Day 64 - Victim Based Society

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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“We are facing an epidemic in our society. Everywhere you turn, there are victims. Victims of discrimination, victims of violence, victims of crime, victims of divorce, victims of this and victims of that. Am I out of touch or does it seem like the percentage of the population today that can relate to being a victim is much higher than it was five or six decades ago?”

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 7.

There’s a term that’s gaining traction in our world today - that term is “Victim Based Society.” It comes from the belief that people have become so thinned skinned today that almost anything brings us to the point where we feel victimized. Of course, this term has nothing to do with the people who suffer horrible abuse at the hands of haters in the world today. This term is used widely to describe those who find offense at every turn; those who are victimized by the slightest things around them that they might not agree with. This is a place where victim thinking is ready to do its worst in our lives.

The Victim Based Society is hallmarked by the politically correct movement that seems to have taken hold in our culture. The ever growing list of perfectly good, everyday words that can’t be used for fear of offending someone is the result of us living a victim based mentality. You simply can’t live like a victor when you are preoccupied with finding fault with how your fellow human being treats you on a moment by moment basis.

Problem is that there ARE a lot of jerks out there. There is no way to stop people from doing things that will offend you from time to time. With that offense can come victimization and, often times, victim thinking. Left long enough we will bow down to the god of our Victim Based Society - that god is ourselves!

How can we fight against this victor robbing trend in our world today. Take a look at this verse;

“But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44 (GNT)

Has someone said or done something that has offended you? Has that offense brought you to a place where you feel victimized? Don’t let that feeling stand in your life for long - pray! Don’t pray for yourself. Pray for the one who offended you. Pray blessing. Pray healing. Pray life! This kind of prayer makes it possible to live like the victor God made you to be.

Crazy thing is that the same can be said for those who have truly hurt you in horrible and unthinkable ways. Prayer for those who have brought unspeakable hurt into our lives sometimes brings healing into our being that just couldn’t happen any other way. I’m in no way saying that you have to want the best for those who have hurt you but I am saying that by praying for them you are releasing them to the only person who can make any change in their lives – that is God.


Today, don’t be a part of the ever-growing ranks of our Victim Based Society. Break free and let prayer for those offenders out there be what sets you free to live life as a victor.

Day 63 – Going From Natural to Supernatural

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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“The real power for change in our lives and in this world comes when our will, intellect and emotions are emboldened by a prompting from the intermingling of spirits to take action.”

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 112.

The soul is a powerful source of the impetus for change. Heros have been made when brave men and women simply wouldn’t accept defeat no matter what the cost. It is when the will, intellect and emotions combine to help individuals obtain a goal that almost anything is possible.

As powerful as the soul might be at times, the soul alone is nothing compared to what it could be when it is backed up and lead by the spirit that is within us all. Where the soul is mostly natural, the spirit is supernatural. Anything with the word “super” before it is something we need to take notice of, pay attention to and let be the controlling factor in life. It is when the spirit is allowed to be the force behind the soul that the focusing of will, intellect and emotions can produce results that are way beyond what one would normally expect.

There are many characters in the Bible with story after story where the soul is emboldened by the spirit and things happened that can only be described as “biblical.” David, Gideon, Moses, Elisha, Daniel, Ezekiel, Joshua, not to mention Jesus, were all examples of the spirit bolstering the power of the soul in ways that caused big things to happen. One of my favorite stories that shows the contrast between the power of the soul and the power of the spirit is the story of Samson.

Samson was a character in the Old Testament of the Bible. He was born with a unique gift – the ability to have superhuman strength. That strength would remain with Samson so long as he never cut his hair. Why God chose this unusual sign of power to be a part of his life is a mystery to me. Sometimes the supernatural is just hard to explain.

Samson lived a life that was controlled by the soul. He went where he wanted and did as he pleased. Not even a prowling lion was a match for Samson – when attacked he killed it bare handed. As Samson grew to appreciate the unique gift he had, I believe that the soul took over in ways that often happens when we become too enamored with our own abilities and accomplishments.

Samson let his will and intellect and emotions to be led in ways that best suited him. His lifestyle, took him into situations where he began to see his supernatural abilities as something that was just natural to him. More and more he chose to forget the God that gave him those powers in the first place.

As Samson dove deeper and deeper into his self guided ways he got himself into a situation where the secret of his strength was discovered and enemies removed his hair and therefore his strength. Samson’s ended up being tortured and ridiculed before his enemies. Then Samson woke up and asked God the following.

Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more… Judges 16:24

God answered his prayer and Samson’s strength returned one more time and as a result he destroyed the temple where so many of the enemies of God were gathered to mock God through Samson. Not only did many of God’s enemies die that day so did Samson.

Samson’s strength was lost when his soul rose up and made it so that he took the super part of his natural power for granted. His strength returned when he cried out to the power behind anything supernatural. When God was invited back in Samson’s life, his soul surrendered to the spirit that is foundation for the power we all want and need in our lives.

Today is going to be filled with event after event that can only be described as natural. I happen to think that there is suppose to be some super in the natural that we will face today. How do we get supernatural to happen in our lives? I can tell you for a fact it isn’t as a result of our souls being more focused. Supernatural can only happen when we let the spirit of God be the fire that lights the way for our souls as our wills, intellect and emotions do what they do best.

Supernatural is the destiny of the children of God. Make today be a super day by allowing your spirit to control, guide and release the natural power that we all have in ways that make the supernatural possible.

Day 62 – Striving to Overcome Disappointment

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Disappointment leads to discontent, and discontent makes us think less of ourselves. Discontent leads us to do things to try and prove to ourselves and the rest of the world that we are capable. Striving to prove our worth ultimately leads to more disappointment and discontent; a vicious cycle that breeds victim thinking and ultimately victimization."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 105.

Don’t you just hate the feeling of disappointment? I sure do. It is when those feelings of disappointment are washing over my life that I can react to those around me that can leave victims in my wake. If that isn’t bad enough, when I’m discontent it would be best that you simply stay as far from me as possible.

I have been caught in the vicious cycle of disappointment and discontent described above more times than I care to think about let alone admit. What I have found is that this cycle is perpetuated the more I strive to DO rather than to rest in BEING. Let me explain that a bit.

