Seeds of Victory

Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. ~ Joshua 1:1-9 MSG

Through Jesus, God has given us victory. We must take the seeds of victory He’s already planted and, following the instructions in His Word, help them grow into beautiful fruit-bearing plants. Joshua 1:1-9 gives us some of those keys.

All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. ~ Joshua 1:5 MSG

Jesus said that because we are called by His Name, people will come against us (Matthew 5:11), but He also says that He has overcome the world, so we need not fear, (John 16:33).

I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. ~ Joshua 1:5 MSG

Over and over, God promises to never leave us, never abandon us, never forsake us. He says He is with us and He is for us, (Romans 8:31). On our good days and rough days, in our celebrations and our set-backs, He’ll be there. We need to reject the lies of the enemy that we will ever be abandoned or alone! Our Father God promises to never leave us. He is for us and He loves us!

Don’t get off track…get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. ~ Joshua 1:7-8 MSG

The enemy fights hard to steal the victory. But we have been given both power and authority to overcome the enemy, (Luke 9:1). Throughout His Word, God gives us instructions to live by and promises to stand upon so that we are able to live victoriously!

God, your God, is with you every step you take. ~ Joshua 1:9 MSG

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me,” (Psalm 139:5 NIV). God goes with us, protects us, and guides us. From the highest height to the deepest valley and every place in between, He will be there if you are there, because He loves you!

©Heather Potts 2016

Kill Shot

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Romans 8:35-39 describe the many things that cannot separate us from the love of God. But if the enemy can get us to believe otherwise, then he can own us. If, for example, he can get you to constantly compare yourself to others by asking, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why do I always have to be the one to ____ (fill in the blank)?” or “When is it my turn to be taken care of?” Devour means “Destroy; be consumed with grief.” When we listen to and begin to ask questions like these, that’s when we’re in danger of being devoured.

I used to wonder how anyone could find themselves in the position to be devoured. But then after walking through a season in which I was asking one or more of those questions, I realized standing or falling is all about focus. Because I was focusing on those lies, those questions, and then the false answers the enemy was spinning my way, it caused me to question the Truth. When we focus on God’s unconditional love for us, we begin to see ourselves as He sees us and can’t help but fall madly in love with Him, needing Him more than life and breath. But when we entertain the enemy’s questions, we begin to question God’s love and faithfulness and we begin to fall.

In 1 Peter 5:6-9, God gives us specific steps to keep us from harm, keeping our focus on Him:

·         Humble yourself under God (v 6)

·         Cast your anxiety on God (v 7)

·         Be alert and of sober mind (v 8)

·         Resist the enemy and stand firm (v 9)

I encourage and challenge you: if you’ve been entertaining those questions, it’s time to change your mind! You were not called to anyone else’s life or race—quit comparing yourself to others! Father God loves you unconditionally and He has given you the mind of Christ so that you’ll be able to focus on the truth and not the liar. Now stand firm and defeat the devourer!

©Heather Potts 2016 

I Hate Pantyhose

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing…absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. ~ Romans 8:38-39 MSG

I hate pantyhose—and tights too! 

Early in my pregnancy with Savannah, I wanted everything to be perfect, so I got pregnancy tights… And then I cried! I cried because I couldn’t get them on comfortably. Later I cried because once I did, I had to go to the bathroom, and then I cried because I had to start all over! I was so afraid that I’d failed my whole pregnancy because I couldn’t make the tights work. But then a dear friend reminded me that my husband would love me whether I wore the tights or not. She even told me that she hated tights and refused to wear them herself.  It’s so freeing when you know you are loved! When I realized that my husband would love me even if I didn’t do everything the pregnancy books suggested, it freed me from a lot of stress!

My husband’s love for me gave me freedom. It freed me from pain, frustrations and a lot of wasted of energy—energy needed for developing a baby. But my husband first had to experience this kind of love. He experienced it through Christ, through unconditional love. He learned that nothing—not his past or his present, nothing within or outside of his control—absolutely nothing would separate him from God’s love. And once he had that revelation, he was free to not only love God, but to love me, too.

If you’re still fighting with the pantyhose—the things that cause you undue stress—in your life, just remember things will go wrong, circumstances will go awry, plans will fail, but nothing will ever change how much God loves you!

©Heather Potts 2016