Isaiah 49:24-26

Can the prey be taken from the mighty or the captives of the righteous be delivered? For this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken, and the prey of a tyrant will be delivered; I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am Your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Make no bones about it. The enemy is out to take everything God has promised you as an inheritance, including your children and grandchildren. He is waging war right now because he knows his time is short. God, however, gave us His word, which will not return void. We have promises we can pray directly from Scripture, and this one has become  a personal favorite.

When it seems like all hope is lost for a loved one who has been taken captive by the enemy, you have a mighty weapon here to use offensively against the Devil. God will contend with those who contend with you! In fact, this is a battle you cannot fight or endure. God, Himself, will go to battle for you and cause the oppressor to eat his own flesh and drink his own blood. In other words, God will cause your enemy to destroy himself, and your loved one can walk free.

We all need hope in this lifetime. Any enemy of yours is an enemy of God, and an enemy of God has no hope. If God is for you, no one can be against you. He will be your Champion and Defender, just as He promised in Psalm 68:5.  Declare these promises today, and trust God to fight the battle you cannot fight. He longs to be your hero.

Have a blessed day!

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

Rivalry breeds competition. When members of a team compete against one another for attention, applause, or recognition, they lose the entire game to the opposing team. We have an enemy to fight, and if we wage war on each other, he wins. His strategy is to get us focused on ourselves and fighting each other. When we do, we can’t fight him, and he gets the victory. Our goal should be to glorify God in all we do so He gets the credit for everything. When our common goal is to glorify God by working together for the common good, we gain victory as a whole.

Verses 7-8 of that same chapter explain that Jesus emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave. He became obedient to the point of death on a cross. Because of His humility and obedience, God exalted Him. God exalts those who look beyond their own needs, resist rivalry, and submit themselves to work for His cause. He is in the business of making champions who can slay giants, possess land, and glorify Him.

When members of a truly great team give their all, God works through that team to accomplish His purpose and gain victory over the enemy. Putting aside our own self-interests for the good of the team is always worth the victory that lies ahead.

Have a blessed day!

Judges 5:8

Israel chose new gods, then war was in the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among 40,000 in Israel.

Satan lures us into choosing new gods little by little. He appeals to a weakness via a sly temptation, and as we succumb to his leading, we eventually turn away from God. In turning away from God, we lay down His armor, which makes us vulnerable to the Devil’s attack. Before we know it, we are without weapons and encountering full-fledged war at our gates. As a result, we slip into a pit of despair, taken prisoner by an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy any resemblance of the inheritance of God in our life.

Ephesians 6:16-17 describe the shield of faith and the Sword of the Spirit. Israel had laid down these two vital pieces of armor as they had turned to other gods. The shield of faith is used to extinguish the enemy’s fiery darts. Faith must also have an object, which is Jesus Christ. If we have turned from Him, our faith is useless. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which is used as a dagger to slay the enemy. God has promised that His Word will not return to Him void but will accomplish what He sent it to do. When we speak His Word over our situation and use it as a weapon of war, we gain victory over the enemy.

Do you find yourself in a pit of despair today? If so, pick up your shield of faith. Regardless of what you have done or how you turned from Christ, nothing can separate you from His love. Because of His sacrifice, you have been given His righteousness. God still loves you and still has a great calling on your life. He knew you would be in this pit before He called you, yet He called you anyway. Simply cry out to Him, confess your sins, and claim God’s Word over your life. Each time you claim the promises of God’s Word, you jab the Devil with a dagger! As you begin to fight, you will find faith rising from inside of you, giving you hope for victory.

Nothing, however, will happen unless you are willing to fight. God will deliver you, but without faith, it is impossible to please God. He loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for you. If He would give you His Son, would He surely not give you lesser things? The beauty of grace is that you can’t earn it. Regardless of what you have done or even how good you think you have been, you can’t accomplish your purpose in life without grace. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and believe in His everlasting love for you. With that shield of faith firmly in place and the Word of God on your lips, you can successfully fight your enemy in prayer. God will hear and come to your rescue! Believe in His deliverance today and have hope for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 41:9b-10

You are My servant; I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.

