Victors Collect Trophies For God
1 VICTORY THROUGH CHRIST
When we think of victory, one of the things that probably comes to mind first is an award, like a trophy for instance. In the Oxford English Living Dictionary, a trophy is described as a decorative object award received for being great at something or for being victorious in something, like sports, school, or community work. In Ancient Rome, a trophy is kept as a memorial of victory, it is known to be a weapon used to defeat the enemy or an army. Most people like to receive an award or a trophy for being the best at what they do for themselves, which is great, the problem is when this earthly trophy collection becomes one’s source of joy and pleasure or when the trophies are collected for personal interest rather than for how someone impacted on someone else’s life positively or how one saved another person’s life.
You can only find true peace of mind and complete victory through Christ Jesus, Jesus Himself is the prince of peace, with Christ in your life, your peace and joy will be permanent not temporary (Isa. 9:6). With Christ, you can face any difficult situation on earth with no worry but by rejoicing in your sufferings, knowing that such problematic situations teach you how to walk with God, how to love, how to endure and how to be patient with hope for a greater victory and salvation
(Rom. 5.3-5) . During difficult situations or temptations, the enemy, Satan will try to confuse people, he is always around, ready to destroy and make things worse, stay firm and stand on the promises in the word of God, know and believe that after such problems comes victory, so rejoice and dance in times like this, keep the enemy confused instead (James. 1.2-3).
In difficult situations, everyone has got something to say to you, either to your face or behind you, what people say about you does not really count, what God says about you is what counts, you have to understand and believe that no body and no circumstances no matter how terrible it may be, has already been won and conquered on your behalf by Jesus Christ. Nobody, nothing, or any circumstances can harm you either, if you can just believe it. All you need to do in such periods is to ignore what anyone says about you or do, remember, and register it in your heart that God has promised you victory through Christ with perfect peace of mind and everlasting joy. If you listen to what the world is saying or doing, you will be distressed, unhappy and miserable in addition to your initial troubles (John. 16.33). You have to understand that your victory is not for you alone, you are not fighting for you alone, you are fighting to glorify God and to lift others up. Remember that the lives of others are also at stake, your loved ones who care so much about you, so try your best to see that the enemy is put to shame in your bad circumstances (Psa. 6:10).
Get out of the boat. Now!
What are you waiting for? You better get out of the boat now and ask Jesus to help you, man cannot help you, you have dwelt long enough in that terrible situation, don’t be doubtful, don’t be afraid, show the enemy that God is on your side. If Jesus is in your life, you can walk on the water just as Jesus did. Remember that when Jesus was walking on the water and the disciples saw him, they became scared and amazed, wondering if that was truly Jesus walking on the water, but Jesus knew men, He knew His disciples and said “Take courage! I Am! Stop being afraid!” if you are in a terrible situation today, Jesus is talking to you, no matter what you are going through, get out of that boat and walk on the water with Jesus and don’t be discouraged or afraid, don’t doubt like the disciple Peter who asked Jesus if he could walk on the water with Him and when Jesus said yes, he did, but when Peter got on the water, he doubted when he felt the strong wind, he soon forgot that Jesus who called him to walk with Him was still with him, in the scriptures, Peter nearly drowned, but he remembered Jesus and quickly called out to Jesus again for help and he was saved from drowning (Matt. 14.22-33).
It doesn’t matter what the situation is right now, if you are still in the boat, I encourage you to get out of the boat right now and walk with Jesus, don’t waste any time. If you are already walking on the water with Jesus, I encourage you never to doubt, be confident, keep walking with Jesus and he will take you to a safe place. If you doubted already while walking with Jesus and you feel like you are drowning right now, it is not the end of the world, it is not too late, Jesus is still wanting you, call Him and He will continue the walk with you. We are so blessed with all these privileges. Don’t let situations or temptations end your joy and life. God said in his words that there is no temptation in this world that has not been faced by another person. God also said in his words that, he has made us in such a way that we can endure and bear these troubles, God is so merciful, He has the power to let us resist such temptations and if you think that there is no way out at all, God will make a way out of no way if you believe (1 Cor.10.13). God is an awesome God. Trust in God.