I am learning that striving, in of itself, isn’t a trait that works to serve us all that well. This is particularly the case when we are striving in ways to try and prove who we are. Striving can be defined as devoting serious energy or effort or struggling to an end. I don’t know about you but striving, when it comes to identity just doesn’t sit well when it comes down to struggling or devoting serious energy. It just doesn’t seem right that we should be in a position to strive over something so critically important as the issue of who we are is concerned.

I think God has the same opinion when it comes to striving and identity. Check out today’s simple Bible verse as we dig deeper into the issue of striving.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

In the original language the words “be still” can also be translated as “stop striving.” In our verse today we are encouraged to stop striving and know that God is God. In The Message version of the Bible this same verse says, “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God...”

I love how the concept of being still in one translation was embellished in the other using the words, “step out of traffic.” There’s a reason we don’t play in the middle of the street – it’s dangerous! Same goes with striving when it comes to who we are and who God is in our lives. It is dangerous to rely on our efforts, our abilities, our accomplishments and our circumstances to prove anything about us or the God who made us.

It is when we strive, that is to devote serious energy or to struggle to find out who we are or who this God is to be in our lives that damage can really occur. That’s when disappointment can linger in ways where discontent might take hold in potentially victimizing ways.

Know this for a fact, disappointment is bound to be a part of our lives from time to time. Nothing is going to change that. I don’t say this to make you feel depressed. I say this to prepare you for the battle we all face when it comes to facing the disappointments of this world. We need to be in the best position to not let disappointment make discontent unleash its ugly powers.

How do we fight the movement from disappointment to being discontent. I love what our reading says in The Message. We are to, “take a long’ loving look…” at God. Nothing makes us more likely to believe who he says we are than to be so close to Him that we can literally stare into the face of our God. I want to be able to see the reflection of who I am by looking deep into the eyes of my God. Maybe, just maybe, I will be better able to stop striving to find myself when the image of who I am as seen in the eyes of my creator is burned into my consciousness.

All I can say is stop! Stop striving to know and to be known. Stop letting the ups and downs of this world be the foundation of how you feel about who you are and about how you think God feels about you. Disappointment might be a part of your circumstances today but don’t let that change the fact that God sees you as His Child and therefore a victor. Look long and hard at him and let his approving and loving gaze be what destroys the possibility for victim thinking to be fueled be discontentment in your life today.

Day 61 – Fading Contentment

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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“There is something about human nature that just doesn’t allow contentment to be a lasting and change-making part of our lives even in the best of circumstances.”

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 102.

Why is it that contentment is such a hard characteristic to obtain in our lives? And, when it is there, why doesn’t it last? I believe that there is something deep in the very essence of who we are that fights against contentment in ways that are actually detrimental to our long term wellbeing. This possibility makes it so easy for victim thinking behaviors to have their way in our lives.

When you look at what it means to be content you see the word satisfied used to give a better view as to what being content is all about. There is something that has been placed in us that wants to fight satisfaction in ways that might not always be in our best interests. I think that God put in us that fight against satisfaction and therefore the drive to battle contentment so that we will not settle for worldly things when it comes to defining who we are.

We are meant to find satisfaction in who God made us to be and fight the desire to find contentment in any other things that might influence of our identity. Yet we tend to get it completely backwards. We are often discontent with who God says we are when we can’t prove our God given identities as a result of the circumstances that we look to as confirmation of that identity. Left in that place of doubt when it comes to identity, we allow ourselves to find contentment in the temporary and unreliable things of this world. Victim thinking is the result of trying to be satisfied in who we are by settling for worldly proofs of some vision of who we think we should be.

Here’s what the bible says about the subject.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

To conform takes effort. If I want a piece of metal to conform to a particular shape I need to apply heat and force to make it take the shape I want. Same goes for our lives. When we want them to conform to anything we will feel the heat and recognize the pressure needed for that process to happen. This is particularly the case when we choose to let our lives be conformed to anything in this world.

Our reading today warns us not to be conformed to the patterns of this world. I believe the biggest pattern or characteristic that this world pressures us to conform to is to let this world play the leading role in determining and confirming who we are. It is when the heat is turned up as bad situations occur and when the pressure of trying to fit in builds, that we are so quick to trade our God-given identity for something temporal.

The opposite to conforming is to be transformed according to today’s Bible verse. It is when our minds are renewed that we can be changed in a way to find satisfaction in who God made us to be and live the victor’s life he paid for us to have. Conforming to some other world driven identity is where victor living goes out the window and victim thinking swoops in to take its place.

How satisfied are you right now with who you are? What would you say is your contentment level at this moment when it comes to your identity as a victor? If you have settled for conforming to this world I am willing to bet that, when it comes to identity you are either struggling now or will find identity to be an issue when bad times hit.

To change that, it’s time to be transformed. Start the transformation process by simply believing you are God’s beloved child. It is from this place of faith that you can weather the storms of life in a way where your victor status can’t be taken right out from under you. Fight the drive to conform and be transformed so that the power of God’s will can be seen, understood and applied in every circumstance you come against today.

Day 60 – The Power of Shining

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"When people encounter the “I” in life they get something less than what is possible when they encounter the “I AM” in life. “I,” if left to itself, always leads to self-centeredness."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 98.

I have always heard it said that “There is no ‘I’ in team.” This expression is typically used to help point out that focusing on self in a team environment greatly reduces the overall effectiveness of the team. Me being a bit of a smart allec I have always thought when I heard this that there may not be an ‘I’ in team but there sure is a me in the letters that make up this word.

Truth is that when you listen to the words of a person stuck in victim thinking there are a lot of “I’s” being used as they express their situation in life. It is when we are over focused on ourselves that self-centeredness can be a real challenge for those of us trying to live the victor’s life. For those people in the life of a person stuck on the word ‘I’, this simple one letter pronoun can signal trouble in ways that can cause relational issues when self-centeredness rears its ugly head in the victim thinker’s life.

God is in the habit of using a totally different description of himself rather than the pronoun ‘I’. He uses “I AM” when he speaks about himself. “I AM” sounds like a weird and incomplete name for God until you think about how versatile this description is. Knowing God to be the fullness of love, power, knowledge, and about a thousand other characteristics, it is a lot easier to say of God He is the “I AM” rather than saying about God, I am power, I am love, I am knowledge, etc. “I AM” covers all the bases in a condensed and descriptive way.

