Journey of an Unexpected Warrior: Recent Episodes
James Hopkins
I would like to invite you on a journey of faith, hope, and growth in Jesus Christ. As we dedicate a few minutes each day, we will begin to see what God wants to reveal to each of us for our lives through His Word. It is mostly in the quiet, reflective moments of our day that He speaks to our hearts and gives us fresh revelation and direction for our lives. So, come on! Let's begin our journey together in becoming Unexpected Warrior's! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/SoulDivision67/support
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” I Peter 3:12 NKJV #UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #faithful #dailybread #verseoftheday #righteous #jesus
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Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #faithful #dailybread #verseoftheday #hope #joy #peace #jesus
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Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #faithful #dailyinspiration #verseoftheday #dailybread #nofear #jesus
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Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #faithful #dailybread #verseoftheday #livingword #jesus
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And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:5 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #dailyinspiration #faithoverfear #light #darkness #jesus
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Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #faithful #dailybread #verseoftheday #renewyourmind #jesus #livingword
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Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faith #faithoverfear #dailybread #verseoftheday #grace #jesus
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For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #dailybread #verseoftheday #faithful #jesus
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Seek the Lord , all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord ’s anger. Zephaniah 2:3 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #righteousness #justice #jesus #faithful #humble
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"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 NKJV #UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #faithful #dailybread #verseoftheday #jesus #thecross
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Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16 NKJV
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I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord , Who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2 NKJV
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He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 NKJV
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I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #dailybread #verseoftheday #faithful #love
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The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. Psalms 28:7 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #trust #strength #faithful #dailybread #verseoftheday #nofear
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He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalms 91:1-2 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithoverfear #dailyinspiration #dailybread #verseoftheday #fortress #mightygod
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But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. II Thessalonians 3:3 NKJV
UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #faithful #faithoverfear #strongtower #dailybread #verseoftheday #nofear #hope #love #jesus
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And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8 NKJV
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And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV
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Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8 NKJV
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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9 NKJV #UnexpectedWarrior #faithoverfear #faithful #forgiveness #dailybread #verseoftheday #faith #hope #love #souldivision67
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
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For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7 NKJV
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If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7 NKJV
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Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2 NKJV
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"For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'" Isaiah 41:14
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Cast your burden on the Lord , And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalms 55:22 NKJV#UnexpectedWarrior #overcomer #dailybread #verseoftheday #souldivision67 #burdens #faith #hope #love #jesus
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“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25 NKJV
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Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! Psalms 119:2 NKJV
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Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
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“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. John 14:1 NKJV
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Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 NKJV
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“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." -John 3:18 NKJV #UnexpectedWarrior #DailyBread #verseoftheday #overcomer #faithoverfear #redeemer #savior #Jesus #souldivision67
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You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
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For I am not #ashamed of the #gospel of #Christ, for it is the power of #God to #salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.Romans 1:16
verseoftheday #DailyBread #UnexpectedWarrior #souldivision67 #faithoverfear #overcomer #faithhopelove #faithful #Jesus #savior
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Proverbs 3:7 – Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we should… Pride will only lead to destruction… Don’t think that we can do it all on our own, that we can handle it, and we don’t need God!
Jesus said that apart from Him, we can do nothing! But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! Don’t set your mind on high things… Things that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God… Be humble… Cast down those vain imaginations…
Everything good that we have or that we will have, comes to us from the goodness of God…
Respect and reverently fear the Lord. Hate what is evil… It will be health to your flesh and will give you strength to become the Unexpected Warrior you were created to be!
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Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
What does it mean to train your child in the way he should go? The obvious of course is to teach your child what is right and what is wrong… Teach your child what it is to have a relationship of their own with our Father in heaven… Teach them how the Living Word of God is able to make them wise for salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…
And it also means to look for their gifts and talents that the Lord has given them and guide them in developing and using those things for the kingdom…
But don’t irritate or provoke them to anger… don’t push them so hard that they resent you… but raise them in love, with training and discipline… with the counsel and admonition of the Lord… Train them how to be Unexpected Warriors!
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Romans 1:20 – For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Everything that God has created, from the visible to the invisible cry out as evidence of His handiwork to the glory of Him who made all things so that no man has an excuse to say that there is no God!
This passage goes on to say that “…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…”
And God had enough… He gave them up to lust after each other and dishonor themselves… they turned from the truth to a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator!
So, let us choose to honor what He has created by glorifying Him and becoming Unexpected Warriors!
