No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

“They did not play to win; they played to not lose; that is why they lost.”

Have you ever heard or read such an analysis from a sports commentator about a team that lost a crucial game?

Sometimes this is a reference to a team that played the game on the defensive, not willing to take chances on offence, for example. Or it could be a commentary on a team that was intimidated by the opposition and played with jitters.

Either way, clearly this is not the way to play the game.

Recently I heard someone say that an army with a reputation for success in war (e.g. Israel) has an attitude of planning to win every time, which sets them apart from another army that sets strategies in place designed to not lose.

They fight with the knowledge that they cannot afford to lose. They simply must win. They go on an all-out offensive that is designed to end in victory. They eliminate every possible factor that could result in victory for the enemy. And they exploit every weakness of the enemy with a strong offence.

Our speaker went on to point out how many followers of Jesus fight to not lose rather than to win. We either get so intimidated by the enemy of our souls that we dare not wield the weapons of our warfare. Or we get so caught up in defending ourselves that we fail to strike a deadly blow or go all out with the aim of winning.

The apostle Paul reminds us in this familiar passage from Romans that “we are more than conquerors.” There is no strand of defeat in the DNA of a follower of Jesus. We are winners, overcomers, warriors, through and through.

Paul also tells us in Ephesians 6:13 to “put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”Someone once pointed out that none of the weapons described in this passage are designed to cover our back. They all refer to equipment that we would wear when we fight face to face.

Yes, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation are designed to provide protection, but notice that the last item of the armour is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The reason for wearing the rest of the armour is to move forward wearing the shoes of readiness for the gospel and wielding the sword of the word. Once again, we see that the purpose for wearing the rest of the gear is so that we may be protected while we attack and win every battle over the enemy.

Because, you see, friends, we cannot afford to lose, either. We cannot even contemplate the possibility of the enemy winning. We cannot go with the attitude of “we win some, we lose some.” Our resolve is to win them all as Jesus did!

Dear DWOD friend, would you please take a moment today to assess how you are advancing toward your destiny? Would you characterize your approach as being more oriented to defence or offence? Do you fight not to lose or to win?

How soon you enter into your destiny could very well depend on your attitude. Remember: “You are more than a conqueror.”You fight to win…every time! Amen?

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”(Deuteronomy 24:15)

“I couldn’t help myself. It was as though I had no control. I had no choice but to…”

From time to time pastors like me will hear these words from someone who has messed up in some area of their life.

Granted temptations can be so severe at times, the attacks so intense or the pressure so immense that you could feel as though you had to succumb. Often in the heat of the moment, your will can be weakened so rapidly that you end up making a choice that you live to regret sooner or later.

Yet, is it true that you really had no choice in the matter?

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, writes about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp in a book that you may have read or heard about: “Man’s Search for Meaning.”

As you can very well imagine, prisoners at these camps had absolutely no rights. Everything was taken away from them, including their identity. Rather than being known by their names, they were assigned numbers.

You could make a very good case that they did not really have a say in anything that happened to them, that they had no choice but to accept their fate.

Frankl notes how some who had reached this conclusion got weaker by the day and died.

He, however, received a revelation that would help him survive the deplorable conditions that prisoners were forced to endure. Here is how he phrases it:

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.”

In other words, he still had a choice in the matter. Once he recognized it, now he did not have to feel powerless. Because he still had the power to choose.

Frankl chose to maintain a hopeful attitude rather than curl up and die as some did. It is this choice that helped him survive the concentration camp.

Here is another quote from the aforementioned book: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Even in the place where it may seem as though we do not have a choice, Frankl points out that there is a window of time when we can make a choice.

I recall a speaker who phrased it this way: “God is for you. The devil is against you. You cast the deciding vote!”

Recently, a Sozo minister taught me something that I believe will be a blessing to you.

Let’s say you are upset by something someone said or did to you. The stimulus is irritation. The most common response would be anger in one form or another.

However, in that space between getting upset and responding with anger, here is what Rob taught me to say: “I see you, spirit of anger. I refuse to partner with you. I send you to the foot of the cross. Now, Jesus, what you do have in exchange for me?”

You see, dear DWOD friend, it is only when you choose to partner with the spirit that attacks you that you respond in a sinful manner. When you refuse to agree, you are now in charge. You have power. You can now exercise that power in a godly way.

Try it. You’ll be amazed how you will make the right choice…every time!

I look forward to hearing your testimonies. Please share them with the rest of your DWOD family in the comments section below.

Yesterday, one of our leaders shared with me a directive she had received from Holy Spirit. To put it simply, He told her to instruct anyone who had been blessed by her ministry not to name her as the minister who had been used by Him.

