50 Days of Victory - Day Twenty-Seven: The Name of Our Victorious God

As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth.

Your strong right hand is filled with victory.

Psa. 48:10, NLT

I’ve been called a few names in my time – Little Package, Babe, Punkin, Betheelaine, Herman, Goodie Two Shoes, Chatterbox, Nincompoop. Some were terms of endearment, others…not so much. What people call us is very important to our self-esteem and reputation. They either energize and comfort us, or discourage and condemn us to a fate we feel is inescapable.  

Believers were first called Christians in Antioch when Paul and Barnabas were winning many there to Jesus (Acts 11:26). It meant “Little Christ” and was a slam on those crazy Jesus Freaks who actually believed Jesus was the Son of God come back to life. Everyone could see how much they loved Him. They couldn’t stop talking about Him and centered their lives around His life, teaching, and promised return. The name stuck.

I don’t know about you, but I think it's a compliment to be named after Christ. I want to be like Him and spread His message of hope, forgiveness, and freedom.

Ann Spangler, says in Praying the Names of God, “To know God’s name is to enjoy a kind of privileged access to him…Through his names God reveals his character and his love. He is the Creator, the Everlasting God, the God Who Sees Me, the Lord Who Heals, the Lord My Rock, The Lord My Shepherd, and the Father who is calling us into a deeper, more satisfying relationship.”

It's His strong right hand that is filled with victory. He doesn’t just have a smidgeon or a pinch or a speck of victory. The right hand of our God is filled to the brim with victory. He already triumphed when He rose from the dead. The war is won; the devil has already been beaten.

Too often I forget that fact in the muddle of day to day life. I get discouraged and feel defeated, and think I have to do something to help Him out. In reality I just need to praise Him and spread the word.