Day 9 - The Long-Term View of Destiny

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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"Thinking that we have the ability to guarantee destiny in this short life is a recipe for victim thinking."

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

Page 196.

The older I get the more I realize how short life really is.  It just seems like yesterday when my worries were focused on grades, the opposite sex, and where to go to college.  When I was young it felt like I had all eternity to get done the things I planned to do in my life.  

Today, as I look in the mirror the person I see reflected back I hardly recognize.  Life has come and gone at an astounding pace, and I still have so much to do in my life.  My destiny hasn't been reached and the reality is I don't have that many years left to see it happen.

That's why when I think about my destiny I need to view its completion through the lens of time that goes beyond the years I might be blessed with here on earth.  Without an internal perspective victim thinking quickly grabs hold of my life as I ponder whether I will ever achieve the destiny I feel was for this life.

The bible says this about our destiny when viewed from enternal perspective.

And then GOD answered: “Write this.

    Write what you see.

Write it out in big block letters

    so that it can be read on the run.

This vision-message is a witness

    pointing to what’s coming.

It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!

    And it doesn’t lie.

If it seems slow in coming, wait.

    It’s on its way. It will come right on time. Habakkuk2:2-3 (THE MESSAGE)

I happen to believe that the destiny I have in my life is something that was placed there by God himself.  If that's not a view you hold, , I totally get it!.  But the things that we have set before ourselves, if they are to make a difference in this world, don't you think they need to be bigger than that just ourselves?  In other words, a destiny that brings about change might be something so big that a lifetime may not be enough to make it happen.

But even if you don't believe in a god, the words in the verse above should be just as impacting for you as well.  That destiny that you feel, isn't it a constant ache in your soul?  I love the promise that is spoken in those verses above.  Though it may be slow in coming, if that destiny is the kind that I believe comes from god then we all can take comfort in the promise that that destiny will come to completion no matter how long it takes.

For me, I'm challenged in the area of victim thinking when I insist on my destiny happening in the timeline given here on earth.  I choose to believe that my destiny is going to happen no matter how long it takes.  Even if it's a million years, I believe my destiny will come to completion.  Of course that means that I need to rely on the perspective of time that deals with the issue of what happens to us after her death.  The only perspective I've found that works for me is one that views life eternal.

Dealing with my destiny from this perspective has taken a lot of pressure off my life.  Pressure to perform in a timeline that is getting more and more unreasonable in its ability to produce hope when it comes to seeing my destiny come to its fruition.  Having the pressure of time put into a different perspective is actually enabled me to be more focused on the details I think I need to address right now in order to be moving toward the goal of my destiny.

How about you?  Do you have a destiny that it is looking to be less and less likely given the time you have remaining here on earth?  I hope that thought isn't driving you from being able to live the life of the victor you've been called to live.

Today the as you view the things that are on your to do list try thinking of them in a different way.  Why don't you try looking at your tasks in the light that they might be part of a bigger plan, a plan greater than even your destiny could ever encompass.  Consider your destiny from the perspective of the eternity.  Take the pressure of time off of your life and see what happens next!

Day 8 - Perspective

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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“...What is the context of my life at this moment that defines how I will view the next one? If I can grapple with these important questions from the standpoint of a victor rather than a victim I have a better chance of successfully facing the many challenges that can make me feel like I will never achieve my destiny.”

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 1

Ever notice how life, in the right context, seems to go so well? When put in the right perspective, even the bad things of life can somehow seem less burdensome. I’m not crazy enough to say that the bad things don’t hurt or that perspective somehow makes us immune to the negative that can overtake us when circumstances aren’t going our way. What I am saying is that victor living isn’t based on how well things are going in life for you right this moment. Perspective can often be the difference between victim thinking and victor living.

Don’t take my word for it. Even The Bible points to the importance and long-lasting effect of perspective in the life of a victor. Check out today’s verse.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

Today's reading comes from the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph had one of those lives that makes your head spin. He goes from the safety and security of being a favorite son to being sold into slavery. Time and time again it looks as though Joseph's life was lost to the victimizing events that kept overtaking him. Somehow Joseph keeps on moving forward. Then, Oh how things changed.

For Joseph, perspective was critical for what seemed to be a “ship wreck” of a life to make any sense at all. Had Joseph allowed his life to be consumed by the negative that kept happening to him, God’s plan for destiny would have never been realized.


