In Ephesians 5: 2, Paul describes the crucifixion of Christ as an offering and sacrifice that was a “sweet smelling savour” to God.

If anyone comes into a room wearing perfume, it is immediately picked up by the nostrils. From that point, the nose decides if it is a wonderful, delicious smell or one that is loud, irritating to the eyes, and obnoxious. Either way, the smell of the perfume quickly permeates the room and for a few seconds your thoughts are completely absorbed with it.

God gave to Moses rules the Israelites must follow when they brought the sacrifice for their sin before God. If they did not follow these rules, the sacrifice would not be pleasing to Him and things would not bode well for that person who presented it. God meant business when it came to the Israelites walking in obedience to Him because He had miraculously brought them out of Egypt and fed and cared for them each day for many years.

I Samuel 15: 22

Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Even the smartest person has a very small mind when compared to the All-Powerful God who created the universe and everything in it. No human has the potential to see the “whole scope of things” and how everything will fit together to bring about the plans of God.

He has an awesome and unique plan for your life that will make it a “sweet smelling savour” to God’s nostrils.

God wants your complete obedience  - NOT a religious act, doing the same old same old humdrum stuff, doing things in the same way and knowing it doesn’t work but doing it anyway because you don’t know anything else to do.

He wants you to walk with Him each day and be prepared to do what He says. Believe me, just doing this will make your life ENORMOUSLY more productive in doing things that really count for the Kingdom of God.

He will continually amaze you at the things He is able to accomplish through you if you let Him. After you get a taste of doing things His Way, your old way of doing things won’t seem so appealing any more.

Romans 6: 14 – For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

For – gar – a primary particle; properly assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)

sin – hamartia – offence, sin

shall not – ou – a primary word; the absolutely negative

have dominion over you – kurieuo – to rule, have dominion over, lord, be lord of, exercise lordship over; of things and forces to exercise influence upon, to have power over

indicates the contemplated or certain occurrence of an event which has not yet occurred (future tense.)

Indicative Mood – a simple statement of fact. An action that is occurring now, has already, or will in the future

This verse makes a huge statement. If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart I’m sure you will still be tempted just as He was when living on the earth, but God has given you the power to have victory over Satan and the temptation that he is trying to destroy you with. You don’t have to give in even if Satan is putting immense amounts of pressure on you.

God has given you His power to have the victory but you must walk in that power and know and understand the promises of the Bible. Satan knows them very well and plans his attacks carefully and methodically to achieve maximum results in your life. He will sometimes wait years for just the right moment to bring you down in a huge way.

Child of God, stand on and claim this verse with everything in you because sin absolutely cannot have power over you unless you give it approval. You will be tempted but you can boldly ask God to come to your aid because you are standing on His Word and claiming it with your whole heart.

Stand on the promises of God and let Him help you defeat the enemy Satan!

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Isn’t it amazing that we as humans can fall into a rut so quickly, even if we don’t like our situation? The most important thing seems to be that we get into a routine and feel comfortable about our lives. Most of us detest even the slightest change as we feel it throws us completely off balance.

Even though deep down we know we can’t control outward things that might happen, we convince ourselves that as long as our life stays in the same unchanging rut, we have complete control over our little corner of the world.

The problem with that way of thinking is that many Christians have put God in a box and expect Him to conform to their way of thinking and bless whatever they decide to do.

God will never be able to work in our lives the way He desires as long as we have this way of thinking.

Even though it is a scary thing to step out into the unknown and trust God to lead you down a road where you can’t always see what the end result will be, that is the way He desires you to live if you are His Child. After all, He is God and always has everything under control down to the smallest detail. He already knows everything you will face in the future, where He desires to lead you, and He can see the road clearly when the fog threatens to completely envelop you and you can’t see to even take a baby step.

If you can learn to trust God in that way, you won’t be paralyzed with fear to step out into the unknown. He knows your strengths, weaknesses, and limitations much better than you ever could, and from His perspective all you can do is be victorious if you will trust Him.

