VIDEO 220 Volts

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

Dr. Stephen Olford pointed out that the words “Christ lives in me” mean more than Christ’s initial entrance into our lives. It’s true that when we ask Christ to become our Savior, He enters us by His Spirit. We are redeemed by His blood. But there’s more to the Christian experience than initial salvation. We want Christ to give us an attitude of daily victory, and that means yielding all to Him.

At first it seems frightening to give Jesus every aspect of our lives—our future, past, choices, locations, professions, children, desires, and goals. But we have to remember our Lord’s plans for us are always better than the ones we develop. He longs for the best for us, and He intends to use us in maximum ways. Give all of yourself to Him, claim the voltage of Galatians 2:20, and let Him give you victory in Jesus!

The victorious Christian life is the life of the victorious Christ living within. Stephen Olford

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The Life I Now Live, Galatians 2:20 – Pastor Chuck Smith – Topical Bible Study

Can’t Out Love God

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

When my now-grown son, Xavier, was in kindergarten, he stretched his arms wide and said, “I love you this much.”  I stretched my longer arms wide and said, “I love you this much.” Planting his fists on his hips, he said, “I loved you first.” I shook my head. “I loved you when God first put you in my womb.” Xavier’s eyes widened. “You win.” “We both win,” I said, “because Jesus loved both of us first.”

As Xavier prepares for the birth of his first child, I’m praying he’ll enjoy trying to out-love his son as they make sweet memories. But as I prepare to be a grandmother, I’m amazed at how much I loved my grandson from the moment Xavier and his wife told us they were expecting a baby.

The apostle John affirmed that Jesus’ love for us gives us the ability to love Him and others (1 John 4:19). Knowing He loves us gives us a sense of security that deepens our personal relationship with Him (vv. 15-17). As we realize the depth of His love for us (v. 19), we can grow in our love for Him and express love in other relationships (v. 20). Not only does Jesus empower us to love, but He also commands us to love: “And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (v. 21). When it comes to loving well, God always wins. No matter how hard we try, we can’t out-love God!

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has knowing God loves you helped you to love others? How can you show love to others this week?

Loving Savior, thank You for loving me first so I can love others.

The Importance of Right Motives

Prioritize pleasing God, and then prepare to be amazed by His work in your life. 1 Samuel 17:20-40

David found King Saul’s reward for Goliath’s defeat interesting—in fact, he asked to have it repeated twice (1 Sam. 17:26, 30). However, David may have been young, but he wasn’t foolish. The reward was a nice perk, but it wasn’t the young shepherd’s motivation.

David’s reason for standing against Goliath was to serve the Lord. He openly criticized the giant: “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26). Challenging the chosen nation of Israel was the same as defying the Lord Himself. David was prepared to defend Yahweh’s holy name and His people, even against this fearsome warrior. A right and holy motive gives a person confidence to obey God, even if doing so defies human wisdom.

When facing life’s Goliaths, we might be tempted to approach God with a plea like, I’m tired of being in this mess, or I want to run away but can’t, so You’ll have to remove this problem.

However, the right motive for facing a problem is the desire to follow, serve, and honor God—no matter what. Giant challenges may tax our comfort or wellbeing, but wanting a quick way out can impede our obedient walk with God. So pray, “Lord, help me to stand strong in Your name. And grant me victory over the Goliaths in my life, bringing you honor and glory each step of the way.”

Raging Waves

“[They are] raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame.” (Jude 1:13)

Jude connects together a string of 21 illustrations to describe the character of ungodly men who are attacking “the faith once delivered to the saints” (v. 3). This very poignant letter literally sizzles with scathing imagery for those who dare to stir up dissension and disobedience among God’s people.

The particular image in verse 13 is of roiling billows surging ashore after a storm, spitting out “shame” from amidst the foam. The physical picture is disgusting enough. As the energy of the storm increases the waves’ height and frequency, the detritus in and on the ocean is picked up and carried along. As the waves rise up toward the shore, they break and the foam begins to collect and then spew out the “shame” previously covered by the depths.

