Living a Victorious Life

I attend one of the most on fire, radical life-changing, uplifting the spirit and soothing the soul churches anyone could ever hope to go to and yesterday was one of the MOST endearing services I have been to.

The topic was a prayer model to follow, the chosen lead scripture was Matthew 11:28, ironically the same exact one that a sweet adopted daughter of mine gave me just this past week. The concept, A.C.T.S.

Pastor Dan was explaining how we all find ways to escape our greatest struggles, failures and obsessions. God instructs us to come to Him because only He can give us rest, true rest. And what do we do, we go to everything else for a fake calm before the next storm of life blindsides us. We turn to other people to make us happy, shopping to anesthetize us to the realization we don't have it all, to substances for numbing against the pain, to busy-ness so that we don't have to face rejection, to job security so we don't have to trust a Being we cannot grasp a hold of with our human hands, and even to denial so we won't believe we need God.

What's up with us frail humans? We think we have it altogether when our lives are falling apart. When we become desperate, it is then we might finally turn to our loving Father and beg for His help. Pastor Dan likened this to his daughter who calls out to Him for a hug and eventual popsicle, being perfectly content with the popsicle. I liken it to partying our lives away and when we get caught up in our troubles it is then we need bailed out; now God is there to help us with open arms and a smile on His face. In a way this may be true as He says He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), but what God desires of His children and those who have not yet accepted Him, is for us to come to Him anytime, every time, all the time. With whatever spoils we have to lay at his feet, He can turn them into precious gems of infinite value, if we will only come....as we are.

The model of A.C.T.S. is a wonderful foundation we should all adopt on a daily basis. One in which will bring glory to God, support for our overburdened souls, strength in our spirits and rest for our weary bodies and minds. God expanded on this concept with me and made it quite simple.

A- adoration; adoration for our God, adoring Him above everything and everyone else in our life

C- confession; confession to our Lord; confessing those things we say, do and think that are displeasing to God

T- thanksgiving; thanksgiving for Jesus Christ; always being thankful for the One Who gave us eternal life

S- supplication; supplication from on high; receiving our daily supply of what we need from almighty God, precious Jesus and the ever comforting Holy Spirit

Wow! Concepts to change my life, give me strength, draw me closer to Jesus, provide rest for my body, mind and soul, help me grow in the ways of the Lord, give me hope, support others, pray with power, share the love of Jesus with all who cross my path, be humble before my Lord, loosen all power the enemy could have over me, and to give me abundant life on this earth.

Okay, am I missing something here. Hmmmm, turn to imperfect people for help or trust a most perfect God; spend money on things that will perish one day or savor time with someone Who can provide me with what I truly need not want; use and abuse substances that will alter my thought processes or remember God says I have a sound mind and He can heal my pain; remain too busy to hear from God or seek His plans and purposes for me to further His kingdom and glorify Him; find my security in a job that I can lose at any given moment or have my security in the Creator of all heaven and earth; believe in myself and deny I even have issues at all or know Jesus is worth believing in and trusting for every detail of my life, let's see which do I chose to live by?

HA! Who are we actually kidding?! When the world says, "Look to yourself", know that God says He is always near and waiting with open arms for you to rest in His care, His love, His peace, His salvation, His support, His protection, His comfort, His knowledge, His grace and mercy.



* Supporting scriptures are listed below to look up and concentrate on, contemplate their meanings and apply to your life. Believe and be blessed!


Adoration: I Chronicles 29:10-13, 29:20
Confession: I John 1:9, Psalm 32:1-5, James 5:16
Thanksgiving: Psalm 13:5-6, 69:30, 95:2, Philippians 4:6-7
Supplication: Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:8, 7:7-11, I John 5:14-15, Ephesians 3:20-21

* To take part online in the wonderful service I commented on, go to
www.pureheart.org and listen to Sunday August 1st service under the column Items of Interest, Sermon downloads and sit back with a cup of coffee, tea or bottled water and enter into rest, rest that will change your life.

Restoration and Wholeness

Today, I am finishing my article for The Christian Journal in Oregon. The topic is Restoration. Contemplating this topic makes me think of how God restores a hundred fold to those whom satan has taken from. What great love is that? Yet, how much of our time do we really give the Lord? When do we stop to hear His voice? Why is it we are often too busy to slow down for Him? What must we change today that will lead us closer to Him; closer to the One Who misses His time with us? What will it take? Will it take our losing those we love, things we have worked for, friendships we have cultivated or our own self dignity?

The definition of restoration is the act of restoring or state of being restored, as to a former or original condition, place, etc.; the replacement or giving back of something lost, stolen.

Have you experienced being stolen from, ripped off, been deceived or lied to? Then you know the importance of being restored. Health can be restored, relationships healed, items returned and our character brought to light in the presence of God. Restoration is as important as is justice and fairness. Restoration is the whole reason God sent His son, Jesus to die for us. We need restored back unto our God. Someone needed to bridge the gap and Jesus chose to take our place in a sin-filled world with consequences beyond our greatest imaginations awaiting us.

We are living in a world where spiritual acceleration is at every corner. Everywhere we turn is evidence that our time on earth is very limited. There is no more time to choose where we want God to have a place in our lives. Jesus is in the business of restoring lives back to Himself, between ourselves and amongst those who are lost and in need of Christ to save them from themselves. John 10:10 tells us that satan came to steal, kill and destroy, while Jesus came to give us life. Jesus is the restorer of our souls whereas satan harms our conditions, removes us from our positions, and steals our material goods and even our joy God blesses us with. What better way to respond than to thank God for being in the business of restoration and to extend grace and mercy when we have been slighted. Being confident God is turning things around for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes is part of being made whole and being restored.

So many of us welcome restoration with open arms; we seek after it like its substance is that of gold, yet how often do we sit in the presence of the One Whom we seek restoration from, and wait, listen and obey when He does speak to us? It's like seeking the gift but forgetting to recognize Whom the giver of that gift is. We can't have it all our way, heaven is not Burger King. We can't make the rules for they were ordained at the beginning of time by the One Who set the game of life in motion. We surely can't control every circumstance of our lives. Our Father in heaven knows what is best and loves us too much to leave us to our own destruction. Restoration and being made whole is achieved by means of a loving father, an unconditionally loving Son, Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Being restored unto a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ is at the core of every human's deepest need whether known or not.

Restoration is being restored back to an original position or place. It is being given back something that was stolen or lost. Although gaining our original position or being brought to our previous place is what restoration can be about, often it is the journey to restoration that puts less emphasis on what was stolen or lost and more importance on our relationship with our ultimate Restorers, almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ. Enter into restoration today and receive the wholeness God has for you.