Tag: victory

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Easter’s Work to Continue

Risen Savior,
How our hearts burned within us yesterday at our Easter celebration! Though all human effort falls short, we pray that you were glorified and exalted in a most worthy manner by believers everywhere. Through the preaching, hymns, and songs highlighting the certainty of the Resurrection, your people were edified as well. We boldly ask the Spirit to continue nurturing all seeds of faith that were planted yesterday, and that a great number of wandering sheep were brought back in closer to the fold and to you, their Good Shepherd. May this wonderful truth, that the Resurrection is not as much a one-time celebration as it is a daily reality, sustain and uplift our spirits even as the day of Easter itself has passed.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Resurrection Joy

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred, and none more sacred than this festival morning, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The long Lenten journey culminated at the cross, where death appeared to swallow up the Savior. But this morning we see a different story: the tables have turned, and it is death that has been swallowed up by the victorious Resurrection! Bless all who gather today to celebrate your gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Let the empty tomb ease minds troubled by thoughts of dying and calm hearts afraid of death. Fill countless souls with joy on this day, for today and always, life rules because He lives!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Live in the Confidence of the Resurrection

Victorious Savior,
By your resurrection, you solidified and secured all that was necessary for our salvation. We are free from Satan’s slavery, from sin’s condemnation, and from death’s eternal claim on us. You are victorious, and through faith in you, that victory is also ours. 

We are not longer among the spiritually walking dead, but having been raised with you, are victorious and alive. Let your resurrection give us a spiritual swagger that allows us to live boldly in confidence. Steer us away from claims or feelings of victimhood or pity when we forget who we are in you. Instead, make us eager to be the salt and light you have made us to be in this world. Let us not shy away from conversations or behavior that would celebrate you, but embrace all such opportunities to exude the confidence we have as victors through the Resurrection.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Easter Identity (Part 3)

Risen Savior,
Sometimes I lose sight of who I am, but Easter assures me of my identity. Significant successes or shames in my life can cloud my identity, distracting or deceiving me from who I really am. When you bless me in any given endeavor with success, my pride hijacks that success and claims it as its own, rather than the gift from you that it is. Pride then attempts to anchor my identity to that success. As soon as that success passes then, that false identity crumbles apart.

Something similar can take place when my words or actions result in significant shame. The evil one mercilessly taunts me with endless attempts to convince me that my real identity will forever be associated with my shame. 

Success or shame – neither determines who I am, for my identity was bought and paid for on the cross, and the Resurrection is the stamp of approval that the Father accepted payment in full. It is not my success or shame that determines my identity, but your successful victory on my behalf. Let your resurrection always remain the anchor for my identity, and let me take everything else, all success and shame, in stride. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Easter Identity (Part 2)

Risen Savior,
Sometimes I lose sight of who I am, but Easter assures me of my identity. Significant shocks in my life can turn my life upside down, causing me to question who I am. Some may have happened long ago during childhood, resulting in wounds that still haunt me today, leaving doubt and uncertainty about my self-image. Trauma, injury, sudden catastrophe – these unexpected turns can lead us to question who we are or what’s wrong with us.

When such shocks strike suddenly and I find myself shutting down, remind me that an even more shocking event overshadows all of them: the Resurrection! It is your rising from the dead – and not any shocking events in my own life – that has the final say in my identity. Because of your victory, I am victorious, too. Because you live, I have life, too, and meaningful life at that, for I am yours! This ought to shock me daily more than anything else. You died and rose again to wash and purify me as your own for eternity. I am yours. May that always be more than enough for me!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Easter Identity (Part 1)

Risen Savior,
Sometimes I lose sight of who I am, but Easter assures me of my identity. Significant shifts in my life can cause me to question who I am. After years behind desks in classrooms, the shift into the working world means I am no longer the student I have been accustomed to being. An undesired breakup may lead me to wrestle with what’s wrong with me. Getting married, having children, adjusting to new social circles – shifts like these can expose fears and insecurities that strip me of my confidence.

When I experience these shifts, take me back to Easter morning. Take me to your tomb, where the certainty of the Resurrection provides the proof I need to know who I am: yours! Various shifts will continue to take place in my life, but they’ll never change my identity. Your victory means I am victorious, it means my fears and insecurities have been rolled away with the stone at the tomb. I am forgiven and I am yours. I need no other identity than that!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless My Easter Plans

Holy Father,
Tomorrow we celebrate the greatest victory the world will ever know: Jesus’ victory over Satan. Along with that victory you have removed the sting of death and its permanence, as well as the slavery of sin and its condemnation.

