Day 186 - Stake Your Claim

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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"If there is no guilt, then there should be no shame. Shame can’t coexist with being a Child of God’s because both are polar opposite identities. Either you have one and forfeit the other, or you claim one and deny the other."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 57.

Guilt and shame. We often confuse these two issues in life. Guilt is all about what we do. It is a result of our actions that make guilt a possibility in our lives. Shame, on the other hand is a totally different subject. Shame is about who we are. Guilt might lead to shame if what we feel guilty about continues in our lives but the two should never be considered equal. Let's dig into the issues of guilt and shame in relation to how victors might go about living their lives.

Guilt can play an important role in the life of a victor. Guilt comes when we realize that the actions we have taken are below who we are. Guilt can help us to work to make changes in our life to more fully let who we are be more consistent with what we do. It is when we use guilt as a tool to try and motivate others that guilt turns into something that victors need to be very careful with. If someone is placing guilt on you, they are probably stuck in victim thinking in ways that will ultimately victimize you in one way or another.

Like I said earlier, shame can come after prolonged periods of guilt. Shame was something we were never intended to have to contend with in our lives. Check out what happened the moment shame entered into the human experience.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7 (NIV)

As soon as Adam and Eve turned against the perfect plan God had for them, their eyes were opened to the fact that they were naked. The sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. In another translation it says that they sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame. Ever since that dark day we have been working just as diligently to cover our shame over things that we have done in our lives as well.

After eating the apple, Adam and Eve jumped straight from guilt to shame. Their shame was so pervasive that their identities changed in significant ways. Shame never was meant to be a part of their lives or ours either. Shame makes us doubt who we are. It makes us see ourselves that one moment seemed perfectly good and the next we are trying to cover ourselves in ways that God never intended for us to consider. When shame becomes part of our identity we are forced to make choices that greatly limit our power at living fully in the status of a victor God made us to be.

I said earlier that shame and our identity as God's Child are polar opposites. I say this because what God says about us can't be said if shame is part of the description. God has no shame. He doesn't allow shame to exist in His presence. The Bible says that in Christ there is no condemnation. Shame is what makes condemnation a reality. That's why our identities have to be so completely devoid of shame as possible. When we try to live the live of a victor with shame in our lives victim thinking is always the result.

God gives us a choice. We can either choose to walk in shame or forfeit the power that comes with being God's Child. God wants us to stake a claim on who we are. By believing and living in the place where God's calls us His Child we step into the power needed to make this world all it is suppose to be in our lives. By claiming our identity in Christ we enable shame to be denied access into our lives. When we choose to stake our claim to shame we deny our true identity and the power that comes with being God's Child.

What's your choice going to be? There will be plenty of things that will happen to you that might bring an element of shame into your life. When that happens - deny it! Push it away. Claim what is rightly yours. You are God's Child and that alone makes you all the victor you will ever need to be in God's eyes.

Day 185 - Cup Of Deliverance

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 cup of deliverance is what is needed to get the old ways out of us so that we can live in the power of being God’s Child; a life of victory."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 46.

During the passover meal, four cups are taken by the participants. Each cup has a very specific meaning to the lives of the followers of God for the Jewish people. The second cup that is taken signifies the cup of deliverance. It comes from the verse we will use for today’s Bible reading. It says:

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6 (NIV)

The cup of deliverance comes from the words “bring you out” in the verse above. The original language used for this word speaks of deliverance, like a rescue from something terrible. That's what we all need in our lives as we face the prospects of how to live in the glorious freedom that Christ has provided those called Children of God.

The power of victory doesn’t come with victorious events in our lives. The power of victory comes as we live fully in our identity of God’s Child. When bad times come, of course we are going to call out to God for our deliverance. Sadly for us, that isn’t always the best according to God’s plan in our lives. His best for the victors we are is to experience and thrive in His presence, even when His Presence is felt in the middle of some horrific stuff happening to us in this life.

Deliverance happened for us once and for all when Jesus died on the cross and rose again. We no longer have to face the prospect of eternity separated from our maker. We are His Children. That makes us victors. It isn’t how many times God comes to bail us out of bad things that makes us victors. Though those times are sweet and should be sought after when bad times hit, we aren’t to limit the power of God’s Presence to just getting what we want when things turn bad.

The cup of deliverance is something we will all drink of when we turn to Christ for our salvation It is also something we partake everyday of our lives as we battle the fallenness of this world that brings to light the badness that comes against us. Victors know that deliverance from evil has been done on the cross. The removal from all badness in our lives will happen when the fullness of time has arrived and evil is destroyed.

Until that time, victors can only hold on to the fact that they are who God says they are. Their identity is secure no matter what their lives look like. Today you will be faced with challenges that might threaten the belief that you are a victor in God’s eyes. When that happens, remember that you have been delivered and are being delivered every step of the way simply because God’s Presence is with you.

Day 184 - The Christmas Gift

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 see, Jesus died to give us the right to be called Children of God. That’s what the entire Bible is all about. He didn’t die to give us a role to play. He didn’t die to make me a businessman, or a husband or a father. Neither did He die to make me a victim."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 21.

The most important gift Jesus Christ gave you and me is the gift of salvation. No longer do we need to fear the possibility of what our eternity will look like. Jesus has secured our future by his death and resurrection. But, His giving of gifts didn’t stop there. I believe that, behind salvation, our gift of being called God’s Child is the second greatest gift given to us by Jesus. Our identity as God’s Child is what makes us victors even when the world does all it can to label us with victimhood.

Jesus is the Son of God. The way I read The Bible, He is God’s only “natural” son. By Jesus giving up his position in heaven and coming to earth to pave the way for us to get to God, we become adopted children of Jesus’ Father. I don’t want to get sacrilegious, but Jesus’s gift of identity actually makes us siblings to Jesus. Think about that for a second. The same Jesus that walked on water, healed the sick and raised Himself from the dead is our brother! That’s mind blowing.

But it should do more that just blow our mind that Jesus is our brother. It should give us a sense of heavenly confidence. Not a confidence that leads to pride and a swelled head. But a new-found confidence in who we are given the lineage we have been adopted into.

Jesus Himself stresses this point in an interesting way. Check out today’s Bible reading below;

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (NIV)

Jesus said that we would do even greater things than He in this world. On the surface of things, I’m not sure exactly what that means. After all, I haven’t even walked on water lately or done anything that I would consider even remotely close to this amazing event. Have you?

I hope this fact doesn’t disappoint you in any way. The fact is that anything BIG we get to do in our lives that might even come close to the miracles of Jesus are God’s doing anyway. It just isn’t up to us. All we are called to do is live out this gift Jesus gave us in being an adopted child of the Heavenly Father.

That’s why it is so critical that we live out a role neutral life when it comes to our identity. Jesus didn’t die to give us a role. That great  job you have right now isn’t there as a gift from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even that role as victim that you might be facing at this moment didn’t come as a result of Jesus’s work on The Cross. He didn’t die to give us roles, why would He die to make us victims. Jesus died to make us victors. That’s what we are as Children of God.

I hope you can live differently today because of your standing as a sibling of Christ. That’s a place of power, authority and prestige that, if applied in the roles you play today, will make a difference in your battle to live like the victor God made you to be. If things take a downturn in your life today, remember you are a “Kid Of The King!” Keep your head high because a great price was paid to purchase for you the gift of salvation as well as the gift of identity.

Day 183 - Humility vs Pride

Click here to link directly to the audio file.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and I heard myself say this quote.

"Humility turns to pride when we choose to believe something about ourselves other than what God says about us."

I felt that this quote had a level of inspiration to it. For that reason I wanted to have today's presentation be about humility and pride.

I have often thought that humility and pride were polar opposites. Although that can be the case, humility and pride can really work hand in hand in ways that might come as a bit of a surprise. Humility and pride are connected in some pretty amazing ways when humility is mixed with victim thinking.