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2 Corinthians 7:10 – For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Godly sorrow is felt in us when we truly come to place of regret for the sin I our lives. It’s when we have come to the end of a thing and realize that we can’t do it on our own… that we need a Savior!
The sorrow of the world is simply a regret that we were caught in something or a regret that we are suffering because of something that we have done. But it doesn’t produce any change in us and leads to eternal death or separation from God!
If you have children, you see this example in them. When they are caught doing something we’ve asked them not to do. Are they truly repentant? Or are they just sorry they got caught?
Our heavenly Father allows us to feel the sorrow and the shame of sin to bring us to a place of repentance and transform us into Unexpected Warriors!
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1 Peter 4:10 – As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
When we put on Christ, become born again, the Lord wants us to begin to use the gifts that He imparts to us to help build the kingdom of God.
As it says in Romans, we are one body – in Christ… but we are many members. And we each have our own giftings and talents, there are many tasks that need to be done, but we are all born of the same Spirit, we all are of the same God when we put on Christ!
God loves diversity! And we are all uniquely and wonderfully made and given our own gifts and talents to complete the tasks God has for us… The different assignments we each have are not to compete with one another but to compliment and help each other toward the common goal of building His kingdom and becoming Unexpected Warriors!
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Galatians 2:20 - Amplified Classic Version – “I have been crucified with Christ (in Him I have shared His crucifixion); it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (By adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
No one says it better than the Apostle Paul! He was forever transformed on his road to Damascus experience, where the Lord Jesus overcame him and transformed Paul’s life from being a persecutor of Christ to becoming a lover of Christ!
When we accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, we also make the choice to be crucified together with Him. We choose to lay down our lives and to put on Christ, to become a new creation in Him and pick up our Cross... take on His purpose for our lives and we choose to become An Unexpected Warrior!
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Romans 10:9 – “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
v. 10 goes on to say, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
It is all about faith… faith in who He says that He is! Faith in the fact that Jesus IS the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us… Faith that He was born of a virgin, that He was crucified for our sins to restore us back to the Father, faith that He rose again on the third day, victorious over death, hell, and the grave!
Jesus came from heaven to earth to live a life we couldn’t live, to pay a debt we couldn’t pay, and break the curse of sin and death that we could not break…
He didn’t do it to form some religion… He didn’t do it to BE loved… He did it because He IS love! “For God so loved the World that He gave…” John 3:16
He came so you and I can be the Unexpected Warriors we were created to be!
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I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Often times we can find ourselves in a place where we are wondering what the will of God is for our lives… And it all begins right here! Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks! When we begin with those things, the will of the Lord will begin to be revealed to us.
When we take the focus off of ourselves… off of our struggles and circumstances… and give those things over to Him, He will begin to open up His will and His plan for our lives!
Create a place of fellowship with the Father, “a secret place”, where you can wait on God and hear from heaven! A place where He will reveal His will for your life and make you to be an Unexpected Warrior!
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Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
The Apostle Paul was telling about the importance of prayer... Praying with intention, with fervency… Always being watchful, always being thankful to God for His leading and guiding us through…
Remember to stand in the gap for our Pastors, for evangelists, missionaries… supporting them in prayer… You may never know the difference you are making... The Word of God says effective, fervent prayer make tremendous power available! Prayer changes things!
Pray without ceasing for God’s will to be done in and through our Nation’s… In and through our elected officials, whether we like them, whether we voted for them or not… Only God can change the hearts of men… It is our job to pray that His kingdom come, His will be done on earth, just as it is in heaven…
It is our job to be the Unexpected Warrior we were created to be!
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Hebrews 12:2 – “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus paid it all for us! He made a way where there seemed to be no way… He is the Lamb that was slain from the foundations of the earth… God’s redemption plan was made complete in Jesus Christ!
Paul said, we can lay aside every weight that tries to sidetrack us, every sin which the enemy has set to trap us. And we can run the race, we can finish our course because Jesus has completed His race and our faith is complete in Him!
So, don’t become discouraged, don’t grow weary in well doing. Keep your eyes on Him and fight from a place of victory! Be the Unexpected Warrior the He has created you to be!
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Matthew 6:14 – For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Jesus had been teaching His disciples that we do good deeds to please God, not to be seen and praised my man… He was teaching them how to pray… not standing in the streets or in the synagogues to be seen by others… But to go into our secret place and pray and fellowship with God… He sees us in our secret place and He will reward us openly…
So then when we pray, we first praise and worship Him… We ask Him for His will to be done in our lives just as it is in heaven… We ask and thank God for meeting our daily needs… We ask the Lord to forgive us for things we have done wrong and to help us to be quick to forgive others…
Thank Him for keeping us from temptation and from the traps of the enemy… For His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever! And He has created you to be an Unexpected Warrior!
