Champion: Worship Devotional

Champion: Worship Devotional

by | Feb 26, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“You are my championGiants fall when You standUndefeatedEvery battle You’ve won”

Champion, Dante Bowe

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45, NIV

God is the God of the impossible.

In the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) we read that the Philistines gathered their armies and pitched their tents in Judah – and sent forth their champion, a giant named Goliath.

Goliath taunted and ridiculed the Israelites – for forty days he came out every morning and shouted at the children of Israel.

1 Samuel 17:4-11:

“4 A champion (‘ish habenayim) named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.[c] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”

The word translated as champion (‘ish habenayim) is more literally translated as the ‘man between the two’ – signifying a sort of intermediary or mediator. The word ‘champion’ here indicates a person who fights ‘on behalf’ of someone else. In Ancient times wars would often be settled by what was known as a ‘camp fight’ in which each camp would send forth their ‘champion’ to settle the dispute. Whoever won the battle would win the war. 

The Israelites, however, their whole army as well as their esteemed warrior-king Saul (1 Sam 11) were left dismayed, terrified and scattered.

While all of this is happening, a teenage boy named David is sent by his father to take provisions of grain and bread to his brothers.

David was not in the army, and scholars note that he was between the ages of 16-19 at the time, based on the timeline of events in 1 Samuel, the cultural context and the original Hebrew texts (Numbers 1:3, 1 Samuel 17:33).

The devil the Philistines sent forward asked for a man to fight. God sends a shepherd-boy. God sends David to stand publicly in the victory He ordained.

Goliath was quite upset about this, we read:

“41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”” (1 Samuel 17:41-44)

But David makes this powerful statement: “You come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel!”

And with one stone the enemy is shattered.

Yes, the Philistines sent forth their champion, armed to the teeth and full of pride.

But a humble teenager stood up for what he believed in and allowed his Champion to win the battle for him, through him.

Christ Jesus is our Champion. He fights on our behalf.

When I am weak, He is my strength. When the enemy breathes slander and murderous threats I come in the name of Jesus. My Champion has gone before and has already won.

Hebrews 12:1-2: (NLT)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Jesus conquered the grave. He has stripped death of its victory and its sting. He has left the devil exposed and naked – the enemies tents are torn, his pots have been cast asunder and his camp is empty – there is nothing there but empty threats.

We just have to realize who we are in Christ.

God takes the foolish things, the broken things and the lowly things – the humble things – and He lifts them up, raising them to glory.

Because of this we can cast aside the heavy garment of insecurity, our inferiority complex, our feelings of worthlessness and ‘not good enough’ and face every giant standing in our way. Whether that giant is poverty and unemployment, addiction, illness, family issues, your mental health – it has been shouting at you, mocking you, trying to intimidate you, trying to keep you down – but today the Lord has said ‘ENOUGH!’. Stand up in the name of Jesus and the giant will fall.

There is victory in Jesus.

And as you stand in the victory of our Champion, you also carry it forward. Your victory can lead to victory in the lives of those around you.

David stood in the victory that God had prepared. It was a personal victory but also a national victory – the victory was owned by every Israelite gathered there and at home.

Your victory will have a ripple effect.

As you testify about the victory you have in Christ you will help others see the same victory in their lives.

So, not only are you meant to be victorious in Christ, but you are also called to lead others to this same victory.

Stand in your victory today. And then carry it forward. 

Prayer: Lord, today I come against every valley spirit trying to keep me down. I come against every giant that has been making a mockery of my faith, and I take off this heavy garment of insecurity, fear and doubt. You have plans for me – plans for good and not for evil. Help me see today that the battle belongs to You, You have already won. As I bring my giants before you today Lord, I thank You that one by one they will fall and I will see my victory. And as I see the victory let me proclaim the goodness of the Lord. Help me lead others to You as I carry it forward, testifying of Your love and grace and proclaiming the power of Your Name. Amen.

 

A Million Little Miracles

A Million Little Miracles

by | Feb 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I’ve got miracles on miraclesA million little miraclesMiracles on miraclesCount your miraclesOne, two, three, four, I can’t even count ’em all“

A Million Little Miracles, Maverick City

“He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.“

Deuteronomy 10:21, NIV

It is sometimes so easy for us to get blinded by our situations and circumstances. So easy to forget the goodness of the Lord.

But as I look back at my life, with all of its up and downs, I can clearly see the hand of the Lord in my life.

No wonder David writes: 

Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:5)

I sometimes forget just how good God has been to me over the course of the last 34 years – and in many ways the story of God’s move in my life has only just begun.

God saved me from the darkness of addiction. He pulled me from the jaws of death. Jesus took me from the miry clay and placed me on the solid ground of His love, mercy and grace.