In the world we live in today, it is so easy for people to fall vulnerable and go through all sorts of terrible circumstances that tries to steal their joy away, it may have been due to all forms of abuses such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse or spiritual abuse as examples. At times it might be through a trauma such as motor vehicle accidents or perhaps the loss of a loved one that all trust has been put on. Some of these circumstances can vary in nature and intensity that the affected persons may think that they are never going to recover. It is all a lie, such circumstances are temporary and the way you respond to these circumstances is what determines your true victory. As a person thinks in his heart so shall the person become, if you already think that you are a rejected person, then you will be rejected, if you think that you are a looser, then you will lose but if you think that you are a winner, then definitely you will win, so be wise with what you allow to stay in your heart. In this situations, it is important to always think positively and fight the good fight till you become victorious through Christ
(Prov. 23.7). You cannot win the good fight on your own, you need Jesus.
The victory from your fight is for you and others who are going through similar or different struggles, you winning and sharing how you won provides a source of encouragement and inspiration to them. It also brings light to so many who think dead already. The first step and pathway to your true victory in difficult times is to know that you cannot have true joy and peace through external forces, you can only get your peace from the prince of peace Himself which is Jesus Christ. It is also very important to understand that inner peace and joy is not the absence of crisis, bad situations, unpleasant circumstances, hardship or any form of worrying trouble but rather, it is knowing that Jesus is walking with you during such times and God sees it all, when Jesus is in you, God is also with you always to see you through it all. He is the sovereign God that will fight for you (Ps. 140.7).
You also need to know and believe that these bad circumstances are for a reason and for a season but God is always there for you in all seasons, even if you and the people around you can’t understand why it happened, don’t waste time trying to figure it out, remember that God always has a purpose for everything, all you need to do is, have patience, exercise your faith and remember that in the end, all things will eventually turn around for good (Rom. 8.28).
If you are facing a terrible situation and it feels like the whole world is against you or you feel that you are heading nowhere, it is okay even if it doesn’t feel like you are making progress, don’t be moved by how you feel, don’t be moved by the way you feel that people feel about you either because God is not a God of feelings, He is a God of hearts, He sees and knows everything even before we say a word. Be moved only by the word of God, be reminded that your victory and salvation comes by faith, not by how you feel or what you can do (Eph. 2.8). Feelings are never consistent, feelings are unreliable and are generated from your mind and the mind is a deceitful part of your body (Jer. 17.9). So why not forget about how you feel and trust in what God says about you. If you are still struggling in your hard times, take a pause and ask yourself, “Am I trusting in God to fix my problem?”, “Am I trusting in my ability to fix my problem?” or “Am I trusting in people to fix my problem?” Remember not to put your trust in man. Their lips are full of lies, you will get disappointed if you put your trust in people (Ps. 146.3).
Always remember that God promised us in His words that people who trust in Him wholeheartedly will be victorious, even though they may have many troubles, God promises to deliver such people from all their troubles, not in one but in all of their troubles. In that case whenever you face any challenging situations, check yourself first, you may have been doing things on your own, remember to run back to God, God never left you, you may have walked away but you can certainly walk back to God, God is quick to forgive unlike man (1 John. 1.9). Remember never to worry, all you have to do is cast your cares completely unto God and continue to abide by His laws and he will make your crooked way straight (Prov. 3.5-6).
Most importantly, be grateful to God in any situation you may find yourself in, whether good or bad because you know what, some people have either faced the same or worse situations and are no more today, some may have never recovered from it or may have been left permanently damaged psychologically, socially, financially or even spiritually because they tried to figure it out and tried to solve the problem all alone, so be thankful and prayerful always to God no matter what and God will lead you to permanent victory (Phil. 4.6-7). With continuous thanksgiving and prayer, remain expectant and hopeful, establish it in your heart that, God’s love, kindness, mercy and compassion are new every morning. Know that with God on your side, you will soon rise up with your shoulders and head up high, you will renew your strength and power and you will lift up your wings like that of an eagle and begin to soar high and higher because the Lord God fails not in His promises like men do
(Isa. 40.31).