Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "But God didn’t make us to go through this life alone. Not only can we trust He is with us, He wants us to value and benefit from close relationship with fellow travelers on this path of life. That requires we have faith and take calculated risks on people. That cannot be done if we have ruled out particular kinds of people because they remind us of someone who has offended us in the past." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 215. I heard an interesting comment about the brain the other day. Left to our own devices, our brain is naturally wired to go to the negative. For some of us, our brains tend to go way negative. We are the glass half empty kinds of people. For others, our brains go negative but not so badly as to see the worst in all that comes against us. Those are the glass half full kinds of people. My wife is a glass half full person. She is fond of saying to us glass half empty kinds of folks - "Get a bigger glass!"  Just like our brains are wired to go negative, I believe we are also wired to default in ways that make relationship a difficult proposition. Some of us are naturally isolationists. We are the ones that love being alone. If fact, being alone seems to recharge our batteries. The alone time makes it possible for us to be able to deal with those times when relationship is what we are forced to deal with in this world.  Others of us are more naturally drawn to being with other people. For those types, being with others is what recharges their batteries. Being with others is what makes it possible to tolerate times when being alone is all they have.  For the people who find isolation to be as close to heaven as they will get, relationships are hard due to the fact being with others is a draining and trying experience. For those who tend to be more relationally inclined, relationships become something that they were never designed to be. It is when we view relationships as a chore, as the isolationalist tends to do, or as a strategy, as the relationalist tends to do, that the true power of relationships can be lost.  I believe that God designed relationships for a very specific purpose. Relationships were never meant to be a chore or a strategy to feeling good about ourselves. Relationships were meant to be part of the process for bringing about significant and life altering change in our world. It is when we play god with how we view and use relationships that the Heavenly purpose and power of the connections we make in this life tend to get lost.  Check out today's Bible reading as it relates to the power of relationships.  Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV) Twice in these verses the word "two" is used. The promises made about gathering together and agreeing are over the top amazing. God promises to give us whatever we agree on and that He will be with us when we gather. Doesn't get much better than that.  For those of you who use relationships to recharge your batteries, let me ask you a pretty direct question. Are you experiencing the kinds of miraculous change I believe this verse is saying can happen when we come together? For those of us who find relationship a chore, I have just as direct a question. Do you find it hard to experience God's presence in your life?  If we are really honest with ourselves, it doesn't matter what kind of person we are when it comes to relationships, the promises contained in our reading aren't happening like I think we would like them to be happening. It is my opinion we aren't seeing God's power

Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** Doesn't it feel good when you are part of the "in group?" It is when I find myself on the outside that the familiar pangs of victim thinking start to take control in my life. You know what I'm talking about here. I am sure that you have come across those situations where you didn't get invited to be a part of that group everyone looks on with envy. Doesn't your failure to be invited seem to be such an affront to who you are? The truth is, it is an affront to your identity. The only reason it can feel like an affront is because it is! When we allow our identity to be shaped and confirmed by things of this world, affronts are what we are to expect. It is when we face those kinds of affronts when it comes to identity that offense can make us allow victim thinking to rule in our lives. I recently heard a couple Bible verses that had the simple phrase, "In Christ" as part of their wording. I was intrigued by those words in a way that made me want to dig into what they might mean for a person who calls himself a follower of Jesus. I decided to take a look at all the verses in the Bible that have the phrase "In Christ". I found that there are quite a few verses with this phrase. To help me understand what was being communicated, I took a look at the words individually. The word for Christ is exactly what it means - it is the name of this person we call Jesus. The word “in” opened my eyes to a perspective about this phrase that I think helps us take on more of the victor status God wants in our lives. I found that the word "in" comes from the Greek word that has a lot to do with entering into or facing the object it describes. I don't know what I thought it would mean, but the action of entering into something gives the word "in" a flavor that really speaks to me. I started to recognize my need to be engaged and intentional about being "in Christ." It is more than just a place, it is an action that brings me to a place where there is a lot going on for the victor. “In Christ” means we enter into who this Christ has made us to be as we face him fully. There is a power in that kind of approach to who this God is in our lives. With this meaning in mind, I took a look at all the verses where "in Christ" was used. The following