When Victory in the Christian Life doesn't Seem So Victorious

This week we will focus on opportunities that the Lord builds into any given day for His children to experience victory in the Christian Life.

DO YOU FACE THE DAY WITH VICTORY IN MIND?

I don't know about you, but too often I wake up in the morning with an "Ugh!" which is pretty silly when you boil it down as my life is a piece of cake compared to many people who might deserve the right to wake up with an "Ugh!"

Yet the Lord calls us, no matter what our circumstances are, to rejoice in the day!

This is the day that the Lord has made;

    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Not only has the Lord created you and I, but He has ordained the type of day we will walk in, each and every day.

Whether it's a fun-filled day with family and friends or a peaceful day at home on the back porch with a good book or a day filled with motivation that is highly productive or a day with a dentist appointment or a day facing a medical diagnosis or a day dealing with a difficult relationship or a day struggling with an addiction or a day suffering with abuse or a day receiving devastating news, God is in that day with a perfect purpose and one that warrants rejoicing because He is right there with us.  And let me be the first one to say, that is easier said than done in the harder examples I shared above...

And Deborah said to Barak, 

“Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. 

Does not the Lord go out before you?” 

So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.

Judges 4:14

Wouldn't it be amazing to see God right in front of us and hear him say, for example, "Karen!  Up!  For this is the day in which the Lord has given (struggle, fear, worry, besetting sin, difficult circumstance) into your hand {VICTORY}.  Do I not go out before you?"  ESPECIALLY on days that we have a heads up will be difficult, where we need every bit of His strength because it is just too much for us and we feel like we are heading for defeat rather than victory.

As I've shared probably many times before, my life verse is:

It is the LORD who goes before you. 

He will be with you; 

he will not leave you or forsake you. 

Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

You would think that I've got it all together over here with a life verse like that, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.  My anxiety issues from years ago seem to be ramping up again in the last year, and I am feeling like a failure in that area.

You can read more about my struggles with living out the Truth of my life verse in my blog post When your Life Tests your Life verse which you can read here where you will find encouragement if you struggle in the same way.

**Teaser Alert**  In a couple of weeks I will be sharing about God's compassion on hearts that worry.  Stay tuned.

God is working.  You WILL have victory.

Deborah's encouragement to Barak is an encouragement to my anxious heart.   Whatever I might be facing, I know that I can get UP and go forward with the day because the Lord is already there AND He has already ordained the outcome.  When He promises victory we WILL have victory.  Even if circumstances look dark and hopeless, God is working in the unseen realm, accomplishing His work, in order to keep His promise for He is a promise keeping God.

Just to clarify, I am not promoting a health and wealth gospel here by any stretch, but what I am promoting is that victory for us in God's eyes might look different than what we might hope or expect.

It might come in the form of a death of a loved one, for example, because of the work it is going to do in and through that person.  How many times do we see in our social media feeds tragic stories whose outcome resulted in the surviving loved one crusading to help a cause that took their loved one whether it be a specific disease, drunk driving, drugs, etc.

Or for those who struggle with anxiety or depression, those victories are personal and internal, where the person is clinging to the Lord which is strengthening their faith and trust in Him.

It is a comfort to remember to not fret even when circumstances look bleak, for God is not constrained, but rather His power is enhanced because many of His greatest works in Bible times and in our own lives have been accomplished when it seemed impossible - all to showcase that He and He alone brought about the victory.

So the next morning you wake up with the defeatest "U" word on your mind - "ugh"...  Think of the victorious "U" word - "UP!"   Listen to His still, small voice speaking to your heart that this is the day of Victory.  For indeed the Lord will go before you, He will be with you and you will be victorious.

You never know what amazing things the Lord might do in and through you to bring victory to another person's life, let alone your own.

To read more from this series, please head over to my post Driving out the Canaanites in My Life,  where you will find Biblical strategies for defeating sin in your life which you can read HERE, and Are You a Team Player?  where you will learn how your individual spiritual victories win victories for your brothers and sisters in the Lord which you can read HERE

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