jesus

Claim Your Victory…

/ www.LivingLarger.life

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN SEVERAL YEARS AGO BUT IT WAS A TREMENDOUS ENCOURAGEMENT TO ME THIS MORNING. I PRAY IT BLESSES YOU TOO!

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith before the sun came up but this morning was a little different than my average morning, this morning instead of seeking His Will, I Claimed my Victory instead. I marched around this farmhouse and I marched across the front porch, and the longer I marched the louder and bolder I became. Sometimes I struggle with life but I never struggle with Faith – so when I’m feeling “shaky” I begin to shout out all the Promises of my God and I claim my Victory as if it has already shown itself in my Life. He’s my God and I’m His child, and He’s already Told me how the Story ends. So, for all the in-betweens I face in this Journey Called Life I just keep claiming my Victory and I’ll persevere until the end. Isn’t that how you handle your struggles too?

“Taking captive every thought” is easier said than done when we’re facing “trials of many kinds.” If the trial is big enough, all the “what ifs” could drive us insane if we dwell on them, and before you know it we give the enemy an edge to push us over the edge because of it. But there isn’t a trial that God isn’t already aware of and there isn’t a problem He can’t solve. The real problem is that we can’t see the Victory as long as the mind is a muddled mess! Our ability to stay focused in His Word or in prayer is nearly impossible because our mind keeps going back to the mess instead. So when that happens to me, I eventually begin to SHOUT out the Victory He’s already told me would come. I know when I shout out the Victory He hears me for sure…but I know my enemy does as well…and the more I SHOUT the Bolder I become as all those fiery darts set out to destroy me are diminished…at least for now. When I SHOUT out I’m overriding all those things that have been consuming me and I Stand Taller than ever before! This is the Key to battling the spiritual war and it’s the Key to Victory over it all.

If anybody saw me shouting out they’d probably call for help. I’m loud, and bold, and determined. You might hear me SHOUT things like; “MY GOD parted the sea, healed the sick, and raised the dead THIS IS A PIECE OF CAKE for Him!” – MY GOD placed the stars in the sky and knows them each by name – and He calls me by name when He says “you are mine!” – MY GOD knit me together in my mother’s womb for SUCH A TIME AS THIS” – “MY GOD Prepared me for this battle before the foundations of the earth!” – MY GOD will use everything to “work together for Good” because I love Him and I’m called according to His Purpose” – MY GOD says “no weapon formed against me will prosper!” – “WATCH my God bring Resolution!” – WATCH my God bring healing!” – WATCH my God stomp out conflict!” – WATCH my God Strengthen” – “WATCH my God bring Peace that surpasses all understanding!” – “WATCH my God make all things Perfect” – “WATCH my God bring Miracle after Miracle over my life!” – “He’s the same yesterday, today, and forevermore and HE’S GOT THIS!”- and so the SHOUTING goes, with countless proclamations of VICTORY and the Goodness of my Perfect God.

There is no end to the things I can proclaim as I shout out my Victory to my Amazing God…the God of Miracles… and sometimes I wonder if He gets a little more pleasure out of my SHOUTING Victory throughout the Heavens…shouting out like the Warrior I’m Designed to be…than He does when I have a muddled mess going on in my head as I search for answers like a child. I don’t know for sure, and I don’t know His mind…but I do know that the SHOUTING Victory Strengthens me no matter how weak I felt before it began…and I KNOW MY GOD hears me.

How about you?

Is There Anything “Beneath” You In His Name?

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I don’t need anything outward to make my time with the Living God richer or more meaningful than it already is, but what I see from where I sit in the morning is just the right touch for my time in the Presence of the King of kings. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, the Word of God at my fingertips, and the Touch of the Master’s Hand visible all around me, I feel like the Royalty He says I am. This morning I sat there for the longest time just listening to the sound of the birds singing in the rain. They were making the very same happy sounds as they make on a sunny day. It seemed like when the rain fell harder they only sang louder and when it slowed down their sounds were softer too. It’s too bad most people can’t live with the same “outlook” – to do whatever needs to be done on any given day, and to Glorify the Creator through it all. Isn’t it just like God to use a little rain and the sound of the birds to speak to my Heart today?

