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Your Spirit-Filled Strategy for Ultimate Victory

Proverbs 21:31b TPT makes it clear: “…ultimate victory comes from the Lord God.” 

We alone cannot discover it, accomplish it or sustain it, because ultimate victory is not only a win against overwhelming opposition, it’s also a divine gift.

Defined & Delineated

The gracious gift of ultimate victory Jesus offers to us is the complete establishment of mastery over darkness by Love. It includes the foundational elements of deliverance and salvation. 

Ultimate victory was accomplished once and for all time by Jesus’ finished work of redemption at the cross for our sins and His resurrected life in Heaven, on earth, and in the believer’s spirit. 

Ultimate victory is never subject to change (James 1:17). 

We Need Him 

We receive the gift of ultimate victory by our Savior’s triumphant grace and faith. 

Whether we believers reign truly victorious in life on earth is based on God’s power of grace and our humble obedience to live out The Lord’s finished work, even though we go to Heaven afterwards.

2 Peter 1:2-4 TPT reminds us: 

May grace and perfect peace cascade over you as you live in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness. As a result of this, he has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of these tremendous promises you can experience partnership with the divine nature, by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world.

To Sustain Ultimate Victory

Hebrews 10:36 TPT forewarns us, “You need the strength of endurance to reveal the poetry of God’s will and then you receive the promise in full.”

We need His resurrected life in us. Since there is life in His Word and in the blood of the Lamb, we need both His truth of Word and Spirit (see Rev. 12:11, 1 Peter 1:22-23, 25).

This means hindrances in the heart have to go to grow (3 John 1:2). 

This means yieldingness must rise: We must surrender to His will, His ways to produce the greatest yield of fruit of The Spirit in and through us.

Merciful love toward others forms the highest rung on the ladder of fruitfulness (foreshadowed by the spies’ pole of fruit from their promised land in Num. 13:23, 26-27, Gal. 5:22-23). Truly extending authentic mercy and divine love is our final step of obedience before we see the resurrection life of God’s manifest promises (foreshadowed by Jesus’ declaration on the cross in Luke 23:34):

So devote yourselves to lavishly supplementing your faith with goodness, and to goodness add understanding, and to understanding add the strength of self-control, and to self-control add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add godliness, and to godliness add mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and to mercy toward others add unending love. Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately. But if anyone lacks these things, he is blind, constantly closing his eyes to the mysteries of our faith, and forgetting his innocence—for his past sins have been washed away. For this reason, beloved ones, be eager to confirm and validate that God has invited you to salvation and claimed you as his own. If you do these things, you will never stumble. As a result, the kingdom’s gates will open wide to you as God choreographs your triumphant entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah (2 Pet. 1:5-11 TPT).

Jonah’s Story

In studying the topic of victory during the month of April, The Lord particularly highlighted the story of the prophet Jonah to me. 

We know Jonah spent three days in a fish’s belly, because he ran from God’s assignment to deliver a warning of repentance to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (modern day northern Iraq). We know Jonah finally delivered God’s message and that the people of Nineveh took God’s Word to heart, believing Him and repenting for their sins. 

This resulted in a revival of over 120,000 people.

God proved faithful, even when Jonah did not.

These pagans and longstanding enemies of the Israelites were destined for victory, regardless of Jonah’s ungodly attitude and behavior.

Psalm 98:2 NLT assures us, “The LORD has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!”

The Ninevites humbled themselves unto God and extended overcoming faith to believe Him for their victory of salvation, even though Jonah did not value them.

Since one of the elements of faith is value, this reveals that Jonah lacked faith, hence his depression. His soul was not right (see Matt. 6:21, Hab. 2:4). He had trouble believing God would rescue Israel’s abusive enemies (see Is. 14:27). God’s strategy was to send one of His covenant people (Jonah) to do a work of outreach and, in the process, convict him of his own limitation to lead him through his own deliverance into greater maturity.

But Jonah got stuck in his lack of faith, the victorious power that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

Jonah was commanded to go where he didn’t want to go to, in part, to confront his own attitude of prideful self-justification for the purpose of breaking through to love on a higher level of true justice: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34b MEV).

Is this not our daily commandment and standard?

To love our enemies beyond ourselves (Matt. 5:44, Luke 6:27)?

