Turning defeat into a WIN - Sweet Victory
Sweet Victory
"Everything has purpose."
Recently I watched a movie and then read a book on The Holocaust. The horrors depicted there are too many to comprehend. The resiliency of the human spirit shone through them both.
Forgiveness, gratitude and recognizing God's hand in their midst of their traumas caused me to re-evaluate my own heart's posture.
What the majority of us will ever experience in life is insignificant compared to what those precious people endured and suffered at the hand of manifested evil against humanity.
In my life, I have had tragic and traumatizing experiences where I thought "this is it...it's over." And yet, here I am still doing what I love, helping people come alive and thrive in Christ. How is that possible? I've discovered a secret: Everything has purpose.
1. It tests my heart towards God. Mad or glad. Hateful or grateful. Distrust or greater trust. Turning away or turning toward. Bitter or better. Hard or Soft. What will my response be to things I don't understand or to those painful experiences that feel and perhaps look like utter defeat?
2. It tests my character, my heart towards others. A fruit of the Spirit litmus test. Will I respond and live out patience, kindness, meekness, gentleness, control over my emotions and words in the midst of my fiery trial? Or not? In that case, back around the mountain I will go.
Paul wrote in his letter to Corinth about the severe trials they experienced. He said, "All the hardships we passed through crushed us beyond our ability to endure and we were so completely overwhelmed that we were about to give up entirely." Read more of his account in II Corinthians chapter 1:9-14.
Paul came to realize that, like Christ, whatever we experience in this life, God can take that defeat, that fiery trial, that insurmountable mountain and turn it around...He is amazing like that. Why would He bother? So we can become His good-will ambassadors to represent Him well to others when they go through their difficult times.
"All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial.
We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us. And just as we experience the abundance of Christ's own sufferings, even more of God's comfort will cascade upon us through our union with Christ.If troubles weigh us down, that just means that we will receive even more comfort to pass on to you for your deliverance! For the comfort pouring into us empowers us to bring comfort to you. And with this comfort upholding you, you can endure victoriously the same
suffering that we experience.Now our hope for you is unshakable because we know that just as you share in our suffering you will also share in God's comforting strength."
II Corinthians 1:3-7 The Passion TranslationA key to receiving the comfort of God in our times of trial and difficulty is to let others into our lives when everything in us wants to hide, isolate and go into a dark cave and wait out the storm on our own. Turning defeat into a win is something that mysteriously begins to transpire as we allow others to come alongside us and walk with us in our ugliness, our brokenness and when we are seemingly without strength or resources.
Why is that? Pride is our enemy. It was satan's downfall and it will be ours if we allow it to keep us from accepting help, strength and comfort from God through others in our difficult times.
As EPIC Conquerors we know that Everything is Possible In Christ. God uses His people to surround us in our trying times to strengthen us and show us that victory lies ahead.
Read Hebrews 11 and 12. Jesus, our example:
"He endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God." (12:2b)
Turning defeat into a win. EPIC Conquerors: Fasten your gaze on Jesus who birthed faith in you and is leading you forward into faith's perfection. Victory is yours in Him.
Dr Judy Bauer
EXTRA SHOW NOTES
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