It is when we are trapped in victim thinking that we can take on an attitude with humility that really is pride disguised in ways to help us in our victim thinking ways. I have seen people that would absolutely use the word humility to describe their actions when in fact victim thinking is making it so that they are applying a false humility in their lives that is such a killer to relationships.

One such example of this is the self described martyr. You know who I'm talking about. This is the person that will push you out of the way to take the worse seat in the house. They are the ones that will give up their last fork full of food or will surrender their own comfort in ways that could be mistaken for humility. Problem is that these same people might be the first to let you know - either by their words or by their actions - just how humble they really are.

The victim thinker who takes on an appearance of being selfless while exhibiting attitudes and actions designed to gain attention and praise is exactly the person that fits my quote mentioned earlier. This seemingly humble person has bought into a lie about their identity and uses what should be truly selfless actions to help build an identity that is better than nothing at all. Humility turns to pride when we choose to believe something about ourselves other than what God says about us.

Solomon is a very interesting character in the Bible. He is considered to be the richest man to have ever lived. Not only was Solomon rich, he had a wisdom about him that is something to behold. He wrote a book of the Bible called Ecclesiastes. This book enabled Solomon to share some of his wisdom about life as he was nearing the end of his. Today's reading is from Ecclesiastes. It says...

I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness. Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all. Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 (NKJV)

Solomon starts off today's reading with what can sound like a pride filled statement. He says, "I have seen everything..." I use to think less about Solomon because of these kinds of statements throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. What I have since come to appreciate is that Solomon has really seen a lot. With the amount of money, power, and prestige this one man had, I think he had every opportunity to try things that the rest of us might never get a chance to experience.

I also appreciate the Book of Ecclesiastes because I have come to realize what Solomon was doing in this work. He was sharing how useless his own victim thinking techniques were at coping with life when things don't turn out the way he'd like them to. Keep in mind, Solomon had more money than any man alive today. His household included 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was famous all over the world - His name was known by leaders from countries far and wide. If money or power or significance or sex or any of a number of other coping mechanisms would have had any hopes of working in the life of a human being they would have worked in the life of Solomon.

But, they didn't! Ecclesiastes is a book that sounds like it was written by a man teetering on the brink of clinical depression. I believe it was. Solomon had to have been on the edge of depression knowing that all his power, all his positions, all his vices, all his prestige - it all meant nothing as far as identity is concerned. Sure it is nice to have all these things for a while but Solomon is a shining example of how the temporary things of this world just don't cut it when identity is concerned.

What I like about today's reading is how it calls out those of us using false humility as a coping mechanism when we are caught in victim thinking. Solomon basically says it is foolish to be a martyr if you are being a martyr for identity building purposes. This, just like pride is nothing more than vanity, and as Solomon says over and over again, vanity is like chasing the wind. It is a waste of time.

I couldn't agree more. Doing things to feel good about ourselves is a perfect example of how pride can come alive in our lives. Pride as a strategy to feel good about ourselves is a chasing after the wind. Using humility as a strategy to help bolster our identity is also an example of the vain ways we apply to try and figure out who we are so that we can feel better about ourselves. Unfortunately anything we turn to in this world for identity building purposes will ultimately prove themselves to be examples of vanity. Solomon backs this statement up with example after example in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

It all comes down to this. False humility isn't humility at all. It is pride. God hates pride! Now, hear this loud and clear - He doesn't hate the one stuck in victim thinking using pride of one kind or another to build their identity. He hates the pride filled ways we will turn to. They distract us from Him and, for whatever reason, He wants to be with us as much as He possibly can. Thank God for His relationship driven love. Without it we would be stuck chasing the wind in ways that Solomon might know all too well.

The answer to all this is to turn to God. Lean on Him as you have doubts about who you are. When things don't go your way, let God's presence be all the blessing you need to move out in a different direction in life. Don't let this world trick you into believing something other that what God says about you. It is when we stand firm in who God says we are that pride gets destroyed and we begin living the humble life as the victor God has called us to be.

Day 182 - Vacuums

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 we lose our identity through long term victimization, victim thinking quickly makes itself available to fill the void and provide an identity."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 210.

Nature just can't stand a vacuum. A vacuum happens when a difference in pressure forces one area to be emptied when compared to another. That emptiness acts like an enemy in the natural world. It is the difference in pressure that causes our weather patterns. It is also that difference in pressure that makes airplanes be able to fly. Though pressure differences that can create vacuums happen in our natural world, nature just can't stand a vacuum and tries to fill that vacuum as quickly as possible. 

Same goes for our lives. It is through the pressures of life - those things that work to victimize us - that a vacuum can be exposed in our lives. We can feel an emptiness as a result of the badness that hits us from time to time. When that happens our natural self works hard to fill that emptiness. What does it fill that vacuum with? Sometimes the filling happens as a result of good things like relationship, fellowship, introspection and philanthropy. Other times that emptiness is filled with addictions to work, substances, sex and even ministry. 

Just as nature arbors vacuums, so does God. It has been said that at the center of all mankind is a God shaped vacuum. Trying to fill that vacuum with anything other than Him is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Yet, that's what we try to do with all the things we get involved in to try and fill the emptiness that we all feel from time to time. That's what makes victim thinking such a powerful force in our society today. We have bought into the lie that the emptiness we feel is something we can deal with on our own. 

The more we fail at being able to fill the emptiness in our lives the worse we feel. Stay in that place for too long and our victim thinking ways will ultimately make it possible for us to treat people around us in ways that makes victimization part of their lives as well. We can actually become the pressure our loved ones feel that will make them see and respond to the emptiness they come to recognize in their lives inside as well. And, the cycle goes on and on. Generations of victim thinkers causing victims at every turn. When will the cycle be broken?

I believe the cycle begins to be broken when we start living in the reality of who we are. It is when we stop using this world to try and prove our identity and begin to let God fill that emptiness inside us all with the truth of who we are that we begin to see things change. Victim thinking is nothing more than natures way of filling that void we all have in ways that God never intended. Victor living let's God fill that void in His ways. He wants to fill us so that we can live out our purpose here on earth with as much consistency and power as possible. 

The Apostle Paul says this about God and the filling of that emptiness in our lives. 

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT)

I love how Paul started this verse. He said, "I pray..." He didn't command us to do all we can to be filled by God. He didn't even expect God to fill us. He simply prays that God would do what He had done in his life time and time again - come rushing in in ways that couldn't be missed as God's Hand in Paul's life. 

I don't believe Paul is talking about the miracles of provision or restoration or redemption that we all hope happens in our lives. No, I believe Paul had given up on those things being proof of God's existence in His life. He just didn't need God to bail him out in ways that use to be needed to prove God's presence. Paul is talking about a vacuum more profound in his life than what might happen by having a bad day. 

I think Paul knew that God, just like nature hates us to be walking around with an emptiness that might lead us into places where we would look to ourselves or this world for filling. I think he prays to God because Paul knew that God's heart was for us to be filled with Him. That's the only thing that can help us keep the vacuum causing effects of victim thinking from our lives.

So, what's your tank reading these days. Are you filled or do you feel an emptiness that haunts you in life changing ways? Isn't it time to try something different when it comes to filling that emptiness? Isn't it time to just believe what God says about you? Why not let the fact that He calls you His Child be all the proof you need? That's the only filling that has the capability and direction needed to live the life of the victor God has made way for you to live today. 

Day 181 - The Power of Thanks

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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"One of the many differences between victim thinking and victor living is thankfulness. When we are thankful, things change. Our attitude changes."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 184.

I recently ended up in the ER in excruciating pain. This pain came from nowhere. One moment I was totally fine, the next minute it was all I could do to just pace back and forth trying to deal with the waves of pain that was hitting me so hard.

