LIVING THE WORD DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

LIVING THE WORD
DEVOTIONAL

‘We Always Rise Above 1

Olumide Akinsanya

Anchor text:
2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (NKJV)
7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9. persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed
10. always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.


INTRODUCTION
Praise be to God our Father who causes us to triumph always. The believers victory is secured and settled by the Word  Christ Jesus. We dont live a life without hope; we are assured of always rising above situations and circumstances. Things dont happen to us; they happen for us  Raphael A. Macaulay. We always rise above.

WHO VS WHAT
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4. Many of the times, there is a contradiction between 'who' we are and 'what' we do or go through. We are carriers of the Divine life deeply rooted by faith in Christ Jesus. Whatever it is that we go through cannot overwhelm us, but rather, is a part of the process of our growth in the knowledge of Christ.

GOD'S POWER
As we grow in the knowledge of Him, Gods power is made manifest through us. The excellency of this power [dunamis] is express through us as we preach the gospel of Christ to the unsaved and demonstrating His love to all men. We are carriers of Gods power and the power finds expression through love.

VICTORY OVER THE WORLD
Jesus secured our victory when He rose from the dead. And as He arose, we who believe, rose up with Him as our Champion. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world  our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5. The believer has a predestined future assured in Christ Jesus.

MORE THAN CONQUERORS
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:37-39

We are more than conquerors because He loved us. A conqueror is one who goes to battle and returns victorious. But a More Than Conqueror receives the reward of victory from the one who fought on his behalf. Oh! What a love! Thats why I love the words of this song I dont fight for victory but from victory by Michael Macaulay.

WE DON'T BACK DOWN
"We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair..." 2 Cor 4:8 (AMP). We always rise above. Glory to God!

You are blessed!

Say this...
Dear Father,
Thank You for the Truth you reveal to me by Your Word. I am Your elect. I abound in the spirit of thanksgiving. I am chosen by You, holy and blameless before You in love. I am accepted in the beloved. I am established by grace. I am victorious through Christ. I am an overcomer. Hallelujah!

I triumph always!
I win always!
I rule! I reign!

Jesus is Lord!

Further study:
* Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:6,11; Col. 1:13; Col. 2:13-15; Eph. 1:19; Phil. 2:13; Heb. 13:5; Phil. 1:6; Phil. 4:6-7; 2 Thess. 2:16; 2 Tim. 2:12; Phil. 1:29; 1 Pet. 2:20; 1 Pet. 4:12-13; 1 Thess. 3:3; Rom. 8:18; Col. 1:24 *