Standing to Win

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

—Ephesians 6:10-13

The devil is working overtime, employing his cunning schemes to deceive you. He devises wicked plans to annihilate you. Satan attempts to persuade you and ensnare you. However, in Psalm 91:3, God declared that He will “defend you from the snare of the fowler.” The devil is the fowler. Knowledge of the Word is essential in your struggle against him.

Ephesians 6:12 reveals who your real opponent is and where the battle occurs. The battle is not against people or worldly things, so combat in the natural has no power. The battle is spiritual. We are engaged in a war against principalities, powers, and rulers of this dark age—against Satan and all his demonic forces. Yet, we are not defeated. God has provided us with powerful spiritual weapons that tear down the devil’s strongholds and secure our victory (2 Corinthians 10:4). But we must learn to wield these spiritual weapons effectively. 

Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” 

“Having done all to stand” is the mindset of someone who is determined to fight and never give up. Gladiators who fought in the arena had this mental attitude and determination. Roman soldiers were mentally trained and physically prepared for battle. Each one was focused, fully prepared to stand, fight, and overcome, no matter what. 

Many believers have a fatalistic, pessimistic mindset, believing they have reached their breaking point and have exhausted all their resources. They feel that they have given everything they have, but nothing has resulted from their efforts; it seems insurmountable to them. This kind of thinking enables people to indulge in self-pity, begging God to intervene. God is not moved by our pitiful state. God is moved by our faith. People must change their thinking and beliefs to align with the Word of God. If you’re in a difficult time, know how much Jesus loves you. He loves you right now, no matter what you are going through. But God has already moved on your behalf in the gift of His Son on the cross for you. You must put your faith in Jesus’ finished work to overcome.

Ephesians 6:13 says, “that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  

“To stand” doesn’t imply that you’ve exhausted all possibilities and, consequently, God doesn’t want you to succeed. It doesn’t mean that because you messed up, God won’t help you now. It doesn’t mean you’ve tried everything, failed, and now you must endure the consequences. This mindset contradicts the teachings of the Word of God.

“To stand” in Ephesians 6:11 speaks of being a “contender.” You are contending for the win with the supernatural assistance of Jesus. A contender goes into battle with the knowledge that he is trained and prepared. He is not just standing to endure. He is standing to win with the mindset of a gladiator. Getting into the Word is not an option. It is life or death. The Word trains, prepares, and equips you to fight “principalities, powers, and rulers of this dark age.”

You are a blood-bought, Holy-Spirit-endowed contender with access to mighty spiritual weapons that can tear down strongholds, empowering you to tread on demons and all the power of Satan’s barrage. 

The battle is not over until you win. 

Resting Our Hope Fully On The Revelation Of Jesus

We are engaged in a war that demands our unwavering obedience to the truth of our identity in Jesus Christ. The flesh’s way of thinking and reasoning is in line with the enemy’s. The Holy Spirit within us is greater than the devil who tempts our flesh, but if we don’t know it, we will fail. As believers in Christ, we don’t have to walk in the flesh. Instead, we can use God’s mighty weapons to pull down strongholds by bringing every thought into the obedience of Christ and punishing disobedience (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

Until a believer makes the conscious decision to renew their mind with the Word of God, obedience is impossible. The result of a renewed mind is obedience. And when you are obedient to the Word, you punish disobedience (2 Corinthians 10:6). A disobedient thought (temptation) may come, but if you are full of Jesus (the Word), it will not come to fruition, for there will be no room for disobedience. If you walk in the Spirit, you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh but do what the Word desires (Galatians 5:16).

We must apply faith to God’s grace to renew the mind. His grace is His gift to us. Faith is our response to it.  Faith steps into God’s calling when it makes no sense to the mind, will, or emotions. Faith trusts God over what the devil declares are our limitations. We become unlimited when we launch out in faith with Jesus.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

“Gird up the loins of your mind” refers to the long robes men wore in biblical times. Until these men “girded” up their robes, they would fall if they attempted to run. To gird themselves up, they would pull the excess material of their robe from the back to the front and tuck it into their belt. Then they could run without falling. Don’t let any excess of thoughts—don’t reflect on anything that would offend God and cause you to stumble and fall. “Gird up the loins of your mind” so that your thoughts agree with the Word of God. Then your ability to think and move correctly won’t be hindered.