Isaiah’s comparison is most apt: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20). The shame cast up by these raging waves is not just filthy but also damaging to those among whom the shame is dumped.

Paul warned the Corinthian church about those who dealt with “hidden things of dishonesty,” were “walking in craftiness,” or were “handling the word of God deceitfully.” In vivid contrast, Paul and his co-laborers openly displayed “the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). Like Jude, Paul forecasts only destruction for these kinds of people. They brag “in their shame” and have their minds set on “earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).

“Foaming” at the mouth is frequently connected with demonic oppression in Scripture (Mark 9:17-18; Luke 9:39; etc.). Medically, the symptom is seldom positive. Perhaps Jude is offering a glimpse of the devilish source of such “raging” and raising a further alarm. HMM III

Creating “Margin” In Our Lives

Each page in this book has a margin. You wouldn’t read this “Fact” if the print ran to the edges of the paper because it would offend your sense of proportion. In similar fashion, our lives also need margin. They need proportion.

Margin is:

• “The gap between rest and exhaustion…
• “The leeway we once had between ourselves and our limits…
• “Something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations… “

If you are running thin on margin these days, my guess is you are on overload in at least some of the following areas:

• Too many commitments.
• Too much competition.
• Too much debt.
• Too many expectations.
• Too much ministry.

Here are six steps we can take to insure margin is built into our lives:

• Learn to expect the unexpected. Because most everything takes longer than anticipated, learn to build margin into your planning.
• Learn to say no. Contrary to your perception, you are not indispensable.
• Cut down on the activities as they have a way of self-perpetuating; of multiplying.
• Practice simplicity and contentment. Choose to live with less.
• Get less done but do the right things. Assess all your activities as to their spiritual authenticity.
• Decide to live the life of Jesus… whatever the cost:

“Let your sweet reasonableness, your forbearance, your being satisfied with less than your due, become known to all men… Stop worrying about even one thing, but in everything… let your requests… be made known in the presence of God, and the peace of God… shall mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.“(Philippians 4:4-6 – Wuest Translation)

“He shall separate them one from another.”

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Matthew 13:24-30, 36, 37

All the spiritual good in the world comes from him. Whoever the servants may be, the Master who sent them to sow good seed is Jesus, our Lord.

Matthew 13:38

The field is the world; for everywhere is the gospel to be preached, and the church to be formed is in the world, though not of it. The whole world belongs to Jesus: let Satan rage as he may, he is only an usurper. Despite all opposition, it is in this great field of the world that the Lord has sown a church, and maintained it in being.

Satan is a busy agent, and is always doing his best to hinder the good work of Jesus. The seed of the serpent, and the seed of the woman are at deadly enmity.

Matthew 13:39

Our Saviour did not mean such tares as grow in our country, but a sort of mock wheat common in the east. The evil one could not prevent the springing up of the good seed, and therefore he tried to impede its growth, and spoil its harvest by throwing in among it noxious seed. The devil cannot destroy the church, and therefore ha endeavours to mar its beauty by the introduction of hypocrites. These are in many respects so like to true Christians that it is not possible to remove them without expelling genuine believers with them by mistake. Open sinners we can easily remove from the church; but not those who have the outward manners of Christians; however wrong at heart they may be, we are unable to judge them, and must let them remain.

Matthew 13:40-42

The true character of men will develop itself in due season, and will be clearly seen at the last day. Angels will have no difficulty in discerning between sincere believers and mere formalists. Men may deceive the church to-day, and do it much mischief by creeping into it while they are unconverted; they ought, however, to tremble, for the hour comes in which the unquenchable fires of divine wrath will consume all pretenders.

The church, while yet she ripens here,

Mix’d and imperfect must appear;

Sinners and saints together meet,

The tares are mingled with the wheat.

