Victory Temple Chantilly's Podcast Home Of The Free

"If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" 1Co 10:12 NIV
The time to be careful is after you have reached your goals and you're celebrating your victories.
There are three crucial points in every battle, and believe it or not, the easiest one is sometimes the fight itself. The most difficult point is the period of indecision right before the conflict-whether to stand and fight or run away-the battle between faith and fear. But by far the most dangerous period is the aftermath. With your resources spent and your guard down, you need to watch for things like overconfidence, dulled reactions, and faulty judgment. Remember King David's story? "In the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle... David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened...he saw a woman bathing...Then David sent messengers, and took her" (2Sa 11:1-2, 4 NKJV). Pay particular attention to the phrase, "Then it happened." David chose to stay home rather than go to battle. Who knows why? Maybe his impressive record of successes made him soft, or he got careless, or arrogant? It was only a brief affair, but it changed everything. His peace vanished, his character was ruined, and his family life destroyed.
Don't fall prey to the perils of past victories!
Remember your H.A.L.T. sign. When you're Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired, you're in a vulnerable place and need to be extra careful. Resting on your laurels is synonymous with flirting with disaster. Trouble awaits the man or woman who dwells in the comfortable land of accomplished dreams. So, the word for you today is-"If you think you're standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"
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"We were gentle among you." 1Th 2:7 NKJV
Wrecking balls are used to demolish things, but they're useless in the building process. With that picture in mind, ask yourself, "Do I use the force of my personality and the power of my position to impose my will on people and get them to do things my way?" If your answer is yes, then understand this: Those who are the most controlling are often the most afraid of being controlled! Question: What do you fear would happen if you treated others with respect and considered their input, ideas, and choices? Are fear and intimidation the only ways you can imagine of holding on to relationships?
Wouldn't you rather earn the love of others by being considerate rather than cruel, or are you willing to settle for fearful submission? If you need to, talk to a friend or counselor and try to get to the root of the deeper issues that are driving your behavior. Over the next week, try not to criticize or rob anyone of his or her right to choose. Remember that even God gives people the power of choice. And you're not God. Keep this challenge going for two more weeks or for as long as it takes to get your controlling attitude under control. Paul was prolific enough to write the epistles and powerful enough to raise the dead, yet he said, "We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children" (v.
7 NKJV). When people made mistakes, Paul said,
"Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted" (Gal
6:1 NKJV). So, the word for you today is-try to be more gentle.
Wrecking balls
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"I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail." Lk 22:32 NAS
God wants you to do His will, but you'll never reach the place of spiritual maturitv in which vou're
"Satan-free." You can overcome him, but you can't eliminate him. Look at Peter. He had only one gear: overdrive. He was always in the middle of everything that was going on, but he wasn't always on top of things. The man who ended up leading the church, first denied being a disciple of Jesus. Pretty shocking, eh? But nothing about us surprises God.
He doesn't call you and say, "I hope you're the right person." No; Jesus told Peter, "Satan has demanded...to sift vou like wheat: but I have praved for you, that your faith may not fail" (vv. 31-32
NAS). Isn't that an amazing revelation? Even when you don't know how to pray for yourself, Jesus is praying for you. "He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb 7:25). Jesus told Peter, "When...you have turned again, strengthen your brothers" (Lk
22:32 NAS. Out of the mess you're in today can come a ministry to others. Not only can God turn your life around, He can use you to turn the lives of others around too. And one more thing: God isn't apt to think you're worth "sifting" if you aren't doing something right in the first place. Sifting is a method of purifying, of straining out the debris and refining what remains. That means there had to be something worth salvaging in you at the outset.
Today God is calling you. Don't waste another moment; surrender your life to Him.
I Sifting is a method of purifying.
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"I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee." Jer 1:5
The word "sanctified" means "to be set apart for the exclusive use of." The word "ordained" means
"ordered according to a plan." Here are two things you need to know: God doesn't waste anything He created, and He doesn't waste anything He can use.
Before you were saved, God permitted experiences, both good and bad, that were equipping you for what He had in mind. That includes who your parents were, the places they came from, where you were educated, the number of years you spent in school, the jobs you held, and the training you received. It also includes things God put inside you at the time of your birth, even though some of those things may have seemed to work against you while you were growing up. Do you hold on to ideas like a pit bull? God can use that. Do you enjoy poring through books and research? God can use that. Are you quick to confront, excited to run right at the enemy? God can use that. Today you may feel like you're in the wrong place, doing the wrong things, with the wrong people. You may be wondering how you're going to dig yourself out of the hole or turn your life around. And truthfully, the answer may be that you can't. But God can! He makes miracles out of mistakes. So, give Him the things in your life that aren't so good, the things you're not proud of, and say, "Lord, here they are. I wish my life was different, but it's not. I wish I could change it, but I can't." Then let God go to work.
God makes miracles out of mistakes.
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"The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them." Pr 20:7 NLT
Here are six ingredients which are always found in lasting success: (1) Information. If you don't stay informed, you will be left behind. (2) Intuition. This is sometimes referred to as "to know in your knower." (3) Initiative. This is when you are willing to step out in faith and act on what you know intuitively. (4) Intentionality. This is when you are willing to set specific goals and timelines for reaching them. (5) Intensity. This calls for more than starting power, it requires staying power. (6)
Integrity. This is the glue that holds the previous five things together. And it's rooted in that private life you develop alone with God. We often hear architects, engineers, and builders say, "This building has structural integrity." What do they mean? That the public beauty of a tall skyscraper relies on its private, unseen foundation that is dug deep into the earth and solidly constructed. It is that hidden life of a building that brings structural integrity. Likewise, it's the hidden life of a fruit tree
-the unseen root system that digs deep into the earth-that produces those juicy, delectable fruits.
And so it is with you. Integrity must be rooted in your private life. Don't wait until you're thrust into the public arena before paying attention to your integrity, for then you will have waited until it's too late. Your talent may bring you success, but it takes character to protect and maintain your success. The truth is that when your integrity is rooted in your private world, it's reflected in your personal world, your professional world, and your public world.
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That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Ps 90:14 NIV
It doesn't help the cause of Christ when His followers go around looking miserable. You say,
"But I have problems." Everybody does. When the apostle Paul was in prison, he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Php 4:4 IV). Expressing joy is something you do in spite of your circumstances, not because of them. The Bible says, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isa 12:3
NIV). God has put a well of joy within you, but you have to draw it out and share it with others. Joy is contagious. Happiness travels through relational networks like ripples on a pond. It's so robust, in fact, that it can permeate three degrees of separation. That means your happiness quotient is more likely to increase when a friend of a friend of a friend becomes happy. We hunger for joy. "Satisfy us in the morning," writes the psalmist-but not with more money or power or applause. No, "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days" (Ps 90:14 NIV).
Jovful people make us come alive. The Bible says,
"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Ne 8:10 NIV).
We love joy, but often we forget how powerful it is.
Joy gives us the strength to resist temptation. It gives us the ability to persevere. It's the Velcro that makes relationships stick. It gives us the energy to love. We don't just need air, food, and water; we need joy. And the person who brings it is like an oasis in a desert land. So today, be joyful.
 Joy is contagious.
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