Victory!

If I were to write a book, I think I’d like to have it bound in black leather with nothing else on the front cover except for the word “Victory”.
I think of all of the posts I’ve done over the years and what I really want for those who’ve read any of them is victory. The ideas I talk about come directly from things that the Lord deals with me and my heart.
In that, I also see that His desire for me is victory.

Victory?

If I don’t have victory, what do I have? I’d be curious to poll a large group and see what answers come from that question. I imagine that the main knee-jerk answer will be ‘defeat’ but that’s just my speculation.
However, I’m not sure that I agree with defeat as an answer. Defeat as a word, is too final. “Defeated” would be a more appropriate choice but even then, the expression is more specialized; if you don’t have victory, you have constraint, oppression, enslavement and ongoing sufferings that don’t attain to any lasting benefit.

Victory is when those old tricks no longer work on you - People who deal in negativism can’t look to involve you in their conversations because your mind stays hooked into a Philippians 4:8 mindset where words are meant to edify and the mind is meant to think on good things.
Every day is another exciting opportunity to have your mind renewed by the washing of the Word and you’re selective to make sure that the truth you ingest is Scripturally sound….instead of selfishly appealing.
You no longer have to make excuses for your personality. It may take work but as it’s crucified with Christ you realize the truth; if your personality stands in the way of God’s work toward your Christlikeness, there’s no value in retaining any of it.
You don’t wait, watching for the downfall of the wicked. You pray for their repentance and have a desire to worship in truth rather than take joy in their ‘payback’.
Victory is shone in that endearing spirit – a sincere desire to help turn the wayward, an uncompromising drive to serve needs regardless of the person’s ‘presentation’ and an unrelenting devotion to personally know the depths of Christ.
Your life is joyfully enriched by finding someone who will come alongside and disciple you just as much as you realize the lessons you’ve learned can benefit others and you’re available to help gain victories for them.

In Victory, the world takes its proper position as the refining fire and the proving ground. It's just the complex mechanics that is used to teach us the difference between the future and the futile; the truth and the temporary; the Sovereign and the superficial - And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.(1 John 2:17)

It’s SO easy to talk a good game. Victory is evident when your actions actually speak louder than your words and the perceptions of people have little effect on your direction and momentum. Your light shines wherever you go and you know that being in church is an obedient expression of your faith, but being IN Christ is way bigger than what happens on Sunday.
Victory is not grandiose, bravado or arrogance – it’s in all humility that you needed (and continually so) a Saviour who secured the victory that has been appropriated to you. However it is confident in a way that trusts the abilities of Christ and is affirmed in truth. This is why fear is incompatible with victory, ‘perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love’(1 John 4:18).

Here’s The Word:

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

1 Chronicles 29:11 Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

At the end of it all, there are thousands upon thousands of books; many with so many valuable insights and creatively clever uses of scripture to motivate us to the places I'm talking about - but the fact remains; YOU have to want it...you have to WANT to want it! And if you really want it, you will not be denied. In Christ IS the Victory!


In Him,
Cros

Elevated vs Exalted

The other day I was watching television and one of those ‘feel good’ commercials came on. The ones where people are willing to lend a helping hand to their fellow man, where they strive for a clean drinking water, abundant health care in places where its desperately needed and a conscientious approach to our effect on the environment.
How could one ever argue with these issues and the need for us all to get along better?

….but something is missing.

Often times we read Scripture from such a comfort zone that it becomes very easy to paint mental pictures that may very well distort the reality of what took place. Think about the Tower of Babel story: Because we know that God confounded the languages and divided the people, it’s quite likely that we see these people as evil and deserving of this dispersing as punishment. We may even see them as bad people actively rebelling against God. However, the account in Genesis 11 says nothing to that effect. What you see is a people, looking to unify and (literally) elevate themselves. It’s entirely possible that their world looked a lot like the commercial I mentioned.

God created us for His pleasure.

Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Keeping this in mind, even if we venture out into what could be considered ‘honorable’ endeavors, if we’re doing them in our own strength and for ourselves without God – the efforts, being Godless, are still basically evil.

It seems that much of the world today is striving for better. Government and politics are becoming more dismissive of God at an increasingly alarming rate – but it’s doing so under the guise of elevation.
Human elevation.
We’re collectively trying to provide for our own needs using our own efforts. But wait? Shouldn’t striving for better be something commendable in God’s eyes? Yes, but God does have a plan for our prosperity.
God, as a loving Father, indeed has a plan to benefit you, to give you reason to rejoice, and this rejoicing will be proper and without reproach or sense of pride that tends to derail things down the line. People who believe they are able to rejoice in themselves can only do so if they, in some way, are promoting a self-reliance and ability….a self-glory if you will. When you see this properly, it’s not hard to understand why it becomes an issue.

Here’s The Word;

Daniel 5:2(Speaking of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar) But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

One could easily argue that the sin that "started it all" was the one where Lucifer became impressed with himself; when he got a glimpse of his own glory.

Trust that the Lord's ways are right and that God protecting us from our self-pride is as merciful an act as we could ever pray for. Everything simply works out all the better if God receives all the glory.

Here's The Word;

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Jeremiah 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

2 Corinthians 10:17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

In closing, my only point is – Keep a discerning eye (and ear) open. These days ARE evil but often times they don’t look like the evil you’d expect. It’s become so well disguised that you’d actually look foolish to deny the intrinsic “good” embedded in their promotion. Know the truth of the Word and give God the glory. Know the difference between elevating and exalting.


In Him,
Cros