Living Victoriously

In preparation for preaching next Sunday, God's Word keeps asking me a question, "How does one live victoriously?". Not just the occasional moments of triumph and success like making a last second jump shoot 3-pointer or scoring a touchdown for victory in Ultimate Frisbee. I mean how do I (and how do we) live a life that is victorious daily? A life that overcomes (1 John 5:4*)? A life where we are more than "conquerors" (Romans 8:37**)?

How do I live as an "overcomer" every single day?

There is a recent song in the radio by Christian singer Mandisa called "overcomer" with a catchy tune. At first, the song sounds like your typical pop song driving down the road. However, there is biblical message found in the chorus that God is upholding us.

"You're an overcomer Stay in the fight ‘til the final round You're not going under ‘Cause God is holding you right now You might be down for a moment Feeling like it's hopeless That's when He reminds You That you're an overcomer You're an overcomer"

Ephesians 6:10-13 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

So, yes it is possible to live a victorious life daily. But, I will also say, that it is not as easy as it sounds. Just like this passage says, we Christians are not fighting against what we can see (flesh and blood) but against what we cannot see (cosmic powers and spiritual forces). And trust me, it is a lot harder to fight things that you cannot see! Just imagine trying to stand up against or fight Invisible Woman...it's almost impossible to overcome what you cannot see, feel, or touch.

The beauty of Scripture, however, is that God has GIVEN us what we NEED to be an OVERCOMER. We are strong in the Lord and strength of His might when we accept, use, and put on God's armor: His helmet of Salvation, His breastplate of Righteousness, His belt of Truth, His sandals of the Gospel, His shield of Faith, and His sword of the Spirit. For the reminder from Ephesians is our battle is a spiritual one and an important one. And most importantly, we have a victorious Savior and Lord Jesus Christ who has already won the victory at the Cross (1 Corinthians 15:57***). We no longer have to be afraid but we can trust in His promises.

*1 John 5:4 says, "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith"

**Romans 8:37 says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

***1 Corinthians 15:57 says, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

When Life Gives You Lemonade...

Why do bad things happen to good people? What do we do when tragedy happens? When hard times befall us? There really is no good answer to any of these questions. The fact is that bad things happen and it happens to good and bad people alike. Life is not easy, God never promised life to be easy. But in the book of Revelation, God does promise us some wonderful things:

Revelations 21:1-6: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.”

You may have heard of the proverbial phrase, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Well what happens when life gives you something completely unexpected like lemonade...and you might not even like lemons or lemonade at all! Well when life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like whaaat. That is not my quote, its a quote my wife shared with me watching one of her favorite TV shows.

The great lesson of life is that we do not have control about what happens to us. We do have control, however, what we choose to believe, what we choose to do with our lives, and how to respond to tragedy. God has given us a promise that one day there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. But until that day comes, let us all learn to "make lemons with lemonade" and the results well that just might surprise us.

She is worth far more than rubies...

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

...

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31 has always been a mystery for me as a young single man. The question is where do you find a woman of such noble character? She sounds perfect, too perfect! I mean honestly where do you find a woman with all that strength, dignity, wisdom, kindness...the Proverbs 31 list seems impossible in our world today at least!

Well, now that I am a married man, I think I'm just starting to understand this passage for the first time. My wife Leah is showing me everyday that I am with her a glimpse into what Proverbs 31 really means. It is one thing to read Proverbs 31, it is totally another thing to see, listen, and feel Proverbs 31 lived out in my daily life.

And everyday, I am trying more and more to find ways to give Leah praise. Finding ways to encourage my wife's talents, gifts, and virtues. This is something I think all of us can learn to do with our loves ones: husbands, wives, children, friends, and family. Not only that, I think we can learn to apply some of these principles with complete strangers or even our worst enemies.

What do I mean by this? Earlier in Proverbs 15:1, the author writes, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." This is a classic verse of biblical wisdom. But more than that, if we not only read this verse but learn to apply this to our lives, we truly can avoid many heated arguments and conflicts. In the same way, if we understand the principle of Proverbs 31, than I think we can truly learn to appreciate our spouses, loved ones, and maybe just maybe even our enemies.

You see as a young man, I thought I always had to keep my eye open for the "one", the "women of noble character". And in some ways, yes, the Lord brought Leah into my life...but that is not the main lesson here. What I have learned as a married man, is that we have to apply Proverbs 31 into our lives. You might be asking but isn't this all about a "wife of noble character". My answer is yes and no. Yes, this passage is talking about the ideal biblical wife but it is also more than that. This virtues in this passage can AND should be applied by everyone: male, female, boy, or girl. If you want to find the "perfect" spouse, you have to first be the "perfect" spouse. In other words, start learning to apply Proverbs 31 into your life. Learn how to appreciate a "wife or woman of noble character" by practicing those things. You will quickly (and I mean this) learn how difficult it is to practice even a few of these biblical qualities. I hope this helps you understand the importance of applying God's word into your life before ever trying to "look" for that special one.