What lens of perspective you are going to view your life through today? If that lens is based on whether your circumstance is working for or against your ability to see your destiny achieved then victim thinking will ultimately be the result. An eternal perspective is the lens that enables the person living like a victor stay in that place of power. When viewed from eternity, even the worst of occurrences into a place where the victor’s destiny can be achieved.

Day 7 - Snapshot Living

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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"Maybe we need to be looking at life as a motion picture and not a snapshot. "

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

Page 227

I don't know, maybe I'm kind of strange, but I love it when contestants on game shows chime in before the question is completed and give some random answer that has nothing to do with what was being asked of them in the first place.  Had they only waited a fraction of a second longer to better understand what the question was they wouldn't have looked so foolish giving  such a random answer.

That's the way it is when we look at our life as a snapshot.  Take some time and let the fullness of the fact that life is more than just the single frame that represents the circumstance we find ourselves in right now.  Our life is more than what that single frame represents right now in your situation.  Our life is a motion picture.  

Have you ever seen how motion pictures are made?  A movie is basically many, many hundreds and thousands of individual images spliced together in ran at a speed so as to make it look like normal motion.  Trying to guess the end of the movie by looking at one frame in the middle of that movie is nothing but foolishness.  Yet that's what we do so often when victim thinking has a hold on our lives.

Take a look at what the bible says about how we are to view each moment of our lives in light of its totality.

After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (THE MESSAGE)

How would you describe the snapshot of your life right now?  Are there challenges that you have to face?  Are those challenges overwhelming?  This is the time we really need to hang onto the fact that this particular frame in your life does not define your life - there are more frames coming!  That's the beauty of seeing life as a motion picture.  There is hope even in the worst of circumstances.  How can I be so sure of that?  Because just like any movie you've ever seen there is an ending. That ending will look totally different than the image that you see at any particular moment as watch that movie.

The same sentiment holds true if the frame you are experiencing right now has you in a good place.  The Victor seems to be able to live in the place where they realize that the good or bad circumstances that they face right now are not guaranteed in the future.  None of us want to give up our good times, but living in a place where we realize that there is power in enjoying where we are now makes it easier for us to face the reality of change that is inevitable in any human's life.

In the bible reading it says that it is useless to brood over how long we might live.  It is also useless to brood over what our life looks like at this particular moment.  Of course it's correct to work to maintain a good life as well as to work to come out of challenging circumstances.  What destroys our ability to hang on to hope is when we view our current circumstance as a defining factor in who we are.

As long as they're still breath in your lungs the motion picture continues.  Make today all it can be by not getting stuck in the victim thinking trap of believing the particular good or bad frame of your life right now defines your identity.  You are a victor no matter what the current snapshot  that describes your life looks like at this moment.

Day 6 - The Role of Roles

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 roles you play work to shape how your identity as God’s Child is used by God to fulfill the destiny that is the plan He has for you in this life.”

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

Page 19.

To victim thinkers, the role of roles is to define their identity. God sees the role of roles as something totally different. God uses the roles we play to help shape how He made us so that the destiny He has for us can come into its fullness. Notice the focus in that last sentence? It isn’t our role, our identity, our purpose or our destiny. The focus is on God every step of the way. Victors somehow just know this and allow roles to do what they must so our God given identity can be utilized in this world to the fullest. 

Take a look at today’s Bible reading. Notice the focus found in these words as well.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

We are God’s handiwork. That’s part of everyone’s identity. Victim thinking comes in when we allow roles we play prop up or enhance who we are. We were created to do good works through Jesus Christ. Victim thinkers and victors alike have jobs to do; roles to play. No where in this verse, or anywhere in The Bible for that matter, does it say these works, or roles, will do anything to make who we are more evident.

The really key part of our Bible reading today is the last part of the verse. The good works God created for us to do have been prepared in advance. With this in mind, why are we so determined to set our own legacy, purpose and destiny through our own efforts? Victors have learned that God is in control, even in control of the actual roles we play. He is also in control of the outcome of those roles as well. This is why God can use the roles we play to shape how our identity is used in this world to bring glory to Him. Any other use of roles in our lives is a waste of time and that’s the kind of effort that brings victim thinking home to roost.

