Song – In a Strange Land

Psalm 137:1-4
“Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. [2] We put away our lyres, hanging them on the branches of the willow trees. [3] For there our captors demanded a song of us. Our tormentors requested a joyful hymn: ‘Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!’ [4] But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?” [NLT]

Do you see the turmoil of life – struggles that sometimes we have to go through and think – how can I do this? How can I continue to bless the Lord in the midst of such sorrow & terror? This is how the Israelites felt during the time this text was written. How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” That question was raised by the psalmist some 2600 years ago at a time of acute crisis.

Judah’s national history spans some 345 years from 931 BC to 586 BC. During this period there were a total of 20 kings which sat of Judah’s throne. Of these 20 kings, 8 were characterized as “doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord”, and 12 were characterized as “doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord”.

It was under Jehoiakim that Jeremiah the prophet warned the nation of God’s coming judgment. This warning was ignored, and Jehoiakim took the prophet’s writing and threw it in the fire! Not long after this act of supreme insubordination we find Babylon, under the direction of Nebuchadnezzar marching on and defeating Jerusalem. This happened in 604 BC. Jehoiakim was killed, and his son Jehoiachin took his place for only 3 months. It was during this time that Nebuchadnezzar took some 10,000 prisoners (including Daniel and Ezekiel) into Babylonian captivity.

Judah was utterly destroyed. Jerusalem was totally ruined; Solomon’s Temple, which had been the pride and glory of Israel for almost 400 years was reduced to ashes. The people of God would remain scattered for over 2,500 years. This same nation that had been miraculously delivered by God on numerous occasions was gone. No longer could they count on a Moses or a Samson or a David or a Gideon or a Shamgar to deliver them. They went from land owners to slaves. From free men to animals of burden. All hope was gone. They went from their precious promised land to the heathen land of Babylon (modern day Iraq). They had been warned repeatedly by God through His prophets, yet they had turned a deaf ear! Their nation’s history had begun by a miraculous delivery by God from the cruel hands of the Egyptian Pharaoh and now because of their disobedience, they are in captivity again.

As history has proven the Israelites have been a people without a homeland. We join them as Christians – a people here in a place that is not our home! We are in a strange land ourselves. They wander- looking for their home. While we wonder when we’re going to be taken home! In our text they were being asked to sing one of their songs of Jerusalem to the captures. They were imprisoned – as it were – and being asked to perform one of the songs of the Lord.

They said to themselves – as you may have at times – how can I sing the song of the Lord in this situation I’m in? How can I be expected to be joyful at a time of such chaos? How can I sing the song of the Lord – in such a strange & foreign land?

Listen, child of God, no matter the circumstance, no matter how difficult things in life can get – you must NEVER hang your harp on the willow and stop singing the songs of Zion!!!

No matter how difficult things get – child of God – You’ve got a song! And you must not give up that song! I’m not talking about pretending to be something your not just to impress – I’m talking about knowing who you are in Christ Jesus – and being THAT person instead of who the world or your adversary wants you to become!

You’ve got a song! A song or righteousness to sing! You’ve got the song of Zion – the song of the Lord to sing – even in a strange land! You MUST SING YOUR SONG!

→In my 20+ years of ministry what I’ve seen often are people who lose their song! You see the Babylonians – the captors of God’s people – had heard their songs of praise. No doubt they had heard of how they would sing from Psalm 27:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple.” Psalm 27:1-4

The Babylonians no doubt had heard THAT song! It was one of David’s #1 hits! The Israelites sang it often. So, they thought they would ridicule them by demanding that they sing one of their songs of victory.

Listen – the devil has heard your songs of praise! He knows worship better than any other created being – he used to be the archangel of worship in heaven. He knows music! Don’t think for a minute he knows your song – but when you find yourself in the midst of a struggle you can hear him in your mind – taunting you – saying “ok little song bird – let’s hear you sing now about this God of yours! Let’s hear you sing now of how great God is- if He is so great why did THIS happen to you? Aren’t you one of His children? Go ahead – sing your song now!”

Child of God – don’t listen to the taunts of the enemy! Now is NOT the time to give up! Now is NOT the time to hang up your harp & stop singing! Now is NOT the time to throw in the towel and give up! There actually is no good time for quitting –but when you find yourself at the end of your rope – giving in must be the last thing on your mind!

King Solomon wrote these words of wisdom: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” He went on to say, there is “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” (Eccl.3:1,4)

This may very well be your season to weep and to mourn, but the time will come when you will laugh and dance again I assure you!

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR ENEMY TO STEAL YOUR SONG! DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE TO STEAL YOUR JOY! DO NOT ALLOW YOUR SITUATION TO ROB YOU OF YOUR PRAISES!

You see – the children of Israel –in our text – did nothing. They were so distraught over their current circumstance that they just sat and wallowed in their misery! They didn’t pray, they sat. They didn’t plan, they sat. They didn’t praise, they sat.

