pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 13

Victory

There are small victories like when the bathroom scales report one less pound than the day before, and large ones like those two in 1945—VE Day (Victory in Europe) and VJ Day (Victory in Japan)—which marked the end of the world’s greatest war. In between the small and large are daily victories we celebrate silently or call the one we love to give the good report.

Defeats, large and small, we absorb, either to study them and learn from them or to forget them and add them to the memories we would love to discard.

In large measure, victory is a choice.

  • We choose the right battles to fight.
  • We select the proper weapons to wield.
  • We join the army that has the strength and wherewithal to win.
  • We follow the General with both the will to take on the enemy and the might to defeat him.

Today, we choose to fight the good fight of faith.

  • That is, we choose to live right in a world gone wrong.
  • We select weapons for our warfare that are spiritual and mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
  • We march in the Army of God who defeats the terrible foe with a song.
  • We follow Jesus who is the Victor, the complete Master of all time and space.

The battle today will not be easy. The enemy is strong and wily. Deceit and despair are his artillery and he has strewn the roadway with mines. But we tread carefully, placing each step in a nail scarred footprint. Jesus has gone this way before us. He has clearly marked the hazards. He knows the enemy’s secret schemes.

He has gone head-to-head with the enemy of our souls,

  • in the wilderness of temptation,
  • in the war of words with the religionists,
  • in the battles for the lives of those tormented by demons and disease,
  • in the Garden of prayer and unlawful arrest,
  • in the betrayal of a dear and trusted friend,
  • in the legal courts of men,
  • under the lash of man’s wrath,
  • under the cross on the Via Doloroso,
  • on the cross at Mt. Calvary,
  • in the regions of hell to wrest the keys of death, hell and the grave from Satan’s grip,
  • in the tomb where death reigned supreme over His body until the Holy Spirit, who had overshadowed Mary to give Jesus human life, invaded His burial chamber to give him resurrected life, and
  • in the Throne Room of Heaven to wear the Victor’s Crown for all eternity.

Victory is our choice today because Jesus is our choice. Temporary setbacks will occur but they do not have the final word. The final word is “Victory” and Jesus has spoken it.

Scripture:
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the absolute Victor. Hell falls silent when You open Your mouth to speak. Demons tremble at the sound of Your Name. Darkness flees away at Your entrance for You are absolute Light. My sins are gone because You sent them away. I sleep well because Your angels stand guard over my pillow. The path of life before me is clear because You walk ahead of me, Your footsteps blessing the earth with peace. You will never be defeated. But, Lord, when I feel I am at risk and that enemies rise up against me, You are a shield to me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I will walk in Your victory because You walk in me. I say to the day ahead, “Bring out your best, do your worst, I am not afraid. The Victor walks in me invincible!” Thank You, Lord Jesus! Amen

Song:
Victory
Words and Music: B.E. Warren

1. Hallelujah, what a thought! Jesus full salvation brought, Victory, Victory!
Let the powers of sin assail, heaven’s grace can never fail, Victory, Victory!

Refrain:
Victory, yes victory; Hallelujah! I am free, Jesus gives me victory.
Glory, glory, Hallelujah! He is all in all to me.

2. I am trusting in the Lord, I am standing on His Word, Victory, Victory!
I have peace and joy within, Since my life is free from sin, Victory, Victory!

Refrain

3. Shout your freedom everywhere, His eternal peace declare, Victory, Victory!
Let us sing it here below in the face of every foe, Victory, Victory!

Refrain

4. We will sing it on that shore, when this fleeting life is o’er Victory, Victory!
Sing it here, ye ransomed throng, start the everlasting song: Victory, Victory!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 10

Awe

Every day we must stand in awe of the Lord Jesus! He nailed the indictment against us to His cross and carried our sins far away, never to be remembered against us again. Because His record of righteousness had been credited to our account, we stand in awe of Him as if had never sinned.

We are aware of Him because His Holy Spirit has drawn us to Him and revealed Him to us. Without the moving of the Spirit, we would be stumbling around in thick darkness, listening in vain for the song of life, searching without hope through the books and treatises of mankind for a truth we can count on. But His Spirit came to us and convicted us of our sin and stupidity, pointed our proud hearts toward Jesus and led us in a sinner’s prayer.

We stand in awe!

Jesus has promised to meet us at the place of worship in spirit and truth every day. He will take our heartfelt words of thanksgiving to be His dwelling place. He will rule in us from His throne in our hearts. He will take us all, divided by race and rancor, tongue and tribe, culture and custom, pride and position, power and poverty, and make us a new nation, one royal priesthood, one chosen generation, and one holy race. This He will do by personally pulling down the walls of hostility that divide us.

