Good Morning Overcomer!

Every special occasion, including Mother’s Day, is always met with some type of feast. This year for Mother’s Day my husband and son in law planned the cooking. This will always include grilling something and that’s great! We’re always concerned that there won’t be enough food, so we naturally over plan. We plan for huge servings for everyone. Whether it’s sausage links or salad or baked beans, there’s going to be a large quantity.




There are favorite dishes that have been handed down in the generations. Mother’s recipe for potato salad. My mother in law Betty’s recipe for chicken and dressing. We make certain recipes over and over because our ancestors did it that way. Although I love my Dad, I prefer the way I make spaghetti and meat sauce over his recipe. I would venture to say that most of us have things that have been handed down through the generations that may need tweaking or revamping altogether.



There are other types of things handed down through the generations. Anger, fear, unforgiveness, addictions and more. There are good things as well. Faith, joy, love to name a few. Family talks can center around Uncle Bob’s drinking problems being just like his father’s. Or we can remember fondly the grandmother who always knew her Bible verses and prayed without ceasing. One type of situation gives families grief into the 4th and 5th generations. Other more pleasant memories.



If you are a believer, you no longer have to accept everything that can be inherited from your family line. And you don't have to give your children what your ancestors gave you. With Christ, you have been given a more excellent way. You’ve been redeemed from the curse. You’ve been set free from bondage. You are free to be all that Christ has planned for you to be. Just like family recipes, God’s recipe for your life has been tweaked by the Lord Himself. When God says you’ve been set free and you are a new creation, He means it. Old things are indeed passed away and behold, all things have become new. God says you’ve died and your life is hidden in Christ.



Oh beloved, run to the Word this morning and read all of God’s promises. Take them in as yours, for He gave each one to you. Even if you have struggled and even if you have failed, time and again His mercy is new! You may have been wearing hand me downs in your heart and mind for years. The sorrows, the troubles and the anguish of your family lineage weigh heavy on your heart. You’ve tried to overcome them, rebuke them and do things differently, but they resurface over and over again to give you grief. Hold on! It’s time to step to limbs of your family troubles and say no more! He says to you this morning, live in My blessings instead of your past. Rejoice in My freedom instead of sorrowing over the things of other generations. I AM your road to freedom, your path to right living and your guidepost for all you need to overcome every obstacle set before you.



God loves you and He’s for you so you can be an overcomer and a victor in all things!



Galatians 3:13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."



John 10:10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.



Colossians 3:3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.



Ephesians 4:24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.



Psalm 118:14-16 The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things!

You Can Thrive - Fully Alive!

We always make coffee when having a booth at rallies. CMA is well known for its “coffee ministry”. We met a biker at a rest stop who said he tells folks, “If you’re having problems or anything just go by the CMA booth and get some coffee. They’ll help you.”

The CMA crew got out the tracts and the coins and the prayer box. They set up the coffee, both the big pot and the little one. It’s just easier to make quick cups of coffee and serve them in the big pot. After plugging everything in and getting the first big pot perking we began to make a small pot. The surge protector kept flipping the switch. We kept turning it back on and still after just a minute or two it would go off again. We were getting frustrated because we didn’t know what the problem was.  

About that time one of the guys came up and followed the extension cord to where it was plugged in behind us. He came back and told us that there were too many extension cords pulling power from that small plug in. We would need to be plugged in to a greater power source to keep that from happening anymore.  So we rounded up more extension cords and he plugged it into a dedicated plug that nothing else was connected to. Sure enough, once plugged into a greater source, everything worked fine.

There are many sources of power in this world. We have education, employment, friendship, marriage, hobbies and more. Each of these things will give us some power for emotional and physical needs to be met. The problem with these lesser sources is they don’t always work. Sometimes they lose their power, and we lose our power as well. If our source is found in people, places, finances, things or fun we will eventually run out of juice.

But when our lives are directly connected to the main supply of power, we can live fully alive and charged up for whatever life brings us. We have better marriages because the source is God. We have greater fulfillment because we are connected to Him first and foremost. Other sources are fine in their place, but giving God first place for all of our life’s needs will lead to more power, more wisdom and more fruit for His kingdom. It may take some maneuvering to get to the direct Source, the Lord, but it’s worth the trouble. If you need to move things around and reconnect, then do so, for your greatest fulfillment is found in God alone!

Have you been feeling a little weak in spirit and faith? You’ve tried self-help books, friendships, church and more. Still the lack of power is showing in your heart and mind.  You’re lagging in zeal and the gifts and fruits are just not able to operate fully in your life. Won’t you take a moment and see how your connection to the Lord is working? It may be that you’ve not stayed directly joined to the True Source of All Power for Godly living. Other sources may lag or fail altogether but God as Your Source will always provide.

Oh beloved, you can more than survive, you can thrive fully alive! Connect this morning to the One Who never turns you down, never weakens His link, never turns off the power and never unplugs your heart or mind. He says to you this morning, I Love you and because I love you I will never turn you away. My Power is always available, perfected in weakness and fills you with inner strength. The power I provide will keep you connected to grace and peace and joy, along with everything else you need for life in Me!  My power will keep you moving forward in faith, shining the light of My glory and warming your heart always, no matter what else is going on.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Zechariah 10:12 “By My power I will make My people strong, and by My authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 4:20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.