John Stanko | On September 14, 2015

David and Goliath
(Painted by Gebhard Fugel) (circa 19th-20th century)

“The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give!”

– Psalm 21:1.

God gave David strength and it gave David great joy. Yet this strength was for a purpose, and that was to win battles and achieve great things that gave God glory. David then shared in that glory and it led David to praise and worship. God is not empowering you to make you feel good or to help you out from time to time. God desires that you have victory in every area of life: finances, relationships, purpose, goals, conquering sin and spreading the gospel. Ultimately, Jesus died to give you victory over the last enemy and that is death. John wrote about victory in his first epistle, when he said:

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”

– 1 John 5:3-5.

Are you living an overcoming life? Are you experiencing victory in important areas of work and ministry? Is your faith making a difference in your day-to-day existence? Can you list the faith victories you have recently experienced?

Today’s reading – Psalms 21-25

John Stanko

John Stanko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Duquesne University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics in 1972 and 1974 respectively.

Since then, John has served as an administrator, teacher, consultant, author, and pastor in his professional career. He holds a second master’s degree in pastoral ministries, and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 2011.

John founded a personal and leadership development company, called PurposeQuest, in 2001 and today travels the world to speak, consult and inspire leaders and people everywhere. From 2001-2008, he spent six months a year in Africa and still enjoys visiting and working on that continent, while teaching for Geneva College’s Masters of Organizational Leadership and the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, John founded Urban Press, a publishing service designed to tell stories of the city, from the city and to the city.