"One Letter Away from Victory"

“One Letter Away from Victory”

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

--Philippians 4:13

 If you’re old enough to remember when computers first came on the scene, you’re old enough to remember the acronym ‘GIGO’.  ‘Garbage in, garbage out’, meaning the quality of output is determined by the quality of the input.  So what does that have to do with you?  Well, what you put in your mind, is what you’ll get out.  If you are constantly telling yourself what you can’t do, you will eventually believe you can’t do it.  Essentially, you are one letter away from victory.  One tiny letter.  We live in a society where slogans and cute sayings are the norm.  And motivational speakers are in abundance.  But have you ever considered we have the best motivational speaker ever . . . Christ.  Try repeating His words to keep yourself motivated. 

When negative thoughts enter your head, telling you that you can’t do this or you can’t do that, repeat these words to yourself, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  One tiny letter from victory!  Turn your ‘can’t’ into Christ’s ‘can’.  Try it for a week, and watch God work on your behalf.

Let me hear your testimonies!

Margaret Slaughter

"Wait on the Promise"

Wait on the Promise

“So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children.  Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.”  And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.” 

-- Genesis 16:2

Abram and Sarai are a perfect example of failing to wait on God's promise.  What promise?    The promise found in Genesis 15:2-6 “But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Ten years later in Genesis Chapter 16, God's promise still had not come to pass. In verse 2 Sarai decides to take matters into her own hands. Of course, her impatience resulted in confusion, and altering God's divine timing, and the benefits of His promise for her and Abram's descendants. How many times have you taken matters into your own hands, getting ahead of God's timing? Refusing to wait on the promise?

If we operate in faith, and don't get ahead of God and His timing, Psalm 89:33-34 reassures us, "But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said."

Remember, God is not a man that He should lie, so if He said it, He will surely bring it to pass. Have faith, and wait on the promise!

Margaret Slaughter

"Abide in the Shadow"

Abide in the Shadow

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.’”

Psalm 91:1-2

 

I remember watching a funny video of a toddler trying to run from her shadow.  No matter where she ran, or how fast, the shadow still followed her.  The toddler ultimately burst into tears.  Unlike the toddler, we should take comfort in knowing that God is like the toddler’s shadow.  Ever present, providing His divine protection.  I don’t want to be like the toddler, trying to run from God’s shadow of protection.  In fact, I need God’s protection.  His word says, ‘He will never leave you nor forsake you.’ (Deuteronomy 31:6)  Friends may promise they’ll always be there, even family.  However, sometimes they fail at keeping their word.  God never fails at keeping His Word.

So, what can you expect to find abiding in the shadow of God?  The remainder of Psalm 91 tells us . . .

[Protection]

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

[Victory]
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

[Refuge]

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, ¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

[Power and authority]
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

[Grace and mercy]

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  ¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

[Love]
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Margaret Slaughter

Speak It!

Speak It!

“And God said . . .”

Genesis 1

 
When God formed the foundation of the world, and all that was in it, He spoke it into existence.  Just by speaking, He formed light (verse 3); sky (verse 6); land and sea (verse 9); vegetation (verse 11); day and night (verse 14); fish and birds (verse 20); animals (verse 24); and mankind (verse 26). 

God calmed a raging sea by speaking it, “So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).  But soon a fierce storm came up.  High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  The disciples woke him up, shouting ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’  When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence!  Be still!’  Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” –Mark 4:36-39

And with His words, Jesus healed the sick, “A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man, ‘I am willing,’ he said.  ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” –Matthew 8:2-3

By speaking, Jesus raised his friend from the dead, “So they rolled the stone aside.  Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me.  You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.’  Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth.  Jesus told them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go!’” –John 11:41-44

What a powerful witness for Christ we could be if we learned the power of our words.  What we speak, becomes.   Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  When you speak, are you speaking life, or are you speaking death into your life and the lives of others?

How about this, “Speak what you seek, until you see what you’ve said!”, and watch God work.

Margaret Slaughter

Mirror Image

Mirror Image

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness . . .”

Genesis 1:26a

When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see an exact reflection of yourself.  Nothing is altered, added, or removed.  It is your exact image.  When God spoke mankind into existence, He made us an exact likeness of Himself.  What does that mean?  It means we should look like Jesus.  Since no man has seen Him, it certainly refers to His character.  So what is the character of Jesus? 

Light of the world

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Free from sin

1 John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”

Love

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and game himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Obedient

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Compassionate

Matthew 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Servant

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Forgiving

Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’”

Prayerful

Mark 1:35 “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”

The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, ask yourself, ‘What am I reflecting?’

Margaret Slaughter