But those are the big things.

As I write this I am reminded of all the smaller things the Lord does on a daily basis. How He moves people to reach out when I am feeling discouraged, a hug or a message at the right time.

How He provides – daily – and sees to every need. Every grain of rice, every slice of bread. 

How He guides – divine appointments, encounters and meetings that can only be seen as God moments.

How He heals – everything from the common cold and an upset tummy to our deepest grief, despair and sorrow.

If I were to start, just like David, telling of all His wonders I would never stop.

So, in writing this today I don’t have much to share in the way of words – but gratitude – so much gratitude. 

Where would I be but for the grace and love of Jesus?

I want to encourage you today. If you are feeling down, if you are feeling discouraged – Jesus is the way maker and the miracle worker – and He is preparing Your breakthrough.

He has never put to shame anyone who trusts in Him. Just rest in Him.

Pray with me: Lord, as I go about my day today, let me be mindful of Your hand in my life. Let me not forget that You move, not only in the roar of the oceans and the crumbling of mountains, but also in the small things. Let Your love not go unnoticed in my life today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Hungry: Worship Devotional

Hungry: Worship Devotional

by | Feb 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Hungry I come to YouFor I know You satisfy“

Hungry, Vineyard Worship

“For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:33-3, NIV

Many of us have reached adulthood and have been privileged enough to never know real physical hunger. The hunger of not having eaten in days. The kind of hunger that leads to emaciation, fainting and convulsions.

Spiritually, however, most of us are in that state today. 

The kind of hunger that consumes and keeps consuming like a black hole.

The kind of hunger that no amount of drugs, sex, food, entertainment, money, fame or viral cat videos can satisfy.

I remember in our Gynecology and Obstetrics course at the Medical Academy, we talked about the cravings that pregnant women get – and how sometimes the cravings were misrepresented by the brain.

For example, a mom-to-be might crave ice or even sand – but eating these things will have negative consequences for the baby as it doesn’t satisfy the nutritional requirement being sent to the brain. What the baby really needs at that stage is IRON – so iron-rich foods or a supplement would be a better choice. Eating sand or ice would leave the baby with an iron deficiency instead.

And so it is with our spiritual lives. Our innermost craves reconciliation and communion with God. Our inner self knows that only Jesus can satisfy the longing and the thirsting of the soul – but the carnal mind misinterprets and misrepresents this craving – this hunger – and leads us down the path to deficiency instead.

Only Jesus can comfort, heal and restore. Only Jesus through the work of His Holy Spirit in us can satisfy.

Psalm 84:2: My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

This is where we find ourselves today – right now – in this moment. Hungry, thirsty and trying to fill that hole deep inside with all kinds of things instead of turning to Jesus.

He is the Bread of Heaven. Those who partake in Him will never hunger again.

Jesus is calling.

He is saying, “come and drink the Living Water, come and thirst no more. Come and eat the Bread of Heaven – come and be satisfied!”

No more eating sand.

No more eating dirt.

Come and be filled. 

Pray with me: Lord, I am hungry, and I am thirsty. I realize today that nothing in this world can fill that hole except for You. It is a God-shaped hole. Lord, come and fill me. Come and restore, come and revive me. Jesus, come and satisfy the longing of my soul. Come and heal me of my loneliness, my emptiness – come and find me again. Come and fill me Lord with Your love, Your goodness and Your grace as I swing wide the doors of my heart to You anew today. Let me hunger and thirst for righteousness and live a life pleasing to You. In Jesus name. Amen.

 

 

New Wine

New Wine

by | Feb 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“In the crushingIn the pressingYou are making new wineIn the soilI now surrenderYou are breaking new ground”

New Wine, Hillsong

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:3-5, NIV

The Gospel is and has always been about transformation. It has always been about the process through which God, finding a wretch like me, through His amazing grace, turns me into a son and heir.

In a conversation about fasting Jesus tells the pharisees that new wine is meant to be poured into new wineskins.

And there are a lot of sermons to be written about this phrase, and a lot of lessons to be learned – a wealth of wisdom to mine from this passage – but as I read it all I can think about is the pain in the process.

Everything from the wine to the wineskin is a process of trampling, crushing, pressing, waiting, fermenting – things that our fastfood, instant gratification culture have grown to hate. The grapes are grown with love, patience and vigorous pruning after which the grapes are plucked from their comfort and trampled, crushed, pressed. The barrels the wine gets fermented in is made of wood – a process of cutting, chopping and lashing together with bands of metal (which has gone through a process of melting, forging, forming and shaping) – and finally poured into the wineskins made from the skin of a lamb or a goat which had to offer up its life for the privilege of carrying this new wine.

