Victory Daily Devotional

LIFE TIME         Ephesians 4: 10-13 Devotional:-“till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (v.13) NKJV      For those who love to grow, it is important you know that growth is gradual and it is a life time adventure. We will only be perfect when we get to heaven. As long as we live in this world and in the flesh, we have to keep growing to overcome. 

CHANGING YOUR AUTOPILOT Romans 12: 1-5 Devotional:-“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (v.2) NKJV      Growth occurs when we change. And if we don’t change, we are not growing. There is no one who don’t want to change but we don’t like to change. If people are motivating us to change, we often don’t like to stay around them. But without change we cannot grow.

MEMBER OF HIS BODY 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (v. 27) NKJV      One of the reasons you must be growing as a child of God is that you have become one with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17). You are now a member of His body. As a member of the body of Christ, you must not be a stagnant part. The life of Christ is to flow into you. If the life of Christ is flowing into you, then you must be growing.

BABIES AND MEN  1Corinthians 13:8-13 Devotional:-“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (v.11) NKJV    Everyone including Jesus was born as a baby. But we are not expected to remain a baby for the rest of our lives. To remain a baby is a curse and a trap of the devil. It is funny sometimes to see an adult behaving like baby and this disturbs us. It is therefore important to know what the attitude and attribute of a baby is and that of an adult.

SUFFERING      Romans 8: 18-27 Devotional:-“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (v.18) NKJV      Spiritual growth occurs when we pass through some measures of suffering. God often allow challenges on our ways to provoke us to seek Him and grow in His grace. Everyone who want to be strong in the Lord must be willing to pass through a time of challenge. They are meant to provoke us to overcome. Until we partake of the suffering of Christ, we may not grow strong enough as Christians (Philippians 3:10).

LET GO    Ephesians 4: 17-24 Devotional:-“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (v.22) NKJV    A strong factor of growth is that you have to let go your weaknesses, habit or attitude of unrighteousness. Sometime, we don’t realize that we are holding unto our old nature. We do this when we see it as what we cannot grow out of or do without. 

TRUST IN THE LORD        Psalm 56:1-11 Devotional:- “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (v.3) NKJV      A strong factor of growing in the Lord is our ability to retain our trust in God in the midst of our challenges. God actually allows us to go through challenges or unpleasant situations to test us and to strengthen us (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). The devil always want to weaken our strength in God in such time of trials. 

 FELLOWSHIP WITH BELIEVERS     Hebrews 10: 19-25 Devotional:-“not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (v.25) NKJV      It is your company that determines your growth in the Lord. This is because everyone is a product of his/her fellowship. As social being, we are all influenced by the people we relate with regularly. That is why spiritual growth demand a company with believers. 

STUDY THE WORD      Joshua 1: 1-9 Devotional:- “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (v.8) NKJV    To grow is to increase in strength and strength is adding up in knowledge (Proverb 24:5) Those who hate knowledge cannot grow. That is why ignorance is a sin to God. (Hosea 4:6) This is because, those who lack knowledge have deliberately ignore knowledge. They don’t want to take the pain or pay the price. As a child of light, you must not live-in ignorance or else you will expose yourself to the activities of the devil (1 John 1:7). 

MEN'S FACTOR   2 Peter 1: 5-11 Devotional:-“But also, for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge” (v.5) NKJV      Though God through the Holy spirit is the one that strengthens us to grow, yet we have part to play. We must be careful of thinking it is God that will do all things for us. It is true that God has a part to play in our growth, but we also have a part (Psalm 127:1-5).

WHERE AND WHEN    Psalm 32:1-7 Devotional:-“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him” (v.6) NKJV    Growth demand focus. If any part of our life will enjoy improvement, we must be willing to give it all it takes. He that want to grow in the Lord must give quality attention to relate with Him. This demand that we have a place and a time to regularly fellowship with God (Luke 9:23). 

HOLY SPIRIT     Philippians 2:12-17 Devotional:-“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (v.13) NKJV      People become discouraged sometimes when they make effort to develop strength in a particular area and they are not making headway. It is often so because we feel we want to achieve growth by our effort. The Bible says, Paul can plant and Apollos watered but it is God that brings increase.

EFFORT    Joshua 3: 13-17 Devotional: -“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap" (v.13) NKJV      For a life to go down, it does not really demand more than the person been idle and doing nothing about himself. But growth demands effort. Observe that weeds grow either we like it or not and they don't have to be planted (Matthew 13:24-26). But when you want any good plant to grow you must put effort of cultivating the ground, sowing the seed and watering it. 

THIRST  Isaiah 55: 1-5 Devotional:-"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price” (v.1) NKJV    It is important that we realize a fundamental truth about growth. This is the fact that if you don't really make up your mind to grow, you cannot grow. You must first realize y our need for growth. The reason many people are deficient in one area or the other in their life is because they have not seen a need to grow. 

CHRIST LIKE HABITS            Colossians 3: 1-11 Devotional:-“and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (v.10) NKJV      One of the blessings God has created with us is the ability to form habits. This makes our future predictable, there are success habits and there are failure habits. When a man begins to form Christ-like habit, then he is growing to be a strong Christian.  Habits of Christ helps us to live like Jesus. It is the same with all other areas of our life. That is why it is said, your habit determines your destiny.

CHRIST LIKE          Scripture: Act 11: 19-26  Devotional:-“And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (v.26) NKJV      A growing kingdom citizen demonstrates it in his character. Our character is what shows that we are truly growing. Our character is the sum total of our belief, habits and attitudes. Our character is what we are known for. The kind of behavior or reactions people known with us. They are the traits of life style deduced by people’s observation of what we do. 