I remember finding my then 16 year old son sitting in his dark room with the lights out, using the flashlight on his phone to do an English assignment. He could have easily turned the lights on in his room, but he chose to do things the hard way with limited light. As long as he was working on his assignment, I didn’t bother him. More power to him! I can’t help but think, however, he was acting much like we do when facing difficulty – sitting in the dark and insistent upon doing things our own way with limited resources.

The light of God’s Word can illuminate our path and give us clear direction. He has chosen us as His servant and has not rejected us. We don’t have to fear what lies ahead within His purpose for us. He will strengthen us and help us, according to His promise. He will hold on to us and not allow us to fall if we will only rely upon Him and stop trying to do things in our own strength and dark perspective.

Fear, stubbornness, and independence keep us in the dark. Once we admit that we can’t fix things and turn to God for help, He sheds His light upon our trial and strengthens us for the task before us. He is our help in time of need, and we find peace by trusting in Him. Even when we fail, fall short, stumble, or outright rebel, He will not reject us if we simply turn back to Him. He has chosen us as His own for a purpose, and He will do whatever necessary to fulfill that purpose in us, including sending us through some dark times.

Rejoice today in knowing that you are His. You belong to Him, and He will help you. He will hold on to you with His righteous right hand, which is Jesus. His love never fails, His sacrifice is complete, and He will finish what He started in us. Hallelujah!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 118:5-7

I called to the LORD in distress; the LORD answered me and put me in a spacious place. The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? With the LORD as my helper, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

The distress mentioned in this verse carries the idea of constraint, constriction, or lack of room. I’m sure most of us at one time or another have felt confined or backed into a corner where we were in danger of attack or could not move forward in life. The writer of this psalm felt constrained by enemies and called out to God for deliverance.

You have an enemy who does not want to see you progress. If you reach your full potential in God, the enemy suffers damage and cannot impose his own agenda because the Kingdom of God is multiplied by your growth. Therefore, he will certainly seek to contain you, restrict you, or paralyze you from moving forward. In those times, the best thing you can do is to cry out to God in your distress. He will move you to a spacious place, where you can grow and be effective for His kingdom.

With God as your helper, you can accomplish what He has called you to do. Helper here means “strong companion.” When you feel you have no more strength to continue, lean upon the strength of your strong companion who is there to help you and keep your land spacious for growth.

God’s plan is for you to triumph. You must believe His word for you more than you fear the enemy’s threats against you. Praise God for the good things He has for you, and speak forth what He has placed in your heart. Look at the wide, open space before you, and move forward. The best way to drown the threatening screams of the enemy is to move forward in praise. Speak loving admiration toward your strong companion, and experience the glory of triumph. God is for you and not against you. You have no reason to fear but plenty of reasons to rejoice.

Have a blessed day!

2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription:

The Lord knows those who are His, and

Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

God loves us and accepts us just as we are, but He does not intend to leave us in our sinful conditions. He is in the business of transforming us into the image of Christ, and unless a person is being transformed, the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit is not in him. Therefore, those who give their lives to Christ will be ever in the process of looking more like Him and turning from unrighteousness.

Unrighteousness is more than just blatant sin. It can be anything that deters us from experiencing the fullness of God if our life. There is nothing wrong, for example, in watching a ballgame. If God has instructed us, however, to go to church or to engage in another activity at that same time, we are unrighteous in watching the ballgame if we do so anyway. If we remain in our comfort zones, rather than launching out into the deep where we don’t know what will happen, we engage in unrighteousness by choosing security over faith. If we are to live in the fullness of God, we must be willing to follow wherever He leads.

Dare to follow God and turn away from anything unrighteous He may reveal to you today. God has much in store for you that you can experience only as you continue to be transformed into the image of Christ. He didn’t create a comfortable spot for you to just sit and do nothing. Be willing to respond to those nudges of the Holy Spirit, and follow wherever He leads. What you find on your journey will be worth the risk.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 69:13

But as for me, LORD, my prayer to you is for a time of favor. In Your abundant, faithful love, God, answer me with Your sure salvation.

David is the author of this psalm, and he appealed to the faithful, loving character of God to deliver him from his troubles. He consistently proclaimed the character of God and trusts in who he knew God to be. Because God is good, He expected to see God’s goodness in his life again.

David spoke statements of trust. He still believed in God, even when his faith was under assault by the enemy. He reminded himself of God’s care for him in the past, and as he reflected upon God’s faithfulness, it strengthened his faith to believe in his time of trial.