As Christians we are always going through processes. We don’t realize it – because we want everything now! 

No wonder Paul places such great emphasis on waiting, enduring and  being patient.

It blows my mind that the wineskins are made from the skin of a lamb or a goat – and that this creature had to give his life for this process. An act of surrender.

Are we willing to give our lives to carry the new wine – the anointing – paid for by the suffering of Christ – to a hurting world?

Are we willing to give our lives to carry the new wine – our testimony – begotten by our pain, trials and tribulation – to a hurting world?

You might be in the process right now – but I want to urge you to seek God in the pruning, the pressing, in the crushing – in the pain of the process and surrender. Surrender to His loving hand and I can guarantee you that you will come out on the other side better than you could have ever imagined. Your breakthrough is just on the other side of this process. Your victory is just on the other side of this process – and even more so – someone else’s victory through your testimony is on the other side of this process.

After all, His ways are higher than our ways, His plans are better than our plans. He has plans for you – plans for good and not for evil. Plans for a hopeful and prosperous future.

Trust God in the process. Surrender to Him knowing that He is going to turn your test into a testimony, your misery into a ministry and your mess into a message. Trust God in the process and He will not only restore you but use you to restore others as they hear your testimony, look at your life and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Pray with me: Lord, I yield to Your loving hand, in the pressing and in the crushing. In the breaking of new ground. Lord, I realize that there might be pain in the process. The process might not always be pleasant, but I thank You Lord that Your plans for me are good and that if I trust You, wait on You and yield to You I will come out beautiful on the other side. Give me the strength to push forward and to wisdom to endure. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.

 

Lion: Let The Lion Roar

Lion: Let The Lion Roar

by | Feb 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Hail, hail Lion of JudahLet the Lion roar“

Lion, Elevation Worship

“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.“

Psalm 68:1, KJV

I have been rereading the book of First Samuel, and a striking passage is found at the very start when Hannah prays her prayer of thanksgiving.

1 Samuel 2:1: And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

Earlier we read that she was one of the two women Elkanah had married – her sister-wife being Peninnah. We find out in chapter 1 that Hannah was barren and Peninnah had given her husband children – yet Elkanah loved Hannah more. His love for Hannah made Peninnah jealous and she was mean to and constantly provoked Hannah – taunting her, embarrassing her… To the point where Hannah would not even eat at Shiloh.

Hannah had an enemy – taunting her, berating her, provoking her, humiliating her.

An enemy that told her at every occasion that she was not good enough.

But God had plans for Hannah – and for all of Israel and the world through her.

You have an enemy today – an enemy that taunts and berates, provokes and humiliates – an enemy that tries to break you down and tell you that you are not good enough.

This might be a person, a situation, a mindset or even a condition of the heart.

But God has a plan for you.

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 68:1-4:

Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

St. Augustine, writing about Jesus, risen and exalted, says the following: “He endured death as a lamb; he devoured it as a lion.”

I want to take this a step further. Not only did Jesus endure death – for the Bible teaches us that He knows our weakness, He understands our trials and our tribulations (Hebrews 4) – and in doing so, in putting on flesh and enduring our humanity – He devoured not only death, but also our weakness, our frailty, our poverty, our affliction, our suffering – the Lion roared on the Cross that day saying “IT IS DONE!”.

The Lion roared on the Cross that day and the curtain that separated us from the presence of the Almighty tore. The death warrant the enemy had been holding over your head tore…

The Lion roared on the Cross that day and His enemies were scattered.

There is a lot of meaning in names. We often call Jesus the Lion of Judah.

The name ‘Judah’ is translated as meaning ‘praise’ or ‘praised’ (Genesis 29:31-35).

Jesus is the Lion of our praise. Not only is He worthy of our praise – but He is also the origin of our praise.

He is our praise. He is our power. He is our peace. He is our provision. He is our victory.

When the Lion roars the valleys are raised up and the mountains are made low. When the Lion roars our enemies are scattered.

When the Lion roars we can say like Hannah did – My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

When the Lion roars His people roar with praise.

Prayer: Lord, come and roar in my life today. Let the enemies of self-doubt and insecurity scatter. Let the enemies of pride and arrogance scatter. Let the enemies of fear and depression scatter. (I encourage you to name the thing that is bothering you today) – Lord, let it scatter! Let my enemies be driven away like smoke. Lord, come roar in my life today. I declare that You are my provision. I declare that You are my healing. I declare that You are my restoration. I declare that You are my victory. Come and roar in my life today and I will roar with praise. I will testify, Lord of Your goodness and grace. In Jesus name. Amen!