ADs AUGUST 2015 Devotional

Are you a victim or a victor?

It depends on your attitude. John Maxwell develops 7 axioms for an overcomer in “The Winning Attitude.” Axiom # 3 declares: “Often our attitude is the only difference between success and failure.” Maxwell asserts, “This could be called the principle of the slight edge [over defeat or victory].”

   The former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir underlined this truth in one of her interviews. She said, “All my country has is spirit. We don’t have petroleum dollars. We don’t have mines or great wealth in the ground. We don’t have the support of a worldwide public opinion that looks favorably on us. All Israel has is the spirit of its people. And if the people lose their spirit, even the United States of America cannot save us.”

   When Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he could have felt like a victim. Arrested in Jerusalem for preaching grace to the Gentiles and under a threat of death by the Jews, he appealed to Caesar. Sent to Rome, he did not see himself as a victim of either the Jews or of the Romans but rather; he was a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” for the sake of the Gentiles (Eph 3:1). To the Gentiles he affirmed, “We can go to God with bold confidence through faith in Christ. So then, I ask you not to become discouraged by the troubles I suffer for you. In fact, my troubles bring you glory.” (Eph 3: 12, 13 GW)

   Paul, the victor kept his identity in Christ in tact, understood his calling and refused to play the victim even in unjust circumstances. Let’s be people of the Spirit. Let’s be victors in Christ! 

ADs JULY 2015 Devotional

Facing your Giants!

In the movie, “Facing the Giants,” David Childers, a rookie punter weighing only 145 pounds, faced an impossible challenge. With 2 seconds left in the state championship game against the Richland Giants, his coach Grant Taylor asked him to kick a game-wining field goal from the 51-yard line, although his best had only been 39 yards. The season had started off badly until coach Taylor 

decided to give the season all to God. All he asked of his team was to lay it 

all on the field for God.

    The Shiloh Eagle’s 32 players shouldn’t have even been in the play-offs and certainly didn’t have a chance against the Giant’s team of 85 players, but they were there! They were facing their giants of fear and failure. David, drawing his courage from his father on the sidelines and a momentary shift in the wind towards the goal, kicks a game-winning goal. Later, coach Taylor declared, “With God, nothing is impossible!”

    We need that message! In this year’s MT/MR, the Holy Spirit weaved the recurrent theme of preparing for suffering. As missionaries we may face the real possibility of suffering and/or persecution as we lay it all on our field! In our own strength, we cannot do this but, “With God, nothing is impossible!”  

   We’re not promised immunity to suffering but rather victory through it. Suffering may become an integral part of our call as missionaries, as Paul’s discovered,

“The Lord said, “Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles…and I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”  Acts 9:15-16 (NLT)

Be of good courage, God is preparing us to face our Giants and we will be alert!

“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.” Romans 5:3-4 (MSG)