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Revelation 4:11 – “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
God alone is worthy of all our praise… Everything was made through Him. He spoke and the worlds were formed. Light be! Heavens be! Oceans be!
Without Him, nothing would be that was made… By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth…
And we were created in the very image of God! We are His workmanship, created to create and to be creative! And just as He spoke and created the heavens and the earth, we too can speak good or bad things into or out of our lives.
But most importantly, we were created to praise Him and honor Him with our lives and be the Unexpected Warriors we were created to be!
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John 10:11 - “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
He said that someone who is not the true shepherd will not give his own life for the flock… Only the true shepherd is prepared to give his life for them…
Jesus was teaching that He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life… He is the door… No one comes to the Father but through Jesus. There have been many false shepherds that have come and that will come. But the true sheep, the true followers of Christ know His voice and follow Him… He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. He knows the Father and the Father knows Him.
The thief, the false shepherd, comes only to steal, kill and destroy… But Jesus came to lay His life down and He rose victorious over death, Hell, and the grave for His sheep that we may have abundant life! That we may become Unexpected Warriors
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Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
We are to put on Christ! Be a new man in Christ Jesus! Putting on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering… forgiveness, love… letting the peace of God rule in our hearts…
Do everything in the name of the Lord, being thankful to God… in our work, do it unto the Lord with thankfulness… and if it is not where you want to be, begin thanking Him for a promotion or a new position…
In our relationships, walking in the love of Christ toward our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors… being thankful for those relationships we have or ones we would like to have… in our trials and struggles… No matter the difficulty, being thankful for where He’s brought us from and where He’s taking us to, knowing He’ll not leave us in the valley of shadows… But that He will empower us to be Unexpected Warriors!
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John 19:30 – So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
The Father’s gift to a broken world had been given upon the cross… It’s at the cross that we can freely accept that gift into our lives… But there are some things that we may have to lay down… Things that we treat as precious family treasures, memories that we don’t want to let go of…
They are all the hurts, the pains, the sorrows that we have carried through our lives… All the sin, the shame, and the regrets the we have held so tightly to…
But the blood of Jesus cries out to you today, “I paid it all for you! I took it all upon me! All your sin and shame, your failures, your fears… Give it all to me, you can trust me with it… Lay it down at My feet. Let Me turn your sorrow into joy. Let me give you beauty for your ashes. Let My blood wash away the sin and the shame… Become a new creation in Me. Become the Unexpected Warrior I created you to be!
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Luke 22:19 – And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
As Jesus and the disciples ate their Passover meal, it was to be their last supper together. Jesus taught them how the bread represented His body which would be broken and bare the stripes for the infirmities, the sicknesses, the diseases of us all. He would become the cursed… to set us free from the curse.
Jesus taught them how the cup would be the new covenant, paid for in His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. He was the Lamb without spot or blemish that was given to set us free from our sins, our iniquities, and infirmities…
And when we partake in the Communion meal, we do it as a memorial, we do it to remember His sacrifice for us. And we do it and receive our healing and our forgiveness, by faith so that we can be the Unexpected Warriors God created us to be!
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Psalms 126:5 – Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.
In this world we will have tribulations, we will have troubles, trials, distress… But Jesus told us, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
He promised to never leave us or forsake us… He gave us the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to be with us, to empower us… We can be filled with the Holy Spirit, to empower us to fulfill our calling… to enable us to get through those hard times…
When we cry out to Him during our trials, when we keep our eyes on Him during our difficulties, when we purpose in our hearts to not be shaken, to not be moved! We will reap a harvest of joy!
Job said after he lost everything, his family, his livelihood, and nearly his own life, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing.” Job 8:21
Invite Jesus into your life and let Him make you into the Unexpected Warrior you were created to be!
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Psalms 51:1-2 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
King David had committed adultery with his General’s wife, Bathsheba, and had his General sent to the front lines to be killed to try to cover up the affair. The prophet Nathan had confronted him with his sin.
David was an adulterer and a murderer… And he was grieved in his heart. He knew he sinned against the Lord and he repented… God forgave David for his sins… The Lord would still say of David, that he was a man after God’s own heart…
The Bible says we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So, no matter what you’ve done or how far you have run, it is always only one step back to the Father who loves you and is waiting for you with open arms to wash you clean and help you to become an Unexpected Warrior!