Whatever Easter plans are in place for tomorrow and the days ahead, I pray that they are not a distraction from my Easter joy. Instead, as those plans are in motion, may they serve as reminders to make me even more mindful of your Resurrection. Guard me from being so caught up in any planning, preparation, or misplaced priorities that would rob me of Easter joy instead of expanding it. Keep me from any stress that would steal the peace and calm of knowing that the Resurrection has secured my eternal rest. Bless my celebration of your victory – for your victory is also mine!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

You Don’t Stand a Chance

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(1 Samuel 17)

“Dismayed and terrified.” That’s the description of how you are feeling as you are watching this giant of a man, this killing machine named Goliath, invite a challenger to stand up and oppose him. And you aren’t the only one feeling that way! The Israelites – battle-hardened, trained soldiers! – are also “dismayed and terrified.”  Saul, the one who was no physical slouch in his own right, described as being a head taller than the average man, the one who is supposed to be Israel’s fearless leader, the king and general – he also is included among those who are “dismayed and terrified.” 

And understandably so! Nowhere else in Scripture do we have such a lengthy description of a soldier – ally or enemy! According to the measurements provided in these verses, the Philistine champion, the best of their best, Goliath, was in the neighborhood of nine feet tall. His coat of bronze scale armor weighed as much as a small teenager. The iron tip of his spear was as heavy as an olympic men’s shot put. Twice a day for forty days (v.16) Goliath had come out to face a potential challenger, but none showed because every time he appeared, they all fled in fear (v.24). This much was clear to any sensible person who might consider opposing the imposing Goliath: you don’t stand a chance.

I doubt anyone’s opinion changed when the challenger, David, arrived. He was small in stature, comparatively speaking – a shepherd, not a soldier. In place of any weapons of war, he had a staff, a slingshot, and some stones. Any armor was absent. When Saul sent him, saying, “Go, and the Lord be with you,” (v. 37b), while he surely must have admired David’s confidence, it’s hard to imagine that he himself had any real confidence that David would actually be able to pull this off. The rest of the Israelite army watching had to be expecting a blood bath. David’s own brothers likely assumed their arrogant little bother was going to get what he deserved. This much was clear to any sensible person watching David opposing the imposing Goliath: you don’t stand a chance.

Step away from the showdown for a moment and into your own life. There may be no Goliath, but there is no shortage of imposing threats in his place that seem like insurmountable challenges to overcome. Some are seasonal and situational and some are just plain sin. They’re circumstances you find yourself in that don’t ever seem like they’re going to change. The burden of a loved one with zero interest in Jesus or who believed at one time but is now walking away from the faith. You’re tied up in a toxic work environment, but can’t afford to walk away from the paycheck. Frustrated by a friend who can’t seem to get their life on track because it’s littered with awful choices. Quietly suffering abuse with no clear way out. Chronic pain for which nothing seems to offer relief. Not being able to quit doing that thing that I know full well I should not be doing. This much is clear to any sensible person: you don’t stand a chance.

But sensible doesn’t hold a candle to spiritual. Return back to the showdown between the Philistine and fearless shepherd. Why do you think David, at a severe disadvantage when it came to size, training, and weapons, was unafraid? Because sensible doesn’t hold a candle to spiritual. When we consider the significance of what was described in the previous chapter as having taken place, it starts to make sense. David was anointed. “Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David” (1 Sam. 16:13).

There it is – the source of his confidence! David was anointed with the power of the Spirit of the Lord! With that in mind, suddenly it isn’t David who appears to be the underdog, but the godless heathen, Goliath! 

There we have it! A David-like faith, a spiritual swagger that knew God was for him, a trust that refused to be taunted – when these are present, then we have a fighting chance. Then we can slay our own giants and take down the Goliaths getting in the way in our lives! Then the underdog story can play out just like it’s supposed to! The little guy wins; the big oppressor is overcome. It’s a tale for the ages, and arguably one of the most played out stories from the whole Bible. We see it in movies when the underdog team ends up pulling off the upset in the championship game, when the little start-up small business takes down the blue-chip behemoth at its own game. We love the underdog story! 