This resolve was tested right away as she received a testimony from one of our DWOD subscribers. Sharon had showed up in church on Sunday with what seemed like a severe case of vertigo. She was planning to go home and rest until she felt better.

At that particular juncture in time, her paths crossed with our leader who promptly prayed for healing. The result was noticeable. Sharon was able to stay in church for the service, help with Sunday School, go out for lunch with friends, etc. In short, she had received instant healing from the vertigo-like symptoms.

Our leader was struck by the reference to the “faceless faithful” in yesterday’s DWOD and saw in it a confirmation of what Holy Spirit had downloaded into her spirit. She would go on to instruct Sharon to share her testimony accordingly.

This morning as I read through a contribution by well-known American prophet Bob Jones to The Elijah List, I was struck by the following words:

In 1974, the Father told me that He loves “mashed potatoes” and that is what He wants out of all of us. He wants all of us to come together in unity as one Body. Then when the greater works comes forth, no one person will get the credit. It will be corporate because His Body of Believers will function as one under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and in demonstration of His power.

The Father wants mashed potatoes – to where love is revealed in a remnant group and the love would be revealed for Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

The tomato and potato are of the same family. The tomato grows above ground on a vine and represents revealed love that everyone can see. Whereas the potato represents concealed love because it grows underground and remains hidden so only the Father can see it. Now, get ready for this hidden love to be revealed. There’s a revealing of the Father’s love in His Body and the mashed potatoes are the koinonia.

When the Body comes together in love, there’s no distinction between the Believers. Like mashed potatoes, they all look the same and are mixed together for His purpose.

The Lord also reminded me of a prophetic word declared by Canadian prophets Ivan & Isabel Allum in 2006:

“Prepare my people to receive the ministry of Jesus. The time is coming soon when the season of the ministries of men will come to an end and the ministry of Jesus will be restored and released again. The ministry of Jesus will be given to those who have become part of the ‘nameless and faceless’ generation that I have been preparing for the last 15 years.”

Nameless, faceless generation. Mashed potatoes. That’s you and me, friend. In the Kingdom, our destinies are intertwined. Isn’t that awesome? Praise God!

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25:21)

Many of our subscribers live in countries where November 11 is set aside to remember the sacrificial price paid by men and women who fought in wars and conflicts to either purchase, defend or preserve the freedom they enjoy today.

Here in Canada we call it Remembrance Day. You may observe it as Armistice Day or Veterans Day or another name.

Over the past couple of days, a number of my Facebook friends have changed their profile picture to that of a loved one or friend who is counted among the vast numbers of those who laid down their lives for us.

Most of us, however, are not able to do that. We do not know their names. We have no idea what they looked like. Even when we see their names engraved on a memorial plaque or wall or posted on a website, we cannot attach a face to them.

Yet, we are so grateful that they were willing to serve their countries when duty called or demanded.

Is it fair to say that most, if not all of them, would have never known that one day their memories would be hallowed and honoured? Perhaps they did not even realize the significance of their act of service and its impact upon succeeding generations.

But, we who live now, do. We remember them. We thank God for them. We appreciate their faithfulness to fulfil their assignment.

In the so-called Parable of the Talents, Jesus reminds us that He (the Master) values above all the fact that His servants were “faithful over a few things.”

What matters is not how much was entrusted into their hands. Whether it was 5, 2 or 1, what really mattered was what each servant did with the talent(s) they had received as a gracious gift from their Master.

Did the servants have any idea of the rewards they would receive as a result of their faithfulness? Not likely, eh?

They were singleminded in what they did with those talents. They made them count for their Master. They invested them, multiplied them, made them pay dividends, not for themselves, but for their Master. As a result, they were rewarded with greater responsibility than they could have ever imagined, “rulers over many things.”

Do you have any idea of the impact that your life will have on succeeding generations? You may get a glimpse here and there. You may receive a few testimonies if you live long enough.

Yes, it would be great to experience such rewards and bask in the joy of seeing how our lives touched others. Yet the truth is that you will never know the full impact on this side of eternity.

But the greatest reward we could ever hope for is to hear the Master say: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

In the meantime, all we are called to do is to be “faithful over a few things,” to simply complete our current assignment.

So, dear DWOD friend, would you be content to serve your Master, even if no one ever knows your name? Are you willing to be counted among the company of the faceless faithful?

I hope so. I pray so.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.(2 Corinthians 5:7)

In yesterday’s DWOD, you read about our dear friend Drew Maxwell illustrating this verse with a generic coffee cup holding high octane coffee. He went on to say how the Holy Spirit is like the superior coffee poured out into us, the jars of clay.

Thus, we need to focus on the contents, not the container. When we get too focused on the rough edges of the container, we can easily miss the contents, i.e. Holy Spirit working through these unappealing, even repelling earthen vessels.