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Zephaniah 2:3 – Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.
The Prophet Zephaniah is giving a warning to the people of Judah to turn their hearts back to the Father… to seek the Lord while He may be found… be humble, chase after the Lord’s righteousness so that when the day of the Lord has come, they will be secure in Him, their hiding place…
This word applies to us today as well… We need to seek the Lord while He may be found… Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming… so be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour your do not expect.” Matt 24:42-43
Abide in Him that He may abide in you… Keep your lamp trimmed and ready!
Uphold the justice of the Lord, be humble, seek righteousness, and be an Unexpected Warrior!
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Matthew 18:3-5 Jesus said, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
The disciples wanted to know which one of them did Jesus favor most… Jesus told them that being humble, not proud… having the faith of a child, simply trusting in His goodness and grace… that is the key to becoming the greatest in the kingdom!
It is simple faith in God… the world doesn’t understand this. The world teaches that it is by our own strength and wisdom that we become winners!
The Word teaches that apart from Him we can do Nothing! But I can do all things through Christ! The Joy of the Lord is my strength… And it is by His strength that we can become Unexpected Warriors!
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1 Thessalonians 5:15 - See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for both yourselves and for all.
The Apostle Paul was writing this to the church in Thessalonica, reminding them what Jesus taught us, “…we don’t repay an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…” (Matt. 5:38)
He said do not “…love your neighbor and hate your enemies.” (Matt. 5:43)
Jesus said don’t resist an evil person, whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well… If a man wants your clothes, give him your jacket also. If they want you to go with them one mile… go two miles! If someone asks for something, give… (Matt. 5:38-42)
In other words, love conquers all… love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you that you may be the sons, the daughters of your Father (Matt. 5:43-45) And be an Unexpected Warrior!
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I would like to invite you on a journey of faith, hope, and growth in Jesus Christ. As we dedicate a few minutes each day, we will begin to see what God wants to reveal to each of us for our lives through His Word. It is mostly in the quiet, reflective moments of our day that He speaks to our hearts and gives us fresh revelation and direction for our lives. So, come on! Let's begin our journey together in becoming Unexpected Warrior's!
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Amos 5:24 – But let your justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream…
The Prophet Amos was crying out to God for Justice. He had warned the people of Israel of the coming day of the Lord and His displeasure. What good is that day to you if it is full of darkness and not light?
They had turned their hearts away from God. And though they kept the feasts, offered their offerings, sang their songs, and played their music. It had become mere tradition. They had forgotten their first love.
It’s much like we can become in our modern churches today. Full of tradition… We say our prayers, play our music, sing our songs… But is our heart truly yearning for our Father? Are we seeking Him, His kingdom and His righteousness? Or are we just filling an obligation? It can be an easy rut to find ourselves in.
But, if we will humble ourselves and pray… He will draw us back to His heart and He will make us to become Unexpected Warriors
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Matthew 11:28 – Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus goes on to say, “Take My yoke upon you…” let’s work together… Let Me bear the load with you… “learn from Me…” Let Me show you a better way! I want to help you with what you are struggling with today. I want to give you rest from the issues of life that are weighing heavily on your souls… “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I’ll carry you… I’ll not weigh you down…
The Word says for us to cast our cares upon Him for He cares for us…
I spent years internalizing all my hurts, my pains, and frustrations… I learned to keep it all in and to put up walls… But the Lord wants to dismantle those walls. Let Him come in and give you rest. In His presence is fullness of joy. At His right hand are pleasures forever more…
Let Him carry your burdens that you may have life and live as an Unexpected Warrior!
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John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God gave us a freewill knowing that we would fall and need a Savior… He would send His Son, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, to be the payment for our sins…
A skeptic could argue that God set us up for failure. But I would strongly disagree. You see, God knows the end from the beginning… Even knowing man would choose to sin, He had planned our redemption before we even fell! He loved us so much that He put off His royal robes and took on the flesh of mankind. He became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He was wounded for our sins, bruised for our iniquity. The punishment for our peace was placed upon Him and by His stripes… we are healed… And He has empowered us to be Unexpected Warriors!
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1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The cross represents the payment that was made for the remission of our sins with the precious blood of Jesus. It is absurd to those who don’t believe because it takes faith, by the grace that God gives us, not of ourselves, to realize that fallen humanity needs, and has been given, a sacrificed and risen Savior!