And as Peter preached in the days of the early church, through baptism, we have been anointed with the same powerful Spirit that came upon David. “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). We, too, can imitate David and courageously take down whatever stands in our way! Greater faith! Titanium-like trust! With God on our side, we can overcome any adversary in our lives and slay our giants!

But what is to blame then, when cancer is the conqueror and we’re on the losing side? Why is the abuse still continuing? Why hasn’t the chronic pain gone away? Why am I still unable to quit doing what I know I should not be doing? Wait a minute – that’s not how it’s supposed to end.

But it does! And we can spin David’s victory every which way we want to into some spiritual motivational speech to lead us to boldly take down our giants, but then we’re left without an answer when the giant wins and we lose. What then? Not enough trust? Not enough faith? Tough luck – it was “just God’s will,” and there’s nothing we can do about it. Baloney.

There is so much more in this narrative that God wants us to take away, and no matter how many times you’ve heart it, the main takeaway is not that you can slay your giants like David did with the Lord on your side. No, David’s role is not primarily one for you to imitate, but simply to celebrate. 

Put yourself back on the battlefield. You just witnessed a boy with a stone take down a massive man-killer. Now what? You celebrate, not because now you have someone to idolize, but because someone just did what you would not and could not. David stepped up in your place to take down the enemy. You didn’t have to lift a muscle. Your weapon rested on the ground beside you the whole time. Not the slightest bit of perspiration was required of you. Not a drop of blood on you anywhere. David defeated the enemy for you and you get to celebrate the victory.

What David was to Goliath, our Savior is to Satan. David cut off Goliath’s head; our Savior crushed Satan’s. What David accomplished against the Philistine in the valley with two armies watching intently, Jesus carried out on a cross and completed at the tomb with armies of angels and legions of demons watching intently. Jesus stepped up in your place to take down the enemy. You didn’t have to lift a muscle. Your weapon rested on the ground beside you the whole time. Not the slightest bit of perspiration was required of you. Not a drop of blood on you anywhere – it was all on Jesus, who defeated the enemy for you, and you get to celebrate the victory.

And rest assured, the victory was decisive and final. “[Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). The Savior defeated Satan for you and you get to celebrate the victory. Only as those words are spoken by Jesus to Satan have they ever been so true: Satan, you don’t stand a chance.

And that means that you and I do. Now you are back on your own battlefield. No matter what you’re facing, you can face it fearlessly. Because even when you lose, you win. Because Jesus did. You can face any obstacle, any challenge, any hardship, with complete confidence – not with the guarantee that you will overcome it, for you know better – you might not!

But even if you don’t, and the struggle and the difficulty and the suffering and the pain continue, you can endure it, because the battle that matters for eternity has already been won for you by your champion, your Savior, your Jesus. And whatever we face for the short time here on earth can’t begin to compare with the celebration in eternity that will never ever end. 

Earlier, in describing Goliath, I mentioned that nowhere else in Scripture do we have such a detailed description of a soldier’s weaponry and armor. That’s not entirely true. There is such a description. It’s found in the sixth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, a section describing the “armor of God” that the Christian is encouraged to wear.

How fitting a reminder! Even as Scripture encourages us to take a stand, it does so not with any worldly weapons or shoddy, short-lived solutions that we might devise or resort to, but the armor of God. How beautifully that fits with David’s bold statement as he faced the soon-to-be headless, threatless heathen, Goliath. “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (v.47). The battle wasn’t David’s! The battle isn’t ours! The battle is the Lord’s! Why would you dress with anything other than the armor of God, who alone is able to overcome and conquer?

There is a noteworthy epilogue in the Bible after David’s victory. “When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines…” (v.51-52). David’s victory spurred on Israel! Those who were formerly “dismayed and terrified” suddenly surged forward to fight with a newfound bravery! 

Should it be any different for us, for Christ’s church, for the people of God, to go forth with valor, fighting with the weapon of his Word, to demolish strongholds and let his kingdom come? Where are the enemies of the cross? Who opposes Christ, the crucified conqueror? We can face them fearlessly, bolding alerting them to this reality: “You don’t stand a chance! I fight for the Savior who already fought for me – and won! Victory is ours!”

