Victory
Victory is the dream of everyone in a competition – for your
team to be crowned as champions or to cross the finish line first. But, in order to win, victory must be more
than a dream or an intention. It must be
your goal, your focus and your vision. You
must act on it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all
the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the
prize.” Great victory is available
through Christ. But we must make it our
goal to gain that victory and obtain abundant life here and now.
Verse 25 goes on to say, “Everyone who competes in the games
goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we
do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
We are in intense training right now.
We are doing the work and pressing forward through pain and struggles to
win the freedom that God’s truth brings into our lives. Yet God’s ways are not our ways. A major component of our ‘training’ involves
learning how to ask God for his help and to allow him to do the work in
us. For some of us, that means a change
in our mindsets from ‘if I do X, Y and Z, then I will be healed’ to ‘I’ll wait
to act until I hear from God.”
Last week Lillian defined the terms in the principle we are
working: “Voluntarily submit to every
change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character
defects.” I encourage you to look back
to last week’s lesson for definitions of submission, humility and character
defects. She also mentioned four
‘truths’ at the end of the talk. One of them was this: ‘Changing me is God's business.’ God is the one who can change us from the
inside out. Our role is to start the
process by asking for his help and to continue the process by submitting to his
way of change.
There are many who claim gods other than Jesus, but none of
those gods are as kind, loving and compassionate as the one true and living
God, Jesus, who forgives and helps all who ask.
“If we confess or sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1:9) Victory is
possible! Let’s look at some principles
that will enable you to claim that victory.
What to Change?
Consider the list of your character defects and decide which
you would like to change first. Be
realistic – we can’t change everything at once.
What character defects are causing the most trauma or drama in your
life? Or which ones seem to come to mind
most frequently? It may be useful to go
back to your inventory and review the wrongs, shortcomings or sins you
discovered.
Ask God to remove those that are causing the most pain to
you or others. He knows which ones are
most harmful and which ones he desires to remove first. Proverbs 16:9 say, “In his heart a man plans
his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Ultimately, his will is accomplished, so it’s best for us to get on
board with his plan from the start.
Once you decide which defects to work on first, keep your
focus on them. Don’t allow yourself to
be distracted by other issues. The
others will change in time. Give
yourself some grace in those other areas as you work on the hardest hitting
issues first.
Change your Mind
The next step is to change your mind in regards to those defects. Be determined and purposeful in the process
of change. Your thoughts, which have led
to your actions, have been working in you for a long time. It’s time to let go of your own thoughts and
reasoning and make way for God’s.
Isaiah 55:7-9 says: ‘Let
the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have
mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”’
It may take awhile to empty yourself of your own
thoughts. Much of our reasoning is
unconscious, developed over a long period of time. Here’s a starting point:
·
Ask yourself why you behave as you do. What do you think a particular action will
accomplish and why?
·
Consider if you are ready for a new view. Ask God to help you be open to a new way of
thinking. “Do not conform any longer to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
(Romans 12:2a)
·
Ask for different views. Talk to (safe!) friends or knowledgeable
people about your situation. Consider
short-term counseling.
·
Read books on the subject. A multitude of good books are available on
the victorious Christian life. Look for
ones that apply to your particular situation.
·
Listen to Christian teaching. Even if the subject matter doesn’t relate
specifically to your issue, God’s Word will not return void. Fill your mind with good teaching when you
need encouragement. God will provide you
with a pertinent word.
·
Read biographies of victorious Christian
lives. More and more books are available
that provide testimonies of how Jesus changed lives. Although God works in each of us differently,
he uses some of the same concepts from one person to another.
Verses 10-11 of Isaiah 55 continue: “As the rain and the snow come down from
heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud
and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so
is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
God is willing to change you. Are
you ready to be changed?
Change is a Process
You became a new creation when you submitted your life and
will to Jesus. In your spirit you are
alive and have a place in God’s home in eternity. But that doesn’t mean that everything
‘magically’ changed in your life in the here and now. That is a process.
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘one day at a time.’ Not so
popular, but just as true, is the saying, ”life by the yard is hard; but life
by the inch is a cinch.” Whether we are
working on changing a character defect or completing a project at work or home,
it is accomplished one step at a time.
Multi-tasking has some value, but most things have specific
tasks that build upon each other. One
task must be completed before the next can be done. You need to wash the dish, then dry it and
then it is ready to be put back into the cupboard.
The same is true with character defects. It may seem almost impossible to change our
long-term behaviors, but we can change our actions today. Just focus on today. “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.” (Matthew 6:34) Our worrying and continually considering the
future, sometimes referred to as ‘projecting,’ is not based in reality. It can’t change the future and it doesn’t
allow us to focus on changing our behavior today. The result is stagnation. And the vast majority of what we worry about
never comes to pass. By the time the day
arrives, circumstances have changed and the scenario played over and over in
our mind does not come to fruition.
Concentrate on today and leave tomorrow to God.
Perfection Not Required!
As a person who has perfectionist tendencies, driven by fear
of failure, I often remind myself of a saying I first heard from a friend: ‘Completion, not perfection!’ When I am stalled on a task or project
because it is ‘not good enough,’ I remind myself that I will never be perfect. I can strive for excellence, but also
appreciate my abilities and skills just as they are today.
I also remind myself that I really don’t know what ‘perfect’
looks like. My thoughts continue to be
influenced by the world, my flesh and Satan’s lies. During those times I try to look to God and
ask him for his opinion. And if I don’t
receive an immediate answer, I force myself to withhold judgment, to move
forward and trust that God will re-direct me if needed. And he will do the same for you.
As long as we keep our focus on the One who can change us,
we will continue to change for the better and experience more and more of the
abundant life Jesus came to give us - and His ways will satisfy you.
“Don’t copy the
behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a
fresh newness in all you do and think. Then
you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.” Romans 12:2 in the Living Bible translation.
Group Work
- What character defect(s) will you work on first?
- Are there any thoughts and reasonings you are willing to turn over to God in exchange for his wisdom? What actions will you take to change to his way of thinking?
- What does ‘change is a process’ mean to you and your recovery? Discuss the pros and cons of taking one step at a time.
- Do you struggle with projection and worrying about the future? What can you do to focus on the present instead?
- Do you allow the lack of perfection to stall your continued growth? How can you combat that?
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