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Victory
Victory .. What is it? Some will tell you it’s about winning, coming first in what ever your competing, from spelling B to the Olympics. It could be you have over come a crippling fear, that is very real to you.
Point A .. Over Coming ~ Point B .. Who can help
Point C .. Living in Victory without fear
Point A .. Over Coming
Yet in, Romans 8:37 .. it tells us that .. “We are more than conquerors” .. Lets not forget the rest of this verse .. “through Him who loved us”. God looks after the birds in the air, the crops we grow. So how much more does He want to take care of us! “He who is in you, is greater than he who is in the World”. [NKJ 1 John 4:4] In other words God created ‘ALL’ we .. See .. Do .. Have, far more that anything man could ever create. So having Victory should be second nature to us.
2 Samuel 23:12 “But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory”.
If we try and to do things in our own strength, we are, every time going to fail. As throughout the Bible, we’ll see that with God on our side, anything is possible. One the most famous, is always going to be ‘Noah’. We need to have, as I have always said .. ‘Have Faith & believe’ .. giving peace of mind that God is always going to come through for us.
Matthew 12: 21 “In His name Gentiles will trust.”
You can see that .. ‘Victory’ .. comes to us who are NOT Jewish, not of even one of the old Apostles. Who is it? It’s knowing when God is for us, who can stand against us?
“through Him who loved us”
It can be a misconception, though some are, good living for a living. But, how many can actually say they know personally enough and are willingly to be making a major sacrifice for you, to improve your life. Well we do .. His name is .. Jesus Christ [John 16:33] “I have overcome the world.” .. Christ died so we don’t have to. When Jesus rose from the dead on 3rd day, He rose with the keys to hades. Such is [present tense] His love for us.
Don’t ever let yourself be so discouraged that you forget the personal love that Jesus Christ has for each and everyone of us. We also must in those dark lonely days take assurance that His love & affection is, and will always be ever present.
1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 2:19/20 “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”
It is a sad fact that so who were saved, never really felt God in their lives, because they never truly gave ‘ALL’ over to God. How can you really walk into a restaurant and want to only pay half (½) and yet expect to get all the food .. “no longer I who live” .. This means that you and your old ways are now dead, no ties, no more sin. As I recently heard Pastor Keith Moore say “The dead can’t be tempted, because they are dead. As we are now” So the next time you find yourself being tempted to sin, you need to turn around and tell the devil, the following .. “My old ways have died to sin through Christ Jesus who saved me. I am a new creation in Christ, who now resides in me”.
Point B: Who can help
1 Corinthians 15: 54/8 “So when this corruptible has put on *incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”.
*[Incorruption is the state of being free from decay, ruin, or physical decomposition, often referring to a, imperishable, immortal condition]
O Hades, where is your victory?”
[NLT]Matthew 28:6 “Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying”… Don’t you see, God keeps his Word. Jesus told us He would rise again on the 3rd day, and guess .. what He did .. not only did He rise from the dead He defeated .. Death Hell & the grave. I hear you asking, “that’s all well and good, that was then, what about the here and now”? .. The promise of then is as good today as it was then. He [Christ Jesus] died so we would no longer be lost in death. I’m sure many have seen the film Ghost with Patrick Swayze & Demi Moore, well there is a scene where this really bad man dies, dark shadowy figures come out of the shadows, and grab this mans soul as it leaves his body, kicking and screaming into the demented shadows , where there will never be and peace. So tell me does the sound of the shadows sound where you want to be? OR, do you want that elusive peaceful Victory?
1 Corinthians 15:55 “O Death, where is your sting? .. Let me say that again .. “O Death, where is your sting? .. Having God with us, who can stand against us? No matter what we go through God is always by our side. All throughout the Bible we are told to Fear-not, why not? Not just because God said so, or Jesus Christ, to that matter. But, God, who created the Heavens and Earth. So no matter what comes before you, God will show you how to defeat what comes against you. The first thing to do is thank the Lord Jesus for His wisdom, to help turn the problem around, and for the .. Victory .. in His name. No matter the problem or situation, this prayer will help you, when talking to God. We all know formally as the .. Lords Prayer .. it’s from ..
