THE TRIUMPHANT CHURCH

“ For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. ” (Psalm 44:3, NKJV) The world elevates people whom it proclaims are self-made individuals. Many of these people bask in the glory given to them by the world. But in reality, all life is sourced by God. In the verse from Psalm 44:3, the Lord made it perfectly clear that possession did not come by their own sword or by their own arm. The possession of the land was brought about by the right hand of the Lord, his arm, and the light of his countenance. He favored them! In the same manner, believers are not self-sufficient people who can claim any of our “successes” as being of our own making. Any glory should go only to God. This principle is proclaimed throughout Scripture. The blessing of the Lord is responsible for what we have. The Lord has given people who have wealth the power to gain...

Memorize and Meditate “ So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. ” (2 Peter 2:9, NLT) Soak your Heart This interesting passage comes after Peter’s account of how the Lord delivered Noah and Lot from what would appear to be impossible circumstances. Both lived in “evil times,” with their respective peer groups living lives totally inconsistent with the plan of God for mankind. However, God delivered each of them, with their families, in his way and timing. Noah had a close walk with the Lord and he obeyed the Lord’s instructions regarding building the ark. Then, in God’s timing, Noah moved his family and the animals into the ark. God shut the door, releasing the waters from the deep that flooded the earth. Righteous Lot was delivered when God sent angelic messengers to take him and his family out of the city before he sent fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy ...

Memorize and Meditate “ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ” (John 6:63, NKJV) We need Jesus Christ’s Word for life, for they are the way the Spirit of God works inside of us. His Word is living and powerful, and it works inside those who receive it as the Word of God and trust it to work in them. In fact, when it is humbly planted in one’s heart, the Word of God is able to save the soul. Soak your Heart No wonder the Word tells us to desire the “milk” of the Word as newborn babes so we can grow up in our salvation. Without food a baby cannot grow. Without the Word of God we cannot grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we soak our heart in the Word of God, we grow from the increase that comes from God. Sow to the Spirit Let us acknowledge in our prayers that it is God’s Word that gives power for living the Christian life. Let us acknowledge that our flesh, in itself...

Memorize and Meditate “ It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. ” (Lamentations 3:26, NIV) It is so difficult to follow this seemingly simple instruction, isn’t it? We get caught in circumstances beyond our control and experience pain, frustration, anger, suffering, and mental and emotional strain. These conditions can gain control of us.   Soak your Heart Scripture counsels us not to be controlled by these “fleshly” factors: “ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. ” (Psalm 37:5–8, NIV) Waiting for the salvation of the Lord is particularly painful when the impatient side of our sinful nature wants a solution “right ...

Memorize and Meditate “ For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord. ” (Proverbs 8:35, NKJV) Wisdom is what you and I want to find. If we find the right kind of wisdom we find life and favor from God. We know the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. We know the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. We know the wisdom of this world and the rulers of this world are coming to nothing. So we have a decision to make. Soak your Heart We want to soak our heart in the wisdom of God because it transforms the way we think and our attitude about is going on in this world. The world seeks all that is in the process of perishing. We seek an imperishable crown. Sow to the Spirit Solomon asked for wisdom. Moses asked God to show him his ways, so he could know him and find grace and favor in God’s sight. This is what differentiates us from the rest of the world: God’s grace and favor. We seek that wisdom from above, because ...

Memorize and Meditate “ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. ” (Psalm 37:5–6, ESV) Soak your Heart This verse and a multitude of other verses in the Bible assure us that God is at work in the lives of his children. God is relevant. God is real to those who cultivate their relationship with him through Jesus Christ. If we commit our daily routine and mission work to him, and trust him to fulfill what he says, we can expect God to act in us and in our circumstances. He will bring forth the  Christ  in us, and we can expect him to grant success in our mission.   Sow to the Spirit A verse like this is what I like to call a “button pusher.”  It makes me want to try it. When I talk with God, I tell him I am committing my way to him, and that I trust him to fulfill whatever role he has in mind for accomplishing his purposes. I recite and pray this verse to...

Memorize and Meditate “ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. ” (Romans 8:13, NIV) Soak your Heart We cannot live the Christian life by our own power. By nature, we are shot through with sin. Only by the grace of God can we overcome the power of sin. This verse from Romans tells us that if we put to death the misdeeds of the body by the power of the Spirit, we will live and be able to overcome the power of sin. We have the choice to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to live under his control. Sow to the Spirit Acknowledge to God you are powerless to live the Christian life, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk under his control. Trust that he will empower you to live a life that is pleasing in his sight. Flow with the Spirit Receive by faith the life the Spirit will impart to your mortal body as you trust him to do so. Total dependence on him is critical. He is the conduit f...

“ Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. ” (Titus 2:14, NKJV) We have been saved to do good works. Let’s be very clear about this.  Good works do not save us.  We are not saved “ by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ” (Titus 3:5–7, NKJV) The work of salvation has been done by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We are justified (made acceptable to God) by receiving as a  gift  the salvation he has provided through Christ. However, we are saved to do the good works he has appointed for us. “ This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly...

Deep Thoughts to Remember   Memorize and Meditate “ Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. ” (Ecclesiastes 11:9, NLT) “ Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades... ” (Ecclesiastes 12:4, NLT) “ Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. ” (Ecclesiastes 12:6, NLT) Soak your Heart These are the words of King Solomon, the richest and wisest person who ever lived. He had everything. After pursuing every endeavor imaginable, he came to the above conclusions. REMEMBER  is the word he used repeatedly. We are going to give an account to God. Life’s opportunities will come to an end. We are wise to  reme...

Memorize and Meditate “ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ” (Philippians 3:8–9, NIV) Soak your Heart We need to soak our hearts in this passage often. It contains some hard lessons, from both a secular and fleshly standpoint.   The standards of the world system and the kingdom of God are diametrically opposed.  Paul makes it clear that knowing Christ far surpasses any earthy, perishable goal the world has to offer. Paul lost everything to know Christ; he considered anything that would rob him of experiencing Christ as rubbish. He wanted his entire life sourced in Christ and hidden in Christ. He wanted his righteousness to come fr...