1 Peter 1:13 says to “be sober”—to think correctly, resting our hope fully upon the grace of Jesus. And we are only able to put our faith completely in Him when we have a revelation of His finished work in our lives.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

In this verse, Paul advises us to think soberly and avoid thinking of ourselves as superior to others. God has given each one of us the same measure of faith. No one has more faith than another; some have just exercised theirs more. We all have areas where the devil can find an opening. He enters through pride, unforgiveness, an offense, or any thought that goes against God’s Word. Without knowledge of the Word, we are vulnerable to offense or unbelief, which grants the devil access. Instead, we are to rest our hope fully upon the Word by applying our faith to the grace of Jesus.

Faith is our obedience to what Jesus has done for us. The Word informs us that we possess not only formidable weapons to subjugate our minds to the obedience of Christ but also the authority to overcome the adversary. Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). We are called to take authority over the enemy.

When you rest your hope fully upon the grace of Jesus, you put your faith in His finished work. You refuse the devil access to your mind with unforgiveness, offense, or any wrong thinking. Putting your complete trust in the Word is obedience, and consequently, disobedience is punished (2 Corinthians 10:6). When the Word of God owns your mind and heart, faith flows in obedience. There is no room for disobedience. You are full of Jesus.

We can declare our hope rests fully on the finished work of Jesus, but is it really true? Is it heart knowledge? God needs each of us to know who we are in Him and the authority He has given us. What we don’t know can hurt us. It’s time to go deep into the Word of God. When you receive a revelation of the finished work of salvation in your mind and heart, you know you are saved, healed, delivered, protected, prospered, and whole. You will tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.

Listen to the Holy Spirit

I awoke one morning many years ago needing spiritual insight. I’d had a thought during the night that was disturbing. I asked the Lord to help me understand and not to make wrong assessments about it. I wasn't fearful or feeling condemned, so it wasn’t from the enemy. I believed that the Lord wanted to show me something or to correct me about something.

The Holy Spirit sent me to my old NLT Bible to Proverbs 16:1: “We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right answer.”  These words spoke right to my heart. I could try to figure this thought out all I wanted, but I’d be wasting my time. Only the Lord gives the right answer. This verse told me right away that I wasn’t to reason the thought out. He would give me the right answer.

I decided to go online to Bible Gateway and read other versions of this verse. However, before I read the other versions, I checked the online NLT version. It read, “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.” I looked at my old NLT version. Yes, it read, “We can gather our thoughts.” It didn’t read, “We can make our own plans.” Though the implications were the same, I wasn’t questioning a plan. I was focusing too much on the thought I’d had in the night. That morning, I needed to read that it was useless for me to “gather my own thoughts.”

God amazed me that morning. I quit trying to discover the answer and waited. Days later, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and revealed why I’d had the thought. It was not my place to gather. It was His. And the plans, the actions, and reactions which came from that thought were not mine. They were His.

My NLT Bible was an older translation, wrapped in duct tape because it had been greatly used. It had led me into battle, winning battles I could’ve never won without it. I treasured it that morning. God knew the exact words I needed to draw me with a listening ear. 

Your Bible is powerful in the tearing down of strongholds. It’s your battle plan that always wins. Let the Holy Spirit reveal it to you. The little miracles of His victory are the ones that give life to the greater ones to come. Listen to Him. He falls on those who "hear" His Word.

My Journey Of Letting Go: April 2020 through ?

What does it mean to be changed, Lord?  I want to change, but so often I’m not willing to surrender my control. Sometimes I don’t even know what binds me because I’ve denied the Holy Spirit complete access to my life. I’m in bondage, unable to reach for freedom. I know the result of that bondage. Fear, Anger. Hurt. Pain. Bitterness. Sickness.

What does it really mean to lay all of myself down?  To let go of all of myself?  To desire only you—your peace—your joy?  I long to allow you, Holy Spirit, to kill all doubt and unbelief in me. To transform me. To change my attitude and overcome this fear and this sickness, stretching endlessly before me. I yearn to give you complete access to my deepest feelings, thoughts, and beliefs—those deep places you have revealed to me. Those places I’ve held back from you. 

What I try to hide can never be hidden. What I try to change in my life in my own way, and my strength can never be changed. You transform me—when I allow it. I choose to change the way I think about my challenges—to see each problem or person or sickness as a challenge that cannot defeat me.

You raise me above life’s challenges—when I allow it. You call me into the depths of your Word to experience greater faith. You call me to rely totally on you because my strength is nothing. It has no promise. But you promise healing and complete restoration, Lord. This sickness and these attacks, which continually come, won’t prosper in me. They will only trigger greater faith. You wait for that moment when I have released all that you know needs to be released in me. You wait for that moment when my own way and my own strength prove not to be enough. You wait with your perfect love for what I have feared in so many ways—giving up all rights to myself. So you can fill me with the revelation of your Word until it is no longer just your Word. It becomes my Word, too, manifesting itself in me.