Grudge-holding is a sin that hinders blessing. 

God calls us up higher.

How can we prevail or ascend by superior power (to be victorious) above petty grudges if we are not synced with God’s ways of faith and grace?

As submitted followers of Christ, who are we to pick who we minister to? After all, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:6, 8).

“Is it right for you to be angry?” God asked Jonah twice (Jonah 4:4b, 9a).

This rhetorical question reveals that we are not entitled to self-justify our ways. If we desire to see maximum fruit in our lives, we must maximize our yield to God to see God’s maximum yield through us.

Mercy Over Judgment Is Critical

“…Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13b). 

Both Jonah and the Ninevites were desperate for God’s mercy. 

God desired to give all of them life over death. 

Victory to not be overthrown by evil came to Nineveh through God’s prevailing mercy and grace. But there was no victory coming or going in Jonah’s prideful self-justification. 

Jonah stumbled to go the distance as he ran a false race fromGod before he reluctantly showed up to finish the task he was sent to do (Jonah 1:3, 10; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Ps. 119:32), all because he did not believe the Assyrians deserved mercy and love since they had been abusive to Israel—God’s covenant people. 

By the end of Jonah’s story, he still hadn’t come around in his heart. 

Everyone was faithful, except Jonah.

What would you do if you were in Jonah’s position?

Would you decide to value what God values? Even your enemies? Would you humble yourself and ask God to help you receive a new perspective through His eyes of mercy? Would you ask our Lord to fill your heart with His love for them? 

Would you decide to break through prideful self-justification? Or would you make it all about you, your pain and your opinions, ending up depressed with your false pride exalted, like Jonah?

Do you desire to live a powerful life?

Submission to God is our greatest position of power.

We all know it’s easy to devalue our enemies. But also know this: God’s will is to use them to provoke us to come up higher. We may be the only one praying righteously for them. God will bring reformation to them, often after we have done our part. He will use all of it to build His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven (1 Chron. 29:11, Matt. 6:10). 

Everyone will be better off.

Our greatest victories await on the other side of our obedience to receive and pour out His resurrection life. 

God’s Strategy for Ascension

“This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith. This is what the Scripture means when it says: ‘We are right with God through life-giving faith!'” -Romans 1:17 TPT

“You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world.”  -1 John 5:4 TPT

“But we thank God for giving us the victory as conquerors through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.”  -1 Corinthians 15:57 TPT

“And God has made all things new, and reconciled us to himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God. In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God.”  -2 Corinthians 5:18-19 TPT

“However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them.”  -Matthew 5:44 TPT

“For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure.” -Matthew 6:21 TPT

“Now, because of your obedience to the truth, you have purified your very souls, and this empowers you to be full of love for your fellow believers…And this seed that He planted within you can never be destroyed but will live and grow inside of you forever. For the Word of The Lord endures forever.” -1 Peter 1:22-23, 25 TPT

“You love him passionately although you did not see him, but through believing in him you are saturated with an ecstatic joy, indescribably sublime and immersed in glory. For you are reaping the harvest of your faith—the full salvation promised you—your souls’ victory!  -1 Peter 1:8-9 TPT

“In your glory and grandeur go forth in victory! Through your faithfulness and meekness the cause of truth and justice will stand. Awe-inspiring miracles are accomplished by your power, leaving everyone dazed and astonished!” -Psalm 45:4 TPT

“For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life, the path to the bliss that brings me face-to-face with you.” -Psalm 16:11 TPT

“To everyone who is victorious and continues to do my works to the very end I will give you authority over the nations to shepherd them with a royal scepter. And the rebellious will be shattered as clay pots—even as I also received authority from the presence of my Father. I will give the morning star to the one who experiences victory.” -Revelation 2:26-28 TPT

“For he enjoys his faithful lovers. He adorns the humble with his beauty and he loves to give them the victory.” -Psalm 149:4 TPT

This article graciously appeared on Charisma.com May 1, 2019.

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Light—The Other Armor: A Daylight Saving Time Reminder You May Not Have Expected

Is your armor complete?

When we think of armor, Ephesians 6 often comes to mind. But what about Romans 13:12? The MEV reveals, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us take off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

Could it be that our armor, as described in various versions of Ephesians 6:11, 13, is not full, whole or complete without the radiant light of Romans 13:12?