So, whatever roles you play today, whatever events, good or bad, that come into your life this next twenty four hours, they have been prepared by God in advanced. No matter the outcome of the roles you play today, God has ordained them in your life to help you be the most effective at being the Child of God He has made you to be. The more we allow this fact to settle in our moment-by-moment decision making process, the more empowered we are to life the victor’s life. 


What’s on your to-do-list today? Whatever it is, hang on to the fact that God not only knows what it is, He will use the outcome of what you do with that list to empower your identity of His Child to be all it can be. Kind of makes you feel like you can’t lose, doesn’t it. Well you can’t! The victor lives in the wonderful place of even having his mistakes used by God in ways that make the victor’s identity that much more secure in God’s eyes. It is so empowering to know that all we are, all we will do and all we will become is in God’s hands. That’s the peace victors take with them everyday of their lives. Take that peace with you today. 

Day 5 - Synergy of Love

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 don’t have to ration out His love through our generous acts to others because we think that there isn’t enough to go around. Jealously guarding the outpourings of God’s love deposited in us isn’t something we have to do. The synergy of God’s love makes it possible to be generous without guarding the resources we have to give to others."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 135.

Have you ever stopped to consider the meaning of the word synergy?  I had to look it up to get an exact definition.  Here's what I found, Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Now that's a definition!  I love of the possibility that something as great as God's love, when combined with our lives, can produce an outcome greater than the sum of their separate parts.  With god one plus one doesn't equal two one plus one can equal infinity!  God is a god of multiplication, not addition.

Victor's have come to realize that the love thats within them isn't something they need to carefully dole out.  That love doesn't have limits.  It has come from God and therefore is limitless!  Victors have grounded themselves on the possibility that they don't have to jealously guard the resources that God has placed in them to change their life, the lives of those around them and quite literally the entire world.

The bible says this about god's love.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

Everlasting an unfailing, two characteristics of the love of God that make victors realize the power behind the synergy of that love in their lives.  Same goes for any of the resources that victors use to be a part of the change that is happening all around them.  The resources victors give generously are everlasting and unfailing if those resources come from God.

Victim thinkers believe that the resources they choose to be generous with are limited and therefore must be jealously guarded.  This puts them in a position of having to judge who deserves to receive the resources the victim thinker want to be generous with.  Who is responsible for setting the criteria for making that judgment?  All too often it's the victim thinker himself. 

It's not that it's wrong for anyone to judge who will and will not receive resources that they have control over in a generous manner.  It's just when we are caught in victim thinking that the criteria for making our judgments can be based on principles that have failed us in the past or will fail us in ways that tend to drive us deeper into the victim thinking trap.

When the criteria for generosity are skewed victim thinkers are generous in ways that will make them believe that their life has some value.  Generosity can become a tool used by victim thinkers to help them have some sense of fulfillment in their lives.

Those who want to live the life of the victor have realized that generosity can never be a tool for any purpose other than to be a part of the synergy of love God has for us all.  What is it that you were guarding in your life today?  Is it time, is it your abilities, is it your resources, is it your love?  If you feel the need to jealously guard those resources maybe they were not meant to be used for your generous efforts to achieve some result.


Today you have an amazing opportunity to do much more than you were capable of with the resources God has given you.  As you are tempted to be generous today, ask yourself, do I have any motives behind my generosity?  If so the results are going to be something less than they could be if you were to enter into the fullness of the synergy of love that God has placed in your life.

Day 4 - First World Problems

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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"Victims get caught up in wants instead of what is right. Their faith takes them down paths where they believe they have to work really hard to get right with God so that they will get what they want – the provision that God promises." 

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 96.

The needs and wants in our life can be something that works so hard to take control of the way we think about ourselves. I found that when things seem to be going my way my mind focuses on needs and wants that are not that important in the scope of things.  When things are going well for me my needs and wants might be summed up by the term "first-world problems"!  

Have you ever stopped and thought about that phrase in the past?  In places that are not as affluent and don't offer as many choices as we have, many times the daily process of survival present an entire set of needs and wants that are on a completely different level than those in our lives today.  When you stop and consider the everyday needs and wants of a human being in a third world nation it might be easy for those of us living a first world life to feel guilt and shame about the needs and wants in our life.

