Devotions by Chris Hendrix

The Roman Empire conquered much of the known world. It was the most extensive and influential empires up to that time. At it’s peak, they had conquered about 20% of the known world. To put that in perspective, that’s more than double the population of North and South America. They say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” James Clear adds, “But they were laying bricks every hour.” Becoming a conqueror doesn’t happen overnight. It takes doing the little things day in and day out. It takes staying focused on the mission of growth. We normally think of battles when we think of conquerors, but once the battle is over, they rule by their culture and discipline.

Daniel was a man who was conquered and held captive, but became a conqueror within the nation that overtook his homeland. When he was carried away, they tried to get him to eat the king’s food. Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself with the king’s finest food or with the wine which the king drank” (AMP). He stayed disciplined even in the face of adversity. When he was told he could no longer pray, he continued to and they threw him in a den of lions for it. When the kings magicians and wise men couldn’t tell him what he dreamed, he ordered them to be killed. Daniel asked for time and then told the king his dream. He stayed true to his culture and remained disciplined even though the culture was against him.

Romans 8:37 says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].” God has made you more than a conqueror. He has given you His spirit so you can be an over comer despite your circumstances or the culture around you. Like those who conquered before, you must be disciplined in your daily spiritual habits. Remain in God’s Word and follow what He says. You may be persecuted like Daniel, but God will give you the grace to endure. Remain in close fellowship with Him. There are lots of competing voices out there, but it’s through Him and His strength that you will be more than a conqueror. Live out your faith one brick at a time. Being a mature Christian doesn’t happen in a day. It happens in doing daily disciplines.

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In sales trainings, one of the things they practice is overcoming objections. People will always give an objection or excuse as to why they can’t buy your product. Most are fake and are just something they say in order to not have to buy. We would compile a list of them and then practice using a formula to show why that isn’t a valid excuse. However, it’s not just customers who come up with objections and excuses, kids do when you ask them to clean. Adults do when you ask them to go somewhere or do something. We all give excuses when there’s something we don’t really want to do or feel qualified to do. We’re all hoping they can’t overcome our objections.

In Exodus 3, Moses has a meeting with God through the burning bush. God explains that He’s heard the cries of His people in slavery by the Egyptians and it’s time to rescue them. He then gives Moses the mission to rescue them, but Moses gave an objection. He doubted himself and asked, “Who am I?” God overcame it by saying He wouldn’t be alone because God Himself would be with him. Then Moses pushed back asking who was he supposed to say sent him. God responded with I Am That I Am. Moses wasn’t convinced and asked, “What if they don’t believe me?” Then God asked him to use the staff in his hand. Finally Moses made an excuse because of his inability to speak. God then sent Aaron to speak for him. There was no excuse or objection God would accept from Moses, nor us.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]” (AMP). What excuses or objections have you been giving God? What have you used to disqualify yourself? Like He did with Moses, He will overcome your objections. We must submit to His will and guidance for our lives. The things you’ve gone through, the things you think disqualify you and the limitations you see in yourself are actually the things that God uses to help you connect with others. God was ready for anything Moses threw at Him and He’s ready to overcome your objections. It’s time to quit making excuses so you can commit to what He has called you to. There are people waiting to be set free through your obedience.

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In the early 1970’s psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford University invented the Marshmallow Test. The test was intended to measure self control in children under 5 years old They constructed this test to see if a child would be able to wait for something they wanted or give in to instant gratification. The child was given the choice of being able to eat one marshmallow now or two later. Some had the ability to wait it out and not eat the marshmallow. He followed all the original kids for five decades. The ones who were able to exercise self control were more successful in life. They were able to manage their selfish impulses and delay gratifying their innate desires.

In 1 Samuel 13, we read where King Saul had trouble waiting for Samuel to come make the sacrifice before they went to war. He men were beginning to be fearful and leave. Samuel had told him to wait seven days and then he would show up to sacrifice to God. When the seventh day came and Samuel wasn’t there, Saul took matters into his own hands. For this act, the kingdom was taken from him and given to David. It would be over a decade later before David sat on the throne though. He had multiple opportunities to kill Saul and become king, yet he waited for God’s timing. Even though his men encouraged him to take Saul out, he waited for God. He submitted to God’s processes and timing.

James 4:7 says, “So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you” (GNT). The people of the Church were quarreling and fighting in those days. They wanted the blessings of God like Saul without submitting to Him. It turns out human nature hasn’t changed much. We want the marshmallow now, but God offers more if we’re willing to submit to Him and His plan. If we can resist the devil and the fleshly urges, they will flee. We will find more unity within our churches and our lives when we submit to God rather than our flesh. Where in your life are you struggling to submit to God? James continues in this chapter by telling us how to overcome in those areas. We are to resist the devil, to be repentant and to humble ourselves before God. When we do, He will lift us up in due season.

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When I was in high school I worked for Baskin Robbins. After a while I got to start making the waffle cones. On those nights I would get home and my mom would smell me from across the room. She would then come hug me so she could get a better whiff and tell me how good I smelled. Not long after I became manager of the store. I was transporting some of the waffle cone mix and I took a corner too fast. The bucket fell over, but I didn’t realize the top came off. The next afternoon when I went to get it out, I saw the spill all over the back of my hatchback. I cleaned it up the best I could, but the Texas heat cooked some into the carpet and board that covered the spare. For years, when the car would get hot, the smell of waffle cones permeated my car.

In Luke 7, Jesus went to eat with a Pharisee. After he was reclining at the table, a woman in the town, who had a reputation of being a sinner, came in to see Him. She began to weep over her sin. The tears began to fall on Jesus’ feet and she then wiped them off with her hair cleaning His feet. She also began to kiss His feet as a sign of respect and submission while the others watched. She then opened an alabaster jar of perfume and poured it on His feet. As the aroma filled the house, the Pharisee began to doubt Jesus was who He said He was because He was allowing this sinful woman to touch Him. Jesus told him a parable of two people who owed different amount of debt showing the one who was forgiven more, loved more. Then he showed how this woman was expressing her love over the forgiveness of her many sins.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 says, “For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the latter one an aroma from death to death [a fatal, offensive odor], but to the other an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]” (AMP). Our lives give off an aroma to God. Just like there are pleasant odors and there are offensive odors, lives give off similar smells to God. What aroma does your life give off? Is it one that is fresh and pleasing? Is it one that makes people stop and want to take a deeper whiff? Our lives reflect our love for God. While some forgiven sins are more noticeable than others, God’s forgiveness saved us from the same fate. The way we live then should be as a result of that love for God, giving off a fragrance that fills whatever room we’re in.

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