Oh, Lord. I can’t strengthen. I can’t change. I can’t fix. All I can be is yours. I let go. I breathe your promise. I breathe your peace. It’s in the release of all of myself to you—it’s in the release of everything I sense and believe, I come into agreement with what you declare is truth. I’m healed spirit, soul, and body. 

Lord, may I always be ready for those deepest places to be yours. You own them. You own me. I have nothing to prove. I have no point to make. I rest in your finished work. You hold me in your perfect peace because my mind is yours. I’m never alone in each thing I give you. You are within me, encouraging and empowering me. I surrender to you, Lord Jesus. I know you, living in me. 

You give what I can never give myself—your supernatural peace and joy for which there is no natural explanation. In you, I’m free of all bondage. When I completely lay down all of me, you raise me up with all of you. I’m in you, and you’re in me. I’m full of you with no room for any lie that comes against your Word in me. I’ve been transformed by your blood. Faith is the evidence of this truth: because I’m healed in your realm, I’m also healed in this one. No matter what the enemy does or says— no matter what my senses or body declare, the enemy’s word is not my truth. God's truth is mine. I’m healed and whole in this life because I’m free in His. 

The Lord Of All

A moment ago that issue you face came into your mind and with it overwhelming feelings of fear and defeat.

Opening His Word, you read Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“You can do all things,” He whispers in your heart, “not just some things—all things.”

His Word is truth. Jesus is the strength within you that does all things. He bears all things. He believes all things. You can do all things through Him. Nothing is impossible in Him.

Trusting that God gives you His strength to overcome each and every challenge in life takes faith in the Word.

And faith comes by hearing the written Word of God—not just in your mind, but hearing it in your heart. His Words are life to those who take possession of them. Your challenge has no power over your faith if His Words are life to you.

Fear is the opposite of faith. It comes to steal, kill, and destroy the Word that is becoming life in you. God hasn’t given you this spirit of fear. His Spirit has given you love, power, and a sound mind.

God’s love, His power, and His sound mind—these are the very truths you need sown in your heart to defeat fear. With these truths, you can accomplish anything.

If you remain in the Word, you’re right where you need to be to believe all things are possible. If not, you’re counting on fear instead of God.

God wants you to believe in the “all” of His promises. He wants you to know that His Son’s victory is your victory. You overcome all things—not just some.

Are you tired of just believing for some? Are you ready to believe for all? The faith that overcomes is found in hearing His Word in your heart.

“Call to Me,” He says, “and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things you don't know. Come. I’m here—just waiting—for you.”

The Word, which God sent preaching peace, is Jesus Christ. 

He is Lord of all—not just some.


 

Stay True

Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
—1 Timothy 4:16 NLT


In 1 Timothy, chapter 4, Paul advises Timothy with his responsibility as a teacher of the Gospel. It is a strong lesson for the young man and filled with crucial advice for ministry. The Scripture today is the last verse, and it brings to a powerful conclusion the whole message of the chapter. 

“Timothy,” Paul imparts to Timothy, “be careful how you live, but not only be careful in your living; be careful in your teaching. Those you teach watch you.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited” (Corinthians 6:3, NIV).

The truth of the matter is that Paul’s lesson does not just apply to people in what is considered “ministry.” This applies to every Christian. Someone watches us. Someone listens to us. Everyone leads someone else. We must remain true to the words of the faith God has entrusted to us.
 

Many Christians fail to understand the power they have to influence others. If what they share lacks scriptural grounding, they can mislead others and cause spiritual harm. Just as Paul told Timothy, we must remain true to the Word not only the sake of others, but for ourselves. Each one of us is called to live responsibility and with integrity. We are called to be His light in this vacillating world—to share His love and His Word accurately and to be sure that what we share is responsible to the biblical principles of the faith. We are also accountable for our interpretation of Scripture. If we don’t want to become a stumbling block to others, we will share the Word and our revelations responsibly, living a holy life that reflects what we say.

Many have never considered the fact that what they say or share or how they live affects the one right next to them. We have the potential to speak life or death. We have the power to impart peace. When the Word is spoken under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, it delivers its maximum benefit. When we surrender, aligning ourselves completely with God’s truth, His Word manifests in our lives.We have His power and not a man-made counterfeit. We are called, just as Timothy, to live and share our faith responsibly. We stand accountable not only for us, but for others.

The Word of God should never be manipulated. Scripture will never contradict itself. It stands complete and powerful in its own perfect revelation. We, humans, can make it less or make it more so we should always yield to the Holy Spirit, considering how our words and our lives affect others.

