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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“I believe that we inside The Church have been living a lie for way too long. We have used the things of God for our own well being and haven’t lived up to the ideals we have set for ourselves, let alone those we think God has set for us. We have caused enough damage in this world by trading our identities for something we are not. It is time we live life as victors, not victims.”
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 5.
Victim thinking takes hold the most when we are faced with the prospect of not getting what we want out of this life. This kind of thinking is just as rampant in the church as it is outside of it!
I hate to burst your bubble, but God isn’t in our lives to make our lives comfortable like we want them to be. I know you know that but look how quickly this kind of victim laced thinking slips into your everyday life. Just think back on the last three things you prayed for. I’d be willing to bet those requests were for temporary things. Yes, your prayers were probably for BIG things like healing or provision or the return of a lost relationship. But, think about it; each of those things are for this world, not for what we will live for when we pass into the next phase of eternity.
Look, I’m not saying it’s wrong for us to pray for temporary things. What’s wrong is to live under the misguided expectation that God’s great love for us means our comfort is what matters most to Him. The lie that makes victors sink into the pits of victim thinking is that our walk with God means our lives will be exactly what we want them to be. God has so much more planned for our lives than that.
Take a look at what the Bible says on the subject,
There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (MSG)
It’s only natural that, if we keep praying for things that directly impact our comfort and those prayers go largely answered in ways that don’t assure our comfort, we will begin thinking that God’s love is somehow not for us. That, in the simplest form, is Satan’s plan for you and for me. He wants us to doubt God’s goodness for our lives. Demanding that God’s goodness mean we live a good life (by our own definition) is the foundation by which victim thinking can come between us and a vibrant relationship with our God.
What’s on your prayer list today? If you are like me it is filled with comfort driven, temporary requests. That’s good! Keep on having a two way conversation with God over these and all issues in your life. But today, do something different. Let the power of your standing as a victor be the foundation for your prayers and watch how God responds. What you might see differently is how to press through the lies Satan is trying to get us to believe and move into that special place of a victor that is due a Child of God’s!
**********
“I believe that we inside The Church have been living a lie for way too long. We have used the things of God for our own well being and haven’t lived up to the ideals we have set for ourselves, let alone those we think God has set for us. We have caused enough damage in this world by trading our identities for something we are not. It is time we live life as victors, not victims.”
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 5.
Victim thinking takes hold the most when we are faced with the prospect of not getting what we want out of this life. This kind of thinking is just as rampant in the church as it is outside of it!
I hate to burst your bubble, but God isn’t in our lives to make our lives comfortable like we want them to be. I know you know that but look how quickly this kind of victim laced thinking slips into your everyday life. Just think back on the last three things you prayed for. I’d be willing to bet those requests were for temporary things. Yes, your prayers were probably for BIG things like healing or provision or the return of a lost relationship. But, think about it; each of those things are for this world, not for what we will live for when we pass into the next phase of eternity.
Look, I’m not saying it’s wrong for us to pray for temporary things. What’s wrong is to live under the misguided expectation that God’s great love for us means our comfort is what matters most to Him. The lie that makes victors sink into the pits of victim thinking is that our walk with God means our lives will be exactly what we want them to be. God has so much more planned for our lives than that.
Take a look at what the Bible says on the subject,
There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (MSG)
It’s only natural that, if we keep praying for things that directly impact our comfort and those prayers go largely answered in ways that don’t assure our comfort, we will begin thinking that God’s love is somehow not for us. That, in the simplest form, is Satan’s plan for you and for me. He wants us to doubt God’s goodness for our lives. Demanding that God’s goodness mean we live a good life (by our own definition) is the foundation by which victim thinking can come between us and a vibrant relationship with our God.
What’s on your prayer list today? If you are like me it is filled with comfort driven, temporary requests. That’s good! Keep on having a two way conversation with God over these and all issues in your life. But today, do something different. Let the power of your standing as a victor be the foundation for your prayers and watch how God responds. What you might see differently is how to press through the lies Satan is trying to get us to believe and move into that special place of a victor that is due a Child of God’s!
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