When He tells you to do something, He doesn’t expect you to do it in your own power or with your own abilities. He wants you to lean on and trust Him to work through you, so you should never be afraid to trust Him with every area of your life. He loves you more than any other person ever could and only wants the best for you in every way.

Don’t stay in that “comfort zone” any longer. It WILL be scary at first, but God will meet you exactly where you are now and make you into the person He can use for His Glory.

Don’t spend another minute being ORDINARY when God wants to do something EXTRAORDINARY in your life. All you have to do is take the first step and walk in His Power instead of your own.

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Handbook for Victorious Christian Living – practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

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Power of the Living Word

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?

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David wrote this Psalm when he was in exile from Jerusalem. He longed to go back there and worship daily in the Temple because that was where God resided. It would be many years before Jesus would come to earth as a man, die on the cross, rise from the grave, and ascend to Heaven so the Holy Spirit could come back to earth to live in the heart of every person who accepts Him as Savior.

David had to physically go to the Temple worship services, and be a part of the chorus of praise that rose up to his Heavenly Father during one of the sacrifice times before he felt he had truly worshiped God.

A hart is an animal (like our deer today) that is fond of feeding near the water. When hunted he will go into the water and stay submerged as long as possible, then get in the middle of the river and swim downstream, not touching any tree branches on either side so dogs won’t be able to follow his scent. In a chase he becomes faint, and longs for  water intensely.

The word “panteth” as David uses it here means not just a quiet longing and inward desire, but audible panting produced by an agony of thirst – the intense desire and overwhelming sense of want.

This exact word occurs only twice in the Bible,  here and in Joel 1:20.  It  properly means to rise, and then, to look up toward anything; to long for. It refers here to the intense desire of the hind (female deer), in the heat of day, for water; or, in Joel, to the desire of the cattle for water in a time of drought.

There was an intense thirst that needed to be quenched, and nothing would help until water was found.

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How much do you thirst to truly know God? Does that thirst consume your very being?  Are you satisfied just being the way you are right now, whatever that is?

God has a plan for every Christian life, but many times He doesn’t reveal that plan until He sees how thirsty you will become to find out what it is.

In these last days, He wants to use His People to do an awesome work. Will you be willing to get rid of all the unnecessary baggage that has been holding you back and completely surrender your life to Him? It probably won’t be easy, but in the long run it will be well worth it. There is nothing greater than living a life of peace and harmony with God.

Now that is truly living!!!

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Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

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23 Elements of the Lord’s Prayer

1. Relationship: Our Father

2. Recognition: which art in heaven

3. Adoration: hallowed be thy name

4. Anticipation: Thy kingdom come

5. Consecration: Thy will be done

6. Universality: in earth

7. Conformity: as it is in heaven

8. Supplication: Give us

9. Definiteness: this day

10. Necessity: our daily bread

11. Penitence: And forgive us

12. Obligation: our debts

13. Forgiveness: as we forgive

14. Love and mercy: our debtors

15. Guidance: And lead us

16. Protection: not into temptation

17. Salvation: but deliver us

18. Righteousness: from evil

19. Faith: For thine is the kingdom

20. Humility: and the power

21. Reverence: and the glory

22. Timelessness: for ever

23. Affirmation: Amen

NOTE:

The first 3 petitions of the prayer make 7 points concerning God

The last 4 petitions make 16 points concerning man

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What does it really mean to surrender every dream and every single part of your whole life to God?

For much of my life, I thought this kind of surrender meant that God would tell me to do something I didn’t want to do; then I would be stuck in a miserable existence, forcing myself to be obedient to Him day after day but wishing I had chosen another path.

My perception of God was so wrong. How could I have ever believed that my loving Father who created me would ever want anything less than His best for my life? My only answer is that I felt I was smart enough to do things on my own. It’s funny how we always try to make ourselves believe that we are in complete control of all situations when, in actuality, there are very few things we have any control over at all.

It is a scary thing to make the decision to turn your life over completely to God if you don’t already know something about His Character. His dreams for you are much better than any you have ever had, but you will never understand Him with head knowledge only. You must read the Bible and let its words soak into your heart to change your way of thinking.