As my life progresses I am learning that people’s lives are more completely impacted when they encounter the “I AM” in my life rather than the “I” that so often comes out. People really don’t need any of the wisdom they may think I have. They need the power behind anything they may see as valuable in my life. That power is encompassed by the “I AM” that is God in us. Sure we all have life experiences that might help others in one way or another but lasting change doesn’t usually happen when people settle for more of the “I” in another person’s life. Finding ways to let the “I AM be seen in the life of a victor is the best way for us to live in the fullness of our identities.

Take a look at today’s reading and see what it says about letting the “I AM” shine through you.

No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes. Luke 16:16-18 (MSG)

When I want to be noticed the “I AM” that lives in me is hidden away – covered with a washtub and shoved under the bed. It is when I’m stuck in that victim thinking place where identity is so hard to hang onto that people get second best from me. My second best is letting my “I” shine in place of God’s “I AM”.

What I’m hoping happens to all who listen to these presentations is that we begin to understand what we are hearing about ourselves. The simple fact that God has spoken into reality that we are His children is what makes our identity something we can trust in and bank on for all eternity. Our reading says not to be stingy in what we hear. As we get more and more comfortable living in the freedom of our victor identity it is so much easier for is to trade the “I” in life for the “I AM” as we relate to others in our circles of influence.

It is when we forget who we are that “I AM” takes a back seat to the “I” in our lives. Letting the circumstances of this world shape our identity is the washtub and the underside of the bed that hides the “I AM” of life. Though “I” might be able to exude worldly power from time to time, that power is temporary and pales in comparison to the power of “I AM”.

There a force that people are starving to get from you. Those same starving people are so quick to settle for a temporary force that is exemplified by the “I’s” in your life. Why not let the “I AM” power shine out in your life today? As you interact with those around you today remember who you are and the “I AM” power can’t help but to shine through all you do and say.

Day 59 – Stumbling Over Satisfaction

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Provision can lead to satisfaction. Satisfaction can lead to pride. Pride leads to forgetting God altogether."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 95.

I have heard athletes who have said that they had rather position themselves behind the leader in a race instead of leading the race all the way to the finish. It is when they are in that place of adversity, being behind, that they seem to be able to dig down deep and pull out that extra level of performance necessary to take the lead and win at the last second.

I have also seen race after race lost when the person in the lead takes their easy finish for granted only to be beat out by that competitor who pushed all the way to the finish line. It is so easy to take things for granted when we are content with where we are even when we are content with the kind of performance that has placed is in front of everyone else. There is nothing like the fire that can burn in a competitor’s belly when that competitor has to work a little harder to compete at the top level.

Today’s Bible reading shows what happens when we take ourselves and our performance too seriously.

I’m the only real God you’ve ever known.
    I’m the one and only God who delivers.
I took care of you during the wilderness hard times,
    those years when you had nothing.
I took care of you, took care of all your needs,
    gave you everything you needed.
You were spoiled. You thought you didn’t need me.
    You forgot me. Hosea 13:4-6 (MSG)

This scripture comes as God is explaining himself to a people who had called out to him, been rescued by him and when things were going well for that people group, they forgot about him altogether. God gave them everything they needed only to become complacent. It is when complacency is a part of who we are that trouble can really take hold. It’s like that runner who thinks he has the win all wrapped up only to see a much more driven competitor push past him for the victory. Complacency makes it Oh so easy for pride to do things in our lives that make victory so hard to obtain.

Pride can be defined as having inordinate self-esteem. When we start to believe all the good things others say about us or when we begin to rest too heavily on our past accomplishments it is so easy to become complacent. It’s when we are caught in the sticky web of pride brought on by complacency that we can easily forget the God who gave us all we needed to be able to have that, sweet feeling that comes with success and recognition. Pride goes before the fall is an appropriate saying when pride enables us to think we somehow don’t need this God that made us be all we can be in this world.

It’s not that God doesn’t want us to feel proud of the amazing things He enables us to do. Quite the opposite is true. He wants us to be in total amazement at the accomplishments that he has called for us to be a part of. It is when we begin to think that we are capable of anything based on our abilities and accomplishments that gets us into trouble.

I don’t for a second think that God orchestrates disaster after disaster when we become too prideful in an effort to teach us some humility. No, I think God loves us so much that when our pride tells Him that we don’t need His assistance, He withdraws rather than forces Himself on us. It is when He withdraws that all hell can break loose in the life of His children.

Let me be perfectly clear about what I mean by God withdrawing. It isn’t that He abandons us when pride tells Him He isn’t needed. No, God never leaves us. Rather than abandoning us, He walks alongside us but withdraws His provision, protection and power in ways that can make us feel so alone when our pride isn’t enough to make us feel like the people He made us to be. Again, He does this out of love because our pride was telling Him He is no longer needed. Good news is that because of His great love for us He is so ready to rush back into our lives when we wake up to the realization of our need for His presence.

It is when we choose to trust our accomplishments to secure an identity for ourselves that God hears us telling Him He is no longer needed in our lives. Though the strategy of going it alone without God may work for a while, I have seen it time and time again where the foundation for one’s identity crumbles after their best efforts fail to produce what is needed to prove who they think we really are. It is in that time of despair that the, once pride filled success, finds that nothing can replace the truth of who they are when that truth comes from God Himself.

If my identity is based on anything I do well or on the admiring words of those who think highly of me due to my abilities and accomplishments, that identity is going to fail me at some time in the future. When that happens, victim thinking is waiting to come rushing in to rob me of that victory that was so close to being mine.

How much is pride going to influence the race you will run in your life today? Anything that makes you take your eyes off the Lord is a doomed strategy for the Child of God. Don’t let your identity be shaped by anything other than God’s own words. He is the only real God you have ever known. He is the one who has delivered you time and time again. He is the one who loves you and cares for you. Nothing, not your greatest success or your most dismal failure will change the fact that He has your best interest in mind.

Lean into the fact that He has made you exactly who you are today. That identity as the victor you are can’t be challenged by this world unless pride lets complacency creep in. When that happens, you better be looking over your shoulder because your competitors are not that far behind working hard to snatch that victory you worked so hard to have right out from under your nose.

Day 58 - Loving The Lovable

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Isn’t it so easy to thank God for his “goodness” when things are going our way? Am I as willing to thank God for His goodness when things are going badly?"

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 93.

It's easy to love the lovable isn't it? Let me show what I mean by that with a little hypothetical.