I'm in no way saying that the needs and wants that we all have aren't important in our lives.  What I'm hoping is that we can focus on the fact that trying to manipulate God and others through our faith and relationships, in an effort to ensure our needs and wants fully met is something that puts us in an amazing position to let victim thinking control our lives.  That previous statement is just as true for those of us living a first world life as it is for those facing the rigors of life in a third world nation.
Here's what The Bible says about needs and wants and God's way of viewing those things that concern us.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

I'm sure you know all too well that needs and wants can drive us to a place where anxiety can take over our every waking moment?  The person who has decided to live the life of a victor realizes the truth of this verse.  God cares for them!  Victim thinking can occur when we look at our circumstances for proof that God truly cares.  When things are going right it's easy to believe that God cares.  When things take a turn for the worse it can be a challenge to believe whether there is a God or not, let alone have any faith in whether He cares or not.

Once victim thinking enters the picture, and our circumstances look as though they are turning out differently than the way we would like them to, we tend to do one of two things.  Either we get busy at trying to work our way into the position where we can prove that we are worthy of God's love with the hopes that his care will change our circumstances or we give up on a relationship with god altogether.  Same goes with any important relationships we believe might have an impact on the good life we so often fixate upon.  Both of those strategies are so harmful to relationship and promise only more victim thinking as a result.

What are the needs and wants in your life today?  How anxious do you feel about the prospect of those needs and wants being answered in your life?  It isn't wrong to feel anxiety or to be concerned, it's wrong for us as Victors 'to allow that anxiety to make us believe our relationships are not a valuable part of our lives.  When that anxiety comes again today, do something different.  Cast them on god!  Then take another breath and move forward in the life of the victor you are call to be.

Day 3 - Seeing God’s Power In Our Lives

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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“His Power will be seen in even greater ways through me as a victor because of my identity rather than me demanding victory because The Bible says I will receive it.”

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 44.

“Jesus loves me - this I know - ‘cause The Bible tells me so.” For many generations of little Sunday School attendees, this simple lyric has been a staple of belief. Problem I have with this verse is that it takes a lot more than just The Bible “saying so” to prove to me that Jesus loves me. I need to see His love in action. Want to know something really amazing - I HAVE! What about you?

Are you relying simply on what The Bible says as proof that you are a victor? If you are, I’ll be willing to bet that you are looking for the promised victory The Bible says we, as victors, will have in our lives. Entire Christian segments have their basis on certain verses from The Bible that really do promise victory for following God. Problem is that victory in this world is not guaranteed for any follower of Jesus. How can I say that? Just look at the man we follow.

Jesus has got to be the single human who followed God in as perfect as a way as humanly possible. You and I will never be able to match His ability to seek, see, and respond to The Father. Can we agree on that fact? 

With that in mind, Jesus didn’t receive any of the promised victories The Bible offers up for those following God until he was arrested, falsely accused, sentenced to death, brutally tortured, executed in a horrific way, abandoned by His friends and buried alone in a cave. Not a very victorious life for the one we follow is it? 

Focusing on this world, particularly this life, as proof that we are victors is a strategy filled with victim thinking possibilities. Just think of the opportunities Jesus had to allow victim thinking to creep in. Any of the horrific circumstances described above in Jesus’ life is worldly proof enough that Jesus wasn’t a victor. That’s the problem with living a life based on certain Bible verses taken out of context and used as proof that I am what Jesus died to make me in the first place. Those Bible verses will fail me from time to time because of my misinterpretation and misapplication of them.

The power of God was seen in far greater ways by Jesus looking like a victim rather than a victor. Jesus’ personal victory wasn’t meant for this world - it is being experienced forever at the right hand of The Father. Same goes for you and for me. God’s power will be seen through us in our victories as well as in our defeats. Spending a lifetime seeking victory as proof we are who God says we are is a waste of time. The proof is in what Jesus did, not in what we might do in this life. 


Of course you will have victory at times in this life. There is nothing wrong with doing all we can to get the best out of this life. But, when victory doesn’t come remember you are a victor just like Jesus. Hang on to that thought as you go through your day today. You are a victor, not because The Bible says so. You are a victor because God gave a big part of Himself as payment to purchase that title for you. Let this reality be the protection from allowing victim thinking to creep into your lives today.