"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." 2 Corinthians 2:14

This scripture makes an astounding promise -- God ALWAYS leads us to triumph or victory! But can we ALWAYS count on this amazing word to be true? I often receive emails from believers who are waiting or hoping for a victory of some kind in their lives. Many seem to be wondering, "Where is this 'always victory' in my life?" Now think about it ... wouldn't it be impossible to gain victory over a thing if we already experienced victory each and every moment? It may sound obvious, but the fact is that in order to gain any victory, you must find yourself in a situation that is questionable, stressful, and may even appear hopeless for a time. The promise is not that we will walk in a constant state of "victoriousness" (my term :) ... but rather that in every situation God will lead us in triumph. We can't even say we will always know what that will look like, but victory is the Lord's irrevocable promise. Brothers & Sisters, victory is a promise of God, but never forget that it requires a battle ... sometimes a very long one. True faith will stand on this promise in the face of every trial, challenge, or opposition ... remembering that the greatest purpose of every victory is for manifesting the fragrance of our knowledge of Him ... in every place! VICTORY AWAITS!

"For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." 1 John 3:20-22 ; "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1 John 5:14

A reader asked a pointed question, "How do we claim the promises of God?" Sometimes the most difficult questions are best answered by men of faith, in this case, by a man who made a lifestyle of claiming the promises of God. I learned the answer to this question early in my walk when I read the autobiography of George Mueller. George Mueller used a method of "Holy Argument" before the Lord. Much like a lawyer would present his case before a judge, Mueller would present his needs and his desires before the Lord. Of course, God does not need to be convinced – arguments will not make our needs any plainer to him – but He loves when we set our needs, our cause, and even our innermost desires before Him because it's an expression of our faith, our trust, in Him. So George Mueller would argue His case before God, not so much to convince the Lord but rather to convince or demonstrate to himself the absolute trust he had in God's Word, His covenants, His provision, and His perfect goodness. Thus Mueller would place His requests before the Lord, fully expecting God to answer based on who He was. God has given us the right to ask and to claim anything according to His will, and we should expect Him to answer our pleas when we have confidence that we're asking for what He desires. Even if our heart condemns us, we can trust that God is greater than our hearts and will answer prayers according to His good will. George Mueller's requests were answered because he was deeply committed to the will of God – and God cannot deny himself. We can be as bold as he was, expecting God to answer when we are totally committed to His will and asking for what we know He desires. Sometimes this requires discernment, and so we must wait on Him and ask for His wisdom before naming and claiming what we want. Brothers & Sisters, are you committed to the will of God? Are you determined to know and to ask for the things He loves to give? If so, plead His blood over your heart and be released from condemnation; then ask according to His will! The Lord's gifts are manifold, and He wants us to ask for them, according to His own Word, fully expecting answers. He loves your faith and will respond out of His great goodness. HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PROMISES!

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ Matthew 25:37-39

A friend sent me this story about a young lady named Sally and her experience in a recent seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. On this particular day, Sally walked into the class and knew they were in for a fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture. Sally's friend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another guy drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend. The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students were throwing their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart and everyone was laughing hysterically. Finally, Dr. Smith asked all the students to be seated. He came to the front of the class with a less-than-amused look on his face. As he began removing the target from the wall, there appeared underneath a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture; holes and jagged marks covered Jesus' face, and His eyes were pierced. Dr. Smith said only these words. "In as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40. Brothers & Sisters, what a powerful analogy. Phew. When we "throw darts" at our brothers and sisters, friends, and even strangers, we are actually piercing our Lord too. Let's get right with the Lord and others today. SHEEP OR GOATS!