Let's I was a total stranger to you and despite not knowing you at all I decided to constantly pour good things into your life. After a couple times of me randomly leaving you with something you find pleasing and useful, I bet you'd want me around a lot - wouldn't you? The more I was to pour into your life the better you'd probably want get to know me. After some time of being good to you I'd be willing to bet that you would be in a position to grow in relationship with me that might have some connection to the word love.

Now, consider the opposite for a second. What if I was that same stranger above who showed up in your life and never deposited any goodness for you to enjoy. What if I actually created the kinds of  drama in your life that tend to rob you of your worldly peace? Wouldn't you find it difficult to want to be around me? Do you think the same kind of loving relationship I presented before might be the result if I continually did things to bring you down? If you are like any normal human being you would find the first person I describe so much easier to love than the second.

That's what I mean when I said earlier that the lovable are just easier to love than the others that rubs us the wrong way. Although I don't find this truth to be terribly convicting, I do believe that the ease in which we love the lovable reveals something important about our misguided view of love that might just help usher in victim thinking from time to time.

I'm starting to realize love isn't suppose to be based on what we might be able to get out of those we come into relationship with. Love is suppose to be about giving and not receiving. Yet, as pointed out from the little hypothetical above, humans can be pretty quick to have mixed motives when relationship and love are concerned.

It is so easy to love God when He is answering our prayers in ways that perfectly meets our needs. We want the proof of goodies from God to prove that He is good. It's also very easy to trust what God says about our lives and about our identity when His goodness is being poured out on us. It is when God's goodness doesn't look all that good to us that the issues of trust and love can really take a serious turn.

One of the most challenging obstacles to living out the status of the victor God has called us to is doubting God's goodness. When bad things come our way it is so easy to think that God might not be for us, in other words, maybe He isn't a loving Gor or maybe I'm not a lovable person. When we look around and see others receiving good things, the very same good things that seem to be missing in our lives, our victor status can be tainted badly by victim thinking.

I love what today's Bible reading says on the subject.

I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name. Psalm 34:1-3 (THE LIVING BIBLE)

No matter what happens, the psalmist says, I will praise the Lord. I believe our praise for God has its foundation on the fact that God is good. We don't go out of our way to praise the bad in this world - nor should we! It is the good, the honorable, the decent, the righteous, the humble, the overcomer, the honest and the virtuous that are deserving of our praise. That's who God is even though things in this world can work in ways that might make us want to consider that God's goodness isn't something that can be trusted.

Victim thinking will always be the result if we live in the fantasy that we can consistently accurately define good in ways that prove God's goodness. Sometimes things happen to us that work to victimize us, that's just a fact. Satan wants us to believe that, because of bad things in our lives, we should doubt and maybe even reject the love of God since we can't trust His goodness. It is when we give into our definitions of good to prove God's goodness over and over again that victim thinking will make it such that rejecting God's love is the least of our worries here on earth.

I love the antidote to this situation from today's reading. We are instructed to remember and to speak. Remember all the times of good in your life and attribute that goodness to this good God. It isn't that we are to prove God's goodness by comparing the number of good times He provide against the bad that has happened. His goodness isn't something that has to be weighed out on a scale. His goodness is there all the time whether we have good times in our life or not. Holding onto this fact is the only way we can live our this calling of being a victor that God has paid such a high price to give to us.

When that particular piece of bad news hits in your life today remember God is a good God. Of course that bad thing you might be experiencing is victimizing you in so many different ways. But, that fact does not mean that God's goodness can or should ever come into question. I don't know why that bad thing is happening but I just have to believe that it is part of a good plan from a good God that calls me His child. Hold on to this truth and proclaim His goodness in the face of the evil that is working so hard to get you to doubt who you are and who this God is in your life.

Day 57 - Being Expectant

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Expectation is the killer of faith in God and faith in our fellow man. Expectation is what sets us up for victim thinking. It ruins our ability to see God in our lives and to live our lives as God sees us. It kills our ability to believe in ourselves and the power of God that flows through us."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 92.

What was the last thing you expected to happen in your life and it failed to materialize? How did you feel when what you expected to happen didn't happen? I'll bet you felt something that ranged from mild irritation to outright indignation. Worse than anger or frustration, if what you expected to happen failed through the personal interaction of a relationship I'll bet that there was damage done to that relationship that might not be reversible.

Not only can failed expectations be damaging to our ability to find hope as a result of the things we do in this life. but expectations that fall short when it comes to relationships can make us leery of these important connections in our life. Damage to self and damage to relationships - that's the danger of living with the hopes that our expectations will come to pass all the time.

I came across this bible verse today that speaks about life and expectations in life. It says,

The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Proverbs 10:28 (English Standard Version)

There are two types of people in this verse, the righteous and the wicked. Both are looking for something in life. In other words there is something that is missing in the lives of both the righteous and the wicked. For the righteous the thing they are waiting on is called "hope". For the wicked it is called an "expectation." Interesting use of words.

As I took a few minutes to study the original use of the words hope and expectation I kind of expected there would be a very profound difference in the two words that easily proves my point that expectation is a killer of faith to those of us trying to live this life of a victor. Guess what? That difference I expected just wasn't as pronounced as I hoped it would be. That's disappointing! There is, however, a difference that I think helps make my point.

Basically the root word for hope speaks of a waiting for something in a way that seemed to me to be more open to what might happen. The root word for expectation in the second half of the verse speaks of strength. In fact the root word has a lot to do with a cord wound together to form something strong.

I think that's the difference we need to focus on as part of this discussion. The expectation or hope that the righteous has is something that is held loosely. When and how that hope comes to fruition is something the righteous can't control. They are open to the possibility that that hope will happen as God directs. The expectation of the wicked comes from a place of strength. It is a chord that can't easily be broken. As a result, that chord is used to hold up vast segments of the wicked's life. Should that chord be broken (the expectation not be met) the life of the wicked is harmed, even mortally at times.

In the vernacular of this discussion, the righteous are those seeking to live the life of a victor while the wicked are those stuck in victim thinking. The victor has expectations that can be described as hopes. They hold their expectations loosely, allowing God to be the fulfillment of their hope as He directs. This is a place where joy can be had even when what is execrated doesn't happen when the victor wants or in the manner they had in mind. The failure for the expectations of the victim thinker tears apart the foundational support structures of their lives. This can cause a loss in their lives so severe that it can be akin to death itself. Same basic word, expectation, with two very different outcomes when not met.