But a dividing day will come,

And hypocrites must hear their doom,

“Depart, accurs’d, to endless woe,

Prepared for devils and for you.”

Lord, may I then accepted stand

Among the wheat at thy right hand;

Before the angels stand confest,

And hear thy lips proclaim me blest.

Prayer of a Servant

O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou art about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

O Lord my Lord, Thou hast stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man taketh this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou hast ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing.

They have rejected Thee, the Master and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weaknesses nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine but Thine. Thou hast said, “I know thee; I ordained thee; I sanctified thee.”

Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord; Thy will, not mine be done.

VIDEO Real Victory!

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Ruth Paxson met with a missionary who confessed her defeated attitude. She no longer found joy in her Bible or a passion for souls in her heart. Hers was a joyless, peaceless, powerless life. She left in the same state, but Paxson felt the Lord was working and prayed for her using 1 John 5:14-15. Overnight the woman confessed to a hurt that had robbed her of her victory. Her joy was back.

Paxon wrote, “Real victory is a glorious and marvelous change in the innermost recesses of the spirit which transforms the inner disposition and attitude as well as the outward deed and act.”¹

Do you have victory in your life today? If not, confess any hindering sin, yield yourself afresh to Christ, and trust Him to work in you today.

Victory is not a mere blessing, doctrine, or experience, but it is a Person. To have Him acknowledged as sole Proprietor of the whole being and allowed to act as such is to be assured of victory over sin.
Ruth Paxson

1. Ruth Paxson, Life on the Highest Plane (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1996), 234-235.

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1 John 5

The Power of Scripture

For the word of God is alive and active. Hebrews 4:12

Stephen was an up-and-coming comedian, and a prodigal. Raised in a Christian family, he struggled with doubt after his dad and two brothers died in a plane crash. By his early twenties, he’d lost his faith. But he found it one night on the frigid streets of Chicago. A stranger gave him a pocket New Testament, and Stephen cracked open the pages. An index said those struggling with anxiety should read Matthew 6:27–34, from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Stephen turned there, and the words kindled a fire in his heart. He recalls, “I was absolutely, immediately lightened. I stood on the street corner in the cold and read the sermon, and my life has never been the same.”

Such is the power of Scripture. The Bible is unlike any other book, for it’s alive. We don’t just read the Bible. The Bible reads us. “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit . . . ; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Scripture presents the most powerful force on the planet, a force that transforms and leads us toward spiritual maturity. Let’s open it and read it out loud, asking God to ignite our hearts. He promises that the words He’s spoken “will not return to [Him] empty, but will accomplish what [He desires] and achieve the purpose for which [He] sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). Our lives will never be the same.

By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray

How has Scripture changed your life? What expectations do you have when you read it?

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the Bible. Please make it alive in my life.

Learn more about the overall message of the Bible.

Defeating Our Goliaths

Faith habits prepare us for the inevitable battles that come 1 Samuel 17:45-47

Life’s “Goliaths” come in all shapes, sizes, and intensities: an unhappy relationship, a difficult job, a pile of debt. In today’s passage, David faced what appeared to be an insurmountable problem, but he was victorious through God’s power. We can be, too.

David declared victory over Goliath before the battle even began (v. 46). His confidence was rooted in his past experiences with the Lord. What’s more, David believed triumph was certain because he came in the name of the Lord. As a shepherd, he’d spent hours alone in the wilderness, listening to God’s voice. Even a giant’s discouraging shout couldn’t shake his convictions about who God was and what He could do through His servant.

David had practical faith habits. A strong relationship with the Lord developed from spending time in His presence. This in turn enabled David to face problems with certainty that he was a beloved child of God, with full access to his Father’s storehouses of power, courage, and wisdom. If doubts ever arose, he could look back on God’s great faithfulness in past troubles.

To be victorious, we should practice David’s spiritual habits. Spend time with God and keep a record of His work in your life. Then you can be confident that He is sufficient, no matter the obstacle.