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 2 Corinthians 5:7

Living by faith financially can be a wonderful thing. Back in Jesus' day, people didn't have savings and money market accounts and mutual funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that those things are bad to have. What I'm saying is that those of us who live without them have an opportunity -- an opportunity to see God provide in miraculous ways! One month when I was a new believer in Christ living in a rented house, I had reached the end of my finances on a consecutive number of unexpected crises. Now I had to pay my rent and my bank account was almost totally depleted and I was getting a little nervous. "Lord!" I cried. "I have received you as my Lord & Savior to be a light and to do your work, what's going on?! I need a miracle!" I kid you not. The next day, my phone rang. Someone whom I last saw ten years ago called to let me know that he had landed in Zimbabwe from UK and he wanted to meet me at the airport. I did not take time within an hour I was with him. We were very happy to meet each other after so many years. Before we part ways I was given a token of appreciation , that money was the exact figure I needed and it came just in time to pay my rent. It wasn't long before I realized that living by faith would become a way of life for me. After a few miracles like this one, I stopped getting nervous. I knew that God would always come through. John Guest said that "It is remarkable to think that God has given us a partnership with him in directing the course of human events. It is extraordinary to realize that our prayer can change events and circumstances in the world around us. But what is just as remarkable is that when we pray, we change. More often than not we become the answer to our own prayers as we open up ourselves to God in prayer". Brothers & Sisters, if you're struggling today, struggle no longer! God is faithful! Let's ask the Lord to help us begin to see our needs as opportunities to see His miracle-working power! STRAPPED FOR CASH?

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalms 46:10

Before refrigerators, people used ice-houses to preserve their food. Ice-houses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut from the frozen waters, hauled to the ice-houses, and covered with sawdust. Often these ice-blocks would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an ice-house. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the ice-house during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. "I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking." (story taken from "Directions" by James Hamilton) So often life can become so hectic that it becomes hard to find time to sit still and just listen to what the Lord is saying. But Jesus often secluded himself, so that He could commune intimately with His Father. In these days and in this hour it's so imperative that we spend time in our own prayer closets, so we can clearly hear what our Father is saying to us, through His still small voice. If we do, we may find some wonderful and valuable things that others have missed. Brothers & Sisters, the question isn't whether God will speak, but whether we will take the time to be quiet and still enough to hear His voice. Let's be sure to take that time to hear what He's saying to us! LISTEN CAREFULLY!

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour when you think not." Luke 12:39-40

When studying the Jewish roots of many of Jesus' parables, and I came across an interesting saying from a Jewish Rabbi that I believe has something to teach us. Rabbi Eliezer said, "Repent one day before your death." His disciples asked him, "Does then one know what day he will die?" "Then all the more reason to repent today", he replied, "lest he die tomorrow, and thus his whole life is spent in repentance." When I first became a believer, I thought by simply dealing with my outward sins that I could live a state of sinlessness. But it wasn't long before the Lord began revealing and dealing with my inward sins and attitudes. Now, and the longer I walk with Him, I understand more and more the meaning of daily repentance! If we truly want to be free and walk in His liberty, we cannot avoid this crucial requirement for freedom. Because we cannot receive His forgiveness without it, repentance must be a way of life for us [1 John 1:9]. Brothers & Sisters, staying close to the Lord is His heart's desire for us...but one of the main conditions for it is walking in regular repentance. When we walk in humility and truthfulness about our sin -- we are walking in the light, and the blood of Jesus keeps cleansing us from sin. In that condition we are so much more able to love the Lord and those around us -- with Him, touching one life at a time. So, let's lay down our pride and turn to Him every day....with genuine repentance ... and then we'll be walking in daily revival! REPENTANCE IS A LIFESTYLE; BE READY!