So, what's a person to do? A friend of mine attended a Christian camp in Northern CA with his daughters. At that camp the counselers told the parents something that, I think, really brings home the difference in living and dying when it comes to expectation. They said; "Be expectant but don't have any expectations."

Be expectant. Have hope that is loosely held out for God to meet how and when He intends. Fight the urge to turn that attitude of being expectant into an action of expectation. In other words, don't let your mind paint a picture of what the thing you are being expectant for has to look like for you to believe that that expectation has been met. It is when we assume how what we are expectant for is to happen that we cross the line from joy to death.

It is my desire that today you will be filled with the hope of being expectant. I pray that you don't turn those expectant feelings into expectations that, if not met, can rob you of the joy God wants you to have in your life. Being expectant is what brings a sweetness to life that sometimes is so hard to maintain. It is when we allow expectation to enter the picture that faith in ourselves, faith in our fellow man and faith in God can be so severely challenged. Don't let the joy slip out of your life today. Be expectant but don't have any expectations. Then your status as a victor won't be put into question when circumstances don't materialize in ways that make expectations kill our faith.

Day 56 - Standards and Slavery

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"People tied to a structure that focuses on rules and regulations to relate to God are doomed to be placed in victimized positions. Why? Rules and regulations require standards. Anytime there are standards, people will see the need to make themselves keepers of the standards, and this creates a level of, dare I say, slavery."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 71.

Structure requires rules and regulations. Rules and regulations require standards in order to maintain that orderly structure. Standards require arbiters in order to ensure everyone is living up to those standards. Anytime we have one set of people overseeing and judging the actions of another set of people human nature enters the picture and the potential for victimizing events become a real possibility. This can be a troubling reality for any organization we are involved in but when this strategy for controlling the actions of people happens inside the church I believe it is particularly troubling.

It is when we see our very identity as being wrapped up in the maintenance and propagation of the structure that we can become victimizers to those we have judged to have fallen short at keeping the standards for being part of that organization. Connecting our identities to anything, particularly an organization, can make us negatively react to situations that comes against that organization in ways that can hurt those we are charged with to help be all they can be in that organization. See why this is such a damaging prospect when maintaining the organization is done in the name of God through religion?

There is nothing wrong with wanting an organization to be the best it can be. There is also nothing wrong with having rules and regulations to help that organization function at its highest level. Finally, there is nothing wrong with taking responsibility to hold accountable all of us that are part of that organization. It is when we get our identities connected with anything but what God wants for us when we start to move in directions that creates victim thinking.

Take a look at today's Bible reading and consider what it says about structure, rules, supervision and success.

"But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today." Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)

It isn't the structure alone that makes it possible to have success. It isn't the rules and regulations that make the organization successful. It isn't even how well you supervise and motivate the people in your organization to keep the rules and regulations that make it successful. Our reading today says it is the Lord who :gives" what is necessary to produce the trappings of success.

The bondage to the organization, its rules and its standards is what creates the opportunity for us to live like slaves. It is when we tie our identities to the success of the organization that we can fall into victim thinking and become victimizers ourselves. When this is done inside the church, I believe God becomes troubled due to the fact that this is the very organization created to help set us free.

Take time to think about all the organizations you are part of today. Your work, your church, your family, heck, even your golf group are all organizations that you are a part of. Now think about how your identity is tied to those organizations and work to unentangle who you are from whether you view those organizations as successful or not. Choosing to let your identity be shaped by anything other than what God has done to make you a victor is a sure way of being in bondage and putting those in your organization in a position to choose bondage as well.


God wants freedom for you and all those you will come into contact with today. Let freedom be what sets your organizations apart from the rest of the world. God's covenant with you is that He has made you His child and that is the wellspring of all the success you will ever need to be the victor He sees you to be.

Day 55 - Stop Arguing

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"You are OK with God! Your standing is assured. You have nothing to fight for – it has been freely given. Stop arguing with The Holy Spirit and start listening to the truth that He is trying to get across in these pages. Freedom is yours if you just stop arguing with God and give into His great Love for you."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 63.

What is it about the human race that makes us so prone to arguing? I have known people that have admitted that they argue just because it is like a sport to them. Think about it, we have debate clubs in school where we train our children techniques on how to win arguments. An entire industry of publishing exists on how to negotiate, or argue to win the best deal. There is even a line of thinking in Christianity called apologetics where we learn to argue against those who don't believe like we do.

All this arguing, does it lead to anything good? Let me tell you what it has led to as far as I see. The love of arguing has made our nation one of the most litigious in all history. Our love with arguing has made it so that our court systems are filled with person after person arguing for their rights to be right. I don't know about you but I'm not seeing a lot of good as a result of this strategy relating to our fellow man. Arguing, when it is done in such a random, abundant and victim thinking laced manner does little more than create opportunities for victimization to occur.

When you boil it all down, arguing is about winning and losing. We are a society that loves to win and hates to lose. Why? I believe it all goes back to identity. If we win, we can so relate to being a winner and we believe we will be more respected and accomplished in our identity if we are perceived as a winner. If we lose, we are so quick to let our identity be shaped in ways that can make us even more viscous in our argumentative style.

There is nothing wrong with winning in this world. Doing all we can to be on top isn't of itself a bad thing. It is when winning and losing becomes so tied to our identity that we run the risk of allowing victim thinking to dominate in our lives. Stay in that place of victim thinking and our augmentative style is prone to cause victimization to those we argue against. Wining at all cost costs plenty when it comes to the hurt that can be caused to those who dare to argue against the victim thinker.

There are tons of Bible verses on the pitfalls of arguing. Today's reading is particularly poignant to our discussion as it relates to living like the victor God has made us to be in today's society filled with victim thinking arguers.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)

Think about the last argument you had. Wasn't it about something someone said that made you think you were at fault? If something is our fault then we can't be blameless. Lacking in the trait of being blameless means that we were wrong and being wrong is the same to losing in the eyes of an argument loving, conflict based society. It's no wonder we love to argue. Our souls just can't handle the concept that our identity can somehow be tied to that of being a loser!

Shine like the stars in the sky... that's what our reading says about what we have the opportunity to become. That sounds like winning to me! How do we get there? Stop grumbling and arguing. It is so clear to me from the Bible that we can't get to that place of being blameless by arguing our way there. We are blameless because we are children of God. We aren't blameless because we haven't done anything wrong or are really good at arguing our way out of situations where we really are to blame. That "shining like the stars in the sky" kind of life comes when we stop arguing with God and others about who we are and start believing in who Christ has made us to be.

