The Year of Victory


The adopted "verse of the year" for my church has been 2 Corinthians 2:14

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."

God ALWAYS leads us in TRIUMPH and THROUGH US, His fragrance is SPREAD EVERYWHERE. The picture, by the way, is of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

In the past 9 months, I can confidently testify that God’s promise has been fulfilled. Two of the more obvious examples are:
(a) my church’s campaign to bless 100,000 people, which ended up several thousand ahead of the plan; and
(b) our zoo trip, attended by many of our colleagues, and which was widely publicized throughout the office through our fund-raising efforts.

We have much to thank God for in relation to the zoo trip – enthusiastic colleagues, safety of the children despite their wild running , and great weather (especially since it has rained the last two mornings since the zoo trip!). Let’s continue to do these good works that God has, quite clearly, prepared in advance for us to do.


Most importantly, don’t miss out, because of our own disappointments, discouragement, rebellion or complacency, on God’s promise to always lead us in triumph so that we may announce his fragrance to the world. They say opportunity does not knock twice – the same applies to the opportunity, at any given point in time, to obey God and enjoy His fellowship – CHOOSE, like in Joshua 23-24, to serve the Lord.

"You KNOW with all your heart and soul that NOT ONE of ALL the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. EVERY promise has been fulfilled; NOT ONE has failed. But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. IF you violate the covenant of the Lord your God which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you... if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 23:14-16, 24:15

If you read my message last week, you will remember that the crux of what I said was that trouble is inevitable, but God’s protection is certain. Well, it’s an absolute hurricane at work now, and I was really worried about the zoo trip, and feeling really stressed about everything! When I mentioned this to my wife, she reminded me about what I had just written. Trouble is inevitable but God’s protection is certain. It sure is easier to say something than to work it out, and I’m glad I am surrounded by family, friends and colleagues who can remind me of God’s truth and power!

I’m sure many of us face similar challenges in our lives. Let me encourage us to be like Paul, who, while still in prison, was able to write these words in Philippians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In our Sunday service, 3 keys to implementing the peace of God were suggested. The first is prayer. In EVERYTHING, with thanksgiving, present your prayers to God. Many times, we only pray when a crisis is looming. When we learn to pray through the little details as well as the big themes, then we allow our consciousness to be permeated by God’s presence. Little drops of water make the mighty ocean, and having God permeate the details of our lives will make a big change. Conversely, we can’t expect to have the whole big picture change when we haven’t done any of the small things required to make that change happen.

The second key is to have our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus. Philippians 4:8 says

"… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things."

This is linked to the first point about prayer. We must not only pray, but also keep our own minds on God’s purposes. It’s no use praying all the time if you are only praying for your own selfish ambition or vain conceit. So fix your earthly purposes on that which will please Jesus. Then pray about every detail. And as we seek His kingdom, everything else we need, and more besides, will be added on.

The third key is to put our prayers and our thoughts into practice. James 1:22 says

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

And in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 it says

"… Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God."

Do not deceived simply by knowing what is good. The more we accumulate knowledge without doing anything about it, the more we are deceived as to our alleged spirituality – so just do it! And then we will not be puffed up, but building up – yourself, your family, your church and your workplace.

And to this end, it is useful to note what Paul says in Phillipians 4:9

"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice…"

We should aspire to be like Paul – so that those around us can learn, receive, hear or SEE in us God’s teaching. And how can they can see? Only if we ourselves put into practice God’s teaching. So be that living testimony to your family, colleagues and friends. Keep the lights on!

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