RCCG Victory Temple Chantilly's Podcast

"Listen…to a father's instruction; pay attention
and gain understanding." Pr 4:1 NIV

Author Jim Killam writes, "In a few days our oldest son
will marrv.I have no coherent advice to offer on
planning a wedding [but]…..based on 24 years'
experience, I can offer a few bits of advice on how to
navigate marriage. So here goes! (1) Praising your wife
in front of others does wonders for her self-esteem.
(2) Criticizing her in front of them, even in jest, is
always a bad idea. (3) Sometimes she doesn't need
you to solve her problems, she just wants you to
listen. I know; I don't understand it either! (4) Don't fall
for that line of garbage that marriage is a ball and
chain. The people who tell you that would give
anything to have what you have. (5) Sometimes, as
impractical as it seems, it's better to spend $500 on a
trip than on furniture-provided you have the money.
(6) Credit card debt is a monster. Don't fall for it, even
short term. And don't keep financial secrets; they
never remain secret. Live on less than you make; if
possible, live on one income. Swim against the tide.
Be stewards, not consumers. (7) Tithe. Not only does
it honor God, it brings focus to the rest of your money
decisions. (8) Laughing together is better for you than
exercising together. (9) Don't be so afraid of hurting
each other's feelings that you never talk about how
you really feel. (It took me 5 years to tell your mom I
didn't like the grape jelly she'd been putting on my
peanut butter sandwiches! (10) Don't be too
embarrassed to talk about sex together."

A few bits of advice on how to navigate marriage

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"Your faith has made you well." Lk 8:48 NKJV

The Bible says: "Now a woman, having a flow of blood
for twelve years…touched the border of His garment.
And immediately her flow of blood stopped…Jesus
said, 'Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power
going out from Me.' Now when the woman saw that
she was not hidden…she declared…she had touched
Him and how she was healed immediately" (vV. 43-44,
46-47 NKJV). There are three important lessons for
us in this story: (1) Recognize and seize your moment
of opportunitv. This woman understood that Jesus
was visiting her town and might not be back. There
are "God moments" in life when you must rearrange
your priorities, overcome your fear, and exercise your
faith. If you don't, you will miss God's best. (2) Be
willing to try a different approach. Since she couldn't
get Christ's attention because of the crowd, this
woman touched the hem of His garment and was
healed. Many times, faith calls for stepping into the
unknown, doing something you have never done
before, and discovering God's grace at work in ways
vou never expected. (3) Establish a precedent for
others to follow. Until this time, no one in Scripture
had been healed by touching Jesus' garment, and this
woman's faith opened a door for others to follow her
example. "People brought all their sick to him and
begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his
cloak, and all who touched it were healed" (Mt 14:35-
36 NIV). The fact is, God is looking for people who are
willing to break with tradition. And when He finds
them. He uses them to unlock new dimensions of His
power so others can be blessed and made whole.

Recognize and seize your moment of opportunity!

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"Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." Ro 13:14 NIV

Since first impressions are important, we're encouraged to "dress for success." And that's a good thing. But as a redeemed child of God, your first concern shouldn't be how you look to others, but to
God. Just like a mirror reflects your physical appearance so that you can make adjustments, the Bible reveals your spiritual condition and tells you what to do about it. James writes: "Anyone who listens
to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror..goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives
freedom and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what thev do" (Jas 1:23-25 NIV). You must spend time each day in the Scriptures; otherwise, you will run around spiritually threadbare. Paul writes, "Clothe yourselves
with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Ro 13:14 NIV).
As Chuck Swindoll observes: "The number one enemy of change is the hard-core, self-satisfied sin nature within you. Like a spoiled child, it has been gratified and indulged for years, so it will not give up without a violent temper tantrum.The flesh dies a slow, bitter,
bloody death--kicking and struggling all the way down." Lasting change takes place in first gear, not overdrive. So expect occasional setbacks, and don't let them derail you. When you feel like throwing in the towel, get down on your knees and ask God to help you get back on track. He will do it.

Spiritually threadbare!