You are going to have more than one opportunity to argue with others around you today. I'm in no way saying that having that argument is making you out to be a victim thinker. It's all about the deep-down, hidden motives behind that argument. Arguing to win does nothing to help you to be the pure and blameless as God's child you are arguing to be. You are that even if what you are accused of and arguing against turns out to be true.


If you find that you are arguing to win, in other words to shine like that stars in the sky, do what the Bible says today - STOP! Your identity doesn't depend on you winning that argument. You are the blameless and pure child of God and that alone makes you His victor.

Day 54 - Thriving Rather Than Surviving

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Coping mechanisms can be the foundation for addictions that come to rule our life. It doesn’t always have to be drugs or alcohol that we turn to for relief of the pain inside, and our coping mechanisms don’t necessarily have to be seen as bad things to the outside world."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 61.

Ever give much thought to the issue of coping mechanisms? Most of us don't, and why should we? Coping mechanisms aren't something that we really pay much attention to unless our way of coping with life leaves us in a place where what we are doing is somehow detrimental to us or those around us.

For example that glass of wine you have every evening to help cope with the stress of the day is no big deal until such time that several glasses later coping just isn't happening. It is when we find that we have to step up our strategies for coping that we flirt with disaster. As was said earlier, coping mechanisms can be the foundations for addictions when the things of this world take us into greater and greater feelings of loss and victimization.

I want us to think about the issue of coping in an entirely different light. You see, coping is about surviving. In other words, coping is what we do to try and fend off feelings of frustration, or sadness or unease that might come when we are in a situation that does not rise up to the expectations we might have had for our life. Coping, for the vast majority of us, is about just getting by.

I hope you don't think I am judging you in any way for having coping mechanisms. I'm not. If I were I'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world since I have relied on a host of coping mechanisms in the past, and to be completely honest, have a few that I lean on right now to survive in my world. Please stick with me a bit and let's see if there isn't something we all can learn about coping in this life.

So, the definition of coping I'd like us to consider is all about surviving - doing what we have to do to get by given our current life's circumstances. I don't know about you but when I was a child the possibility of having to just get by wasn't even a remote possibility when I dreamt of my future. I'm willing to bet they weren't part of your dreams either. Yet, here we are learning how to cope. What went wrong?

I believe that the fact that our dreams have been slow in coming or have passed us by altogether is what went wrong. We cope because we have to face the cold, hard facts that our dreams might be nothing more than a figment of our imagination. Surviving is all some of us has to look forward to and our coping mechanisms are all we have to survive.

Just like my dreams didn't include surviving when it came to my future, I don't believe God's dreams included coping either. I believe God dreamed that we would thrive, not just survive. Take a look at today's reading to see what I mean.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 (NASB)

I so wish that the word abundant meant that all of my personal dreams will come true. Unfortunately it doesn't. But, I do believe that word means that, even in the bad times, God made us for more than just coping. His plan for us is to thrive. I believe we put ourselves in the best position of making that happen when we believe in and operate from the power of our identity as a victor even when the world does all it can to make us a victim.


I really want my life to be different today, don't you? I want more than to survive - I want to thrive. Sure I might need to weed out some coping mechanisms along this path to thriving but who cares? I want today to be coping empty and thriving full! I think it can as I throw off the victim thinking ways of someone who just copes and put on the identity of the victor God has made me to be. May your day be filled with the joy of thriving even when your circumstances work to make your day all about just surviving.

Day 53 - Fully Living

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Scripture comes alive when we live the life of a victor. Why? Because as God’s Children we are secure before Him. We are holy because He is holy."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 55.

Security has such a powerful influence in our lives. When it is there it is so easy to take for granted and when it is missing it feels like all the world is falling down around us. Those working to have their victor status be the foundation of their lives rely on God's view of their lives to be all the security they bank on. Trusting in our bank accounts, our personal relationships, our status in this world or anything else temporary like these things as the foundation for our security offers up a direct line towards victim thinking.

Look, there is no way that we are going to not be rocked when things come against us that threaten our very way of life. It's just natural to be knocked off kilter when bad things victimize us. It is when we put our trust in things of this world to verify our identity and, therefore, our security that we are going to flounder in identity crushing ways.

Take a look at today's Bible reading as we dive deeper into the issue of security.

Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20:7-8 (NLT)

Those who trust in the worldly vestiges of power and position for proof of their security are doomed to failure. Just take a look at world history. Ever heard of the Persian Empire? How about the Roman Empire or the Arab Empire or the Mongol Empire or the British Empire? These are arguably the five most powerful empires in all of history. Their power and reach were unquestionable during their heyday. But look at them today - a couple of them don't even exist anymore and the rest are a fragmented reflection of their former greatness. Each of these empires trusted their "chariots and horses", their natural powers and look where they are now.

The same can happen to us. We can trust our brain power, our spending power, our will power or any other natural strength to provide the worldly security we seem so quick to settle for or we can choose to find our security in the supernatural realm. History seems to be there to prove that the worldly way of security just is something we can count on in the long run.


You want the Bible, not to mention your circumstances to come alive today? The only way I know to have this happen is to trust that the security of our identity can only be guaranteed in believing who God says I am. Go after as much power, money, status and standing you want to get from this world but don't make the mistake of connecting you success at achieving what you want to who you are in God's eyes. Life, real life happens when we know that we are God's Children and nothing can change our status as victors in His eyes.

Day 52 - Greatness

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Wake up, Church. It’s time to choose. Are we going to continue to set ourselves up to be powerless victims by imitating the rest of the world and constantly striving for victory?"

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 47.

Today's quote is pointed at the church but it is just as applicable to each and every one of us. It's time to wake up and choose. Are we going to choose settling for victory as our proof that we are victors or are we going to take God's word for it?

Choosing to need to see victory happen in order for our victor's status to be confirmed is a victim thinking bonanza. There is absolutely no way victory, in the ways we want, can be guaranteed. That means failure is going to happen in ways that will make us think we are not the victors God made us to be. Repetitive failure makes us identify with being a victim and victim thinking is sure to take hold.

Here's what the Bible says on the subject.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. Psalm 18:35 (NASB)

I have been taught that it is victory that make me great. A winner is someone who wins - right? So, by the world's standards, you have to have victory to be a victor. God sees it another way.