Jesus is the “light of the world,” and so are we (Jn. 8:12, Mt. 5:14). There is no darkness in Him at all, and the enemy cannot comprehend light (1 Jn. 1:5, Jn. 1:5). So when we don the wrap-around light of Christ, the enemy is confounded (Ps. 104:2, Da. 2:22, Jo. 10:10).

What a position of strength!

Evil can’t get in (Ps. 91:7)!

As armor, light is about stripping off our sinful flesh and putting on the sinless character of Jesus (Light) for a faith-filled lifestyle of holy worship, honor, and strength by grace.

That’s victorious living.

Ephesians 6:10 TPT reveals, “Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 TPT reveals, “For God, who said, ‘Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,’ is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.”

March 10, the beginning of Daylight Saving Time this year, is a great time to remind us of these truths.

Consider these metaphors for Daylight Saving Time, a kind of first fruit shift, remembering ten (Eph. 10, Jo. 10:10, March 10) as the Biblical number for restoration. (I believe this year can prove out double-portion victory.):

  1. Light saves us.
  2. Our flesh sacrifices sleep.
  3. It forces us to wake up sooner.
  4. This shift in time causes an inner reset.
  5. Only a remnant of people are in the zone.
  6. At the end of the day, we experience more light.

Song of Songs 2:13 TPT reveals, “Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth. The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of their flowers whispers, ‘There is change in the air.’ Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place. For now is the time to arise and come away with me.”

God is the igniter of both consuming fire and glory. Because He loves us, His consuming fire burns off the dross in us that hinders our destiny with Him. His glorious and tangible Presence visits us in worship, to fill us and surround us with His peace, love and revelation. Both flames of passion can burn simultaneously during trials and tribulation.

He’s that smart.

He’s that powerful.

He’s that big.

2 Corinthians 3:18 TPT reveals, “We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Psalms 50:23 TPT reveals, “The life that pleases me is a life lived in the gratitude of grace, always choosing to walk with me in what is right. This is the sacrifice I desire from you. If you do this, more of my salvation will unfold for you.”

God is calling us to awaken and accelerate with Him at this time. Are you willing to sync with Him as your accelerant, as He brings darkness to light (Ps. 18:28, 2 Sam. 22:29)? Are you willing to trust Him and be clothed in His greater anointing (Gal 3:27)?

With whom will you choose to align yourself? The Father of lights (Ja. 1:17)? Or the father of lies (Jn. 8:44)?

Psalm 105:4 TPT directs us to “Seek more of his strength! Seek more of him! Let’s always be seeking the light of his face.”

Romans 50:1-2 TPT reveals, “The God of gods, the mighty Lord himself, has spoken! He shouts out over all the people of the earth in every brilliant sunrise and every beautiful sunset, saying, ‘Listen to me!’ God’s glory-light shines out of the Zion-realm with the radiance of perfect beauty.

Although longer days are upon us, our time on earth gets shorter every day. It’s time to step up, show gratitude to God and keep our promises to Him (Ps. 50:14). It’s time to come into more of His light of salvation … and sanctification, for His glory.

This article graciously appeared on Charisma.com March 8, 2019.

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A Song of Songs 2:8 Valentine: Your Valentine’s Reminder of God’s Promise-Keeping Love

“Listen! I hear my lover’s voice. I know it’s Him coming to me—leaping with joy over mountains, skipping in love over the hills that separate us, to come to me.” -Song of Songs 2:8, TPT

When we depart from the wilderness, we emerge more ascended, anointed, transformed—stronger in The Lord to re-meet the world in new ways (Song of Songs 3:6).

As wildernesses go, we often think of the Israelites’ forty-year journey out of Egypt. But I submit to you the Shulamite woman in King Solomon’s “Song of Songs:”

Having met her Bridegroom-King’s loving grace in her wilderness, this Shulamite woman, who didn’t feel radiant at all at the outset, came to know The Lord more in the deep places of her heart before she met Him on the mountaintop of her high calling.

What we can easily miss in her journey (and in the Israelites’), however, is that God’s promises were available to her all along, since He was her first place of promise. In His Presence are His promises.

He responded to her invitations.

He knew her heart.

He did not give up on her.

He believed in her.