After a bunch of tests I found out that I was working on passing a kidney stone. I was told that that pain is an example of what women go through in child birth. All I can say is WOW! Do I ever have respect for my wife and all the other women who have given birth to their children. You ladies are simply amazing!

In the middle of all this pain I found myself doing something that caught me by surprise. I was actually thanking Jesus in the middle of my pain. I don't believe I was thanking Him for the pain but I found a real peace in just being thankful to Jesus.

That event was something new to me. I can't remember ever being in such a place and subconsciously thanking my God in the middle of the pain. I can distinctly remember thanking God in times my pain was taken away, but thanking Him while still in pain - that even sounds weird to me as I think about that situation.

The thing is that my thanksgiving really helped. I wasn't thanking God to try and help me better deal with my situation. I was thanking God because I was simply thankful. Even in that painful place that evening in the ER I had a lot to be thankful for. Even in the worst of situations, we have so much to thank God for. I want that to be more and more of the victor's life God has made possible for me to live.

I love what our Bible reading says on the subject of thanksgiving.

I will give thanks to the Lord because He is right and good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7:17 New Life Version (NLV)

Our reading doesn't say, I will give thanks because He gives me what I want. Or, I will give thanks because He will always make my life good. It doesn't even say, I will give thanks because He took my pain away. No, it says to give thanks because He is right AND good. That holds true whether our lives are going perfect at the time just as much as it does when we end up in the ER in excruciating pain. God is good and He is right in all that He does in and through our lives. 

I know that is a hard pill to swallow when things take a turn for the worse. It is so hard to be thankful when it feels like we have nothing to be thankful for. That's the enemy trying to get us to doubt His goodness so that we will reject His righteousness. God is right when my life is going well and He is right when my life is going to hell. The same can be said about His goodness.

That evening a couple weeks ago when I was in the ER is a prime example. Based on the pain I had and the unknown I was facing, why would I ever thank God? As I sit here now I can thank of several reasons that thankfulness was part of my evening. First of all my beautiful wife was there with and for me. She has stood by my side through thick and thin. If I were to die at this moment I have been the luckiest man alive because she choose me. Then there was the care I was receiving. World class TLC beyond anything the vast majority of the world could ever expect. If all that wasn't enough, the very fact that I was able to take another breath is a gift that I hope I never take for granted. Had I not been given the amazing gift of life for a another couple of weeks I would have missed the revelation that my wife and I will be blessed with the birth of another granddaughter. Life, even a painful life has blessings hidden in it that the victor needs to start recognizing and thanking God for. 

Those are but a few of the many things I have to be thankful for in my life. Even when all hell breaks loose, thanksgiving can be part of my life. I don't know where my being thankful that even in the ER came from. I hope it was because of thinking about my victor status like I have had the privileged to do these past couple of years. I hope it is because I'm beginning to believe I am who God says I am and letting that fact be what drives my life. Whatever the case, I'm thankful that I found my self thanking God in the middle of the pain. This particular episode has shed a whole new light on this walk with God that has me excited for what the future holds - even if that future turns south from time to time. 

Want to make you day be filled with power? Make thanksgiving part of what drives you today. Look around - you have so much to be thankful for. Thank God constantly. It is when we are thankful that the forces of darkness are confounded in ways that make this life take on an entirely different meaning. Even if all you have in your life is the promise of an eternity with God - that's enough to make thanksgiving help you be all the victor you need to make positive changes in your world today.

Day 180 - Victory In Brokenenss

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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"Brokenness in the spiritual sense is more about how I view myself than how God views me."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 164.

In past presentations, we have discussed my view on brokenness. I'm starting to believe that brokenness, particularly in the spiritual sense, is about the convergence of being everything to God at the same time as being nothing to Him. As crazy as that sounds... as impossible as that convergence might seem, that view is the only one that has helped me see my life from God's perspective when things of this life work in ways that just don't seem to make sense. 

Brokenness has one other aspect that I'd like to consider in this presentation. Brokenness is really all about perspective when it comes to identity. You see, I think a key element of brokenness is all about seeing ourselves through God's eyes. My belief in this statement fits so well with the discussion on brokenness being the convergence of being nothing to God and everything to Him all at the same time. Let me explain that a bit. 

You see, brokenness is really all about how we view ourselves. Like so much of the victor's life it is all about identity. When we are in those places of success and ease of life it is so easy to see our identity as something more than what is really good for us when it comes to victor living. When things are going our way we can take on an attitude that is best spelled as P R I D E. 

Pride is something God hates. Check out today's Bible reading on the subject. 

For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3 (NASB)

This verse is such a compelling piece of evidence that helps substantiate my convergence theory on brokenness. It is those times when I think I'm something when I'm nothing that pride comes rushing in. When that happens, I place myself in a waiting pattern. It is only a matter of time until something happens that will knock me down from that pride filled place to where I will feel like nothing at all. When that happens, I believe the opposite of today's Bible verse is just as true. Let me reword today's reading for those of us who think we are nothing before this God that loves us. 

For if anyone thinks they are nothing when they are something, he deceives himself. 

We are something and nothing at the same time. It is when we choose to let the somethings or the nothings of this life take over our identity when life becomes such a victim thinking bonanza. That's why I think brokenness is really all about how God sees us rather than how we see ourselves. If we are in a position where we allow the goodness of life to bolster our identity or if we allow the badness to be proof of something we are not, broknenness takes on an aspect that God never intended for our lives. 

The only answer to this discussion is to believe what God says about you. You are His Child. That makes you the victor you might be tempted to work so hard to try and prove in your life. Letting anything in this world be what establishes or confirms our victor status is simply another route to victim thinking. 

I hope you take time today to see yourself how God sees you. You are blameless and without fault. Your status as a victor is being perfectly lived out no matter how badly this world works to trip you up. Let His view of you be all you need to let the power of brokenness be all it can be in your life today. You are both, and at the same time, everything to God and nothing to Him at all. There is a power in that kind of broken living. Let that power be what drives you to be all the victories you might achieve today. 

Day 179 - Mourning Process

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’m starting to believe that our dealing with the question, “Why?” is part of a mourning process that we all have to go through when we face bad times. Mourning is all about dealing with a loss."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 140.

It is only natural for us to want to know the "Why" when bad things come our way. I have found that my drive to find the answers that sometimes just don't exist are part of my way of dealing with a loss in my life. Mourning is a natural process that we all go through when loss occurs. When anything comes against our good and comfortable life loss is exactly what happens. I believe that we are wired to mourn any losses in our life, including the loss of the comfortable life we have worked so hard to maintain. 

It is the perceived and real losses in life that make victims of us all and threaten to lock us in the throws of victim thinking at times. It is only natural to want to come to a logical conclusion as to why these bad things are happening in the first place. When we fail to get the answer to the question "Why" surrounding challenging times, our status as a victor can be challenged the most. It is through the mourning process that the transition from victim to victor can be possible. Let's take a quick look at the mourning process as it relates to our status as a victor.

The Swiss psychiatrist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying, postulated that there are five stages to the mourning process. They are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Each of these five stages points out some interesting aspects of the process we find ourselves on as we move from victim to victor that I think we should investigate closer. 

Denial - this is one of the most powerful aspects of victim thinking that threatens our victor status. 

Denial, when it comes to mourning, happens as we feel the overwhelm of the badness of our situation. It makes us feel like the world has no meaning - that our very lives are a waste. There is a numbness in all we do. Although we still are able to function, we feel we have lost our spark and others see that in us as well. Denial helps us keep our feelings in check. It gives us a way to feel some level of control in a situation that is completely out of control. 