According to today's reading we are great because of the gentleness of God. That word gentleness is such a strange word to be tied to our greatness. It isn't the greatness of God that makes us great, it is his gentleness.

To help try and explain what the Bible means by that I took a look at how the word gentleness was translated from the original language. In addition to gentleness, the word has been used as meekness and condescension. Now I'm really confused! In my opinion, meekness and condescension are two really negative words, particularly when used to justify any greatness that might be in my life.

As I took some time to ponder this weird use of words it started to make some sense to me. It says in the Bible that the meek shall inherit the earth. Though I view being meek as something negative, God described himself through Jesus as being meek. The most powerful force in all creation being described as meek means to me that my definition of being meek must be all wrong. I want that kind of meekness to be what guarantees my greatness.

Then condescension came into clarity for me. It isn't that I have to be a condescending jerk to be great, although I know many great people who are the epitome of condescending jerks, it is the fact that this great and perfect God has lowered himself (in essence, condescended himself) to where I could have a relationship with him. It his gentle, meek and positively condescending position that makes me great, not his greatness nor anything I do that might be considered great.

The same goes for our victor's status. We are victors because God choose to stoop so low as to come into relationship with us. Our identity can never be about what we do - it is always about what He has done.


Just like God had a choice as to whether he would lower himself to our level to lift us up, we too have a choice. We can either work our tails off to try and lift ourselves up or we can accept his gentleness, meekness and condescending position to be lifted into the position He wants for us. Your victor status isn't something you can earn or prove on your own. You are a victor, and therefore, great because of what God has done for you. Let that thought be what guides you as you take on your day today. Your greatness is assured no matter how many things come against that greatness today.

Day 51 - The Role, Identity, Destiny Connection

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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“God uses our roles, in light of who we are, to fulfill His plan for our lives. That’s where our destiny comes from.”

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 20.

The victor’s destiny is secure because of who he is. As God’s Child, each of us have a unique, powerful, and guaranteed destiny. That destiny might not match up directly with what the victor thinks, or even hopes their destiny might be. Though that fact weighs heavy on the heart of the victor, the fact the victor is all that they need to be in the eyes of God makes it easier to deal with choosing God’s destiny for them over their own. What connects the guaranteed nature of the victor’s destiny to their identity is the roles that they play.

There is a pretty familiar Bible verse that illustrates this connection. Check out today’s Bible reading below;

“We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it.” Proverbs 16:9 (The Message)

Victors and victim thinkers both make plans. There is nothing wrong with planning. In fact the lack of planning just about guarantees the wrong outcome in anyone’s life. What sets those living like a victor apart from the victim thinker is the ability to give God the leeway to do what it takes to make us live the life He has planned for us.

Another version of today’s reading says; “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” (NKJV). It is God that directs the steps we all take. No amount of planning will plan God out of our lives. He created us. He directs us. His plan for us always comes to fruition. For the person living their lives under the misguided notion that they have total control over their destiny, victim thinking will rule the day in their lives.

The roles we play are of critical importance in God’s eyes. Why? Roles are important because they are empowered by our identity being God’s Child in ways that make the destiny God has laid out for us a possibility in this crazy, mixed up world. Putting roles in their proper place is what makes the things we do take on a different place of prominence in the life of a victor. It is with this kind of perspective, when it comes to the connection between roles, identity and destiny, that the victor is much more likely to fight off victim thinking when their roles don’t turn out the way they had planned. Maybe, just maybe the way that role turned out is God directing the steps of a victor’s life.


Want to take a radical departure from “business as usual” today when it comes to the roles you play? Make all the plans you want today, but let God be the one that directs your steps. Turn it all over to Him and just assume everything, and I mean everything, that happens today is God directed. That’s the truth anyway according to today’s reading. Why not let the power of this truth guide your every moment? The result will be a greater belief in the fact that you ARE the victor God created you to be!

Day 50 - Selfishness and Trust

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Selfishness is put in our lives to help us make it from one day to the next. We can, of course, abuse selfishness, but being selfish in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad character trait."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 204.

How do you feel about the statement "being selfish... isn't necessarily a bad character trait." Based on what I was taught as a child that doesn't seem to be a statement that holds water. I was told that being selfish is a bad thing. I can imagine that you too endured some kind of correction in the past as a result of what was described as your selfish ways.

Don't get me wrong, we can take selfishness to a level that is downright obnoxious. I can honestly say that the vast majority of times I was corrected for being selfish were totally deserved. But, this doesn't make me back down from the fact that selfishness in of itself isn't a bad character trait. Let me explain.

When a baby is hungry, it cries. That child doesn't care how busy you are, how tired you are, or how important your personal needs are at the time. That cry is a character trait that is helping this child navigate in a world where it has to depend on others for the moment by moment basics of survival. The cry from that hungry child is actually an act of selfish behavior. At the same time it is a character trait that will help that child grow to be all he or she can be in this world. That's what I mean when I say selfishness isn't necessarily a bad character trait.

See that child hasn't learned the all important skill of trust so its selfish ways are necessary to ensure survival in its own eyes. It is when we grow up not knowing how to trust that our selfish ways don't become tempered with understanding in ways that make selfishness a horrible character trait. Trust is the key in moving from being a selfish brat to becoming a productive child of the King!

Here's what the Bible says about trust.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

Want to know if selfishness is a problem in your life? Answer this question, "Do you know the name of the Lord?" Take a moment and ponder this question. I'm not talking about knowing of Him. I mean do you really know this God? Knowing God is the foundation from which trust can be established.

Unfortunately none of us know Him as well as we should. Fact is we won't know Him fully on this side of heaven. For that reason, our trust in Him won't be all it can be and therefore selfishness will be an issue in our lives until the day we die. This doesn't give us the freedom to be as selfish as we want to be. It is our responsibility to be growing in our knowledge of our God so that our trust in Him tempers our selfish ways.

As the victor God has made you to be you don't have to rely on selfishness for survival in this world. Our Bible reading states clearly that God will NEVER forsake anyone who seeks Him. Today, why not get to know Him better so that your trust grows in place of your selfish ways. I can't guarantee that you will always get your way in that growth but I do know you will grow in the peace that comes in knowing we are loved, cared for and will never be abandoned.

Day 49 - The Religious Perspective

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"The Book of Job is a sad expression of what religion does to individuals when it applies important concepts from the wrong perspective."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 52.

