VICTORIOUS PEOPLE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

God has spoken from His sanctuary:

“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth. Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter. Moab is My washbasin, on Edom I toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not You, God, You who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 108:7-13

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“With God, we will gain the victory.”

These powerful words of David from our scripture passage serve as strength and inspiration for all of us as we deal with the challenges of life each and every day. Paul said much the same thing when he wrote:

“If God is for us, who can be against us? We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:31, 37

Think about it. The God of the universe, the Maker and Creator of all things, the One who possesses a power that is infinite and unfathomable, this God, the God Almighty, is with us and for us. The odds of success in whatever challenge we face are all stacked in our favor. God’s word is crystal clear here. We just need to live like it, to live like the victorious people that we are.

And yet, how often do we feel defeated, forlorn and forsaken? Instead of confidently rising up in the knowledge that we will triumph, we resignedly sink into the depths of despair and dejection. We fail to maintain trust in the only One who can help us through whatever our circumstances, the One who through which we are more than conquerors. We know of God but we really don’t KNOW God. If we did, we would always live boldly in assurance, knowing through faith and trust that God is in control and ready to deliver us to victory, not in our time but His.

Maybe this is where we get into the most trouble. We just aren’t patient enough to wait on the Lord to bring us to victory. We want the conquest without the trial; the win without playing the game first. We want everything the easy way and when it doesn’t come like that, we choose to abandon trusting in God in exchange for relying on our own ability and power. And I don’t know about you but God allows me to do that every time just to show me how much I will fail every time I do so. In the final translation, I manage to mess my life up the most when I try and take control of it.

As I ponder this, I am drawn back to the words of Paul as he writes these words from Philippians:

“Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Where was Paul when he wrote these words? He wasn’t in some safe worship sanctuary but was rather in prison, arrested and incarcerated for preaching the Gospel and unsure whether he would ever see the light of day again. It was in this setting that he exhorts the Philippian church and us as well to not be anxious about anything. No matter what life might bring, Paul knew things were going to be fine. He wrote and lived as a person who was victorious and trusted God no matter His circumstances. He said as much as he continued to write in the 4th Chapter of Philippians:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (vv 11-13)

Paul was in prison and yet content in his circumstances because He trusted in the One who had given him and would continue to give him the strength to make it through, no matter what. Think of it like playing a sport, let’s say football, and knowing every time you lines up against an opponent, that you were going to win. Now, imagine that opponent to be life and all the troubles it can bring. It might look like harrowing until you look on your team and see that you have God on your side. Suddenly, it doesn’t matter who is on the other side because you’re assured the victory. This, and only this, faith in God as our strength and very present help in all times of trouble that allows us to experience true peace, a peace that transcends understanding, a peace that only comes from the Prince of Peace.

Do you know that peace in your life, no matter what you might go through?

If not, then today is the dawn of a new life attitude for you, an attitude of victory through the only One who can grant it. This attitude brings you to a place like Paul where you can be content in whatever your circumstances, even imprisonment under the threat of death.

Friends, David says it right in our psalm:

“With God, we will gain the victory.”

It’s high time we start to live like it, to live like the victorious people we are.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark

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