victory Archives – Sonshine's Journal

July 23, 2023July 23, 2023

Which coach are you following?

Is 34-37 In Football, sometimes a player fumbles the ball, and the touchdown is given to the opposing team. When Sennacherib tried to get Hezekiah to fumble the ball, he had no idea of the outcome! In Psalm 2, we see how God handles fumbles! “the one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them,” Then he sends in another team and scores a victory just like he did with Sennacherib! God sent an angel and took the lives of 185,000 of Sennacherib’s soldiers and sent him packing back to Assyria, where he was killed by his own sons.

“Don’t mess with God!” was the message, and unbelievers should take note. But, as Paul noted, the adversary blinds the minds of the unbeliever lest they see the holy God. [2Cor 4:4]

We tend to make light of this story, but if truth be known, God uses things like this to get our attention. While Sennacherib was busy planning to score, Hezekiah took it to God and let God take care of the problem. We should do the same, but we often try to solve the problem using human methods. Take a lesson from Hezekiah and learn that God can better handle our adversaries than we can.

September 25, 2016

The Power of the Resurrection

resurrection-2 1Cor 15 The Power of the Resurrection

The Resurrection is the key to the life of our Savior who lived, died, and rose again. Without it, there is no hope, no future and no reason to believe. It is because of His death that he became a life-giving spirit that is given to all who believe. It is because of that death, burial and resurrection that one day we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in the moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. This mortality will put on immortality for the Master Tailor is in the business of sewing us into the beautiful tapestry of the image of Jesus Christ. We are being conformed to His image and it is because of this we can sing with the choirs of heaven. And it is because of that truth Paul could say to the Corinthians who were concerned:

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Jesus is no longer “on” the cross. He has become victorious “over” the cross and He is our anchor for our souls. A

February 19, 2016

Evangelism vs Counter-evangelism

acts 14 horse battle2 It seems that no matter where we turn we are faced with the false lies of the enemy of our souls. Satan is not only a master deceiver but he is a master at distraction. Just as Jesus said, he will plant tares among the wheat and therefore, we should not be surprised when we come face to face with them as Paul and Barnabas did in Iconium.

Even though Paul and Barnabas were Holy Spirit anointed sent missionaries, they still came face to face with the dichotomy of the false vs the true. When this occurs in your life, what do you do? Take a lesson from them: they spoke courageously with reliance upon the Lord. They relied upon Him for their words and the power behind the words. They testified to His grace trusting that God was hearing and answering this same prayer: Acts 4:29 “Lord, pay attention to their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage”

We are often are surprised when others misunderstand the gospel message. Don’t be. Just remember, our God is greater and nothing is impossible with God’s help. When faced with the counter-evangelists, pray as the early church did; put your armor on and go forth into the battle. “A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory is from the Lord.” [Pro 21:31]

July 27, 2015

Storms as Life Lessons

Yesterday as we were helping a young couple pack and move, their 10 mth old was wrestling with himself on the floor. He wanted to sit up but no one was helping him. He just kept persevering and before he knew it there he was in a sitting position. It was a vivid illustration of how we often strive to achieve something and we seem to be alone in our struggle. God lets us struggle and when we find victory we are filed with joy just as this little was beaming from ear to ear. It is then that God reaches down with his still small voice and says “well done thou good and faithful servant.”

As I have been teaching each Saturday night I noted that the stories that have been chosen for me are all about wind, waves and storms. So as we compared Jonah, the disciples in Matt 8 and Matt 14 we noted how in each case the wind and waves sought to overturn the boats. Jonah’s storm was a storm of correction and his pride led him to this disastrous storm. But, even in we saw the truth that God will take what is bad and use it to accomplish His will and His purpose for good. One of the boys asked why the sailors believed Jonah’s God was the true God and the answer is that it was only when they saw the wind and waves cease that they knew and worshiped the God of Jonah. How often are we like this. We say we have to see much like the Pharisees wanted a sign from heaven. The same thing happened with the disciples. God sent them into a storm so that they might know and worship His Son. But, since they did not learn the lesson, Jesus sent them into a second pre-arranged perfect storm. It was only then that they fell upon their faces and worshiped.

Why is that we have to weather storms and sometimes even repeat them? The baby’s striving and Jonah’s struggle is an illustration of how hard we try to do things on our own. Sometimes God lets us struggle in the storm and sometimes he comes to rescue us. It all depends on where we are in our faith walk. The disciples show us how dull we are to learn the lesson God wants us to learn and so he sends us through another perfect storm.

Oh that we might learn from our struggles and hear the words of praise from our Lord. Oh that we might learn the lesson in the first storm and fall upon our faces and worship him. Where are we? Are we in the perfect storm struggling like the disciples against the wind? Are we like the sailors who struggled so as to not dump Jonah overboard?