Anger - Where the first stage of mourning allowed us to sweep our feelings under the carpet so we could cope, Anger happens when the dam of those backed up feelings break. We weren't made to suppress feelings - they are meant to be out in the open. Anger happens as a result of those suppressed feelings from the Denial stage exploding out into the light. The longer the Denial stage the more explosive the Anger stage might be. The transition from Denial to Anger is a perfect example of how victims can become victimizers. Things can be said and done by the victim of loss that help to make victims out of those around them as the Anger stage develops in the mourning process. 

Bargaining - This is a really dangerous stage for those of us trying to live out our status of a victor. In the Bargaining stage we deal with the question of "What if". Guilt is often the byproduct of dealing with the "What ifs" of our bad situation. In the Bargaining stage we go over and over all the scenarios of what happened. It is easy to second guess our choices and find fault in ourselves for ALL the badness that we are experiencing. Guilt left long enough turns to shame. Shame is the hallmark of a someone caught in victim thinking. 

Depression - Depression might manifest itself as a general malaise. Everything in life might seem dull and foggy. We tend to withdraw from life and just need to be alone in the depression stage. All of this is totally natural and must be experienced when a loss occurs. Depression follows Bargaining due to the fact that we start to realize that all our best efforts might not have been enough to stop the badness from happening in the first place. Depression is a natural result when loss of control has to be dealt with in ways that we simply don't want in our lives. Depression isn't a sign of weakness - it is ultimately a sign of healing and can lead to the next and final step of the mourning process. 

Acceptance - Acceptance has nothing to do with the coming to a place where what happened to us is OK. The badness that comes against us isn't OK! Acceptance is all about being able to move forward. It is being able to deal with the badness in a way that can actually help us in the future be more powerful and productive victors in this world. We still feel the pain of what happened to us and we still dream of our old life being back in its full glory. All Acceptance does for us is let us move on with our lives. 

The process of mourning is such an interesting process to consider. As for timing with each of the steps of the mourning process, there is no right and wrong time table. In fact, I'm finding that I might go through all five steps in an instant when the loss I'm experiencing is something that isn't all that profound. I might be just a prone to be in Denial, get Angry, begin Bargaining, feel Depressed and finally Accept the situation when something as simple as spilling a glass of milk happens in my life. We must realize that spilling that milk is a loss just as much as the death of a loved one is. The impact and implications of those two losses are vastly different but they both are losses that we have to deal with or our victor status will be hard to feel at times. 

Today's Bible versed deals with the ultimate in going through the mourning process. It says...

You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. Matthew 5:4 (MSG)

That's the place we go when we are forced to deal with the "Why" when bad times come our way. We are forced to come face to face with the fact that we have been dealt a loss to something that we found very dear in our lives. It is my opinion that God isn't the originator of that loss. This evil world is what made that loss happen. 

The promise from today's Bible reading is so important for the victor to grab and hang onto. Our losses count in the heavenly realm. If nothing more, the losses that we experience make it possible for us to be embraced by this God that loves us so. We have the chance to be drawn nearer to the heavenly life now that we will experience for all eternity sometime down the road. As losses come into our lives we get closer to living a heavenly life than we will ever be able to experience when things are going our way. 

This fact doesn't make the pain any less. It can, however, be the power behind us moving through the mourning process in a God encountering and God empowered way. 

Loss isn't something the victor looks forward to. Trying to make loss something that we will never experience is nothing short of victim thinking taking over in our lives that guarantees we will find it hard to live out our status as a victor. The victor's job isn't to work to eliminate loss. It is to make loss be what God uses as another role in life that changes this world in ways that can only be described as Biblical. 

As you go through your day today, consider how you are being taken through the mourning process. As you progress know that God goes with you every step of the way. Your status as a victor is assured even when things come against you in ways that make you ever doubt that victory will be yours. Know that God's Love for you is what will ultimately be the goal when Acceptance is reached in that loss you faced. You are His Child and He sees you as a complete and overwhelming victor in this world. 

Day 178 - Comparing Blessing

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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"So victims can’t be truly generous because they don’t see that they have been given much."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 132.

Take a look at an ominous Bible verse with me now.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48 (NIV)

When it comes to generosity, it is so easy to use this verse as an excuse not to give rather than a motivation to give. What do I mean by that? I said in the quote earlier that victims aren't able to be truly generous because they feel that they haven't been given all that much. Compared to others in the world around them, the things they have might not measure up in a way that stimulates them to give. When we think we haven't been given all that much by comparing our holdings to the holdings of those around us it gets awfully easy to miss what God is saying in our Bible reading today. 

You see, the victim thinker sees their life as lacking. They prove their lack by pointing out all those around them that are less qualified, less diligent and less evolved who have so much more than them. Surely God is talking about those folks that have been given so much more than me when it comes to His expectations. This is the rationale of the victim thinker when it comes to being able to be truly generous in light of their view that their lives are missing so much of what others around them have. 

I happen to believe that God is talking about us all in our Bible reading today. The person that has all the power, possessions and prominence in the world is expected just as fully to respond to what they have been given as the person that has nothing when it comes to power, possession and prominence. I happen to believe this because I feel that what God is talking about here is more focused on life than on stuff. The victor as well as the victim thinker has exactly the same things God is concerned about when it comes to generosity. It is the fact that we have breath in our lungs that puts us in a position where we will be held accountable with what we did with that breath of life that we all have. 

I believe our reading makes that clear when it says in the first part - "everyone who has been given much..." If we are alive we have been given much. The quicker we get that into our heads the quicker we can get out of the victim thinking tendencies that happens when comparison is concerned. Our lives are a gift from God and we need to start treating them as such. What we do with that gift of life is what will be judged when it comes to God saying, "much will be demanded..." 

Today's reading does go on to talk about those who have been entrusted with much more. I believe this is talking more about the material blessings that we have. We all start off on the same footing with an amazing blessing of life. Some of us are then blessed with the burden of provision and prosperity. With provision and prosperity comes a responsibility to be productive with this extra blessing God has granted in ways that build His Kingdom. 

Bottom line is that we are expected to show a return on what we have been given. All of us have been given live. What are we doing with that life to help the rest of the world see the power of walking with this God that loves us so? Those of us that have been blessed with resources now have a double expectation. Not only is the basic blessing of life to be something that pays back Heavenly dividends, our resources are expected to pay in to the Kingdom building process. 

Now, I feel stressed - how about you? That stress comes with worry. What if I'm not doing enough with my life or my resources to please this God? What if I fail in His eyes to do all I think I'm suppose to do? Those questions come from a basic misunderstanding of the love of God that drives me into victim thinking time and time again. Let me unpack that thought for a second. 

You see I view God's love as a performance based thing. If I perform well, He will love me more. If I perform less, then His love will be less in my life. It is easy to read verses like today's in that light. What I'm trying to live out in my life and am communicating in these presentations is a totally different view than what I have been taught in my life. God's love isn't dependent on me at all. There is nothing I can do to gain more of His love and nothing I can do to loose that love as well. His love for me is the same - it is overwhelming and complete. That fact helps make the scary aspects of our Bible reading today diminish in ways that I hope you feel in your life as well. 

Fact is that we have been blessed. It is also a fact that God wants us to use those blessings to bless others in ways that make His love something others will be drawn to. God also knows we are fallible. We will be swayed to allow victim thinking to enter our lives in ways that will make His expectations something we just can't tolerate in our lives from time to time. That's why Jesus is such an important concept for the victor to have in their lives. Without Jesus, we are doomed to judgement based on our own performance. With Jesus, we are judged based on the perfect performance of God's own son. We just can't go wrong when we trust the finished work of Jesus and then do the best we can at living up to the impossible standard of perfection set by God's perfect son. 

