Monday, December 25, 2017

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. 

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