If you have come to the conclusion that you don’t have everything under control and can’t make things right no matter how hard you try, give up your own way of doing things and give God the steering wheel. He will meet you exactly where you are at this moment and start to direct your ways.

Once you start to see His Character, you will find that you can fully surrender every area of your life to Him and know that He is leading you in the right direction.

Total surrender is just being obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit (God living inside the Christian.) You don’t need to have all the answers when God already knows them.

John 16: 13-14

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall  he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

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Many times we go to church expecting to be entertained instead of going with an expectation of God doing something in our life like convicting us of sin or reminding us of things that need to change.

The motto of the world today is “What is in it for me?” or “What can you do for me?”

God wants you to prepare your heart for worship before you ever enter the doors of the church. If the songs are biblically sound, don’t think so much about the style as what the words say. When you start to truly worship Him, the style of music will fade into the background where it should be anyway.

Don’t let Satan trick you into falling for the lie that you can’t worship God unless you are singing a certain style of music. God can get through to your heart with any style as long as there is TRUTH in the words.

Make the choice that you will prepare your heart to truly worship God the next time you go to church, and don’t allow yourself to concentrate on any other thing.

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God is truly with you no matter what is going on in your life. He loves you like no other person on earth ever could, and only wants to give you His Very Best. If you are hurting right now, run to Him and let Him give you comfort. He wants to be there for you in the worst of times and also in the best of times.

It is the natural response to run away from God or blame Him when things start to fall apart. If you have done this, fall on your knees, repent, and get back into a right relationship with Him. Let Him steer the boat through the rough waters until you get to the other side of the storm. It is an awesome feeling to know that you will never be alone if you give God control.

He Is With You – Mandisa

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God places people in our path to help refine and grow us, and so that we can help others in their walk with Him.

Even though there are plenty of bad things that happen each day, don’t let yourself get to the point that all you dwell on is the bad. God is still at work and doing plenty of great, even awesome things. Make the choice to look at things from His point of view and your life will be so much happier and peaceful.

His refinement process can seem tough at times, but He never wants you to settle for anything less than His Very Best.

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There was a boy named Grumble Tone who ran away to sea,

“I’m sick of things on land,” he said, “as sick as I can be;

A life upon the bounding wave will suit a lad like me!”

*****

The seething ocean billows failed to stimulate his mirth,

For he did not like the vessel, nor the dizzy, rolling berth,

And he thought the sea was almost as unpleasant as the earth.

*****

He wandered into foreign lands, he saw each wondrous sight,

But nothing that he heard or saw seemed just exactly right;

And so he journeyed on and on, still seeking for delight.

*****

He talked with kings and ladies fair; he dined in courts, they say,

But always found the people dull, and longed to get away

To search for that mysterious land where he would like to stay.

*****

He wandered over all the world, his hair grew white as snow;

He reached that final bourne at last where all of us must go,

But never found the land he sought. The reason you would know?

*****

The reason was that north or south, where’er his steps were bent,

On land or sea, in court or hall, he found but discontent;

For he took his disposition with him everywhere he went.

*****

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Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

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Power of the Living Word

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How many of us as Christians can say we have a foundation in God that is strong enough to truly be unshakable no matter what might come our way – that our roots are so strong we might sway a bit but not bend to the point that we will be broken and uprooted?

We all have unexpected problems that come into our lives, heartaches and pain to deal with, and things we think are impossible or might never change no matter how hard it might be to live with them.

If you are in a place such as this in your life right now, don’t give up. If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart as your personal Savior, you have Him on your side in His role as intercessor to God on your behalf.

Instead of running away from God, run to Him.

Turn to the Word of God and read it as a person who is dying of thirst and must get water soon or they will perish. God will meet you exactly where you are at this moment. All you need to do is ask for His help. The Holy Spirit will give you understanding of the verses in the Bible and guide you on how to walk in obedience to them.

No, God probably won’t handle things in the same way you would, but He knows exactly what you need. Spend time every day reading the Bible, praying and asking Him to help you, thanking Him in advance for the answer you will receive.

God truly wants to make you a person who has an unshakable faith in Him.

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

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