We are God’s children, who inspired by the Holy Spirit, interpret Scripture in light of our own personality—in light of our reason and personal experience. We should take seriously the words we offer as His. A God-breathed revelation or a word of knowledge or prophecy inspired by the Holy Spirit, will never contradict biblical truth. When we honestly and truthfully share God’s Word, His resurrection power is present. His truth, sown in the human heart, transforms the mind and heart and empowers those who receive it to fulfill God’s intended purpose.

The Holy Spirit imparts the same Word to each of us, but we share and live its truth according to the personality, gifts, and talents God gave us. No two of us are alike. We are each specially and individually created.

How do I know when I have stayed true to the Word? The Holy Spirit continually convicts me about the truthfulness of my words, thoughts, and actions. I know that the Word is alive in me, directing and defining my life.  And when I see those in whom I have invested my life move responsibly and powerfully into their purpose, staying true in humility of heart, I see the manifestation of the Word in their lives. I know that the seed sown was incorruptible.

Bearing One Another's Burden

When a Pharisee asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the Old Testament Law, Jesus summed up all the Law. He explained the greatest commandment is loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and loving others as you love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). The night before His crucifixion, Jesus gave an even greater commandment: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). 

Loving others as Jesus has loved us is our commandment.

“Bear one another’s burdens,” Paul wrote, “and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

One of the ways to fulfill Christ’s commandment to love others is to bear their burdens as He did ours.

The Greek word “baros,” translated as“burden” in Galatians 6:2, means “heaviness, weight, burden, trouble” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). This is a burden so heavy that if someone isn't assisted in carrying it, they will be overwhelmed. 

This burden can be a sin or a circumstance. If it’s a sin, we must restore the person gently, remembering that we’re also tempted and not immune to sinning (Galatians 6:1). If it’s a circumstance, we should be available, praying, listening, and helping them bear the weight of their burden. If it’s within our power, our love must help alleviate their suffering. Regardless of whether it’s a sin or a circumstance, when we assist others in bearing their burdens, we fulfill Christ’s commandment to love as He has loved us.

Paul continued in Galatians 6:3: “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

Paul argued that if we believe we are too important to assist others in overcoming their challenges, we are deceived about our own significance. We aren’t better than anyone else, and we certainly don’t have any excuse for not helping restore others. The Amplified Bible Classic translates Galatians 6:3 in this way: “For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself.” 

Paul further wrote in Galatians 6:4: “But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” 

To assist others in bearing their burdens, we must lay down any lofty opinion of ourselves. Intolerance toward those who have sinned is a sign of our own susceptibility to sin. Pride breeds the sin of self-righteousness in us.

In Galatians 6:4, Paul gives us an answer for pride. A realistic assessment of our own shortcomings will humble us, better enabling us to help others. Matthew 7:3-5 offers this same message: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Paul wrote in Galatians 6:5: “For each one shall bear his own load.” 

In this verse, Paul used the exact opposite of Galatians 6:2 to make a point. In Galatians 6:2, Paul instructed, “Bear one another’s burdens.” In Galatians 6:3-4, he took away any objections someone might have to help others. In this verse, Paul settled the argument: “For every man shall bear his own burden.” His reasoning is that since we all carry our own burdens and know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by their weight, we should not hesitate to help others in their struggles.

It’s so easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that we’re better than someone else—that we’re not above sin or facing a difficult situation. The difficult burdens we carry should reveal to us the pain of someone else’s burden. If we aren’t deceived by a spirit of pride, our burdens fill us with compassion to help others bear their load.

None of us know what we will face in this life. We all need mercy and help with our burdens. Jesus extended mercy to help us. James 2:13 states that God doesn’t extend mercy to those who show no mercy. Those who don’t help others won’t be helped themselves. Helping others sow a seed for their needs is also sowing a seed for my own future needs.

What I sow into others, I will reap (Galatians 6:7).

Made Complete in Jesus

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
—Psalms 138:8


In Philippians 1:6, Paul made the same point David made in Psalms 138:8: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” 

In Psalms 138:8, the Hebrew word “gamar” was translated as “perfect;” it means “to end (in the sense of completion or failure)” (Strong’s Concordance). 

We can either complete or fail in what the Lord wishes to accomplish in us. If I'll allow Him to work in my life, His promise is to perfect that which concerns me. 

Something that is perfect is without any fault or deficit. It is pure, total, complete, absolute, and unequivocal. Philippians 1:6 states that the work of Jesus Christ will be “pure and complete without fault or deficit” in each person who allows the Word to perfect them. 