I realize that right now you might feel like those in our text today. You might be wondering how it was that you could go from the Promise Land into Problem Land. But the prophet Isaiah wrote:

“[1] But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. [2] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. [3] For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” Isaiah 43:1-3 [NKJV]

They sat while they should have been standing. They sat while they should have been solving. They sat while they should have been soliciting. They just sat! The Apostle Paul didn’t say when you’ve done all you know to do – just sit! NO! He said when you’ve done all you know to do just STAND!

To me, one of the most depressing verses of Scripture in the entire Bible is found in our text today – verse #2. There they said: “…we hung our harps on the willow branches…” To me, this speaks of a silent resolution to the crisis at hand. They had resigned themselves that they would forever be in captivity. The significance of the phrase “we hanged our harps on the willow tree” is that it speaks of ceasing in offering praise unto God.
I know things can feel bad – I know what it’s like for things to go from bad to worse…but let me tell you Church – we must NEVER allow ourselves to get so distraught & so discouraged & so disheartened that we lose our hope of ever having a song of praise to sing again!
→These people found themselves slaves in Babylon. The Hebrew word “Babylon” being translated means “Confusion; Land of Confusion.” They found themselves slaves in the Land of Confusion!
Folks – the Israelites were known for their musical talents. No doubt this was why their captors ‘required a song from them.’ In fact, their kingdom was called “Judah” which means praise! The nation of Judah – the nation called Praise- was ready to hang up their musical instruments!

Their name was “Praise” but they found themselves enslaved by “Confusion” and they lost their song! Does this sound familiar to you? They had retired their instruments of worship – thinking maybe the songs of Zion were out of place for their situation. Folks – is there EVER a time when worship isn’t appropriate!? The answer to that is NEVER!
Acts 16:25-26
“[25] And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. [26] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” No matter what your circumstance – even if you find yourself in bondage –enslaved in the land of confusion – pick up your harp & start singing the song of the Lord in that strange land! Isaiah 61 tell us that God will give us beauty for ashes (that means joy for grief), He will give us the oil of joy for mourning; and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness! Child of God – you DO have a song – no matter your circumstance right now – START SINGING THAT SONG AGAIN and watch the enemy flee in Jesus’ name!

What’s That I Smell?

I was rethinking a previous sermon I had preached some time ago – and thought I would share the thoughts with you.

II Corinthians 2:14-16 “…thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”

Luke 24:1-3
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” (NIV)

After the death of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome –the spice girls – went to His tomb to anoint His body. This would begin their embalming process, to keep the body from smelling. When they arrived, they found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Now, these ladies had the right intentions. But, good intentions often times lead you to an empty tomb! Good intentions are usually a dead-end road. You see, these ladies had come to anoint a dead body. They had come to anoint a dead Jesus that had already promised that He would be raised on the third day!

I have good news, folks…..He got up! He’s not dead! He has risen, just as He said He would! Hallelujah!

By their coming to pour spices and fragrances on the body of Christ, this was their last chance to offer their praise to Him. There was only one problem…He wasn’t there! You can’t praise a dead god anyway! No matter how hard you try! You can’t anoint and offer fragrant worship to a dead god!

Did you know that God desires your worship – that it is a sweet smelling fragrance – and incense – in the nostrils of God!? God has the sense of smell. And there are various Scripture references that show us what God likes to smell, and what He doesn’t like to smell. In Genesis 8:20, when Noah – after the flood – had built an altar to God – an altar of thanksgiving and worship – an altar offering a sacrifice of praise to God – the Word tells us it was a sweet smelling aroma to God!

All throughout Exodus and Leviticus, and Numbers it speaks of the sweet smelling incense offered up to God through a burnt offering. Worship is a sweet aroma in the nostrils of God! True worship will be worship that is offered to the Living God! From a heart that is alive.

Don’t try and offer the perfumes of praise to God if you are spiritually dead in your praise yourself. God said, in Malachi 1:11 – “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (NIV)

You can’t worship Him like He’s dead. Your worship cannot be dead. Your spirit cannot be dead! Your heart cannot be dead. You see, these ‘spice girls’ came with a broken heart – a grieving heart – to anoint a dead king. But, He wasn’t there, because He wasn’t dead any longer! Folks, God no longer wants your “Old Spice!” He wants a fresh worship, a fresh praise; He wants a worship that is alive because He is alive! Put away the “Old Spice” in the name of Jesus!
It all is dependant upon how you come to Him to worship Him! These women came to anoint Him thinking He was dead.

There was another time when Mary came to anoint Him as she poured the oil over Him.. Look at Matthew chapter 26. This woman mentioned here is assumed to be Mary Magdalene. Look at verses 6-26 “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’”
She poured her praise on Him! Folks, we’ve got to pour our praise on Him like from Mary’s alabaster box! . Proverbs 27:9 says, “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart…” (KJV)

Ointment is the same Hebrew word for ‘anointing.’ I like to say the word ‘anointment.’ It comes from the Hebrew word ‘shemen’ which means seed. When you want the smell of a seed, you must crush it. Then the ointment will flow. If you want the anointing of the seed of David, then you must realize that Jesus has already been crushed and His anointing now flows over our lives! If you crush a peanut you will get…peanut oil. If you crush an olive, you will get… olive oil. I wonder where they get baby oil?

Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (NIV)

But, you see, disobedience is nothing more than that Old Spice! It is a bad aroma in the nostrils of God. Folks, disobedient children ‘stink’ to God! Because disobedience speaks of sin and sin speaks of death and death is a bad odor to God! And, I ask you, how do you come to God in your worship? How do you live your daily walk? How does your life honor God? Are you content with merely having seven scheduled services and calling it a revival…or would you rather be passionate about the call of God enough to say, I want true revival and revival that will change souls eternally. I want to perpetuate the power of His presence!
Is your life a sweet smelling fragrance in His nostrils? Ecclesiastes 10:1 declares, “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” (NIV).
Just some thoughts from a worshipper.

-pk

Losing to Win!

In a previous message, I shared how God showed me that we are called to be winners at all times. But, here’s a thought. This is something I’ve been pondering lately – in order to truly be a winner in Christ – shouldn’t we also have to be a loser?

Look at Matthew 10:38-42:
Jesus said, “…he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

So, in order to find abundant life in Christ, we have to lose our life in the flesh. The literal Greek translation of ‘lose’ is ‘to put to death.’ We are to crucify the flesh; put to death the things of the flesh. (See Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5).

Later in Matthew, Jesus says: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (16:25) And He said in John 10:10 that He came to give us life “more abundantly.” Just take a moment to look at the Strong’s Concordance’s translation of the Greek words used for “more abundantly:”

1) exceeding some number or measure or rank or need
a) over and above, more than is necessary, superadded
2) exceeding abundantly, supremely
3) something further, more, much more than all, more plainly
a) superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon
4) pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent

WOW! That sounds like a winning life to me – but it all starts by being a loser. We must lose our life to win it! I even looked at the translation of the word ‘life’ used there – check this out: “life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.”

Sounds pretty good to me! Ok – so I’ve decided to be a winner in Christ – so I guess that makes me a loser also!

Do You Have the Faith2Win?

Do you have the faith to live as a winner? God has called each of us to excellence. He desires that we are winners and champions in this life.

King David was a winner. He had the faith to win. Does this mean he won every battle? Of course not. But he was still a champion at heart. David knew what it felt like to lose at times. He certainly knew the struggle of losing the battle of the flesh. But what made David a winner in spite of his times of loss was that he chose to have a winning heart. He believed that he was a champion; no matter the circumstance!

Proverbs 3:1-6 says:
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

God’s promise is that when we keep His commands we will walk in blessing and prosperity and will win the favor of God! That is the promise of a champion! And, it should always be the language of a champion. We must walk like a champion! We must talk like a champion! A champion never complains or whines!

God spoke this into my spirit recently:

Winners never whine — even if they are losing!

That takes faith to believe and to live. It takes faith to believe you are champion for God when the cares of life are groping at your feet, attempting to trip up your spirit.

Oftentimes the question may not be are we winning, but are we attempting to win. And…just what are we attempting to win? A champion for God is someone who isn’t striving to win, but already knows he is a winner! His spirit-man is confident that he has won the victory in Christ Jesus!

Our goal is not to attempt to win the approval of men, but of God! Paul said, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, NIV)

Knowing in your heart that God is pleased with your life is to have a winning attitude. Does this mean we will not fall? Does this mean we will not fail God? Not necessarily. It’s not how hard you fall, or how often you fall, but if you get back up that makes you a winner in Christ Jesus!

God knows life is hard. That’s why He is so good…and caring…and full of grace and mercy. Do we cheapen His grace by taking it for granted? Well, you could never take God’s grace for granted and it affect His grace – even if you tried- that is really not possible. But, His grace also does not give us license to sin. Rather, His grace gives us strength to get back up. His grace promises entrance into His presence once again through repentance, and the blood of His dear Son.

Know that you are not a champion…you are not a winner…because of you. You are a winner, with a champion’s heart, because Jesus Christ lives in and works through you. And because you live according to His Word.

Again, Paul wrote: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)

So, here are a few steps to walking as a winner:
*Believe that you are a winner because God said you are and Jesus paid the price for you to be! (See II Corinthians 2:14)
*The words of your tongue and the thoughts of your heart must reflect a winning attitude! (See Psalm 19:14)
*In order to win tomorrow’s victories, you must forget about yesterday’s losses! (See Philippians 3:14)

The Bible indicated that Goliath was considered a “champion…from the camp of the Philistines” (I Samuel chapter 17). But, you and I know that it was little David – the boy with the champion warrior’s heart…David – the shepherd boy with a King’s calling…David proved to be a champion over the giant. Likewise God commands us to praise Him in victory and shout to Him with a triumphant voice over the giants we face every day! (Psalm 47:1)

I like how I Samuel 17:23 is stated in the New King James Version. There it says, “…there was the champion, the Philistine…” Prophetically, the announcement of Goliath’s arrival was also the pronouncement that he was about to be beaten by a little boy with a big calling! At least that’s my take on it.

God deserves excellence in everything. More importantly, He requires excellence. Colossians 3:23 states: “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord…” (RSV)

Do you have the faith to win today? Jesus’ blood says you do. God’s Word says you are. What say you?