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

It is among popular "Christian" belief that an abundance of material and other blessings follow those whose hearts are truly after God and that those who seem to consistently struggle to that end, cannot possibly be in God's perfect will. I want to submit to you a realization I had about this very thing. I think we might have it all backwards. Almost all the great men of faith I've read about in the Bible had to spend some time in the wilderness. Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, just to name a few. God had to make them desperate. He had to cause them to be quiet and undistracted enough to hear His still, small voice. He had to make them hungry and thirsty enough to cry out for a miracle. Interestingly, the word for wilderness, in Hebrew, is "meed-bahr". And meed-bahr comes from the word "leh-da-behr", which means to speak. Hmmm. Some of us are walking through the desert right now. It's hot by day -- there is only rugged, thorny, sandy terrain for miles and miles and there seems no end. By night, the wind is unbearably cold and we stumble over things we can barely see. Snakes and scorpions live here. It seems like a lonely place. But this is actually a place of blessing! It is for our growth, and ultimately for our prosperity that God has brought us here! Like it or not, the wilderness is where He can speak to us most effectively. It is the place He can most easily get our attention. It is the place we will cry out to God and truly listen for His voice. Brothers & Sisters, know that God is with you today! He is walking along with us through this wilderness and longing to comfort us! Let's cry out to Him and heed His voice! The promised land awaits! EXCUSE ME, COULD YOU DIRECT ME TO THE PROMISED LAND?

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm (z’roah in Hebrew), And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young." Isaiah 40:11; "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." John 10:10-11

I have never seen “sheep kill" on the side of the road. It’s because sheep don’t roam without a shepherd! The Lord is gathering His lambs with His arm, and carrying them to His bosom. This is not a distant relationship but one of loving care and intimacy with His sheep. He said, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me." [John 10:14]. Then He continued, "..and I lay down my life for the sheep." The most vulnerable time for defenseless animals is at night when they need to sleep. The sheepfold is where they are gathered by the shepherd each night; a stone compound, with rocks stacked high enough to keep out predators, but without a door. Jesus declared Himself to be the “door of the sheep” [John 10:7-9] because, as a Good Shepherd, He lies where a door would typically be so that nothing could go in or out, without passing by the Shepherd! As evil seems to be rearing its ugly head in every facet of life these days, and greater darkness seems to be looming on the horizon, we need to truly realize the powerful and complete protection that our Good Shepherd provides. Nothing can get to us unless it goes through Him! When the Lord laid down His life for us He also gave us a fortress of protection and safety which is impossible to break. Brothers & Sisters, knowing of the dark days we would be facing Jesus afforded us a profound sense of safety in Himself so that we absolutely need not walk in fear. Promising never to leave nor forsake us till the end of the age He gave us the security of intimacy with Himself, in and through every trial or danger. We need never doubt...that we can trust Him. KNOW YOUR SHEPHERD!

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18; "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Isaiah 60:1-2

Ever since the Garden of Eden where the story began and our first parents sinned, fear has permeated humankind. The fracturing of relationships, God to man, man to man, man to woman, engendered a universal pandemic of fear and alienation. Fear supplied the Adversary, Satan ("satan" means adversary in Hebrew) with a powerful means for control, manipulation, and deception of fallen humanity, with nearly infinite varieties of expression. In this light, 1 John 4:18 is perhaps one of the most significant and profound statements in all of scripture, and one which we do well to memorize, meditate upon, and pray into. "There is no fear in love..." In a sense we could say that fear is the greatest enemy of love. If love is our goal, if God is love and we seek to be like Him, then fear must be acknowledged and banished from our motivations. This may not be easy, but is a worthy and entirely possible approach. Whatever causes fear in us will be a test; it will bring out our best...or worst response. The emotional or even physical reaction of "fight" or "flight" will threaten to overwhelm my connection with God's Spirit within. If I allow fear to manipulate or control me and drive me into a reactive mode rather than a responsive Spirit-controlled one, love will evaporate. This reaction to fear might simply be expressed by another F-E-A-R acronym, Forget Everything And Run....or Fight Everything And Ram. But how about Face Everything And Rise!!! Those who do will reveal the growing perfection in love which is our inheritance in Messiah Jesus. Where love is made perfect, fear is cast out! With fear conquered, we are equipped to be light in the darkness because the Holy Spirit in us will not be quenched from revealing the glory of God through us. Brothers & Sisters, can you imagine a more perfect time in these days of growing darkness to take this word to heart? Can you begin to fathom the opportunity to rise above your fears and to reveal the glory of God? How to do it? Cast anxieties on Him;,[1 Peter 5:7]; pray and supplicate with thanksgiving; [Philippians 4:6]; if you lack wisdom, ask with faith; [James 1:5-6]; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; [Colossians 3:16];" fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul;[Matthew 10:28]". Face and rise above your fear now, today. The glory of the LORD will arise upon you. FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE!