From the victim to victor standpoint, this Bible verse seems to be saying that our victor status requires us to perform to a standard that is often hard to understand. What I'm learning is that God has such a different plan than to simply rely on us to get done all He needs to get done to build His Kingdom here on earth. He knows we will fail. That failure is deserving nothing short of death itself. Christ changed that direction in a powerful and stress relieving way. Our victor status is guaranteed whether we succeed at living up to the lofty expectations of this God or not. We are a victor because our ability to meet God's expectations is viewed through the lens of Jesus' death on the cross. Relying on anything other than that view of performance is a one way ticket to victim thinking in the life of a victor. 

Take time today to realize that you are blessed. Then consider how you can bless others with the fact that your blessing came from God. Because of you identity as God's Child, your efforts will be seen as the very best through the light of Jesus Christ in your life. Be all the victor you can be as you let blessing guide you through all you have, all you will gain and all you will give in all the circumstances that you will face today.

Day 177 - Settle It

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 is saying that prosperity is all about 'flourishing in a place of well-being and peace.'"

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 106.

It is easy to say that I'd rather be in a place of well-being and peace than have more of what I already have in my life when I have so much to be thankful for. What if I had nothing? What if I had to struggle to put food on the table day in and day out? Would I be so quick to say that I could be content with just well-being and peace in the absence of all the privileges I now enjoy?

It is so easy to be brave and to put on an air of nobility when bravery and nobility isn't needed to make my comfortable life a reality. The rubber really hits the road when choices are such that bravery and nobility really come into question.

The problem with dealing with "what if" scenarios is that we really don't know how we will react until we come face to face with the kinds of situations that challenge us to our souls. What I have found is that victors don't question their status based on the unknown of situations that might challenge them in the future. Nor do they think less of themselves for facing the cold, hard fact that there is no way of knowing how they will react given bad times in their lives.

All we can do is prepare. It is through the preparation of identity that I believe we stand the best chance of acting in a brave and noble way when challenges come our way. It is when we know that we are loved, we have a purpose and that we are not alone that we put ourselves in a place where well-being and peace can have the power that prosperity is suppose to have in our lives.

Aside from identity issues, the victor can also deal with perspective shifts to help stand the winds of storms that may come their way. Viewing prosperity through the lens of things is a victim thinking way of living out this life. One is truly prosperous when they have a calm in their souls that just can't be explained. Money, power, position or any of the other worldly things we often use to define prosperity just can't deliver the kind of well-being and peace needed to be truly prosperous no matter how much we want it to.

I have known people with obscene amounts of money that would give it all away just to have one night of peaceful sleep. I have also known people with absolutely nothing to their name that have a calm in their life unlike anything I have ever know. What's the difference in these two people? I have found the difference can best be summed up with trust.

The rich man with anxiety has his trust placed in worldly things. The poor man with peace trusts something greater than what he might be able to control from time to time. I don't know if it takes being a pauper to achieve that kind of peace. I hope it doesn't, but I want that well-being and peace to be in my life.

Check out what today's Bible reading says on the subject.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. Matthew 19:23-24 (MSG)

Jesus didn't have a thing against money. We often misquote Jesus and say that "money is the root of all evil." Jesus actually said, "The love of money is the root of all evil." It isn't money or power or possessions that will keep any of us out of heaven. It is the love of those things that will make it hard for us to ever enter in that place of well-being and peace. What we love is often times what we choose to put our trust in. When we put our trust in things of this world it gets awfully hard to ever trust what God chooses to do and who God says we are. Loving things of this world is an open door to victim thinking in the life of a victor. 

Jesus is in no way saying that if we have riches - like the vast majority of those of us blessed enough to live in the United States have when compared to the rest of the world - that we will not be able to go to heaven. I believe that Jesus is making the point that it is so hard to get the benefits of heaven, like well-being and peace, when we trust this world for proof of who we are. God wants us to be as prosperous as we need to be as long as that prosperity isn't predicated on definitions this world wants us to accept. 

In other words, we can be just as prosperous in God's eyes when we have billions of dollars as when we have no money at all. Prosperity from God's perspective has everything to do with being OK in His eyes and has nothing to do with our net worth, worldly standing or our position in society. The kind of prosperity that is built on well-being and peace in our soul is just like heaven - it lasts forever. Settling for anything less than that, even when less is a big ole pile of money, can never bring the permanence when it comes to well-being and peace that our souls need in this world. 

How much peace do you feel in your life right now? How would you rate your ability to say that you are truly well off? If well-being and peace have anything to do with things that you have or things that you can earn you are either in the victim thinking trap are soon will be. I don't care how much you have right now or how much potential you have to gain things, everything in this world is temporary. The temporal nature of things is what makes well-being and peace an elusive concept when we look to this world to make those characteristics of a victor part of our lives. 

Today you can settle it. You can either settle on allowing this world be the dictator of what well-being and peace look like in your life or you can settle on what God says. Settling for the temporary things of this world will put you in a place where you will not be able to settle, once and for all that yearning we all have deep down in our souls. Allow your trust to be in what God says about you. Your victor status is guaranteed by the fact that God calls you His Child. That, and that alone is all we can count on for the kinds of well-being and peace that define a heavenly perspective on prosperity all victors need in their lives. 

Day 176 - Image & Identity

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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"In its simplest state, Jehovah Jireh means God will provide, however, that provision comes through opportunities for us to see Him, and in ways He will be seen in our circumstances."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 89.

In the Bible, God's name is stated in many different forms. In the original language these names speak of the characteristics of God that happened to be relevant for the portrayal of the story where His name was used. When you look at the names of God in their entirety, you get a glimpse into the fullness of God's identity. Knowing more about God's identity helps us since we are said to carry the very image of God. Knowing who this God is helps us to know who we are. 

I thought we would spend a couple minutes looking at some of the names of God found in the Old Testament and see what we can learn about our identity as a result. 

We will start with a name of power. EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]. This name even sounds menacing. This name literally means God Almighty. It represents the ultimate name in power. That's the pedigree we too have - Power is part of who we are. 

Next consider the name ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]. This word means God the "creator, mighty and strong." This word was used to describe God as He spoke the universe into existence in Genesis. I like this name because of the description creator. God is a creative genius. We too carry this creative gene in our being. That's why mankind has steadily marched forward with technology, art and sciences. Our heritage of creativeness has made us mighty and strong as well. 

God also is referred to as JEHOVA-RAPHA [raw-faw]. This name communicates the healing nature of our God. Literally translated God The Healer, we can hold onto the promise of healing in our lives. We also are healers in our own right as we walk in relationship with those God brings into our paths. 

Then there's the name JEHOVA-SHALOM [shah-lohm] meaning The Lord Our Peace. Shalom is still used in Hebrew as a greeting and means peace be with you. Our very identity is shaped by the characteristic of peace. No wonder God says in His Word - Blessed are the peacemakers...

JEHOVA-ROHI [roh-hee] is translated as The Lord Our Shepherd. Watch a mother from any species and you can't help but to understand the fierce love a shepherd has for those in her flock. That fierceness comes from God Himself. That's how he feels about us. He would literally die for our salvation - exactly what He did on the cross. 

When it comes to our identity we really need to understand this next name. EL-OLAM [oh-lahm] means Everlasting God. It is the eternal nature of our God that we need to get a grasp on in order to really understand who we are. Our identities need to be tied to something permanent in order for our victor status to be fully lived out. The eternal nature of El Olam that resides in us all makes our identity something that the temporary things of this world just can't match.

The last name we will take a look at today is the name that appears in our quote above. God is called JEHOVA-JIREH [ji-reh]. Commonly translated The Lord Will Provide, this characteristic has been leaned on by many in the Christian world in ways that I believe have cause misunderstanding and ultimately victim thinking.

When we allow our expectations as to what God needs to provide to be what we look to God for His provision on is when victim thinking can quickly become part of our lives. It is true that this name of God speaks to provision, but what is it that He provides? That's the key question those looking to live this life the victor God has called them to live must address. 

