VICTORY

REST TO SEE VICTORY

…“Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” - Mark 12:36

Many of us want our problems solved first before we adopt an attitude of rest. We say things like, “I can only rest when my healing manifests,” or “I’ll relax the day I get that promotion and pay increase.” But God says, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Sitting is a position of rest. Through Jesus’ finished work you are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). And you are to remain seated or at rest until you see God put every one of your problems under your feet!

Thoughts may be swirling in your head today—What am I going to do about it? Where is the money going to come from? What if the tumor is malignant? What if I lose my job? But learn to adopt an inward position of rest. When you rest, the Lord goes to work, orchestrating events in the natural and spiritual realms to bring every enemy under your feet.

Beloved, you allow Almighty God to work in you, through you and in your circumstances when you rest. Sometimes, it may seem like He is not doing anything when you rest. Don’t be tempted then to move out of your position of rest. You can’t do more than He can! Stay seated—at rest—knowing that He is working behind the scenes, turning your evil days into good days, preserving you and causing all things to work out for good!

WORRY 

'Don't worry about anything...' Philippians 4:6 NLT

Identify the source of your worries. Did you grow up in a fear-filled family, always feeling insecure, never measuring up, and never hearing words of affirmation and approval? Are you listening to the prophets of doom, hearing only about what's wrong, and how much worse it's going to get? What's the source of your anxiety? What feeds your worries? Until you can express your fears you can't expel them. Putting your worries into words disrobes them. They look weak and silly standing there naked.

In his novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel's main character, Pi, finds himself adrift at sea on a lifeboat with a 200 kg Bengal tiger as his companion. While on the lifeboat, Pi begins to analyse his fears, both of the sea and the tiger. He gives this counsel: 'You must fight hard to express your [fear]. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don't, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.'

So pull back the curtain and expose your fears, each and every one. They're creatures of darkness and can't stand the sunlight. Financial fears, relationship fears, professional fears, safety fears - call them out in prayer. Drag them out and make them stand before God. How do you do that? 'Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything... Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand...' (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

KNOW WHEN TO TURN AWAY :

"It is an honor for a man to cease from strife…" - (Proverbs 20:3, AMP)

Many challenges we face in life are simply distractions from the enemy to keep us from pursuing our destiny. Maybe someone in the office isn't as friendly to you as you'd like. Maybe you have a neighbor who always parks in front of your house and blocks your mailbox. Those things may be frustrating, but they have little significance when you look at the big picture of eternity. You can't allow the little things to cause strife in your life.

In scripture, just before David fought the giant Goliath, his brother Iliab tried to confront him. But David knew that arguing with Iliab wasn't even worth his time and strength. He knew his real battle was with Goliath, and he didn't want to be distracted. He simply "turned away" from Iliab and kept his focus on what he was called to do.

Let's follow the example of David and keep our eyes on what's most important in life. Instead of being led away by frustrations, let's focus on the big picture. Know when to turn away from strife and receive the mark of honor the Lord has for you!

YOUR PLACE OF BLESSING :

"Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there" - (1 Kings 17:2-4, NIV)

As a believer in Jesus, your steps are ordered by the Most High God. He has a specific place of blessing prepared for you. Just as God directed Elijah to his place of blessing, God is directing you. He's aligning the right opportunities and causing the right people to come along your path to help you get ahead. He's constantly working behind the scenes on your behalf because He is good and loves you with an everlasting love.

The key is that you have to do your part and choose to be obedient to His commands. You have to keep your heart and mind open to Him and maintain an attitude of faith and expectancy. Most of all, you have to watch how you treat others and choose to live in peace and unity because the Bible says that when we live in unity, there He has commanded the blessing. When your heart is in the place of blessing, the rest of your life will be in the place of blessing, too! Today, choose love, choose peace, choose His Word, and choose to enter in to your place of blessing! 

BEING STILL :

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" - (Exodus 14:14, NIV)

When was the last time you can remember being still? And I don't mean sitting in traffic or standing in line at the store. In today's fast-paced culture, people are constantly multitasking, trying to do more in less time, constantly on the go, constantly seeking information, constantly checking off to-do lists. And there is nothing wrong with any of these things. But if we are going to see the Lord fight our battles, if we are going to embrace the victory He has for us, we have to make it a priority to be still before Him.

Being still means taking time alone in the presence of Almighty God. Being still means being quiet before Him, listening to His voice and meditating on His Word. But, we need to also keep our hearts and minds still no matter what else we are doing. Being still means silencing the negative voices in our minds. It means choosing right thoughts and putting our trust in Him. That's why it's so important to keep His Word first place in your life because when you know His Word, you know Him. When you know Him, you trust Him. When you trust Him, your heart and mind will be still before Him, and He will lead you into victory all the days of your life!