Dah 160 - The Nature of Bad Things In Our Life

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 reality is that when bad things happen to us, when we are victimized by this world, it is nothing more than a role we are playing at that time in our lives."

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

It’s easy to define the roles we play. Many of those roles that can quickly come to mind are positive and work to put us in a place where we view our lives in a good light. But, what about when bad things happen in our lives? Is there some way we can spin the bad times so that we can be in a better position to live the victor’s life? I think there is.

Any role you play is part of your life for a reason. It is there to make it possible for God to use your identity, as His Child, to have impact in this world. The roles you play in your life are what helps bring destiny, eternal destiny, into the reality of time and space.

So, your role as spouse, parent, child, worker, sports fan, Church-goer, etc. are all empowered by your identity, as God’s Child, to make it possible for your eternal destiny to happen in your lifetime. That’s the promise a victor can stand on. What makes this promise so powerful is that even those times you are victimized by the bad things that happen in this world the exact same process that connects identity to roles to destiny is in play.

The fact is that bad occurrences in this life are nothing more than a role we play. The cancer diagnosis, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the failing economy… all these, and the millions of other horrific things that can come against us in this world, are roles that we play in the process of life. Victors are people who can bounce back from the victimization of this world. Victors take strength from the fact that God can use our identity as His Child to empower the role we might play as victim to see the eternal destiny of God’s Plan in our life.

Take a look at today’s Bible reading. This is the foundation from which victors facing all kinds of trails in their life can stand strong as the storm winds blow all around them.

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5:3-5 (The Message)

Look, bad stuff is going to happen to you, maybe even today. No amount of our cajoling God through Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, tithing or any other religious activity will change that fact. It isn’t that God is against you. It might just be that the role as victim you play today requires for you to carry His image into some pretty dark places. As long as we live in this world, that is a fact of life victors have to come to grips with in order to keep victim thinking at bay.

No matter what your role is today, remember that it is simply a role. It doesn’t reflect on who you are - that never changes in Christ. You can stand on the firm foundation of being a victor today even if the roles you play don't have that sweet smell of success we all want in our lives. God has set your destiny into action before you were even born. It is assured. The roles you play are nothing more than God being able to bring His power through your identity to a hurting and lost world. Rejoice today in who you are no matter what the roles you play might look like today.