Today we want to address another danger of focusing on the container. This happens when Holy Spirit starts showing up in power and incredible miracles follow. Quite often, onlookers and recipients tend to give too much credit to the particular vessel through whom Holy Spirit is being poured out. Worse, the jars of clay begin to believe that they are the ones that make things happen.

Don’t get me wrong, God uses those who are submitted to Him in greater measure than those who are not. Holy Spirit apportions spiritual gifts as He deems fit and certain gifts tend to manifest in spectacular fashion more than others, e.g. healing.

However, the purpose of the container is simply to hold and pour out the contents to bring blessing to others. When someone forgets this or behaves as though they are the ones who are making it happen, look out! Often pride sets in and leads to a fall. Sadly, they, their families and indeed the entire Body of Christ pay a heavy price as a result.

This post is being written a few short hours after the conclusion of yet another day in the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit known as Open The Floodgates, which has seen many outstanding miracles since it began on Oct. 18 in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Southern Ontario.

Mark Redner, another dear friend of ours, is the earthen vessel that God has been using in this move of God. He is a humble man who goes out of his way to point out that this outpouring is not about him at all. The local leadership has been diligent in raising up a ministry team whom God has been using to bless those who come seeking healing and freedom as well.

Mark realizes that he is simply the Best Western cup holding Tim Horton’s coffee! He relentlessly points to the Trinity at work and refuses to take any more credit than simply being the gatekeeper who opens the gates for Father, Son & Holy Spirit to enter and do what they do best, while he gets out of their way!

What a great example he is setting for all of us!

Dear DWOD friend, your platform, in all likelihood, is not that of a revivalist. But, no matter the sphere of life in which you exercise your ministry and release your spiritual and natural gifts, you too need to be aware of this fact of the Christian life.

When God uses you to produce spectacular results and all around you want you to take all the credit for it, would you please point out that is the high octane contents that make your coffee cup look great? Would you humbly acknowledge that you are simply a jar of clay with the privilege of holding the treasure of the Holy Spirit?

May you, like Mark Redner, the apostle Paul and countless others, let the whole world know that it’s all in the java!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.(2 Corinthians 5:7)

Our dear friend Drew Maxwell illustrated a great truth with a simple illustration this morning when he preached at the 173^rd Anniversary Service at Morgan’s Point United Church in Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada.

In one hand he held a coffee cup from the hotel where he had stayed the previous night. It should not surprise you to hear that the quality of this coffee was not quite up to snuff.

In the other hand he had a cup of Tim Horton’s coffee. (For the benefit of our non-Canadian subscribers, Tim’s, as it is affectionately known, is a nationwide chain of coffee shops known for their addictive coffee, donuts and assorted pastries)  

Tim’s Coffee is not in the same league as Starbucks (in quality or in price), but is immensely popular with Canadians, definitely a few cuts above the hotel coffee.

Drew then proceeded to pour coffee from the Tim Horton’s cup into the Best Western cup. He went on to point out how even though the container gave the impression that it was holding the inferior hotel brand coffee, in reality, its contents were high octane java!

As you might have figured out by now, the superior coffee represented the “treasure” of the Holy Spirit which has been poured out into our earthen vessels, which can belie their contents by their appearance.

Drew pointed out how when we focus on the contents of the cup, we do fine. But, when we focus on the container, we can easily get judgmental.

I could relate to what he was talking about. I still remember the first ever large-scale Holy Spirit-led meeting that I attended. It was nothing like the mainline church services that I was used to leading.

Yes, they had a Praise Team like we did, but the worship they offered was very different. I’d never seen a band take a 4 minute song and stretch it to 8 minutes with copious repetition, room for spontaneous prayer and silent spaces. Frankly it felt strange and unnecessary.

The din of people talking and singing in tongues, the weird movements and jerky motions of some of the people in the meeting and manifestations which I had never witnessed before were quite disconcerting, even disturbing.

When I focused on the containers, I was beginning to wonder whether what was going on was of God or not.

When I started to focus on what God was doing though, then I had no doubt whatsoever that what I was witnessing was really a 21^st century version of the book of Acts.

There were healings galore. There were testimonies shared by those who had been touched by God. It was obvious that lives had been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Emotions erupted as people shared how they had experienced the Father’s love. Jesus had wooed many into the Kingdom. Churches were birthed. Movements were born. Missions were an integral part of this Holy Spirit Outpouring. Yes, there was even persecution.

Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened had I judged the contents by the container. My life would not be what it is today. I am so thankful to God for giving me the wisdom to discern the Tim’s coffee that was masked by the Best Western cups.

Dear DWOD friend, on the road to your destiny, you too will be faced with this kind of situation over and over again. Please make a conscious choice to check out the contents and not judge by the container. It could make a world of difference for you, as it did for me.