A friend of mine, who has relied on an interpretation of God's provision steeped in his own expectations over the years came to a place in his life where he had to consider what provision means as far as God is concerned. My friend had always seen God be the provider of what he needed over and over again. It was when God didn't seem to come through with providing for his needs that his definition of provision brought in a level of victim thinking that was hard to recover from. 

After losing his house and ultimately his marriage, this friend had to do a lot of soul searching as far as the JEHOVA-JIREH name of God was concerned. You see, due to the fact that my friend lost so much of what he saw as the provision God was suppose to provide, my friend had a choice. He could either abandon belief in this God all together or try and figure out what God The Provider really means. 

My friend dug deep into God's Word and found that the root meaning of Jireh actually deals with the issue of being seen. JEHOVA-JIREH really speaks of God providing opportunities to see Him in our circumstances. That can be done when God provides all our needs just as powerfully as it can happen when our worldly needs go unmet. It isn't that God isn't providing if all our worldly needs aren't being met. It is that we are looking to God to provide something less than the best when we use our own interpretation of JIREH. 

JEHOVA-JIREH is really all about God providing Himself in all circumstances. As far as what that provision looks like, that's totally up to God. If we put our expectations on God as to what provision is to be we are doomed to be disappointed from time to time. Disappointment greases the skids to victim thinking in a world where what we want simply isn't guaranteed in any shape or form. 

As you consider the names of God, know this, God's image resides in you. He has made you in His own image. That makes it possible for us to see His characteristics in all that may come against us in our world. If you try and use those characteristics to guarantee a good life for your self, you will find yourself in places where it is so easy to doubt your victor status. It is when we doubt our victor status that victim thinking can take over in our lives.

As you take on your day, look for ways His characteristics flow out of you. The impact you have in this world might just be the result of the names of God being something that your identity can't help but to display. When things go in a direction that might not be how you want them to go, remember that JEHOVA-JIREH is the characteristic of God that guarantees that even the challenging situations you face will be filled with God sized sightings of Him. Let His presence be all the provision you rely on from God and go after as much of the provision as you can as you live out your victor status today.

Day 175 - Social Club

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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"For some, church is more of a social club where it is good to be seen rather than a place where relationship is the key."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 73.

People are such a predictable lot. We tend to gravitate to those we feel comfortable with. We like to be like those who we respect and look up to. We want to blend in in ways that doesn't make us seem out of place or out of touch. So many of us spend way too much time stressing about what others think and take steps to try and position ourselves to be viewed in the best light possible.

Same goes with our church attendance at times. We often look at those we might attend church services with in ways to help us feel more comfortable with who we are. So much of our life is spent dealing with issues that stem from the fact we are unsure of who we are. Worse than that, we often do, say and make decisions based on trying to make our identity something we think it needs to be in order for us to blend better into society.

I am sure that on the list of reasons God allowed church to come into existence, fitting in was pretty much at the bottom of that list. I have to imagine that God is flabbergasted at the fact that we deal with identity issues at all. He has made it pretty clear who we are. The fact that we pursue so many other things in this world, including church attendance to try and establish and maintain our identities is nothing more than a sign of our lack of trust in Him.

Look, He calls you His Child. He has gone to elaborate and costly lengths to make that identity possible. He has produced a book that has withstood the test of time that plainly says who you are. Looking to work, hobbies, status, position, family, friends, toys and even church involvement to help make your identity something you can better understand is such a blatant waste of time. He has said who you are and that needs to begin being enough for you and for me as we live out this life with our God.

That's the only thing I have found that makes any sense at all when it comes to my status as a victor God says I have. It is when I doubt who God says I am that I start to try and make the things I do, the things I'm involved in and the things I can control be all I need for proof as to who I am. It is when those things fail me in one way or another that my identity comes into question and victim thinking rears its ugly head.

Abraham was an interesting character in the Bible. He did many things that I believe stemmed from the fact that He wasn't sure He could trust what God said about his life. Then some interesting things happened that made Abraham see how trustworthy God really was. Today's Bible reading highlights what God thought about Abraham's faith in God's view of his identity.

And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:6 (NLT)

Abraham believed the Lord. It took him time to be able to let that belief become all it needed to be in order for Abraham's life to make the kind of difference it has in this world. The same goes for you and for me. It is as we grow in our belief in what God says about us that we start to have the same kind of world changing power Abraham lived out in his life.

I want my life to matter. I try to make that happen by all that I do. I have also tried to make my life matter by surrounding myself with the kinds of people that I think can help me make my life matter. Both strategies have done little more than make victim thinking a real possibility for me and for the people I use to achieve my goals.

That's why I've stopped going to church for identity based reasons. I'm working on believing who God says I am and let the rest of the world be what it is suppose to be in light of the identity God has made for me. I want my life to count, like Abraham's life did. As I read today's Bible verse, the only way to do that is to have faith. Our faith in what God says about us is all we need for our lives to be all they are suppose to be.

God has made it clear. I am a victor because God sees me as His Child through the work Jesus did on the cross. With that identity firmly in my sights, I now have a real chance at making this life have the kinds of impact that will usher in permanent change. I hope you too will choose to have faith. Abandon faith in yourself and let your faith in who God says you are be all the motivation for the amazing things you will do with your life today.

Day 174 - We Have Nothing To Do With It

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 sees you as holy, perfect, blameless, no one like you in the whole world. That’s the standing you have with Him. That’s what it means to be a Child of God’s."

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

I still can't fully trust the statement I made from the quote above. I know myself too well. Holy...perfect...blameless - UH I don't think so. There has been so many times that those three words would laugh out loud if I were to try and use them to describe me. I have had way too many times where my actions prove just the opposite - unholy, imperfection, and deserving of blame all fit my life a lot more than the way God views my life.

That's the beauty and power of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It just isn't up to me to make those three words be accurate descriptions of how my life looks. You see, God views my life through the lens of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When I choose to walk with God because of what Jesus did for me, I can then claim the victor sounding descriptions of holy, perfect and blameless as part of my life.

Sure I would like to live up to those descriptions. It is my hope that I can take steps to make holiness, perfection and blamelessness more a part of  my life. The reality is that I will never be able to do at the level required to be how God sees me. It is when I try to do to prove who I am that victim thinking is sure to follow.

You see, it is just impossible for me to do holy 100% of the time. Same goes with doing perfection and blamelessness. Being a human being I will inevitably mess up in one or all three of those important characteristics of a victor. If I am relying on my actions to prove who I am, when I fail to do in ways that make that proof a reality sooner or later victim thinking will take over in my life. When that does, victor living just isn't possible.

God is pretty clear on the work we do in our lives. The purpose and the objective of that work has nothing to do with proving who we are. Check out today's Bible reading as it deals with our calling to do and what that doing is all about.

We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9-10 (MSG)

"We had nothing to do with it..." That's what God says about our holiness, perfection and blamelessness. It was all up to Him. We don't have anything to do with it. This is also the case with the work we do to try and be holy, perfect and blameless. Unless we do this work from the place of serving God we will fail in ways that will always lead to victim thinking. Frankly, working to prove our victor status by trying to do holy, perfection and blameless is a waste of time. We are wasting the time we could be applying to take on the Kingdom building tasks God has prepared for us to be a part of in this life.

Isn't it time to receive the gift God has prepared for you long before you were ever born? Isn't it time to live out the identity God has spoken into existance for you? That identity includes all the holiness, perfection and blamelessness you will ever need to be all you can be in the eyes of this God that made you. Live you life with the knowledge that God sees you as the victor you long to be because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Stop trying to earn that identity by all you do and let your doing be nothing more than the power of God leading you to where He has you to be today.

Day 173 - The Joy Of The Trial

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 can’t stand the thought that God would allow our comfortable lives to be challenged by evil in this world, even if that challenge will bring more Glory to God in the long run."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 40.