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Struggling Spiritually

Faithful Father,
Today I pray for my brothers in the faith who are struggling spiritually. Some are battling temptation or addiction. Others are wrestling with reservation and doubt in their faith and its application in their lives. Challenges to serving as the spiritual head of their household are plaguing others. 

I bring all of these men before you, Lord, praying that you don’t allow this season of adversity to drive a wedge between you and them, but rather use it to draw them closer to you. Lead them to the Word, so that your Spirit can equip them with the full armor needed to fight bravely and not give in. Surround them with other Christian brothers like me who not only pray on their behalf, but serve as spiritual allies to help them in every way possible. Do not let the evil one have the upper hand, but let your resounding resurrection victory carry the day for them, that they may find your strength to be their strength, and be emboldened to fight fiercely with the confidence that you have already won the victory for them.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Victory from Defeat

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(Genesis 3:8-15)

The team that gets swept in four games doesn’t win the championship. The candidate with fewer votes doesn’t win the election. The contestant with the wrong answer doesn’t win the gameshow. There’s no rigorous testing or investigation that needs to happen in such cases to determine the winner from the loser; it’s plain to see.

Unless you’re God. Then it’s more of a challenge. Why? Because God wins, and God doesn’t just win in victory, but God has repeatedly shown that he also wins in “defeat.” In other words, no matter how things may appear to us through our earthly eyes, whatever we’re seeing, God is able to use to win – to bring victory out of it. Yes, even victory from defeat. 

We have the follow-up to what appeared to be the most tragic defeat in all of history in our verses from Genesis 3. God had spoken the world into existence and established Adam & Eve as its keepers and overseers. He gave them the freedom to enjoy the created world in countless ways, while also providing them with opportunity to worship him by honoring the one command he did give them: not to eat the fruit of a certain tree. Satan, though, had his rebellious heart set on turning the created against their Creator, and never before and never again will one bite come at such a price. With it, sin had infiltrated God’s perfect world, and the occasion in our verses details for us what happened next. 

The question is often asked, “Why didn’t God just start all over after the fall?” That’s actually a fair question. The thought behind that question comes from the rationale that starting over could have avoided so much of the devastation that sin has caused in the world. While that may be true, if God had elected to take a mulligan and do it all over again, he would have been bound to his own word that warned of hell for anyone who ate the fruit from the one tree he prohibited (Gen. 2:16-17). To start over would have resulted in the first two souls ever created being sentenced to hell for eternity.

So God chose the better way, laid out in these verses from Genesis 3, so that no one – not even our first parents – would need to be sentenced to hell for eternity, because his Son would serve that sentence in our place.

The same question, “Why didn’t God just start all over after the fall,” could be asked from another perspective: that of God’s righteous wrath. Why didn’t God instantly turn his holy face from them? They had disobeyed his clear command. They didn’t deserve an explanation from him, let alone to ever have any interaction with God again. He surely could have written them off, condemned them, and started all over again based on just their actions alone.

Instead, God shows us who he is. He is more interested in pursuing sinners than he is in punishing them. Do you believe that about God? He reveals that to us about himself in this very account. Not only that, but our top-down faith also allows us to see that God is more than capable of bringing victory out of defeat. 

While God will not force anyone to come to faith in him or to love him, what God will do is make those things possible for everyone. Not only that, but he also provides more than enough reason for our faith and love to be directed to him.

Perhaps no account demonstrates this so clearly and so powerfully as “The Fall.” In fact, the heading for this section in our Bibles might be better labeled “God’s Determined Grace.” For even though the fall into sin brought irreparable damage to God’s perfect creation and to our lives and relationships, it was also the occasion through which God introduced his radical grace. And the greatness of God’s grace will always far outshine the severity and shame of sin. That’s because grace makes it possible to experience victory even in defeat. 

That doesn’t otherwise happen outside of grace. The losing side loses. While there may be some lessons learned and some positive takeaways, the defeated side in any war still loses. The losing party in the election still loses. The jury in a courtroom doesn’t rule in favor of both sides; there is a winner and a loser in every trial. That’s the way it works. The winning side enjoys the victory while the losing side is defeated.

But God’s promise in Genesis 3 turned that on its head. Even as God lays out his first gospel promise in all of Scripture, what is he doing but announcing victory in the face of defeat? The serpent had won. He had succeeded in deceiving Adam & Eve in sin. He was victorious. Yet look at how God proceeded with the interrogation process and judgment rendered after the fact.

