Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

1 Corinthians 4:8-10

We have all that we want and are rich with spiritual food because the Holy Spirit lives in us –and yet we often feel self-sufficient enough to think we do not need to seek righteousness or the favor of God. Emboldened of our own power and might, we forget that those who walk in Christ are not to be proud or haughty. We must remember with reverence and yielded heart, the price that was paid for the faith.  Often, as the Church in Corinth, we pick and choose teachers who preach what we want to hear. Teachers throughout history have sometimes been filled more with education than they are with the spirit of God. Teaching out of their own intellect more than a yielding or surrender to God, we are led astray and distracted by pomp and circumstance. Just as the Church in Corinth, there still lies a danger in becoming lovers of self, rather than lovers of God and his grace and fullness.

 

The cross for all believers comes at a price, which is paved with suffering and always yielding. Are we to believe that we are above suffering when Christ suffered the ultimate price for us? Countless men and women throughout history have suffered and were persecuted for the faith.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:13-14

Living victoriously we take the word of God, receive it into our hearts and make ourselves vessels which are filled by the Holy Spirit. With wisdom, knowledge and the indwelling joy of the Living Christ, we shall continue to hunger and thirst for God.

When we feel torn up, bruised, a bit worn out from the battle of the world, it’s okay to feel tired. We all get tired. We have all felt persecuted at some time in our lives. “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life“…Jesus is the way through the narrow gate and we find him there, waiting. His cost was heavy so that our burdens may be light. His love defies persecution. “The Lord will fight for  you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

Exhale today and find rest for your weary, battle scarred spirit. Jesus paid the ultimate price for your liberation from persecution. The weight of the cross was so that we could live victoriously through Him in all circumstances.

“For I, the LORD  your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

 

 

 

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4

Finally, be strong in the Lord in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1John 5:4

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

But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us, spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 2 Corinthians 2:14

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 2 Corinthians 4:8

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

These are just a few examples of the promises of victory that we find in the Bible. Victory is not found in a sermon, a book or a prayer group. Victory is found only through the Lord Jesus Christ and His unmerited favor and grace upon us. If you have been trying to live victory to victory by yourself and find yourself coming up empty, stressed or defeated, God may be telling you, “come to me and I will give you rest“.  When we commit to allowing God to take over and confess His victory over our lives, we are essentially handing him the wheel, “Lord, all of my efforts to live victoriously over my problems, obstacles, frustrations and even small sinful attitudes have come up empty. I am going to trust you to give me victory.”

By yielding to and trusting God, we are victorious minute by minute and in every situation. Victorious living is a learning process. As we lean into God, speak with God and yield our circumstances to God even when it is uncomfortable and we feel out of control, we learn to walk in victory. As with all disciplines, we will fail many times as we are learning. We may lose hope, get frustrated and think that God is not moving on our behalf. During these times, it is important to get grounded in God’s promises and His word. As we learn to walk in victory, we hold onto and claim the promises of Christ as our victory rather than quickly letting defeat set in and bring discouragement to our hearts and lives.

We are victorious in Christ Jesus, but we must choose to live in victory. We must choose to go from victory to victory even if we fall. We must choose to get back up and dust ourselves off and humble ourselves before the Lord, asking him to take the wheel. We must yield to God and trust him with our problems and the details of our lives. A defeated Christian is not a good testimony to a life in Christ! We don’t want to walk in defeat!

 

My 101 day prayer journaling workbook, Victorious Living, will guide you through 101 days on the discipline of living victoriously in Christ. Each page has a prayer and praise, space for reflection, scripture references and an assignment. I pray that you will take the first step and commit to yielding to Christ in your daily living. As with anything we try to learn, we must work very hard at it and start over again and and again. Working through a workbook will not bring you victory in your life, but the discipline of confessing victory in your life and working each day on a victorious mindset through Christ Jesus will bring you victory! The workbook will help you develop the discipline to yield your thoughts to Christ so that you may be victorious regardless of your situation.

 

What happens in life when you come up against impossible situations? How do you handle them?

I have learned through the deepest valleys of my career that God is always the great refiner, performing the deepest root work through the fires of life, through the tough things, and each obstacle presents an opportunity to deepen our faith and grow in wisdom.

If your situation seems hopeless, attempt to look at it from a new perspective. Things are not always as they appear. God is ever faithful and sometimes we do not get the big picture until years after an experience in the valley.

 

 

Some things I have learned in the valley:

1. All of our abilities belong to God.
2. When considering a life of faith, the longings of our heart and soul should be consecrated to God.
3. When your heart is in the right place and you are ready to receive, God will open doors for you.
4. He longs to give you the desires of our heart.
5. God loves you so much that when you feel you are at the lowest point, He will send others to surround you with His love and tender care until you heal.
6. Employ your gifts to help others.
7. He always has a plan.

My posts for the week of March 27-31 will focus on lessons learned in the valley. Stay tuned or subscribe to my e-mail updates.