list are attributes I saw that are ours for the taking when we choose to be intentional about entering in to who our God says we are in Jesus. This list is kind of long, but I wanted for you to hear the entirety of what I found "In Christ" is about for us. Listen to who you are In Christ. “In Christ”... There is faith We are justified and redeemed There is NO condemnation There is life We have God’s Love We speak in truth We are unified (at one with each other and with God) We are helpers (purposed, co-workers of the most High) We are approved We are sanctified (made whole and complete) We are wise We are righteous We are God’s Children We are instructed We have the good news (the gospel of Christ) We can rest We have hope We are made alive We can rejoice We are established We experience triumph We can speak in power We can step into the throne room of God (the veil is gone) We are new creations We are reconciled with God We can see the truth in a simply way We can stand and speak before God We can be part of a body We have liberty (that is freedom) We are part of a covenant with God We are free from religious laws We have faith (are faithful) We have access to spiritual blessings and heavenly places We are the workmanship of God We are partakers of God’s promises We have access to eternal purpose We are consoled We are saints Now that's a list of attributes that I need to hear spoken over my life more often. That's what I am as I live out this life of a victor "in Christ". I'm not those things because of what I do. I'm those things because that's how God sees me. In Christ is more than just a phrase found in the Bible. It is a mantra of authority and identit

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "We have to fight the very natural tendency to let our tasks shape who we are. Tasks are temporary and can change like the shifting wind. If we allow tasks to shape our identity then we will spend most of our time trying to figure out who we are." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 190. It is such a natural thing for us to turn to what we do when it comes to who we are. I don't think it is a cultural thing more than it is a human thing. Humans seem to be wired to let the view of ourselves and others be shaped by what it is that we do. It is when what we do runs into challenges that identity can be such a complex thing.  I can remember when I was in a place where God had me on hold as far as a career is concerned. For that season, I dreaded meeting someone new in my life. Without fail, it wouldn't be two minutes into a conversation with that new acquaintance, when they would ask - "What do you do for a living?" I wanted to shrink into a corner when I heard those words coming my way. I just didn't know how to answer that question in a way that would allow my identity to be something that I wasn't ashamed of.  That question is such an easy one for us to ask. Somehow we have been conditioned to think that we can determine who a person is by simply hearing what kind of work they choose to do. Sure, a person's occupation says something about who that person is. However, what a person does is but a drop in the bucket when it comes to who that person is. Identity is so much more than just the roles we play.  Today's Bible reading highlights how important identity is when it is based on something other than what we do. Our reading is from Proverbs. It says... A wife of noble character who can find?    She is worth far more than rubies.Her husband has full confidence in her    and lacks nothing of value. Proverbs 31:10-11 (NIV) All you men out there, take heart. This verse is just as much for us as it is for the women our reading seems to be focused upon. The Church is the Bride of Christ. Our "husband" is none other than Jesus Himself. Men and women can read this verse in the context I'm using today as we concentrate on what identity is suppose to be all about.  Our reading says that we are worth more than rubies. It isn't talking about what this person does that makes her valuable. The confidence the husband has in his wife doesn't come with the fact that she is good at what she does. No, her husband is not lacking because her identity is something that empowers the family to be all it can be.  That noble character is something that doesn't come as a result of successfully working a task to its end. Character comes as one lives out who they are in a world that tries to get us to compromise on what our identity is suppose to be all about. If we allow roles to be the defining factor when it comes to identity, then character is so hard to nail down. Since roles change, identity will change as well. Shifting identities is the exact opposite of what it takes to make character something we can recognize and trust in another person's life.  We just can't get to noble when we are spending so much time trying to make our tasks reflect well on our identity. Noble comes as we know who we are and allow our tasks to be empowered by that knowledge. It is the identity that God has made for us, as His Children, that makes it possible to let tasks be all they can be in our lives. Nobility is in our blood as a result of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. The noble character is part of what living the victor's life is all about.  Trying to make your worth be shown as a result of all you do is such a victim making process. Isn't it time to live i