"And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel." 2 Kings 23:16-17

This is an interesting passage of Scripture that details how Josiah, a young and Godly king, went forth to cleanse the land, and in doing so, finds that he was fulfilling a prophecy given years before. Josiah went forth doing what was right -- and in doing so, was walking out the works that God preordained for him -- he was fulfilling the calling that God had set into motion years before! Each of us is alive for such a time as this, living in this day and hour, and all around us prophecy is being fulfilled. Quite honestly, the prophecies of these last days seem to be being fulfilled faster than I anticipated -- but nevertheless, we are witnessing the signs all around us, and they are not so comforting. So what is our mandate, our calling, our destiny for these days? Will we walk as Josiah, steadfast after God? Because in our day as well, there is a prophecy spoken by Jesus himself concerning these last days in which we live: "because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." [Matthew 24:12] Josiah walked amidst incredible idolatry and sin in Israel, (just like we are now), but instead of catering or yielding to it, he used all the authority he had to tear it down. He was fearless in his hatred of sin because of his intense love for God. Jesus' words imply a specific calling for us in these last days: Don't allow your love to grow cold! Brothers & Sisters, sin abounds all around us, and maybe to some extent, IN us– but it's already written that we can triumph over it if we will just keep our love for him HOT! On the cross he won an astounding victory which we can claim and walk in each and every day of our lives! If we walk in his victory, we too can fulfill the prophetic words of the greatest prophet, because he did not say "the love of ALL will grow cold". So let us be those who fulfill this prophetic destiny the way King Josiah did. We CAN be the ones who keep that passion for God, even in these terrible times! WALK IN PROPHECY!

"Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:3,7-8

As Joshua is about to enter the promised land, God reassures him and affirms the promise that was given to Moses, saying, "Wherever you place your feet – it shall be given to you!" God reveals His will, makes an amazing promise, then gives His servant a practical principle for working the promise out and claiming it, telling Joshua to literally step into His will. This is true for every believer. Our mandate is to know, understand and step out into the will of God. How can we know God's will?" "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." [Romans 12:2] But once we know His will we need to have the faith and courage to step out into it. If you don't step out – you can't receive it! Who knows how many blessings we've passed on because we were too afraid to step out! So become like Joshua today! Step out in faith! The enemy of our souls is desiring to prevent us from stepping out – but the promise was given that we should "tread upon the power of the enemy" [Luke 10:18-20]. Brothers & Sisters, step out in His will, claim the promise He has spoken to you– and it shall be given to you! Step out – press through – and know the promises are sure to follow – God has spoken, your part is to step out! TREAD AND RECEIVE HIS PROMISES!

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I so love and appreciate the reality of resting in Him. In Biblical times, the economy of the world was largely agricultural, so the meaning of "yoke" was easy to comprehend. To plow a field, you would place a yoke on a cow, ox, or donkey with a plow attached and drive the animal forward to break up the ground preparing a field for sowing. Jesus offers us a yoke, but not a heavy one. In fact, since He often referred to us as sheep, one might wonder if we were meant to carry a burden at all, since sheep are never used as plow animals. When have you ever seen sheep carrying anything ... you don't -- they weren't equipped to carry heavy burdens. In any case, the Lord promised us a light yoke, with rest for our souls. No doubt, it is the burden of sin that He intended to relieve us from, giving us true rest. Brothers & Sisters, taking up Jesus' yoke is equivalent to laying down a heavy burden, since His yoke offers rest, and He offers to carry our burden of sin. We often hear songs about laying our burdens down. Those words are a deep ministry to heavy-laden souls. If you are burdened today, take His yoke upon you ... lay it at His feet ... be relieved ... enter His rest. LEARN TO LAY YOUR BURDENS DOWN!