God’s Word says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
The Apostle Paul said, “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things to confound the mighty… When He chose to offer us His grace and salvation, He chose us to become Unexpected Warriors!
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2 Corinthians 4:7-9 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…
He is the Potter and we are the clay… When we take up the cross and follow Christ, He takes this earthen vessel and transforms it into a vessel of honor. We die to ourselves and put on Christ as God reshapes and remolds us into His very likeness, His very image!
It is in our weakness, during our trials and testing God shows Himself strong! With His power, through the Holy Spirit, we can stand up in any trial that we may face… Jesus said that in Him we can have peace. In this world we would have tribulations, but we should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world!
And if we are in Him and He is in us, we have the power to be an Unexpected Warrior!
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“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-7
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Matthew 6:6 – But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
There are some pretty specific instructions here about our prayer life… You need to find your secret place… Set time aside for God… It’s all about building relationship with our Father… He isn’t a “Genie in a bottle” when we need a quick answer… No, He wants us to get to know Him…
For me, I enjoy spending time in prayer at night… That is time that I specifically set aside for my Father… It’s when I can just get one on one with Him and ask Him to show me His heart, His will…
And as we develop our relationship with Him, His desires become our desires... When we pray according to His plans and purposes and not our own, we will begin to see answered prayers… And we will begin to develop into an Unexpected Warrior!
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I think for the most part, and this may or may not apply to you, much of the body of Christ has been passive, weak, and ineffective for a very long time in this country! I believe that because we, as Christians, have not taken our place in government, in schools, at work, and the public arena, that we are to blame for the condition that we find our country in today! We have let the devil have his way. And the moral decay is evidence of just how ineffective we as Christians have been. But, it’s not too late. We still have a chance to become Unexpected Warriors!
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1 Corinthians 13:4-8a - Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…
The love of Jesus is working in us, when love is our first response… when we consider others ahead of ourselves… when we choose to be a servant rather than be served… when we take no record of when we are wronged…
We must allow the very character of Christ to work in us… Jesus commanded us to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbors as ourselves…
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love… Put on Christ… Become an Unexpected Warrior!
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2 Corinthians 10:5 – Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The Apostle Paul in writing this letter to the church at Corinth, was speaking about spiritual warfare that we all deal with… He encourages us to live in obedience to Christ… Reminding us that we don’t walk according to the flesh, we do not war with the flesh…
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, they are not earthly weapons, but they are might in God for pulling down of strongholds… to cast down arguments, thoughts, and high things that would make themselves appear more powerful than what we know to be truth of the Word of God!
We must bring every thought, every idea captive when they tell us things that don’t line up with God’s Word… So that we might stand in His Truth and become an Unexpected Warrior!
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Psalms 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
David was reflecting on the awesome wonder of God… How creation itself, the heavens and the earth declare the His Glory… The Lord is perfect and just. The Fear of the Lord endures forever…
David was praying, as we should, that the very words we say, the things that we meditate on are pleasing to the Lord… What kinds of conversations do you have with your friends? What things do you spend time thinking about? What are you putting before your eyes… in your ears? Do those things please the Lord?
We have to renew our minds daily by the washing of the Word… That is to spend time reading and studying the Word of God and asking Him to reveal His truth to us… When we wait upon the Lord, He renews our strength… When we are born again, we are a new creation and we are empowered to be Unexpected Warriors!
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2 Samuel 7:22 – Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
King David had just learned that he would not be allowed to build the temple of the Lord because of blood on his hands… He was a man of war… who started as a mere shepherd boy, who killed the bear and the lions while tending his father’s sheep… He wasn’t “man’s” first pick to be king - he was God’s! He was the young teenage boy who when all of Israel’s army trembled in fear, stepped up to Goliath and killed the giant…
David, after he was anointed to be king, spent years serving king Saul becoming Saul’s best general! But Saul became jealous of the young David’s anointing and his record in battle. The would be king had to run for his life from king Saul.
David was a man with many flaws of his own… But he had a repentant heart. And God said of him that he was a man after His own heart…
We all have a past filled with flaws… But by the grace of God, we all can become an Unexpected Warrior, just like king David…
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Psalms 23:4 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me…
We live in a world today where there is evil happening all around us, things that could cause us to be fearful… But we don’t have to live in fear… The Word of God says that perfect love casts out fear… Jesus is our strength, our shield, our defense, and He is with us!
