Take Inventory.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8
These traits (in bold) are faith’s focus. To “dwell” means, in this context, to “take inventory.” In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul writes that we are to “be anxious for nothing” and then, in verse 8, he gives the very steps and cure for worry: Dwell on or take inventory of these eight attributes. Imagine two shelves: one shelf full of anxiety-producing items and one full of peace-producing things. Don’t keep examining the peace-stealers—hurtful things people have done, shortcomings of the past, regretted actions. Instead, constantly write down and think about the incredible acts God has done in your life.
Daily Victory
My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Proverbs 4:20-26
The path toward daily victory lies in how we guard our inner life. A lot of things are vying for our attention and, with all the sensory reinforcement in the world, many have forgotten the hidden person of the heart. But how we tend to the soil of our hearts will show up in our words, our thought life, and our attitudes.
Staying Refreshed!
The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green. Psalm 92:12-14
v. re·fresh: To revive . . . give new vigor or spirit to. To give new freshness or brightness to; restore. To renew by stimulation, to fill up again; replenish.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition*
The Huge Deal
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32
This is the huge deal: God has called us to the royal law of love (James 2:8). Bitterness and unresolved anger give the devil an opportunity to keep us from moving forward: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:26-27).
Run the Race
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
We are marathon runners, not short-term sprinters. Like the early church, we must choose to continually devote ourselves to a life of pursuing God (Acts 2:42). Endurance has decisional aspects. In the 1968 Olympics, marathon runner John Stephen Akhwari chose to finish his race despite injury. His response when asked why he didn’t quit: “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.” In the Word, God has provided powerful examples of people who ran with endurance—Esther, Noah, Abraham, Martha, Ruth, Moses. We are standing on the shoulders of these people who endured.
Fulfill the Call
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
God’s will can be accepted and fulfilled. We must fight through the incredible discouragement that tries to numb us as we go through life, and press toward the upward call. It’s a fight worth fighting. There is breakthrough on the other side of the mountain, a reward at the end. You are not designed to be just in maintenance mode, but you are called to impact the world.
Strengthened by the Holy Spirit
But you, my friends, must fortify yourselves in your most sacred faith. Continue to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, and look forward to the day when our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy will give eternal life. Jude 20-21 New English Bible
Fortify yourselves in your most sacred faith. These verses show us ways we can be strengthened. We need strength from God because the things He has called us to do cannot be achieved by our own human effort. “He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4b).
Created for Purpose
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
God created you for very specific reasons to have an impactful and fruitful life—to accomplish things that have eternal repercussions. But there is a mind-numbing resistance to this call that we must resist by fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Designed for Fruitfulness
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:27-28
God has a big, beautiful plan for you—not to be idle or miserable, but to have an abundant, fruitful life (John 10:10).
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
Jesus Has Made You Worthy
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20
Whenever Jesus shows up, things change. He ate with both tax collectors and Pharisees—people from all levels of society—regardless of what others thought. And now, He wants to be invited to dine, linger, and fellowship with us.
Your Place in the World
But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16
God’s plans for you are significant. If you’re feeling beat down, socially awkward, or insignificant, Jesus powerfully affirmed your value when He gave His life at the prime age of 33 so that people like you and me can experience freedom from bondage. Worth is determined by the price someone is willing to pay. The significant and fruitful life is accessible to all who seek God—it’s not a spectator sport but the proper working of each individual part.
A Tenacious Life
Te•na•cious (verb): holding or grasping firmly; forceful and persistent; holding together firmly; tough or cohesive. Collins English Dictionary
Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4
Your commitment makes a difference. The world right now needs people who have backbone, who persevere through challenging circumstances.
From Weakness To Strength
Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19
The book of Habakkuk provides a beautiful picture of how to move from doubt to faith, from confusion to understanding, from fear to hope. Habakkuk was a guy who lived during one of the most difficult times of the nation of Judah, but he learned to seek God for his strength.
Joseph: A Fruitful and Restored Life
Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; its branches run over a wall. Genesis 49:22
Joseph’s story shows someone who seemed destined to wither, but against all odds he flourished! As Jacob prayed a blessing over his kids at the end of his life, he described his son Joseph as a fruitful bough who thrived so much that his branches ran over a wall. Wherever Joseph was—slavery, prison—he always rose to the top.
Fulfilling Your Mission
[One of the scribes asked] “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, o Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28b-31
Nothing matters more than making Jesus a priority. God wants you to finish stronger than when you started. He is more interested in your fruitfulness over the long course than in some little blip of what people call “success” followed by a faltering dead end. Even those of you who don’t suspect it or who are dealing with cynicism—God has a plan for your life, and He is doing something in your world.
On The Go: The Great Commission
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15b
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20a
God wants to use each one of us. So it’s important that we push aside the tyranny of the urgent and really take time to figure out what matters most to God. In these last words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven, we see that He came to save and redeem—and that is the big deal of big deals! The Great Commission was given to the early church and it is still for us today.
God’s Word
We can all get bogged down with the cares of life. That’s why every day we need to get washed with the “water of the Word” (Ephesians 5:26). So take time to get into the amazing Word of God!
• It is powerful. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NKJV
Called To Great Things
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 2:42-44
You may look in the mirror and feel like you aren’t all that. Good news: When you look at the great men and women of old, you’ll see that it’s not by might or power that they accomplished great things but by God’s Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
God’s Power and Promises Are for Today
These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts 17:6b NKJV
The people in the Book of Acts were living so effectively it was rocking the world around them. They had a message that was life-changing, and they were doing life together with a heart of faith and a resolve to follow God. When they came on the scene, their words were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and signs and wonders followed them.
The Results of an Attitude of Faith
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:7-8
In the New Testament Gospels we see a contrast of two positions in two different towns. An approach in one town bore grim results. The other town, because of the proper attitude and reaction toward Jesus, had amazing results. And we’re out for results.
The Maintenance Of Courage
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
Get Fortified
It’s important to go back to the Word every day to get fortified and remind ourselves of who God is and what He has done for us!
for•ti•fy (verb): To strengthen; to give physical strength to; to invigorate; to add mental or moral strength to; to confirm. To strengthen and secure by forts. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary*
A Firm Foundation
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25
Life is filled with challenge. But when the storms of life come, we have something to say about the stand we take.
JESUS
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
Jesus has a plan for your life. He didn’t design us to be mediocre or to just float along. There is an ache in every heart, and Jesus is the only one that will satisfy it. He has called us to this life with Him—to worship God and then have it translate into helping people.
Fuel for the Week
God wants to pour out His strength on every moment of every day. Meditate on these verses and trust God!
Faithful is He who calls you but He will also bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