As with the Shulamite woman, God believes in us and comes to us joyfully, desiring we receive Him and His abundant blessings more (Song of Songs 2:8).

As believers, His promises are inside of us.

As followers, His promises are not a far off land.

Past her reticent fear, even through the dark night of the Shulamite woman’s soul, all the way into the increased establishment of her high calling, God worked with her to fulfill His promises to her—first inwardly then outwardly.

Incrementally.

Across her mountain of hindrance awaited her greatest realization of this. But, until then, just like with the Israelites, God’s glory and promises showed up for the Shulamite woman, inviting her to grow in His greater fruitfulness as she yielded her heart to His.

I’ve come to know Him in this process.

I hope you have, too.

Our truest dreams are His promises revealed (Gen. 28:15-16).

“So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps his promises” (Heb. 10:23, TPT)!

This Valentine’s Day, may we be reminded of our Bridegroom-King’s everlasting love for us by experiencing a profoundly intimate touch of His truth in a new way.

May He deliver us from the common things into the uncommon, the promises fulfilled that require our action of His great faith in us to meet His loving grace for us … in His best plan.

May we say “yes” to our Lord’s invitation to follow Him into His tangible promises … unafraid.

Are you willing to venture with Him?

“Listen! I hear my lover’s voice. I know it’s Him coming to me—leaping with joy over mountains, skipping in love over the hills that separate us, to come to me” (Song of Songs 2:8, TPT).

This article graciously appeared on Charisma.com February 12, 2019.

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The Goodness of God

Preparation

Before preparing for our recent beach vacay, I had been praying, “Lord, I want to see Your light, Your goodness.” 

It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen His goodness ever, or for a long time, or even for a short period of time. In fact, I had been seeing it daily for a long time, as I had been entrenched for years in deep Bible study, deep truths, and deep personal transformation.

I just wanted to experience His goodness in a lighter way.

Vacay

I loved these yellow flowers. They caught my eye every time I passed by.

So off we went—my husband, Glynn, and I—on our first real vacation in two years. 

Exhausted on arrival, we dropped our bags and headed out to dinner at a resort restaurant. Already, I was feeling lighter—dressed in lighter clothes with warm evening sunlight and smiles everywhere. 

Messenger

On this first day at the resort, and most every day thereafter, one thing in particular stood out:

A mature gentleman, who worked as a traffic guard at a certain crossroad. 

Each time we passed by him, he seemed to rejoice in The Lord. And, he seemed to do it only when he saw us. 

Glynn with our beloved special guard.

Bueno!

This guard would blow his whistle, look up at the beautiful sky, lift his hands to Heaven, and shout uninhibitedly and melodically in a rich voice, “Bueno! Bueno! Bueno!”

Glynn and I would smile big, wave back to him and shout, “Bueno!”  

Answer to Prayer

After a couple of days, Holy Spirit gave me a revelation that this guard was on divine assignment to EXPRESS THE GOODNESS OF GOD to me in a light-filled, profound way.

This was God’s answer to my prayer!

Such a Delight

Each day thereafter, Glynn and I looked more forward to seeing our special guard. We would wave, lift our hands, and rejoice with him even more dramatically as we drove by. All three of us would shout in unison, as loud as we could, “Bueno! Bueno! Bueno! 

We loved our special guard God sent to us . . . to help us lighten up and simply rejoice in The Lord without burden or distraction.

Adiós Amigo

When it was time to go, we were sad to leave our new, wise friend.

Of all our memories from our beach vacation, this one (and a few more) remains close to our hearts.

Contemplating God’s beauty on our last day at the resort.

My Prayer for You

Praise be to God on high!

I pray God sends you your own special guard to watch over you, to safeguard you, to rejoice over you and with you, and to remind you of His light to the point of refreshing. Amen.

Scriptures

“The Lord is my revelation-light to guide me along the way;”  -Psalm 27:1 TPT

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”  -Psalm 34:8 NIV

“Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let joy overflow, for you are united with the Anointed One!” -Philippians 4:4 TPT


Jesus is the door, the gate, the light, the true path. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4 NIV)
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Bitter or Sweet

Recently, I cozied in on this season’s first cold day with a cup of tea and a favorite gingerbread cookie from a local specialty store. As I bit into the soft decadent dessert, the flavors of bitter and sweet seemed more pronounced than when I had eaten them before.