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and the thing he wants most is our faith. Faith is what pleases God and ushers in His blessing. Faith is the substance of things unseen, and without faith it is impossible to please God. Therefore, the Devil gains victory and steals our blessings by attacking our faith and causing doubt in times of trouble. A stubborn faith develops when we remember God’s faithfulness and rely upon the goodness of His character to see us through difficulty and help us endure difficult times, which come to test our faith.

If life seems to be falling apart, start remembering God’s faithfulness to you in times past. Write down the blessings you have, and post reminders of answered prayer. Concentrate on His goodness, and rest assured He will continue to be good to you because that is His character. Refuse to let the Devil convince you God is no longer with you, is punishing you, or doesn’t care about your situation. God is for you, He has promised to never leave you, and He is working all things together for your good and His glory. You are His, and He is jealous for you. He will send a time of favor and assure you of His sure salvation.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love is eternal.

Regardless of what your circumstances may look like, God is good, and He loves you passionately. Never let the Devil convince you otherwise, as he most certainly will try to do. God is for you and not against you. He will never turn His back on you, and He is always with you, even when you can’t see Him or sense His presence. While He may work silently, His work in your life will always be powerful and effective.

The Message Bible gives a wonderful translation of this verse:

Thank GOD! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.

At times, I am tempted to quit, as I’m sure you are, as well. I’m so very thankful that God’s love never quits. He never gives up on us! We are His relentless pursuit, and for that He deserves all our thanks and our praise!

Just take time to thank God today. Thank Him for His goodness and for the fact that His love just never quits. Thank Him for working in places you couldn’t see and at times you were unaware. A thankful heart is a blessed heart and a heart at peace. Nothing aggravates the Devil more! Let thankfulness yield its sword in your life this day, and may God bless all you do.

Have a blessed day!

Zechariah 7:10

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.

God warned Israel to follow His ways and not further their own causes at the expense of others. This verse reflects that warning, but Israel would not listen. Instead, they hardened their hearts and did what they wanted to do. As a result, God allowed them to go into captivity, and when they cried out for help, He would not listen to their cries because they had refused to listen to His. Simply put, God responds to us if and when we respond to Him.

Sometimes we may have to endure hardship or abuse from others so they incur the wrath of God. While we may want to fight back, doing so will only implicate us further. When those placed in power over us wrong us for their own benefit or as a result of their own insecurity, God holds them responsible. To deliberately cause harm to someone we are commanded to protect, nurture, and develop brings grave consequences, and God will not let it go unaddressed! He fights for those who cannot fight for themselves and stands with those who have no standing.

Consider the following verses:

Proverbs 15:25

The LORD destroys the house of the proud, but He protects the widow’s territory.

Psalm 68:5

A Father to the fatherless and a Champion (Defender) of widows is God in His holy dwelling.

Psalm 37: 8-13

Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated – it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity. The wicked schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him. The Lord laughs at him because He sees that his day is coming.

Dear one, God fights for you! No weapon formed against you will prosper, and God will personally see that you succeed in what He has called you to do if you are completely submitted to Him. Let the wicked have their way; God will have their hide! Nothing the wicked can offer you is as great as what God has planned for you! Take your hurt to Him, and trust His plan for you. Humbling yourself guarantees your inheritance. As Psalm 37:4 instructs, take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 108:5-6

God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be over the whole earth. Save with Your right hand and answer me so that those You love may be rescued.

The whole earth is hungering and thirsting to see the glory of God revealed. We must lift Him high and look above the storms and trials of life to see His handiwork. He is most certainly actively involved in our lives, and we need to sense His presence in all we do. Regardless of how we may feel or what threat lies before us, He is faithful, and His love endures forever.

The psalmist pleads with God to save with His right hand and rescue those He loves. Romans 8:34 explains that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. Only He has the power to save and to rescue. When the world comes crushing in on us, our hope rests at the right hand of the Father, where all power and authority has been given to overcome sin, death, and the grave. Hallelujah!

Do you feel you need to be rescued? You have a Savior. His name is Jesus. People will disappoint you, but God is still at work in your life, and your Savior is still mighty to save. Look to Him, call out to Him, and place your hope in the One who died for you. He who overcame sin, death, and the grave will overcome your struggles, too.

Have a blessed day!