Victory Blog

“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”¹

Talk, talk, talk… Too many words. We have talk radio and talk TV. People just talk and talk. Why? Maybe they just like to hear themselves pontificate. Maybe they feel the more words they speak the better they appear to others. Maybe they just like to show off their supposed intelligence and wisdom. Maybe they like to let the people around them that they know more or have more expertise than others. Maybe they find in the multitudinous words some form of defense mechanism. Or maybe, they just like to pass gossip.
In our text, a tree is known by its fruit and the context is dealing with what we say. Jesus said we are going to be held accountable for all our words, not just the important ones, but also the seemingly insignificant words. This means that I need to weigh my words before I open my mouth. Why? Because my words will be the criteria that God uses to justify and judge me. God has a big mp3 player that is recording all my words and will someday playback them all to me.

In light of all this, we need to remember the admonitions of Scripture:

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.”²
“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger”³

1. Matthew 12:33–37 [↩]
2. Proverbs 10:19 [↩]
3. James 1:19 [↩]

“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”¹
Who holds the future in His hands? Who knows the end from the beginning? Who is in control of all the circumstances of life? The Lord, the covenant/promise keeper. So be encouraged.
Why? It is because of the promises of God.
God promises to go before you. “Go” as the idea of walk and “before thee” means “to your face” or “ahead of you.” Your God promises to be the trailblazer before you. All he wants you to do is to following his steps.
God also promises to be with you. He will never abandon you. He never slumber nor sleeps. He never gets tired. He is always with you. You are in His presence 24/7.
God promises that he will not fail you. Fail means to leave alone, abandon, or let drop. He will always hold you by His hand. And He will never let you go.
Finally, God promises not to forsake or abandon or reject you. You are accepted in the “Beloved.” You are uniquely His and He will always keep you close to His heart.
In light of God’s promises, you do not have to fear or be discouraged. Even when you are in pain, when people attack you, when finances are tight, when disease comes or… You can face every circumstance of life with the promises of God and truly be encouraged.

1. Deut 31:8 [↩]

Twice Abraham succumbed to his fear that a ruler would kill him and steal his wife (Gen. 12:11-20; 20:2-13). Fearing for his life, he deceived both Pharaoh and King Abimelech by saying, “She is my sister”—in essence welcoming the king to take Sarah into his harem (20:2). With fear dictating his actions, he put at risk God’s plan that through him and Sarah a great nation would arise (12:1-3).

But before we judge Abraham, we should ask ourselves a few questions. For fear of losing our job, would we compromise our integrity? For fear of appearing old-fashioned, would we set aside our values? For fear of being ridiculed or misunderstood, would we neglect sharing the gospel and put someone’s eternity at risk? Only one thing will conquer our fears: tenacious faith in God’s presence, protection, power, and promises.
promises.” – Our Daily Bread, 07/19/11

“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

“…for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”¹

What makes a difference in existence upon this sinful world? What changes the perspective of self, others and circumstances? What is the motivation for me to experience the victory of Christ? 

Isaiah said and experienced it: “…for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

When I lift my eyes from the pain of living, the disappointments of life and stresses of existence, and look to the King, I find new hope, assurance, comfort, purpose and joy.

Today, let us lift up our eyes to behold the King, the Lord of hosts.

1. Isa 6:5 [↩]

Synopsis: The church is dying and is in denial. It is being deceived by a slow absorption of the surrounding world system. As a result, Jesus will judge, unless we repent.

Standard Podcast Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”¹

Delight in this verse means “enjoy, be fond, i.e., take pleasure and enjoyment in an object, implying desirability of the object .”  It is not just enjoy, but enjoy the Lord. What kind of relationship do you have with God? Is it mechanical, stiff, distant, or fearful. How about delight? Do you rejoice in the fact that when you trusted Jesus as your personal Savior you started a new, living, vital relationship with the God who truly loves and cares for you? Do you truly delight in the Lord, or have you lost your focus? Why not return to the God of your salvation and truly delight in Him. You just might be surprised with the results.

1. Psalm 37:4–5 [↩]