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"I exhort…….that…intercessions..be made." 1Ti 2:1 NKJV
Paul writes: "I exhort…that…intercessions…be made
for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the
sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (vV.
1-4 NKJV). Intercession means "to mediate between
parties with a view to reconciling those who differ or
contend." It happens every day in the court system
when lawyers intercede on behalf of their clients. It
also happened in Scripture. When Israel made a
golden calf and worshiped it, Moses interceded with
God on their behalf, saying: "Oh, these people have
committed a great sin...Yet now, if You will forgive their
sin-but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which
You have written" (Ex 32:31-32 NKJV). And it worked.
God told Moses, "Go, lead the people to the place of
which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go
before you" (v. 34 NKJV). Later when Israel turned
again to worship false gods, Samuel said, "Gather all
Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray [intercede] to the Lord
for you" (1Sa 7:5 NKJV). As a result, the Lord sent a
loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so
confused them that they were defeated before Israel
(See 1Sa 7:10 NKJV). Interceding can be a lonely
business, and it's also hard work: "Always laboring
fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col 4:12
NKJV). But when nothing else works, intercessory
prayer does!

When nothing else works, intercessory prayer does!

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"Perfect love casts out fear." 1Jn 4:18 NKJV

Question: Since we're naturallv drawn to people who love us, why is it so difficult for us to go to God in prayer? Answer: Because we need a fresh revelation of His love for us! Paul prayed that the Ephesian church would "be able to take in….the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love" (Eph 3:18 MSG). The word "extravagant" means going above and beyond all that's expected or deserved. The truth is, God couldn't love you any more than He does right now.
"What's His love like?" you ask. Look at the cross. Had you been the only person who ever lived, Jesus would have died just for you. "What does His love cost?" you ask. Nothing! It comes with no strings attached. You didn't do anything to deserve it, and when you mess
up, you don't forfeit it. "Absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love" (Ro 8:39 MSG). Once you accept that, you can acknowledge your weaknesses, seek God's help, grow strong, and use the talents He has given you. When you believe God loves you based on who you are in Christ, you have the ultimate self- esteem-born of God's esteem for you. And since His
is the only "perfect love," it removes your "fear" So, what are you afraid of? That you won't get what you need? That you will lose something you have? John tells us: "His perfect love for us eliminates all dread..
If we are afraid, it……shows…we are not fully convinced. that he really loves us" (1Jn 4:18 TLB). Ask God today for a fresh revelation of His love for you, bearing in mind that what He loves, He prizes, protects, and provides for.

God couldn't love you any more than He does right now.

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"Your life is shaped by your thoughts." Pr 4:23 GNT

Someone has wiselv said. "You're not what vou think you are, but what you think-you are.!" Lasting change always begins with new thinking. How do you become a Christian? By repenting of your sin and placing your trust in Christ. The Greek word for repentance is
metanoia, and it means to change your mind. We're not changed by willpower, but by the transforming power of God's Word when we use it to renew our minds each day. The Bible clearly teaches that the way we think determines the way we feel, and the way we feel determines the way we act. So if you want to change your actions, you have to return to the source and change the way you think. At times you may act resentful. Why? Because you feel resentful. And do you know why you feel resentful? Because you are thinking resentful thoughts. The same is true of anger, worry, lust, and other destructive thought patterns.
Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32 NLT). When you base your life on truth-when you live with the right kind of thoughts, not misconceptions or false beliefs, and you base your life on thinking from God's Word-you will be set free. You will find your old habits, feelings, and actions beginning to fall away. When you focus solely on removing bad thoughts, you create a vacuum into which the bad thoughts can return. But when you replace bad thoughts with good ones-scriptural ones -you are empowered by God to live the life of blessing He wants you to enjoy.

Lasting change always begins with new thinking.

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"Beatings purge the inmost being." Pr 20:30 NIV

Another way God changes us is through circumstances. Problems, pressures, sorrows,
hardships, and stress always get our attention. C. S. Lewis said, "Pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures...but shouts to us in our pain." The J. B. Phillips translation of Romans 8:28-29 reads: "To those who love God. who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good…God…chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son." Nothing can come into your life without your heavenly Father's permission; it must be "Father filtered." The interesting thing about how God uses circumstances is that their source makes no difference to Him. We often bring problems
on ourselves. Sometimes they're caused by other people. Other times the Enemy causes things to happen to us. But the source of the circumstances is irrelevant. God said, "I will make it fit into mv plan for your life, to make you like Jesus Christ." That means there is no circumstance from which we can't learn if we maintain the right attitude. Why did Solomon say, "Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being"? Because we change only when our fear of change is surpassed by our pain. If you want to become more like Jesus, think about this: "Though He was a Son…He learned obedience by the
things which He suffered" (Heb 5:8 NKJV). If God used the challenges, conflicts, and circumstances of life to prepare His Son for His destiny, won't He do the same in our lives? So instead of trying to escape your circumstances, learn from them and grow stronger.
Instead of trying to escape your circumstances,