People of Faith generally have lots of thoughts about Heaven and even more questions about what it will be like when we get there. They wonder about things like – how we’ll recognize each other in Heaven and what our “new body” will look like…and they wonder what age they’ll be. They look forward to seeing their loved ones who have already made their Journey Home, and they wonder if they’ll be there to greet them when they make their own way Home too. They wonder what Jesus meant when He said “In my Father’s house there are many mansions” and they wonder if they’ll live with their family in a mansion on a street paved in gold. They speculate on who they’ll talk to first and they look forward to Time with Paul and Peter. There is no end to the list of things people want to understand about Heaven, but there is ONE thing they rarely even mention…and that’s what they’ll be doing when they get there. No doubt there will be Praising as we hear “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty”24 hours a day, but there’s more to it than that! Understanding the Journey from start to “finish” determines how we Serve and Share today.

Most people willing to Serve the King on this side of Heaven are only interested in the things they believe they would enjoy doing. They like the idea of the “sizzle” kind of service, those high-profile roles some are called to fill. But when it comes to “behind the scenes” menial tasks, well, those things are beneath them and that’s often when you’ll hear something like; “I don’t feel called to do that.” Unlike the birds singing in the rain today, they aren’t willing to do whatever needs to be done on any given day to Glorify the Creator. Instead, their service is conditional and based on their sense of self-worth. It’s a good thing Jesus didn’t allow a (sinful) sense of self-worth to prevent Him from getting His hands dirty in the trenches of Ministry! Instead, He reached out to the lepers, the whores, and the demonic AND He washed the feet of His disciples instead of the other way around. I doubt there will toilets in Heaven, but IF there were, how many people so curious about Heaven would still want to go there if they knew they’d be assigned to cleaning toilets for eternity…how many would be like the birds so willing to sing in the rain no matter what?

Service may come in all kinds of shapes and sizes but God doesn’t. We bring Honor to the King when we’re willing to give thanks and Glorify Him in ALL things. We bring Honor to the King when we feel privileged to have been found worthy to Serve no matter how big or “small” the job appears to be from where we sit. We bring Honor to the King when we’re willing to sing in the rain just like the birds do no matter what we’re asked to do in His Name..from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cleaning holy toilets. He’s my God and I’m His child and I strive each day to be like those birds – willing to do EVERYTHING in His Name and to never stop singing in the rain. When it rains hard, I’ll just sing louder – and when it lightens up I’ll soften right along with it. It’s my Honor to Serve the King and I pinch myself just to be found Worthy by Him to do WHATEVER He calls me to do on this side of Heaven all the way through Eternity!

How about you?

Don’t Quit On This Side Of The Grave!!!

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. Sitting alone in His Presence this morning was like a Prescription from Heaven for everything that was ailing me. The “bad news” is that I sometimes don’t respect my own limitations, and sometimes I Give until there’s nothing left of me to give. The Good News is that I know where to go for Rest and Revival and I know HOW to get my Soul Refreshed for the next round of Service. The solution isn’t for me to do LESS for the Living God – the solution is for me to be sure that I’m Empowered to do ALL that I can do to Serve while there’s still breath in my body because I know that there’s still breath within me for a Purpose much bigger than myself. Isn’t that the way you deal with “limitations” too?

It can be so easy to make excuses for why we don’t do this or we can’t do that, and the older I get the more I hear those excuses from my peers. Plenty of physical limitations come with age, that’s for sure, but lots of people throw in the towel WAY before they are no longer able as if their age defines their ability. Oh, there are plenty of things I’m unable to do that I could easily accomplish in my youth but I didn’t give them up easily. I’m not in “denial” I’m in Kingdom Service! The bottom line is that it doesn’t take youth to be able to Serve other people, it just takes a willing Heart, and when the Heart is willing to do the work of the Living God, He’ll provide the Resources and the Energy that will flow supernaturally until the Job is Complete. That’s how you KNOW when it’s God Working! When we’re in Service Mode for the Work of the Living God, it’s not US doing the Heavy Lifting on our own. In fact, we’ll never be left alone to do a Jesus Job! When we’re willing to do what He Calls us to do He’ll bring the Resources out of the Spiritual Woodwork, and He’ll surround us with a few other Willing Hearts to help us complete His Work.

I surrendered my Life to Jesus Christ a long time ago and I’ll gladly be Serving Him all the days of my Life. He called Moses at the ripe old age of 80 so I am confident that He doesn’t discriminate over age when it comes to Willing Vessels. I wonder what HE thinks about all those people who quit on this side of the grave as if they get time off for (or from) good service? As for me, it will be my Honor to give Him everything I’ve got all the days of my Life and I won’t be making excuses. I Know better than to tell God what I can and cannot do because I already Know that when He comes Calling, He’ll give me everything I need to complete the Task. I’ll make the excuse-makers look bad here and there BUT there might be a few that I’ll inspire instead.

How about you?