I hate it when my comfortable life is challenged in any way - don’t you? I have allowed myself to believe that I have a lot of joy when my life is going well. At least, that’s how I have thought until I started pondering the difference between victim thinking and victor living in my life. Let’s look at today’s Bible reading and dive into the issue of joy.

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NIV)

What I have found is that my understanding of joy is what is at issue. I have discovered that my victim thinking ways are more and more secured as I confuse the characteristics of joy and happiness. Nowhere in The Bible does it say to be happy about the bad things that come against you. It simply says to find joy in the trials of life that will come the way of a victor as well as a victim thinker.

Confusing joy and happiness almost guarantees victim thinking. When my comfortable life is challenged, of course I’m not going to be happy about it. If the bad circumstance that challenge my comfortable life are allowed to rob me of my joy, it is then that I find my victor status in great peril.

Joy in God comes knowing that there is nothing in this world that can separate His Children from the Love of The Father.  Joy comes knowing that God is with us and will never forsake us. Joy comes as we experience a presence, a piece and a perspective that can only come from a relationship with something bigger than the problems that threaten our comfortable lives.

Victors seem to be able to find joy, even in the worst of circumstances. Though joy doesn’t always bring happiness, it does bring a power that is missing from the victim thinker’s life. That power comes from the identity that victor’s have as God’s Child. From that place it is possible to live out The Biblical call to rejoice in the bad things that come our way. We don’t rejoice because we are happy. We rejoice because God is God and we are His Child!

As you face the challenges that come your way today, choose joy, not happiness. Happiness is such an elusive and demanding mistress. Trying to serve her will always send you into victim thinking.

Live the free life of a victor today by realizing that joy is yours for the taking. Let God walk with you in today’s challenges. Give them to Him and trust the outcome of your efforts to overcome those challenges is exactly what God needed to take place for His global plan of salvation to happen through your life.

Day 172 - What Will You Forfeit

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 those who choose to follow Jesus Christ allow any role to define their identity they end up forfeiting the power God has for them to impact that particular role in their life."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 21.

Forfeit is such a negative word. When there are not enough players on a team you forfeit the game. Do something really bad and you forfeit your right to freedom. Many definitions of the word forfeit include these words;” to lose or be deprived of property, rights, or privilege”. I don’t know about you but I really don’t like the word forfeit.

But, forfeit is what most of us have been conditioned to do when it comes to God’s power in our lives. As we live out the world’s ways of using roles to define who we are, we are deprived of the right we have to God’s power through our true identity. Remember, our identity is suppose to be empowered by God to make our roles all they can be so that we can achieve our destiny in Christ. When we try to use any role we play to help augment our identity we give up the empowerment of God that is there to help us achieve our eternal destiny.

Why do we do this? I believe it all comes down to trust. Do we really trust this, unseen God to empower our roles so that our destiny can be assured? Worse than that, do we trust that the destiny God has for us is enough in our lives? I believe that the lack of trust that permeates our everyday activities is what makes it so easy to forfeit the power of God in our lives. It’s just easier for us to trust our own abilities rather than gamble on whether God will live up to our personal expectations for our life.

Today’s Bible reading draws a harsh conclusion for those of us who settle on simply trusting our own ways. Check it out for yourself.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’” Jeremiah 17:5-9 (NIV)

“Cursed!” Now that’s a strong word. Do we have to be so chastised by God when we trust our own ways? When I think about what I’m giving up when I trust my own ways over God’s, it’s no wonder God uses such harsh words. I don’t believe that God is going to make bad things happen to you if you use your roles to define your identity but, when we forfeit God’s power that comes through our identity, we are giving up a lot of advantage in our life.

It is my opinion that the curses that come our way have more to do with the disappointment and victim thinking that is a natural result of forfeiting God’s power in our lives. I have lived that cursed life many times in my life when I have chosen to let my roles define my identity. Roles just don’t have the power to make our eternal destiny happen. Identity is where God’s power is found.

What are you going to chose to forfeit today? Will you give up God’s power in your life or will you give up the temporary feel good that comes with thinking you have control over your destiny? I know how easy it is to trust self, but it doesn’t pay off in the long run. Remember who you are today! You are a victor in Christ, empowered to make your roles work for you to move closer to your eternal destiny. Living that kind of life makes whatever happens to you much easier to accept and relish in since this is the place God has chosen for you today.

Day 171 - Going Deaf

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 circumstances made those expectations seem unattainable, I became so offended that I couldn’t see or hear any voice of reason, including God’s."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 187.

Want to lose your hearing in a quick way? Just get offended. That's right. The fastest way to shut out the sounds of those around you is to become offended at those people.

Offense has the amazing ability to make us go deaf. Of course, I'm not talking about actual hearing loss. I'm making the point that offense makes it so that we simply choose to not listen to those around us, particularly if the voices we choose to no longer hear have anything to do with the situation that caused us offense in the first place.

That's the reason for so many of the ravages being caused in our Victim Based Society today. The fact that everyone is so offended by everyone else has made it impossible for one group to have meaningful dialog with another. We have become deaf to those who might have an opinion that is different than ours. Why? Because that differing opinion falls on deaf ears when what we need to talk about has anything to do with issues that might have been deemed as offensive in one way or another.

Use to be that we could talk to one another no matter what the situation. At least that is how it use to feel. Today things have changes. There are certain words and phrases that one group can say about themselves that, if said by another group, is something that is near on to a federal offense. Free speech is now deemed as hate speech if that speech is seen as offensive on one way or another. We are quick to label people who don't completely agree with us in terms that a quarter of a century ago was reserved for only the most vile of offenders in society.

I believe that all the craziness that stems from our Victim Based Society comes from the fact that we are so easily offended today. Why is it that way? I believe that offense is nothing more than a symptom of a serious identity crisis.

Yes, identity is the reason it is so easy to be offended and identity is the reason our society has sunk into the depths of victim thinking. The fact that we really don't know who we are has made it so easy for us to gravitate to this group or that to try define and validate who we think we are. We have elevated race, sexual orientation, gender, and a whole host of other people groups to a status where we grasp for who we are by the people we identify ourselves with.

Our Victim Based Society looks like a bunch of distinct, isolated and closed clusters of like minded folks. One group pits itself against the other in offense based ways that make it near impossible for us all to just get along. The result of all this grouping is offense at every turn. When we are offended we close our ears, sometimes our eyes and almost always our hearts to our fellow man.

I came across this Bible verse that really paints an accurate picture of what happens when we become offended. Check it out with me now.

Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
    Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.
The people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
    so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
    so they won’t have to look,
    so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
    and let me heal them. Matthew 13:15 (MSG)

Matthew was quoting what God said about the nation Israel through the prophet Isaiah. These words were penned thousands of years ago about a people that had become offended. Who offended them? By their own accounts, God was the offender.

Their offense made them walk around with their fingers in their ears and their eyes screwed shut. The last thing they wanted to do was to see and/or hear from their offender lest they might see or hear something that points to their own responsibility in what caused the offense in the first place.

That's why we become deaf when we are offended. We don't want to consider the possibility that we may actually have some fault in the situation. Hear me loud and clear at this point. I'm in no way talking about the vile things one person can do to cause offense to another. Abuse by one person is in no way happening because the offended has some fault they need to deal with. The kinds of offense I'm talking about has to do with differences in opinion, differences in belief and differences in direction that has our Victim Based Society in such a divisive mess.

It is so much easier to just blame the offending group rather than find common ground that might make the offended group come to some level of compromise. It is more appealing to just remain offended rather than work out a solution that makes unity more of a possibility. The deafness that results when offense is at hand comes as a result of the fact that we just can't stand the possibility that the temporary things we allow to be the foundations of our identity might not be all they need to be to make who we are a guarantee in this world.

