Category: God Gives Victories

Let’s read aloud the following passages:

Psalm 144:1-2 NIV
Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
² He is my loving God and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples under me.

Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Matthew 4:19-20 NIV
¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against sin and darkness. We prepare for battle in humility, in dependence and in obedience as we follow Jesus. Let’s pray for our churches to prepare for the spiritual battles that lie ahead and to experience greater victories as the Lord is leading us into a new season of outreach and missions.

Prayer: Lord, we humble ourselves before you, recognizing that our battles are to be fought on our knees in prayer, depending on you, and obeying and trusting you day by day. We pray that our churches will experience greater kingdom victories. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s praise the Lord by singing “Worthy of it all” by Cece Winans (click here).

-DW

Numbers 20:12 NIV
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”  

“It is never the quality of our obedience that guarantees our entry into the promised land. Even the great Moses did not trust the LORD at Meribah. But our hope is in the faithfulness of God seen in Jesus Christ. He was obedient in the wilderness (and so deserves to enter the land) and was so for us. At the cross, he was banished to the wilderness (for our disobedience) so that we don’t face banishment. The death of Moses was a solemn warning to Israel, but, by contrast, the death of Jesus is a source of great hope for us.” (Fuller, Matt, Teaching Deuteronomy: From Text to Message)

Even though Moses is remembered as a hero of faith, he was unable to enter the promised land because of his disobedience at Meribah. Moses was excluded because of sin, but we are included because of Jesus’ victory over sin on the cross. It is Jesus’ obedience that leads to victory, not about the quality of our own obedience – what incredible grace of God!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your victory on the cross! You have conquered sin and death and now we can go from victory to victory all because of what you have done. We stand in awe of your grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship the Lord by singing “We Praise You” by Matt Redman (click here).

-DW

Let’s proclaim aloud the following passage as we make this our prayer:

Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39 NIV
³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Church, through God’s unfailing love, we are more than conquerors in Christ – this is who we are. Let’s embrace this wonderful truth today that God is for us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that there is nothing that can separate us from your faithful love. We say “yes” to living as more than conquerors in Christ and walking in your victory today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s sing “Sovereign Over Us” by Michael W. Smith (click here).

-DW

Deuteronomy 2:2-3
² Then the LORD said to me, ³ “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.

What should have been a short journey became 40 years of wandering in the wilderness for the Israelites. They were going around in circles because of their disobedience to God. But God speaks to a new generation exhorting them to “turn north” in faith, hope and obedience.

What does turning north look like for us? “For a college student, it may be, ‘Pray and trust Jesus for that job after college.’ For a married couple, it may be, ‘Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding.’ For a parent, it may be, ‘Pray with your child until something happens.’ For a high schooler or middle schooler, it may be, ‘Stop hiding.’ For a single adult, it may be, ‘Trust me with this desire.’ For someone carrying pain, it may be, ‘Bring that wound into the light.’ (From P. Cory’s message)

In humility, let’s ask the Lord to reveal to us where we are to “turn north” in our lives. Perhaps we have been feeling like we’re stuck in a hamster wheel unable to move forward. Today, God is inviting us to turn north, and he promises to lead us forward one faithful step at a time.

Prayer: Lord, we hear your call that now is the time to turn north! Would you reveal to us the areas in our lives that need to turn so that we can move forward in obedience, experiencing your faithfulness every step of the way? In Jesus’ name, amen.

In thanksgiving, let’s sing “Even Still and Even So” by Matt Redman unto our faithful Lord (click here).

-DW

Deuteronomy 2:24, 36 NIV
²⁴ “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle…” ³⁶ From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave us all of them.

“It’s easy to promise to love someone on your wedding day. The challenge comes weeks, months and years later – to keep on loving them, not just with words but in the details of life. Each and every day of marriage you effectively decide to repeat your wedding vows and love your spouse. To love them with unswerving loyalty, to love them for better or worse, to love them in the details of life. The book of Deuteronomy is Moses imploring the people to love the LORD unswervingly in all the details of their life. In chapters 1–3 he encourages them by reminding them of how badly things go when they do not love and trust the LORD, yet how well they go when they do love and trust him.” (Fuller, Matt, Teaching Deuteronomy: From Text to Message)

Prayer: Lord, you are our loving and faithful Father. Help us to trust you in every detail of our lives no matter what we are going through. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship the Lord by singing “You Keep Your Promises” by Charity Gayle (click here).

-DW