The Way of Victory

Psalm 35:10 My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like You, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."

Do not be afraid of what is in your heart. Simply be attentive to it, and allow God to direct you.

Hebrews 12:27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

God is sifting the hearts and lives of His people, shaking the things that we base our beliefs and our values on. He is letting us see what He already knows -- some things will remain solid and trustworthy while other things develop cracks and failure points, and need to be discarded.

God's uncritical mercy and unconditional love give the just and the unjust the rain that cools, quenches, and refreshes. The enemy's already-conquered, soon-to-be-ending dominion over the world guarantees equal-opportunity difficulty, hardship, and suffering for all who pass through it wearing flesh.

During Jesus' ministry, He cast devils out of individuals; as they were being forced, under authority, to leave, in a last measure of unrepentant rebellion, they would convulse, and tear at, the person one final time before departing. In this final time on the world, as God's people walk increasingly in His kingdom and authority, the enemy is being forced out of lives he had previously claimed and, as he goes, he is tearing and convulsing all of society that he can reach.

Revelation 12:12 How horrible it is for the earth and the sea because the Devil has come down to them with fierce anger, knowing that he has little time left."

Before the final, fully-polarized confrontation, God will have settled and based His people on a firm, solid, unmoving, unchanging foundation through the shaking and the testing that occurs in our lives, sometimes unseen by others, at times all-too-public in view. Each time, it is designed with loving compassion from our Father to give us the best opportunity to understand what beliefs are in our hearts, what values we rely on for decisions, what desires motivate our actions. Through this light of wisdom and revelation gained from the trials we go through, we can discern between what values should be encouraged and built upon, and what should be rejected and released.

1 Peter 3:11 As therefore all these things are to be destroyed, it is right for you to be in your way of life as those who are holy and in the worship of God,

Study God's Word. Read it, meditate on it, rehearse it, speak it back to the Father in conversation, praise, and requests, standing on promises already received and claiming more promises for needs of your own and for others.

Daily let the Spirit of God blow like a fresh breeze through your thoughts and feelings, your heart and your mind, bearing the aromas of His garden of spices; let Him flow out from your innermost being to quench the deadly, dehydrating thirst in lives around you like a torrent sweeping away all obstacles that the enemy has established, trying to prevent the life-giving flow.

Trust the hand of God as He does His work in your life. Cling to the arm of God as He embraces you, even in the midst of the storm. Depend on the love of God to see you through the work He has started in your life.

Hebrews 12:28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

Father of finalities, God of absolutes, You know what You are doing in our lives. We treasure the work You are putting into us, though we often do not see the final goal or understand the path required. Thank You for expending Your treasure, Your Son, on our behalf. Because of what You have given, we are confident of Your intentions and Your purpose. Even as Jesus did, we pray, "Not our will, but Thine, be done."

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