Until we come up with a foundation for identity that can't be challenged by the things of this world, offense will continue to isolate us in ever increasing victim thinking ways. For me, the only basis for identity that just can't be rocked by world events is that of Child of God. The fact that I am loved so that I have been adopted into a Kingdom that will last forever is something that the things this world offers up just can't compete with. It is when I am relying on worldly proofs as to who I am that the words of those who disagree with me can be such an offensive prospect in my life. When I give in to that kind of offense I immediately become deaf to those who offended me and to God Himself.

Today, God is speaking to you. Can you hear Him? He is saying that you are His Child. He is yelling at the top of His lungs that you are a victor no matter how much or how little victory is in your life. Maybe it is time to take your fingers out of your ears and listen to what He is saying. That's the only way I know we will be able to live out this life as the victor He has called us to be.

Day 170 - Dreams You Never Knew You Had

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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"As it relates to the process of moving from victim thinking to victor living, the issue of destiny or purpose is a critically important thing to understand from the correct perspective."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 187.

In her book, "The Lovely Bones", Alice Sebold says this about destiny, "Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had.” That quote really sums up what I'm learning about destiny. Sometimes you end up with a destiny you never knew was going to be part of your life.

We spend so much of our time trying to determine our destiny now so that we won't waste our time on activities heading somewhere we didn't plan to go. This is a process that leaves us tired, disappointed and ripe for victim thinking.

You see, I don't believe destiny - true destiny can ever be completely defined, let alone achieved on our own. Sure we will catch glimpses of a direction in which we are headed, but our specific destiny, like dreams, are things we might never know we had.

I know that can be a disappointing and discouraging thought. You want to know why the thought that I might not be able to completely define my destiny has been so disappointing to me at times? It is because I want to be in complete control of my life. Without knowing where I am going, the way knowing my destiny is so good at showing, I'm doomed to wondering if I will ever end up where I'm suppose to be. That feeling of the unknown is such an affront to my identity. When my identity is attacked it is easy to fall into victim thinking like I have so many times in the past.

Destiny is a lofty subject. Maybe it is too lofty for our current pay grade. That doesn't mean that we are doomed to not being able to find a sense of belonging without fully knowing our destiny. It just means that we need to be viewing our destiny from a perspective that is so much bigger than what we can muster up here on earth.

That's where my growing trust in what God says about me is so important to me being able to live the life of a victor. It is when I am forced to trust Him with regards to my destiny due to the fact I just can't quite put my finger on what that destiny is, is when I am drawn into a more profound and impacting relationship with this God that loves me.

The opposite is just as true. It is when I am working this world for all it is worth to squeeze every ounce of destiny out of it I can find that I am taken deep into the realm of victim thinking from time to time. This world will never relinquish all that I need to let destiny be proof enough of my victor status. God is designed it that way because this world is operating on borrowed time. Everything about this world, including your life and mine is temporary. Why would an eternal God ever let His Children settle for the temporal when the eternal is part of our very being?

Psalm 23 is one of the most well known parts of the Bible. "The Lord is my shephers - I shall not be in want..." Those words have comforted many a troubled soul over the generations. The last line of the verse goes like this...

Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

Looking for a destiny that will never fail? Here it is. I was made to have goodness and love follow me all the days of my life. And, when I die, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. With that kind of destiny, how can I ever go wrong? With those promises for my time here on earth and my time in Heaven, how can anything bad that comes against me ever make me doubt who I am or who this God is that loves me so?

I wish I could say that these words make it so that destiny never is a question in my life. That would be a lie. I have had to fight off debilitating thoughts from time to time as a result of thinking that I will never find a destiny that matters. I know you know exactly what I am talking about here.

Good news is that God hasn't allowed me to stay in that place for too long. He won't let you stay there too long either. It is when we wake up to who God says we are that destiny takes on an entirely different perspective. It is when we view our destiny through God's eyes that things, even the bad things that happen to us start to take on a power like never before.

That's what Psalm 23 is saying to me. I matter today. I have a purpose here or earth and God isn't finished with me even when I die. The Pastor at my Church is fond of saying, "The best is yet to come!" He is absolutely correct, but, when our destiny is viewed through God's eyes, our best is happening right now even when the best looks like the worst from the world's perspective.

Hang onto the fact that God calls you a victor because of the fact He has made you His Child. No amount of understanding of your destiny - No amount of your ability to achieve that destiny will make you any more or any less of the victor He has made you to be. Live freely in the fact that your destiny is secure in the God that calls you His Child.

Day 169 - In The Garden

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 see, “have to” goes against that eternal part of us that was made to live free forever."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 178.

I had a friend whom was at the end of his life. He was one of those guys who had lived a long, exciting and amazing life to boot. The end seemed to be dragging out as often happens for those who are just ready to go. This friend knew he was going to heaven and was tired. He was tired of being sick and just wanted to rest in the arms of His God. But, the end was so slow in coming.

We were sitting talking one afternoon in his room at the hospice where he was waiting to die. He said to me, "Why is it so hard to die?" What a great question. I really didn't have a good answer for him - he probably wasn't looking for an answer anyway. Sometimes just talking helps get the frustration level down to where we can manage it at times.

Since that conversation, I have thought long and hard about my friend's question. I think I know why passing from this life can be such a tedious endeavor. We were made to live for ever. You see, God made us to live in the Garden of Eden and dwell with Him for all eternity. Sin, through disobedience came into the picture and everything changed. One of the biggest changes was the fact that death would be part of the lives of every living creature on earth. What a shock to the system that change was.

Can you imagine how our bodies reacted to that kind of change? One moment every cell in our being was wired to make life happen in ways we can only dream about today. The next moment decay started happening. Just thinking of that massive change saddens my heart so. I think that is but a fraction of the pain God feels over this situation.

Here's what the Bible says about how God feels about the pain that His Children feel.

Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;
    I mourn, and horror grips me.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
    Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
    for the wound of my people?
Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
    for the slain of my people. Jeremiah 8:21-9:1 (NIV)

What a powerful view into the throne-room of God. Oh how He misses you and me. It's no wonder He would do all He has done to make a way for us - to make it possible for us to live in the status of a victor even though we have done so much to reject Him. Simply put, He Loves Us!

That's why He hates the things we turn to in this world to try and fill that empty feeling we have as a result of being out of the Garden. Nothing will ever replace Him. Yet, we continue to try. This just prolongs our agony as we attempt to find ourselves in ways God never intended for us to even try.

As we get caught in the trap of relying on this world to make us feel we are OK that place of eternity that is in us all cries out in ways that make us think we have no hope. Reality is, that apart from God we don't have any hope. He is the only balm for the pain we feel at being stuck in a finite situation with infinite possibility bubbling just under the surface of our lives.

That's what made me think that it being hard to die is such a natural course of action. We were never meant to die and our bodies fight for all they are worth to try and keep us alive even when we are ready to go home.

What does all this have to do with the discussion of victor living verses victim thinking? Pretty simple - victim thinking, like death, was never suppose to be what this body would ever experience. We were made to live in a place filled with a perpetual reality of victor living. Instead we are trapped, for a time, in a place where we have to fight to try and make sense of what victor living could be given all the things that comes against us in victimizing ways.

What's a victor to do? I believe we are to live this life with as much passion, zeal and ambition as God gives us. Live life fully, not to prove we are victors, but to show the rest of the world that there is more than just what we do here with this short time we have here in this life.

For now we have to live with the belief that we are victors even when our circumstances seem to be saying otherwise. But, rest assured. That kind of belief won't be required when we are taken back to the Garden of eternity. There our bodies will live forever and our status as a victor won't be something we will ever be tempted to work for. In the meantime, we get up, take another step, believe we are all God says we are and do what is before us with the joy of knowing that we are loved by this God that calls us His Children.