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"It...teaches us to do what is right." 2Ti 3:16 NLT

One of the ways God changes us is through His Word.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work" (vV. 16- 17 NLT). The story is told of a converted cannibal in the South Sea islands. He was sitting by a large pot
reading his Bible when an anthropologist approached him and asked, "What are you doing?" The native replied, "I'm reading the Bible." The anthropologist scoffed and said, "Don't you know that modern, civilized man has rejected that book? It's nothing but a pack of lies. You shouldn't waste your time reading it."

The cannibal looked him over from head to toe and slowly replied, "Sir, if it weren't for this book-you'd be in that pot!" The Word of God had changed his life- and his appetite. If you're serious about changing your life, you have to get into the Bible. You need to read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, speak it, and apply it. "But my faith is weak," you say. Are you
reading your Bible regularly? Are you studying it? Are you memorizing it? No? Then how do you expect vour faith to grow? The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Ro 10:17 NKJV).

Bottom line: The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us more like the Son of God

If you're serious about changing your life, get into the Bible.

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"Work out vour own salvation...for it is God who works in you... to will and to do...His good
pleasure." Php 2:12-13 NKJV

The Bible says, "Work out your own salvation…for it is God who works in you..to will and to do..His good pleasure." This Scripture almost sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? But instead, it is a paradox. And G. K. Chesterton described a paradox as "truth standing on its head to get attention." The key to understanding this particular paradox lies in the little
word out. Notice that the Bible doesn't say, "Work for your salvation." To work for something means to earn it, deserve it, merit it. And the Bible plainly teaches that salvation isn't something we have to work for or earn. It's a free gift of God's grace (See Eph 2:8-9).
When Paul says, "Work out your salvation," he is talking about a "spiritual workout." What do you do during a physical workout? You develop and tone the muscles God has already provided you. To "work out" means to grow and make the most of what you have been given. What Paul is saying here is this: Develop vour spiritual life! God has a part in our spiritual
growth, and we, too, have a part. He provides the power, but we must access it, flip the switch, and let it flow through our lives to fulfill His will for us. Practically speaking, how do we do that? By spending time praying and reading God's Word each day. By sharpening and strengthening one another through fellowship. By exercising the gifts God has given us
The fact is, He has already done His part; now it's up to you to do yours.
A "spiritual workout"

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"He said. 'Tomorrow.'" Ex 8:10 NKJV
Every plague God sent on Egypt mocked one of their gods. For instance, the Egyptians deified lice, so God sent them a lot of lice-and frogs. Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses and said, "All right, I give up." But when Moses asked him, "When do you want me to get rid of the frogs?" Pharaoh's response was classic; he said, "Tomorrow." He must have been insane! Why
would you wait any longer to have the frogs removed? But we do the same, don't we? We procrastinate by putting off the changes we know would be good for us. Maybe we're unconcerned. Maybe we're too lethargic to change. Maybe we're fearful because we
don't know what the changes will entail. Maybe we're just too proud and stubborn. Whatever the reason- we procrastinate. NASA space engineers tell us most of the fuel that is used in a rocket launch is burned during the initial few seconds of liftoff. It takes enormous energy and thrust to move the rocket off the launching pad. Once it's moving and headed for orbit, it needs much less fuel and is simpler to control and direct. It has conquered inertia. It's one thing to know God can solve your problem and change your life. It's another matter to overcome your inertia and let Him begin to do it now! We keep saying, "One of these days.." The truth is, Jesus Christ has the power to make changes in your life todav. He will give you
the power to begin and the power to keep going. It's not too late. He can put your life back together again. So the word for you today is-do it today!

God can solve our problem and change your life.

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