[NKJ]Matthew 6:8/13
“8 Your Father knows the things you have need of
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in
heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver
us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
I had always thought these 2 verses were part of the main
body of this prayer, and not coming after, but this
how God wanted done is, so who am I to disagree ...
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
It is the bluntness that leaves no room for ambiguity. No vain repetitions in prayer; we walk by faith not by sight. So remember always, no matter what is said or done .. “Thanks be unto God” .. Stay strong in him who is in you.
[NKJ] 1 John 4:4 “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”.
Point C: Living in Victory without fear
My last look into having .. Victory.. in our lives, will be show you how to over come crippling fear. Lets start with Psalms 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”. This is a perfect place to start, I accept fear can be crippling as ..
Some have food fears ..
Some have germ fears ..
Some have height fears ..
.. for me it had been Moths. There are so many, that these barely scratch the surface, however these all can be over come with Gods love & help.
I’m not saying .. “I will fear no evil” .. is the instant fix (though God can be) . Lets take my old fear of Moths, I had. I have been taking a left of field way to over come it, I’ve started to look at ‘Butterflies’, with all their amazing variety and colours and sizes. This has made me look at moths and their variety colours and sizes. Before you do anything (we do), it must be offered up to God. Be it the morning; the day ahead; the drive (to work or day out); the fear you have. I’m not talking scary movies here. As there are enough scary things~people~wars happening around the World. The last thing you should be doing is opening the door for fear to plant another seed. It is time to drop kick the devil/fear out the front door. In fact, right now grab a piece of paper write the devil and or the fear you have, now scrunch up the paper into a ball, walk to the front door and open it, kick the paper into the street saying this .. “Good by devil/fear your not welcome here any more in Jesus Christ’s name”. Followed by .. “Thank you Jesus for the victory”.
[NIV] 2 Samuel 5 17/19 “17 Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18 The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
You would think that the Philistines had learnt the first time, they had attacked, nothing and no one is bigger than God. The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. But, oh no, they still come back for more. So what did David do? Anyone .. (pay attention here cometh the leason). . .
Did he run around panicking? .. NO
Did he try and to escape? .. NO
Thinking that he had defeated the Philistines before, and thought I can do this by myself? .. NO
… Now the pressure was ramped up a notch. Whilst everyone else was scared, asking David what are they going to do? David calmly prayed .. “Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 24 And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” 25 And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer”. [2 Samuel 5:23/5]
This is what a close walk & relationship with the Lord looks like, it brings forth true victory. It matters not the size of the problem, the Lord can and will deliver you. Just whether or not we are willing to walk by faith and not by sight. If we truly want VICTORY, we all need not fear, only being brave in the knowledge that ..
[NKJ] 1 John 4:4 “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”.
We have victory over what ever this world has to throw at us. We must pray every day & every day we must pray, this is part of our relationship with God. As I bring this study to a close, let me leave it in the words of James ..
[NKJ] James 5 13/16 “13 If any of you are having trouble, pray. If you are happy, sing psalms. 14 If you are sick, call for the church leaders. Have them pray for you and anoint you with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 (Prayers offered in faith will save those who are sick, and the Lord will cure them.) If you have sinned, you will be forgiven. 16 So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you will be healed”.
Closing Prayer
[NKJ] James 5 16/18 “Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective. 17 Elijah was human like us. Yet, when he prayed that it wouldn’t rain, no rain fell on the ground for three-and-a-half years. 18 Then he prayed again. It rained, and the ground produced crops”. As we pray in Jesus name, my we have the portion of faith in His name to receive your Victory, claiming it in your name and glory. Amen