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "GOOD PEOPLE HAPPEN TO BAD THINGS!" As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 147. I often hear the question asked, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" What a terrible question to try and answer. Frankly, I've given up on trying to come up with some life changing, God fearing and thought provoking answer. I simply don't believe there is an answer that gives any justice to the depth and importance of this often asked question.  I remember talking with a crew of men at my house working to plant a few trees in my yard. I had just had an encounter with God the evening before regarding the power of connection even in the mundane things of life. It doesn't get much more mundane than being stuck at home waiting on some people to arrive to plant a few trees. Not a lot of world impact in that endeavor - or so I thought.  I had decided that I was going to just be content with what God had planned for me that day, even if His plans looked to be pretty boring from where I was sitting. When the guys finally arrived to do their work I went outside to meet them. They were five of them there. Two of the guys took an interest in a car I'm working on. We spent a few minutes checking out what I have been doing. We traded a few stories about our past auto adventures. Hey, if nothing else, I experienced a good few moments talking with another couple of car nuts. Not a bad day after all. God had so much more in mind.  As the three of us stood there talking about cars, I noticed one of the workers who walked past me. He had on a hoodie and honestly, he looked like he had had a pretty rough night the evening before. By his looks, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he must be nursing a pretty challenging hangover. Been there, done that. Something just drew me to this guy, but he wasn't interested or maybe wasn't able to carry on a conversation at that time. I just went on with my day.  When the guys were about finished planting my trees, the foreman asked for me to sit with him and go over the paperwork. He looked at me and out of the blue said, "It would be really nice if you would say something to the guys today. You see, one of our team mates was recently killed in a motorcycle accident and the guys are taking it really hard."  Honestly, I was kind of taken aback. Who am I to speak to these guys about something so personal as losing a friend and coworker so tragically? What can I say to help console a bunch of grown men, hurting over losing a 21 year old friend like that? I was actually a bit angered that this guy would put me on the spot like that. It was as though this guys was asking me to answer the question - "Why does bad thinks happen to good people?" Who does this guy think I am?  If it isn't obvious by what I just said, I have to admit that I was more than a little anxious about what this guy was asking of me. Then it hit me, God had said that He was in the mundane. My day had been all about mundane so I just believed that God was going to be there and do something. We walked around the corner of the house where the guys were finishing up their work. I walked up to the group and said, "I heard about your friend - I'm really sorry you guys have to deal with such a tragedy." Pretty deep words - right?  Then something really amazing happened. The guy in the hoodie - the one I had written off as being a little hung over - looked straight at me and said, "You should have known him. He was a great guy. Why is it always the good ones that are taken so soon?" By what I can only chalk up to divine inspiration, I immediately knew what to say.  I stared straight at my hoodied friend and said with confidence and authority, "I know what you mean. The

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "Victors find healing and move into the fullness of the love, freedom and plenty that they experience in free life. They don’t see those who are so willing to pour out on them the love they need as being temporary providers, not to be trusted in the long term. Victors take the jealous ways that protected them in captivity and slowly trade them for generosity in their strange, new, free life." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 128. I have a friend that has been through a lot in life. She has been on an accelerated course of victor living these past couple of years. She is truly amazing to watch. Her love for God is so inspiring. I want to be like her when I grow up! One day we were meeting talking about some issues she needed to get into the light. As we were discussing various situations she said something that triggered when I came across this quote that I read earlier. She said, "I don't know how to live this new life very well. It is often confusing. I know where I don't want to be but sometimes I'm not sure where I'm suppose to go." When we find the freedom God wants for us it can be a "strange, new life." This is especially true for those, like my friend, who has had such a radical shift in thinking when it comes to her status as a victor. Changing from a place of bondage to a place of freedom can be a really disorienting shift in perspective. My wife and I talk about those kinds of perspective shifts all the time. We are of the age when changes in life are many and sudden. From our kids growing up, getting married and now having kids of their own, to the freedoms all this change has brought to our lives, we too can find life to be a bit disorienting at times. My wife calls these times of figuring out what life is suppose to look like with all the change we face, "our new normal." I like that terminology. Normal is such a challenging word to think through in anyone's life. What is normal? I'm starting to realize that normal is really all about what it going on at that moment in your life. It is when we long for and strive to make happen normal's that have come and gone that victim thinking can really sneak into the life of a victor. I think that's why I connect so much with calling this life of flux, my new normal. It gives me a chance to choose something that is the bedrock of victor living. Contentment comes as I start to view each and every second as my new normal. It is when I can be content with who I am no matter what my circumstances look like that I