Devotional 5-4-09

More than Conquerors

Romans 8:37-39 NKJV
Well if you have been joining in the all-church scripture reading through Romans this month, you might have been reminded that in Christ we are “more than conquerors”!

Paul is writing to his Roman audience in this chapter about living life according to the Spirit and that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). He then goes on to talk about the everlasting love of God and this is where Holy Spirit nudged me to pay closer attention!

Verse 37 begins, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (emphasis mine). Let me stop here for a moment and tell you about “more than conquerors” translated from the Greek word, hupernikao. This is taken from the word huper, “over and above”, and nikao “to conquer”. The word together describes one who is super victorious, who wins more than an ordinary victory, but who is overpowering in achieving abundant victory! That is an awesome confidence of the power of Christ’s love!

Now continuing in verses 38 and 39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Wow, we are super victorious and unable to be separated by ANYTHING from the love of God!

I had to ponder this for a moment and I thought about how often I don’t talk or think like a “super victorious, inseparable woman of God”. Let me take our recent news of becoming pregnant and how I am blown away by the amazing love of God.

My husband and I just decided to stop trying to not have a baby and let the rest take its course. Well, six weeks later we had a positive pregnancy test! I had a feeling it wouldn’t take long (thank you Holy Spirit), but when that little stick said “pregnant” I had a hard time believing it was true. In fact over the next couple of weeks I could not stop asking God why was I so blessed after all the bad decisions I have made in my life and yet this came so easily. I was often brought to tears that my Father in heaven loved me so much that even the fears I had that I would never bare a child didn’t stop His outpouring of love and blessing. When we finally went in for the first ultrasound and I saw that tiny heart beating away, I knew I was and am more than a conqueror that cannot be separated from the love of Christ!

I think sometimes we get so caught up in the things that could separate us from God that we don’t see how He is always at work around us and working all things together for our good because we are called according to HIS purpose. NOTHING can separate us from the love of God which means He will NEVER stop working things together for good! Let that soak in for a minute…seriously! Where do you think God is not at work, what are you about to give up on? Take a closer look my friends, God is always at work and no matter how hard times feel or how far away you feel, NOTHING can separate you from His love and His goodness!

Lord God, help us to walk in your truth, in your Spirit, and know that we are more than conquerors who will rise up in abundant victory in all circumstances in Jesus name, amen!

Be blessed, Jenny Loveland

Devotional 4-20-09

I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel like I have been battered by the waves a bit in the last week.

And you know what really bothers me? That I still get so easily discouraged at times. I’m one of those vicious cycle people. I feel bad for feeling bad!

It took me about a day or so to get back on track. And of course it was a song that did it! That’s right I have a new song! It is called “Your Love Never Fails”

Verse 1:
Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes, but
You have new mercy for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night
But joy comes in the morning
And when the oceans rage
I don’t have to be afraid
Because I know that you love me
And your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water’s deep, but
I’m not alone here in these open seas
Cause your love never fails

The chasm was far too wide
I never thought I’d reach the other side
But your love never fails

Bridge: You make all things, work together for my good

You see that last part there? “You make ALL THINGS work together for MY GOOD”

So why in the world did I doubt? After a lengthy repentance session I got squared away once again. I set my focus on Jesus, the lover of my soul who has NEVER let me down, EVER!

Now I’m not going to tell you that everything was peachy from that point on. I still had a battle with my mind so to speak. And I battled with that 10 times a day, or so it seemed! There were even times where I would literally just tell my mind to SHUT UP and submit!

Now here we are, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this little roadblock I hit. And the Lord has already done EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY, ABOVE AND BEYOND what I asked or thought of!

So here’s my goal: I am really going to work on not wigging out when a roadblock comes up. Really! Jesus has mine, my husband’s and my children’s best interest at heart so I’m going to let Him handle whatever comes my way from now on!

So, what’s your roadblock right now? Can you see it? Now picture you and Jesus hand in hand plowing through that thing like it is not even there!

God bless you all as you plow through!

Heather~

Devotional 4-13-09

It seems that the Lord is taking me out of my comfort zone. All my children have taken after their father with the ability to write. I lack the ease with which to write my feelings down. I guess that I should have done something with those journals that Amy always gave me.
I really needed this retreat more than any retreat before. The last 12 months have been very difficult for me and my family. Jerry has had 3 major operations and 2 of them came right before the ladies retreat.
The Lord ministered love to me in a greater way, not only the love He has for me but love through two ladies, Betty Wendt and Katie Richey, whom I roomed with.
I really believe that all the sessions were aimed at me and most of the drama episodes. I love the Lord and have been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit since Amy was a baby. There are times that I was closer to Him than I was this past year. You would think that I would have been smart and drawn closer and not away from Him. Carrie’s teaching hit me right in the face and that was—every woman will be changed to the degree she wants to be changed. I was at that point of desperation of needing to be changed. God is still working on me. I am having a hard time allowing things in me to be changed by Him. We all go through that "giving it to the Lord" and then we take it back. Once it is in the Lord’s hands LEAVE IT THERE. It doesn’t do any good to want it back. It is the problem that we are trying to give up.
The word “retreat” means many things but the one that I really like is “a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy. Our going to Estes Park is our place of refuge—our way of getting things back on track with the Lord. Looking forward to being stronger and desiring to be used of the Lord in a greater way. John 15:16 tells us that we didn’t choose Him but He chose us. Because He loves us so much he wants us to ask for things in His name so that He may give it to us. He wants us to bear fruit and keep on bearing fruit. I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly as we continue to draw close to Him. I am thankful for His constant love and watchful eye over us. I can see the changes that He is making and I want to continue growing. Let us remember to be at that degree of change so that we don’t get to a point of desperation.
I am looking forward to seeing the fruit in all of us and receiving it from one another as the Lord continues His faithful watch over us.

Love you all, Diane Harper