Psalm 44:7-8 (New International Version)

(7) but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.  (8) In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.  Selah

Doesn’t it bring some comfort to know God has already given us victory over our enemies, that he has already commanded victory to be ours?  God has also commanded us to live in victory too.  That means not matter what we’re going through, no matter how dark it looks, we can be encouraged that the darkness has to give way to the light, and defeat has to give way to victory.

In order to open that door to victory, we must follow the psalmist’s example and constantly praise his name!  It doesn’t do any good going around talking about your problems, or words of defeat and failure. Instead, speak words of faith, of praise, and victory! Quit worrying and start worshiping!  Start praising and thanking God, and expect things to change!  Start living the life of victory that he has already commanded to be yours!

Isaiah 40:31 (Amplified Bible)

(31) But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

I always looked at this verse in a different way. I used to think that the word “wait” (as in waiter) could be changed with the word serve (something like a food server) and it made perfect sense to me. Those who serve the Lord do renew their strength, but now I have a new understanding of this verse. I see it in terms of what you’re expecting…

What are you expecting in life? Good things? Bad things? Little things? Anything? God wants us to have high hopes. Since Faith is the substance of
things hoped for, you can’t have faith if you don’t first have hope. Your expectations set the limits for your life. If you never expect anything good, it’s hard to receive it. If you don’t expect things to get better, they won’t. God promises to meet you at your level of expectancy: Matthew 9:29 – According to your faith be it unto you.

Start expecting life abundantly. Start expecting to overcome the challenges in your life. Start expecting God to meet all of your needs. I was once blind in one eye, but I believed for, and expected God’s healing. It is not perfect yet, but glory to God, now I can see!! What are you expecting?

Hebrews 10:35-36

Hebrews 10:35-36 (New International Version)

(35) So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
(36) You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

God is constantly trying to plant new seeds of victory in you. He’s trying to increase you and enlarge your vision. He wants to take you to new levels of victory. In order to make this happen, the seed has to take root in your heart. Before you’re ever going to be successful, you’ve got to see yourself being successful. Before your dreams come to pass, you’ve got to look through your eyes of faith and see them coming to pass.

The enemy doesn’t want you to fulfill your destiny, so he immediately tries to discourage you and uproot the seed God planted. In order to defeat the enemy, you have to stay focused on God’s promises. Constantly meditate on his promises, live a life that is pleasing and honoring to God, and thank the Lord for his faithfulness! Before long, you’ll begin to see the dreams God placed in your heart come to pass.

1 John 3:16 (New International Version)

(16) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

I hear it all the time: TGIF… Thank God it’s Friday! People are usually so excited for the weekend they thank God; even if they aren’t believers…  How apropos that today happens to be Good Friday!  Rather than saying TGIF, we need to be thanking God FOR Fridays, especially this one!  We all know what the wages of sin would’ve been had God not sent his Son to pay the ultimate price.  Because he laid down his life, we can have an understanding of what true love is.  Because he laid down his life, we can have hope for the future!  Because he laid down his life, we can say TGFE… Thank God for Everyday!  I guess the goal would be to help people get to a point where they are saying TG;IF… Thank God; it is Friday!

1 John 5:4 (New American Standard Bible)

(4) For everyone born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

Growing up in the church, I never understood why we had to memorize bible verses during Sunday school. Now that I am older, I totally get it! As children of God, we have the power to overcome the world. That includes everything in the world, and anything the world brings our way. The bible says faith comes by hearing the word of God. When you hear the word of God, and store it in your heart, your faith grows stronger. When the enemy tries to attack you through sickness, fear, worry or financial mishaps, just put your faith to work by declaring His word!

Declare that by His stripes you are healed (1 Peter 2:24). Declare that perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). Declare that God shall supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19). Declare that because you are born of God, you have the faith to overcome the world. Store the word of God in your heart so you can declare it in your days of need!

Week 1

Ephesians 4:29 (Amplified Bible)

(29) Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk come out of your mouth…

Growing up, I thought verses like these were telling me to mind the occasional (yes occasional!!) curse word that would slip out. Very recently, it occurred to me that there is much more to this…

I’ve learned the hard way that there is tremendous power in the spoken word. For quite some time, I’ve been complaining about my health: how bad I feel, how old I am/feel, how I don’t understand why I’m not getting better, how I don’t think I’m ever going to get better… My best friend always warned me not to say stuff like that because I’d speak that junk into existence. In other words, he understands that words can either pollute or purify. If you constantly complain, you release poison into your life.

Complaining is not based on circumstances, but the attitude of your heart. When you have a heart full of gratitude, it leaves no room for complaining. There is always something to thank God for no matter what kind of adversity you have in your life. Giving praise to the Lord is always better than any
complaining!!!

My prayer for today:
Dear Father, I am thankful for your Love, Peace, Grace, and Mercy. I thank you for the healing you will provide. I thank you for being faithful, even
when I am not. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you!! Amen.

A letter from the Dude

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

(6) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

A long time ago, in a not to distant galaxy… ;P I started sending verses and thoughts to my church youth group, as well as some close friends. Without me knowing, the little “Verse Of The Day” was being sent to more people than I knew!! I started to feel tremendous pressure to get these verses out on a daily basis, and keep them in line with the word. It became such a “burden” that I needed help writing them daily. In the end, I was actually happy when I left the youth group because it meant I didn’t have to write verses anymore…

Recently I had a couple good friends ask me where the “VOTD” went, and why I wasn’t sending them out anymore. They helped me understand that it was much bigger than just me, and people I would probably never meet were getting fed, and being touched by the word. After much prayer, I feel led to start writing verses again on a weekly basis, not daily. If you’re new to my d-list and would like to continue receiving these weekly verses, please let me know. If not, I will remove your name from my list. My humble list is not as big as it once was, so please feel free to pass it on to those that might enjoy!!

I look forward to sharing with you again, and God bless!!

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