The New International Version of Psalms 138:8 states, “The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.” In Psalms 138:8, the Message declares: “Finish what you started in me, GOD. Your love is eternal–don’t quit on me now.”

It’s wonderful to receive salvation and begin our journey with the Lord, but as Ecclesiastes 7:8 wisely states, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning.” Therefore, we should strive to grow spiritually, maintaining unwavering faith until the day we meet the Lord. God promises that He shall perfect His work in us. “He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). The Lord is unwavering in working with us.

Often, we become discouraged on our journey of faith in Jesus Christ. We will fail at times. Circumstances will be overwhelming. The flesh will attempt to claim us again and again. The enemy will lie, trying to create strongholds. But we must never forget that His mercy endures FOREVER. The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

David writes in Psalms 138:7:
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.”

Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t have to fear because the Lord is with us (Psalms 23:4). If God is for us, no one can successfully oppose us (Romans 8:31). He will rescue and revive us. By cooperating with Him, He will complete His perfect work in us.
 

Lord, help me to never give up on this journey. I want to be molded and refined until I'm complete in you. Of this I’m confident, certain, and sure—you shall finish what you started in me. 

Thank you, Jesus.

Known Beyond Myself

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalms 139:1-6).

To realize that I am so greatly and so deeply known by you, Lord, goes beyond my limited human understanding! I open up my heart to you, and my soul yearns for you to continually search me. I thirst for you with an unquenchable thirst that you alone quench. 

You are my Creator. Yet, you are my Father! I never move without you knowing it. Every step that I plan may be formed in my mind, but You direct my steps. My thoughts aren't as high as your thoughts, but you impart the revelation of yours to my heart. 

You are familiar with every part of me—spirit, soul, and body. You know when I’m at ease or when I’m distressed. You know when I have the faith to move mountains or when I need rest to be revived.

Before I even speak, you know what I’m going to say. You know whether I’m in pain or experiencing joy. In your death you brought me forgiveness and grace. In your resurrection you brought new life. You call me your own. You place your hand upon me. You know me better than I know myself. Such understanding I cannot attain. But as I renew myself with your Word, you unveil your understanding, transforming my mind and heart.

Why would I ever live without hope? I have the promise of hope in you, Lord Jesus. Because you know me and created me, I’m in you and and you’re in me. I pray before a word is ever spoken that my words are your words. I long to have a joyful heart that speaks life. You disciple me, Lord, and guide me in your direction. You correct me when I fail, and you encourage me when I succeed. You have placed your hand upon me, and I’m always aware of its steady pressure and your unrelenting encouragement. 

Just to know you loved me enough to die for me takes my breath away. To know you raised me to new life with your spirit and purpose is a joy beyond my human ability to grasp. I surrender my limited life today because that’s all I have—a limited life unfulfilled without you—a limited life needing to receive beyond myself. Take my limited life and make me unlimited in you. Take me, and never let me claim myself again.

Priceless

 

 

It takes time for a priceless pearl to form or for us to discover the inner beauty that comes from the trials of life. A pearl's perfection comes from the constant irritation of sand within an oyster. Life is filled with constant irritation. Those irritations can spur me on to spiritual maturity, or they can destroy what God wishes to produce in me. Whether good or bad, my life is a result of my attitude. 

“Rejoice always,” Paul encourages, “pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-8). 

It’s God’s will that I maintain a positive attitude, regardless of my circumstances. I will pray and rejoice in every situation. I will persevere, reaching beyond any circumstance through faith. By surrendering to God and not my circumstances, and trusting in His unwavering support, I am lifted above the destruction of life’s numerous challenges.

Surrender is not an option; it’s a necessity.  Raging against my circumstances or being passive and accepting of them doesn’t help. Instead, letting God guide and instruct me through each challenge leads to victory.  Strength, joy, and peace come from surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s transformative power. I listen and don’t question His Word. I seek what He wants to reveal to me. I yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to create in me His understanding and perspective. By graciously accepting the pruning of the Vinedresser upon my life, I accept His molding, and He becomes my passion.

The price He paid for my surrender is worth everything I receive in return. I relinquish my desires, agenda, and control in every situation or relationship, allowing Him to shape me. When I let go, I discover the gift of His peace. God doesn’t demand my surrender; He gives me the freedom to yield to Him or not. Surrender is my gift to Him. 

I seek that priceless pearl. I will give all of myself to possess it. When I yield to Him without any hesitation or reservation, I realize that I'm no longer my own: I’m overwhelmed by His love. Such love is beyond my understanding, but as I give myself away to Him, I believe the miracle of His grace. On the cross, He saw me as His pearl of greatest price. I’m priceless to Him.