The molasses was sweet. The baking soda or powder was bitter.

I did not like the bitter.

I had a distinct sense that God was expressing something to me.

I flipped on the TV to watch Pastor Jentezen Franklin. No accident, he shared a message about how the Israelites had eaten bitter herbs in Egypt and, as a result, they were difficult to be around.

He described their words as having “stunk bitterly.”

Later, I flipped through a stack of books a friend had borrowed and returned to me. One of them was John Eckhardt’s Destroying the Spirit of Rejection: Receive Love and Acceptance and Find Healing. A nugget on one of the pages leapt out at me: Provoke is rooted in bitterness.

This brought to mind someone I know who, from a very young age, seemed to have made an art of controlling others through antagonistic provoke–stirring up trouble (instead of Holy Spirit). It reminded me of the deep “unprovokable” work The Lord did in me over the years and continues to do.

The next day, I picked up my Bible reading in the book of “Proverbs,” where I had left off. I discovered even more clues to this message The Lord was building . . .

“There’s only one kind of person who is worse than a fool: the impetuous one who speaks without thinking first” (Proverbs 29:20 TPT).

I felt led to look up “impetuous.” Webster’s defines it as “marked by impulsive vehemence or passion (temperament).”

I felt led to look up “vehemence.” Webster’s defines it as “forceful energy, powerful wind, intensely emotional, fervid, deeply felt (suspicion), forceably expressed (denunciations), bitterly antagonistic (debate).”

I noticed that on page (267) of my TPT Bible is the study note: “Wind is an emblem of the Holy Spirit bringing new life” (John 3:6-8).

Then the Word of The Lord was made clear:

Bitterness can be a false establishment of a driving force behind provoke, antagonism, intensely emotional temperaments. Do not tolerate the false shield of provoke (rooted in bitterness) from others or yourself. Extend the true shield of faith for grace to come to know the Presence of God more than any familiar spirit of provoke. Remain in faith.

Bitterness works against the Holy Spirit on your behalf. It can hinder new life through Christ. Do not accept the false wind of bitterness over the Holy Spirit’s wind of change for new life. A sweet countenance is required for where God desires to lead you and with whom He desires to align you in His promised land. Choose to receive His big fruit (abundant) blessings. Remain in His Word of truth.

 I prayed . . .

Dear Lord, Regarding bitterness, please pluck up any root and rid me of all residue. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit of light, life and truth, in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Let me be a flourishing branch, a good tree with flourishing branches. Let my heart be Your beautiful garden that produces and attracts a sweet harvest of good fruit—Your goodness demonstrated—as I abide in You at the root level. As You water me with Your Word, continue to make me “a woman of strength and mighty valor, a radiant woman” (Proverbs 31:10, 31). One who “lives in the wonder, awe, and fear of The Lord” (Proverbs 31:30). An anointed cloud “carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit [to] bring refreshing truths to [Your] people” (Proverbs 25:14 TPT Note).

Funny thing, I don’t think I like those gingerbread cookies as much as I used to. God offered me something better: more authenticity in my relationship with Him.

He enabled me to receive more gratitude and true intimacy.

“For the natural realm can only give birth to things that are natural, but the spiritual realm gives birth to supernatural life! You shouldn’t be amazed by my statement, ‘You all must be born from above!’ For the Spirit-wind blows as it chooses. You can hear its sound, but you don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So it is within the hearts of those who are Spirit-born” (John 3:6-8 TPT)!

“But when the truth-giving Spirit comes, he will unveil the reality of every truth within you. He won’t speak on his own, but only what he hears from the Father, and he will reveal prophetically to you what is to come” (John 16:13 TPT).

“As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us” (Hebrews 12:1 TPT).

“You must catch the troubling foxes, those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship. For they raid our budding vineyard of love to ruin what I’ve planted within you. Will you catch them and remove them for me? We will do it together” (Song of Songs 2:15 TPT).

“These ‘foxes’ are the compromises that are hidden deep in our hearts. These are areas of our lives where we have not yet allowed the victory of Christ to shine into. The foxes keep the fruit of his Spirit from growing within us” (TPT Bible note for Song of Songs 2:15).

“And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power” (Ephesians 3:16 TPT).

“Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you” (Ephesians 6:10 TPT).