He started with Adam, and the fact that he was hiding was a dead giveaway, an obvious indicator of his guilt. In a roundabout “I did it but it’s not really my fault” kind of way, double-dishing the blame on both the woman and basically God for putting her there with him, he did at least admit his defeat. He had eaten the fruit. Guilty. 

Instead of declaring Adam’s sentencing for his guilt right then and there, God moved on. The woman was up next. Taking her lead from Adam’s example, in similar fashion she gave yet another “I did it but it’s not really my fault” response, pinning it on the serpent. But at least she did admit her defeat. She had eaten the fruit. Guilty.

Instead of declaring Even’s sentencing for her guilt right then and there, God moved on. The serpent was up next.

This time, however, there is no interrogation. There is not trial. There is no opportunity for the serpent to defend himself. Instead of providing Satan with the opportunity to respond, God has only one thing to declare: judgment. Defeat. Yes, Satan looked like the victorious one as the juice from the fruit trickled down Adam & Eve’s lips, but God had something else to say about it. In no uncertain terms, he declared Satan’s defeat at the hands of the Savior, and victory for any and all who would believe it. The Lord God declared to Satan about Eve’s offspring, Jesus, “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). 

When we leave the garden and arrive at Golgotha, we see God’s promise of victory carried out – albeit a victory that would come through what appeared to be defeat. That supposed defeat, that Jesus had to endure the crucifixion as our substitute, was Genesis 3:15 playing out, for there Satan struck the heel of Eve’s offspring, the Savior. He had to suffer and die. 

His death, however, was not defeat; it was the first of a one-two punch to Satan and all of hell, by which Satan’s head would be crushed. His death served the sentence for all sinners. Jesus bore not only the weight of all sin of all time, but also all the fury and wrath of God’s righteous anger against sin by being abandoned and forsaken to endure hell in our place.

But not forever! No, the glorious final blow of the one-two punch came three days later when the very same Savior, Jesus, rose triumphantly in – not defeat, but in victory! So both in the garden and again at Golgotha, God rendered victory from defeat!

So God still does this for you and for me today. In one of the most painful experiences of what appears to be defeat, a loved one dies. We even speak in terms of defeat – they “lost” their battle with cancer or we “lost” them last night. Yet for those loved ones in Christ, theirs is not a loss at a all; rather, they have crossed the finish line of victory and made it home. They’ve won, because God wins.

It happens also in the aftermath of sin that we commit, when we’ve “lost” (there it is again!) the battle of temptation and are reeling from the collateral damage of that sin – ours or another’s. That empty cup of self-inflicted suffering is where God’s grace and forgiveness are poured out and overflow. So even sin, with all its damage and loss, must give way to the victory of forgiveness and renewal and reconciliation, which is ALWAYS right behind sin, cleaning up its mess. What looks like loss is the very grace of forgiveness that assures us of not only victory, but newfound strength that shapes us ever more into the image of the Savior, so that next time we don’t so easily or willingly stumble. We are battle-tested and better-prepared because of the grace of forgiveness. Victory from defeat. We win, because God wins.

That leads us to thank God through the joy of our sanctified living. But sometimes our sanctified living doesn’t look very sanctified. Sometimes, even though God’s grace has and always will declare us to be victorious, to be winners… we still live like losers, like those who have been defeated. This happens when the life of an unbeliever and the life of a believer appear to be virtually identical. The believer’s language still sounds like he’s on the losing side of the world. The believer still jokes the course jokes that sound like the losing side of the world. The believer is just as indifferent or disinterested in growing in faith and God’s Word like he’s on the losing side of the world. The list goes on.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in the garden, God promised victory from defeat. At Golgotha, he delivered on that promise. Through faith in Jesus Christ as the Guaranteer of that victory, you have won. Your baptism solidifies it. The Supper reminds you of it. So let us live like it. Let us not be indistinguishable from those of the world who do not know or care to know about the victory we have in Jesus Christ. Let us stand out, like winners, like sanctified saints who have a spiritual swagger that is backed up by righteous living. In doing so, we reveal to others what it looks like for God to bring victory from defeat in our lives – and show what it could like like in their’s too.