have the ability to fully live in the power of being the victor God made me to be. That doesn't mean that I don't long for good times when my new normal includes challenging circumstances. There isn't a single thing wrong with wanting times to change when times are bad just like there is nothing wrong wanting times to stay the same when times are good. It is when I connect what my times look like with who I think I am that victim thinking is lurking at my door. Today's Bible reading is one that seems a little too good to be true. Check it out with me now. The fear of the Lord leads to life;     then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Proverbs 19:23 (NIV) Untouched by trouble? Seriously? Am I to really believe that if I fear God well enough in my life that trouble will never come my way? Maybe someone heard God incorrectly when they wrote this down many thousands of years ago. Ever thought that way about something you have read in the Bible? I have come to learn that when I question God's Word like I just did, I'm about to learn something really important if I take time to let God speak to me as He longs to do with each of us. Let's dig into this verse a bit and see if there is some answer to the gla

Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** A group of friends of mine met the other day and we had an amazing discussion. I wish our talks were recorded. The insights I get from these friends, as we do life together, are simply amazing. We don't have much figured out, but let me tell you, we are seeing God in ways that has made lasting change a possibility when it comes to keeping victim thinking out of our lives. Our discussion this day centered on a chart that we had come across earlier in the month. Let me describe this chart for you. On the left side is a column of words like fear, destruction, isolation, insecurity, judgement and death. On the right side, lined up in direct opposition to each of the words I just read were the words, rest, restore, relationship, confidence, forgiveness and life. The left side of the chart were words used to describe Satan while the words on the right were words that describe Jesus. This chart was made to help us compare and contrast Satan's tactics from Jesus' in dealing with those of us in this world. One of my friends drew a vertical line separating the left side from the right side of the chart. He said that at times he feels like he is straddling that line trying to balance life. As the negative thoughts come from the Satan's side of the ledger, my friend feels he has to balance it against what he knows to be true about himself. He then went on to have an eye opening experience. He really isn't straddling that divide - he simply chooses to cross over from the Jesus side to the Satan side as he entertains the various thoughts that come as a result of the circumstances in life. That makes so much more sense to me than just straddling that line. We really aren't that good at balancing between good and bad. As I have talked about many times, we were never intended to be the determining factor when it comes to goodness or the badness that comes our way. My friend's realization that we come to this line as we drift from side to side on this chart is something that I think victors need to take into serious consideration. As we continued our conversation, my friend said something that I'm still wrestling with in many ways. He said  "We have to be willing to surrender, then we can look at what we believe." It just isn't enough to obtain a bunch of knowledge and to use that knowledge to come up with some belief system that we are willing to give a try. God wants us to surrender to the right side of this equation and then live in a place of belief that Jesus is all He says He is in our lives. For those analytical, proof driven and linear thinking kinds of people, like me, that is a hard pill to swallow. Then a Bible verse popped into my head. Jesus encountered a man who really needed God's power in his life. Apparently this man's son was afflicted by an evil spirit that not only impacted this man's son's life, the spirit was actually working to try and kill the young boy at times. The man comes to Jesus and says, "But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24 (NKJV) This father was desperate. Can you imagine watching your child suffer at the hands of evil in this world? He was desperate to see God move and took a big risk. He brought his son to see Jesus. You have to realize that this father didn't have much faith. Look at the first line of today's reading. It says, "But if you can..." This guy was talking to God Himself and dared to use the word "If". That alone should have eliminated this man from receiving anything from Jesus. After all, if he has so little faith, why would God want to do anything for this guy at all. I hope you see those words are nothing more than victim thinking coming out in ways that I know all too well. It is when we connect things li

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "Worldly prosperity is about trying to bolster your identity with things. We want to be more than we feel we are so we amass as much as we can in the hopes that this proves we are more. My soul is tired just thinking about how that last sentence has been lived over and over again in my life." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 118. Ever seen that bumper sticker that says, "Those with the most toys wins!"