We stand in awe!

To worship is to make the journey to Mt. Zion where an enumerable company of angels in joyful assembly continually sing His holiness and we  join their song. We take our place with the saints of the ages in that gallery of heroes of the faith and join their song as well. In our spirits we sense the moment when the elders before the Throne rise to cast their crowns at Jesus’s feet and we do the same, judging all our accomplishments, trophies, and awards as worthy only to be thrown at His feet.

We are in awe!

Scripture:
Revelation 4:6-11
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures…. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, today I pledge all my energy—heart, soul, mind, and strength—to the Sacrifice of Praise! I hold nothing back. There is no other more important event or enterprise—only the joy of ministering to You, giving You the glory due unto Your name. I give myself no rest until awe is turned to praise, respect is turned to adoration and our love for You is both seen and heard. I stand in awe of You today. All others fade to periphery as You shine with growing intensity until You are all I see. In Your glorious name. Amen.

Song:
Stand in Awe
Words and Music: Mark Altrogge

You are beautiful beyond description,
Too marvelous for words,
Too wonderful for comprehension,
Like nothing ever seen or heard.
Who can grasp your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depth of your love?
You are beautiful beyond description,
Majesty enthroned above.

And I stand, I stand in awe of you.
I stand, I stand in awe of you.
Holy God, to whom all praise is due,
I stand in awe of you.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 7

Courage

Knowing God’s will is one thing. Doing His will is something else again. Courage is required.

Accomplishing something in this life is a matter of timing, skill, opportunity, sensitivity and often, sacrifice. What it does not require is luck.

Luck
Luck is all about randomness, chance, and unpredictable circumstances. Luck has absolutely no role to play for someone who seeks to know and to do God’s will. We confess that our lives are in God’s hands, our very steps are ordered by the Lord each day. This amazing grace comes to us contained in our free will. We have the choice to follow the Lord’s leadership or to go off on our own. When we choose to follow Him, He begins to order our steps and those of others who may or may not be following Him.

The people we need to meet will be right where we need them, right on cue. The things we really need will be in our hands when we need them. The words we need to speak will be in our mouths just when they need to be spoken, and on and on this grace goes. Continue reading “January 7” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 6

Covered

Belgium, 1944:
“Cover me!” the sergeant yells to his pinned down squad as he breaks his cover to charge the machine gun nest. As he runs a zigzag pattern, the corporals and privates in his command lay down a withering fire from M1 Garand carbines and the Browning automatic rifle. The enemy machine gunners cease firing to find cover as the soldier with the stripes tosses a grenade into their emplacement, ending the war for them.

Today, on the job:
“Cover for me,” the guilty party pleads to his friend. Friendship overrules common sense and the boss never finds out.

When we are under attack, and even when we are guilty, there is One who covers us.

In Today’s Battle
Against unnumbered foes, the Lord Jesus covers us from a position of power with weapons of a spiritual warfare that are mighty indeed. We can charge boldly into the day with all its dangers knowing the enemy must cower before the Name of Jesus and retreat in the face of determined obedience to His Word. Continue reading “January 6” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 4



Sabbath

The center-column strength of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple was the Sabbath.

On the Sabbath, all activities were forbidden except those associated with the worship of Jehovah and rest for the souls and bodies of people. The Sabbath principle held the Old Covenant together. The Law extended the Sabbath beyond the seventh day of worship and rest into annual festivals celebrating the agricultural seasons of the year—the production of food and wealth was halted for times of worship and rest. Every seven years the land was granted the blessings of rest and twice each century all the people were to be granted Sabbath rest and a new start in the Year of Jubilee.

When the Sabbath in all its phases was honored, God’s blessing rained on the Holy Nation; His covenantal power secured their borders and His holy presence dwelt at the center of their hearts, their homes, the politics, and their peace. Continue reading “January 4” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 1

Tomorrow

What Lies Ahead?
We don’t know what lies ahead. Or perhaps, we do know.

  • We will be surprised by good news we never expected and by setbacks we did not foresee.
  • Friends will come through for us in ways that draw them closer to our hearts and others will fail us requiring a special, painful kind of love called forgiveness.
  • We will sense the will of God and form a plan of action that will succeed beyond our dreams.
  • Other plans we were sure were the will of God will fizzle and die or blow up in our faces.

Continue reading “January 1” →