GROWING IN FINANCES          1 Thessalonians 4: 9-12 Devotional:-“that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing” (v.12) NKJV    Just like we have to grow in the strength of the Lord, in relationship with God and people, making a good home, in managing our own businesses, growing in faith and in wisdom, so also in handling finances. A major area where the devil punishes many Christians today is in the area of money. It is the reason many are frustrated and are moving from church to church. 

ABILITIES          Scripture: Romans 12: 3-8 Devotional:-“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith” (v.6) NKJV    God is the giver of different grace and abilities in our lives, through the Holy Spirit that is given to us. This special abilities in us are the gifts of the Holy spirit manifesting to establish the plan of God on earth and to build believers up in faith. Some are given the abilities to organize and some are given the abilities to teach, sing or train. 

FAITH          Matthew 17: 14-20 Devotional:-“So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (v.20) NKJV      Faith is the strength and energy of God to do all things. It is by faith creation came to be (Hebrews 11:3). Where there is faith, there will be achievements. It is by faith that we can experience divine healing (James 5:15). It is by faith we can overcome the devil (1 John 5:4). Faith is the major factor in walking and attaining with God (Hebrews 11:5). If faith is that important, then we must grow in faith. 

WITH GOD AND MEN   Scripture: Luke 2: 41-52 Devotional:-“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (v.52) NKJV      Growth helps us to have effective relationship with God and men. Quality relationship is the evidence of maturity. When people can’t manage their relationship either with family, friends or staff, it is because they have not been able to develop maturity in factors of relationship. So, God expect us to grow in relationship.

DECISION MAKING    Genesis 13:1- 15 Devotional:-“Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left" (v.9) NKJV      Our decisions are what cumulates to determine our result. That is why someone said, our decision determines our destination in life. Decision making is what we use and practice almost every time. If indeed it is important, then we must give ourselves to growing in it. 

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE      1Samuel 30: 1-10 Devotional:-“Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep” (v. 4) NKJV      Every man or woman who want to progress in life must take it upon themselves to grow emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is our ability to manage our emotion not to break down or even react to people negatively because of a particular event or experience. 

SELF ESTEEM         1 Timothy 4:12-16 Devotional:-“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (v.12) NKJV    A salient foundational problem of most people is what is called self-esteem. You need to know that we are made differently. Some people don’t have this problem by their nature, especially some sanguine and choleric. They easily demonstrate and talk it over, yet some of them still have to fight this trouble silently in their lives. It shows more on phlegmatic people because they cannot pretend. 

UNDERSTANDING          Matthew 13: 18-23 Devotional:-“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (v.23) NKJV    A child of God is said to be growing when he is developing in understanding. When people don’t work in understanding, they walk in the trap of death (Proverbs 21: 16). Because of lack of understanding, people will lose in the race of life. It is understanding that inform us of good decisions. 

WISDOM GROWTH  Proverbs 4: 1-10 Devotional:0“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (v.7) NKJV      Life becomes a struggle sooner or later when people grow in other areas of life and are not growing in wisdom. Wisdom is said to be the principal factor of life. The major trouble of life is the fact that those who ought to teach wisdom are only just growing. God has structured it for people to learn wisdom from homes, schools or churches. But wisdom has been scarce because of greed and needs. 

REPLACING LIES       John 8:37-47 Devotional:-“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (v.44) NKJV      One of the characteristics of maturity is our ability to replace lies with the truth. Growth is gaining strength to overcome the forces contending with us. These forces often present lies to us as truth and in the course of this lock us into fear and intimidation of doubt. It is in this mess that man is weakened and defeated.

BEEN BETTER      Daniel 1: 8-21 Devotional:-“And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten timesbetter than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm” (v.20) NKJV    To be better than others in life is a function of growth. It is growing better that makes a life better. We have placed so much importance on learning academically but we must be careful not to miss out in applying the knowledge for our growth. As a child of God, you need to always apply the word of God to your life to grow up and be better. 

GOOD CHANGE    Mathew 12: 33-37 Devotional:-"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (v.33) NKJV We are growing when we have positive changes in our lives.  Growth is when we get better in our approach in handling the things of life. If a man use to tell lies and he stop telling lies, it's because he has grown up strong enough to overcome the attitude of lying. The reason many lives are not changing today is because, they are not growing. Change in any area of our life is a function of growth. 

FILLED WITH WISDOM      Deuteronomy 34: 1-12 Devotional:-“Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses” (v.9) NKJV      A man is said to be growing when he is filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40). This is a normal demonstration of growth. A major trouble in the life of most people today is the inability to grow in wisdom. It becomes more challenging when they cannot locate someone to counsel them in the way of wisdom. Since most people are not growing in wisdom, they cannot raise others in wisdom. Because, no man can give what he does not have. When parents are not filled with wisdom, the children cannot. When teachers do not possess wisdom, the students cannot.

STRONG IN THE SPIRIT    Luke 1:67-80 Devotional:-“So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel” (v.80) NKJV    We are growing when we are gaining strength. This is when we develop the ability to handle what we are not able to handle before. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we are instructed to be strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6: 10-12). This is because there are things to be contended for and there are forces to be contended with. (Ephesians 6: 12, 1 Peter 5:8-9).

WHAT IS GROWTH     Luke 2:36-40 Devotional:-“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him” (v.40) NKJV      The reason why people live in frustration is because of lack of growth. Life become unbearable when man can no longer cope with his challenges. The reason man cannot cope with the challenges of his life is because, he is weak in that aspect of life (Proverbs 24:10). Instead of complaining, God expect us to build up and overcome the challenges of our lives. So, the way to progress in life is growth.