So many people have been turned off by religion. It's no wonder. Somehow we have take a simple concept, being created to be loved by our creator and turned it into a system where we can do things religion was never intended to do,

I did something I often do and looked up the word religion. Wow did that ever shed some light on the reasons why the world has found religion to be something less than appealing over the years. Of the four definitions stated in Webster's online, only one of them doesn't repulse me. Yet even that definition kind of misses the mark. When you have time, look up the definition and see how those descriptions sit with you.

In the resource I used religion was described using words like system, institution, conformity, a cause and a principal. Such clinical and sterile words to describe something that should be alive and relevant. Those words make it as though everything about religion is up to us - that's a strategy that is rife with failure filled opportunities. Remember, where there is long term failure, victim thinking can't be far behind.

Probably the most condemning thing I saw when I looked up the word religion was its origin. As the word was traced back to its roots Webster's online ends their linage tracking with this; "perhaps from 'religare' to restrain, tie back". The word religion might actually have its roots in a word that means to restrain or to tie back. Does this bother anyone else besides me?

I would never willingly be a part of something that promises to tie me back or to restrain me. Too much of this world is in the restraining business. Why in the name of all that is good would I volunteer for something to foster my personal belief system that promises to hold me back. If you have been turned off by religion because of this possibility, I don't for a minute blame you.
In fact, you are in good company. Jesus himself felt the same way when it came to religion's ability to restrain freedom in the lives of people. Take a look at today's Bible verse to learn more.

So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Matthew 23:3-4 (NLT)

The "they" Jesus is talking about here are the religious leaders of that day. At the time, those leaders had instituted a growing list of do's and don'ts that were crushing the people. Freedom was the furtherest from their minds. They used the system of rules to make people conform to an institution that thought it's cause and principal was the most important thing to uphold. Notice I used every word expressed in the Webster's definition in that last sentence to describe the religion Jesus railed against? Religion is so quick to take on the role of judge, jury and jailer when it comes to the expectations the leaders see as requirements to worship the God they say they follow.

I see the power of religion as something different. religion isn't about rules and regulations. It is about relationship. Jesus was quick to point that out as He went about freeing people from the oppressive system that had worked its way into power when it came to relating to this God they knew. When we take important concepts regarding relationship and misapply them for reasons other than growing that relationship victim thinking damage is the result. Religion has gotten the deserved reputation of misapplying relational concepts that destroy the ability for followers to grow in the relation it is to be promoting in the first place.

So, what are we to do about all this? Do we abandon the entire system or fight to make it change? I have to be honest, I really don't know how to answer that except to encourage you to step deeper into relationship with God and see what He says about the subject. You weren't put here to change a religious system, you were put here to be loved by God. You might find that as you grow in your relationship with him you may be called upon to make major changes in the current system you are in. Or, God may have other plans.


We weren't created to form a system, build an institution, uphold a cause or push a principal. We were made to relate to our maker. He calls us His Children. For that reason we should never allow ourselves to be tied back or restrained by anything, including religion. If we do, our victor status is something that might be in jeopardy as the victimizing events that come with lack of freedom pile up in our lives.

Day 48 - Destiny's Secret

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Destiny was quickly beginning to become something I simply ignored."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 193.

I hope you never have to get to the place where destiny is something you just don't ever want to consider. What a tragic and hopeless place it is when things have gone so strangely wrong in life that it is actually more appealing to settle for the blandness of a day-by-day existence rather than living for something greater in your life. If that is where you are today, boy can I ever sympathize with you and relate to what you are experiencing!

Look, I wish I could share with you the magic formula for getting out of the malaise you are in right now. Truth is there is no magic formula. Yea, I know it looks like there must be one as you compare your life to the lives of much less qualified and less competent people around you who just seem to ooze density. All I know is that those people aren't as together as you think and you are not as hopeless as you feel.

I do have a secret I want to share with you though. This secret is something that, if you really grab on to it and let the process it represents work itself in your life things will change for you. This secret doesn't guarantee success but it does promise a different perspective on destiny that might just make more sense than that which has failed us all so completely.

The key to this secret is found in the following short Bible verse.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NKJV)

Mourning is an interesting process. If you have ever faced the death of a close loved one you know what I'm talking about. When we mourn we feel sorrow or grief. That sorrow and grief comes at us in stages that psychologists have carefully studied and meticulously defined. Books of all kinds have been written on the mourning process. What does mourning and the process it represents have to do with destiny and how you may be feeling right now? Great question, let's take a look at the answer together.

I believe that much of the hopelessness we may feel from time to time when life isn't working out quite the way we thought it would is actually coming as a result of the mourning process. Each time something comes against us that makes it look like our destiny is out of reach, I believe that we are actually experiencing something akin to a death in our lives.

Live long enough and you will come to realize that the death of a dream, or even the death of part of a dream, can impact us just about as profoundly as the death of a loved one. Mourning can be something that we need to go through for even those things that work to victimize us in this life. That is especially the case when we are faced with mourning the prospect of losing the vision of our destiny.

I love the promise of today's Bible verse. It says "blessed" are those in the mourning process because they will be "comforted." Believe it or not, if you feel a bit lost and unsure of your destiny, you are considered blessed. I have to be honest, I could think of a lot of other kinds of blessing I'd rather have than being blessed with mourning. Truth is I have lived out this promised blessing time and time again as I have had to go through the mourning process for lost loved ones and lost dreams alike. I know that I will go to that blessed place again as I continue to live this life I have been given. So will you!

Life will always have twists and turns that will make it necessary for us to be comforted as a result of mourning loss. My suggestion, give in to the process. You are going to go through it whether you know mourning is what you are doing or not. Stop looking for the shortcut out and stop thinking this where you will always be. Mourning is a process and all processes have an end. This too shall pass in your life. Rest in the fact that you are blessed and that, though it can be hard to feel it, you are being comforted by God Himself.

If you can relate to a heaviness that you tangibly feel in your life as a result of life robbing you of something associate with some level of goodness in your life, know this, you have been victimized by that loss. Now is the time to let the mourning process do what it does best - bless and comfort you. This happens as you move into a space where a different perspective of destiny might just unleash you into bigger and better things in this life.

The key is movement. Move through the process as quickly as you are led to do so. It is when we believe our identities are defined by the losses in this life that mourning is stopped and victim thinking is the result. God's comfort is for you, the victor. Let his comfort bless you as you deal with the losses that this life will offer up from time to time.