The Lord is my shepherd… His rod and His staff comfort me… Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave for us! He has given us the keys of the kingdom of heaven that whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven…
Jesus gave us authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt us! He has given us the power and the authority to become Unexpected Warriors!
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As I was praying, I felt the Lord was saying to me, "Your purpose is revealed in My presence. Seek first the Kingdom, it is the key!" (See Matthew 6:33)
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James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James was instructing the church how to pray for the sick that was among them. He said let him call for the leadership of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of Jesus.
It’s the prayer of faith that will save the sick. It is the Lord Jesus that raises us up and forgives us for our sins.
If we open up with one another, share with each other our faults, our failures, our sins, we remove the barriers, we become real with each other so that we may be healed, that we may be restored when we pray for each other.
When we pray earnestly, when we pray heartfelt prayers one for another it makes tremendous power available to us, dynamic in its working and it makes us the Unexpected Warriors that we were created to be!
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Whether we accept it, whether we believe it or not, we are all here for a God given purpose. We all have a specific mission, a destiny that was designed specifically just for us that we are supposed to carry out. God has entrusted us with something that He personally designed just for us to accomplish! Now, I don’t know about you but, that is absolutely exciting to me! An opportunity to become an Unexpected Warrior. How awesome is that!
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We were not created to live our lives separate, or apart from God. We were created in His image for fellowship… companionship with Him as our Father! Many of you, like myself, may not know or, have a relationship with your earthly father and that has translated into not knowing how to have a relationship with our heavenly Father. But, God wants to meet you where you are. It doesn’t matter what path you chose out of the pain and heartache of not having a dad, or having a dad that was abusive, or just not a part of your life. What matters is that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted! He came to set the captives free! Jesus came to earth to repair the breach between the Creator and His creation!
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Do you sense the call of God on your life? Do you feel that no one around you believes in you? Maybe you feel that no one else can see God’s hand on you. You feel defined by your past sins and failures. And because of who you were, because of who you used to be, some of those around you don’t believe that God can do anything more than what He has done in you already by just getting you saved! And you have felt like maybe they are right. Maybe you ought to just be glad you are on your way to Heaven! You should just be happy with that and sit down. Don’t believe it!
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Living in a fast-paced world with fast-paced faith!
We have a tendency, as Christians living in a busy world, having busy lives, to have what I like to call Fortune Cookie Faith. What is that? I’m glad you asked! Fortune Cookie Faith is, well, have you been to a Chinese restaurant and broken open a fortune cookie to see what wonderful words of wisdom waits for you inside? Or how about looking at the daily horoscope in the newspaper, hoping for a good word for the day? We all have looked for a quick word of encouragement or hope that we can carry with us through our day in hopes that it will make the day a little more tolerable. Has it worked for you yet? Well, neither will having a Fortune Cookie Faith in God’s Word.
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To say that there is a lot of chaos in the world today goes without saying. The powers that be, the news media, political parties, colleges and some religious organizations, they all have an agenda and they all want to pit us against each other for their own political gain, for their own financial gain, and for the gain of our true enemy that they work for. And he is just getting started.
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As a Christian, I find myself asking a question lately. How do I take a stand for what is truth, what is right, what is Godly, and yes, what is American without being ungodly in doing it? I look around at everything going on in the world, in our own country politically, culturally, morally. And I find myself wondering where the body of Christ is. Where are our Christian leaders who would take a bold stand for Biblical principles?
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God is partnering us with others, wives, husbands, brothers and sisters in Christ to serve side by side. And He is getting ready to commission those who have cried “Here am I Lord, send me” to go places where we have not gone before, to be among people that we may not have had exposure to before. To be strangers in a strange land. Yes, even in our own land. We may not be comfortable with their lingo, with their language, culture, or their politics. But He is going to send us into unusual mission fields, unconventional mission fields, where there are strongholds of witchcraft and sorceries of all kinds. Where deception and fraud are an accepted practice.
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None of us like to wait for anything for very long. In the fast-paced society, we’ve all become accustomed to, patience is not always our strong point. I can remember a world without cell phones, with out instant messaging, texting, emails. There was a time when if we wanted to call home for something while we were out, we’d have to stop at a pay phone or somewhere to make the call or, we’d just wait until we got home. It’s okay to let some things wait.
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I've often wonder about the background of the two thieves that were on their own crosses right beside Jesus! What would it have been like hanging just feet from the Savior and Redeemer of the world? What was their story? How did they end up in the same place at the same time, to be remembered forever down through history each one on either side of the One that could wash away the very sins that put them on their own crosses that very day?
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