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.
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