? That sentiment is the epitome of what my quote from today's presentation is trying to combat. Who we are, how we really feel about ourselves and how much we have will never be all that we need to feel the kind of peace I believe the victor is suppose to have in his or her life. I have known people with insane amounts of money. These people were some of the most miserable, confused and identity lacking folks I have ever seen. I have seen powerful and absurdly rich people screw up their entire life doing stupid things for reasons, I now see, as them just trying to feel some proof of life in the middle of their amazing circumstances. I have heard of wildly successful people  committing suicide because they were so lost when it came to who they were. If money, position and possessions were all we needed to make this life be all it is suppose to be, I believe cases like what I have described here wouldn't be as prevalent as I know them to be. Sure, there are rich and powerful people who are happy by all outward appearances. It isn't the money or position that I believe is a threat to their well being. It is relying on that money and/or position that opens the door to victim thinking. It is when, what we rely on for what we need begins to change that circumstances can really usher in victim thinking principals. Our reading today puts an exclamation point on what I'm trying to say about how the results of what we do is so hopeless in making what really matters happen in our lives. Let's take a look at today's passage now. Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety,     but trusted instead in great wealth     and looked for security in being wicked. But I am like an olive tree growing in the house of God;     I trust in his constant love forever and ever. I will always thank you, God, for what you have done;     in the presence of your people     I will proclaim that you are good. Psalm 52:7-9 (GNT) It isn't the person's wealth that made the difference. It wasn't what they did that made them secure. No, it is the fact that the author of this Psalm realized his worth being planted right were he was that made all the difference when it came to seeing God's love in his life. God's pleasure for this man didn't happen because he was good at what he did for a living. No, God was pleased because this man chose to thrive - to grow exactly where God planted him. That's what a victor does when it comes to living fully in the power God has for our lives. God doesn't have a thing against us being wealthy or powerful or in a place of position. In fact, God has plans for some of us to have all these and more. What God hates is, what our reliance on these worldly benefits does to our confidence as the victor He has made us to be. It is when we tie who we are to anything in this world that the ravages of victim thinking threaten to take over in our life. God hates those ravages because they cause us pain and He can't stand to see His children suffer. Look, go after as many toys as you want. There's nothing wrong with having nice things at all. Just don't buy into the notion that the more you have the better you will feel about who you are. Applying that kind of logic is like thinking that painting your house will help end the

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "He is pleased with us (being His children) because of our identity, not because of what we do with that identity. Hold on to this fact – it is where victor thinking has the power to overwhelm victimhood in our lives." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 92. Now there's a concept that I have trouble grasping from time to time. Do I really live life believing that God is pleased with me? How about you? Do you have any challenges believing in God's pleasure with who you are at this moment in time? That feeling of doubt, that feeling of condemnation that comes as I doubt who I am in God's eyes is what makes victim thinking a possibility. It is when I do, or say or fail to do or say something that this world is uniquely positioned to make me feel like there is no way this God could ever be pleased with me. This is nothing more than a lie from the pit of hell. I have found that learning to recognizing this lie in my life, and calling it for what it is, is paramount if I am to live out my victor status. We have to remember that for a lie to be truly effective, there has to be some element of truth in it. If the lie we need to deal with is that God could never be pleased with us because of what we have done or are doing now, then we need to parse the truth from the lie in that statement. Truth is that we all have done things, and are doing things right now, that should bring displeasure to this God that loves us so. Who of us is living a perfectly sinless life? No one! God is perfect so any lack of perfection makes it impossible to commune with Him in any way. Because of our mistakes, our transgressions and our willingness to do things outside of God's provision and protection, we are deserving of death and eternal separation. If the story ended there, the lies of Satan would have to be considered complete and absolute truth. But the story doesn't end there. God knew that, left to trust solely on our own misguided ways, it is hopeless to ever think that we might be in a position to bring pleasure into His life at all. That's the power and the beauty of the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. It isn't what we do that makes it possible to please this God. It is what Jesus has done that makes it possible for all our transgressions to be overlooked. Our actions mean nothing as far as pleasing God is concerned. Our action in letting Jesus be our bridge to God is what makes any other actions we do, good or bad, irrelevant when it comes to our relationship with this God. So, the truth in the lie that says we will never please God is that on our own, we can't please Him. What Satan wants us to believe is that we are left abandoned because of that fact. He wants us to over look the completed work of Jesus and just give up hope all together when it comes to a relationship with God. In this case, even the truth portion of the lie doesn't even matter because of Jesus' work on the cross. No amount of our doing will ever be enough to make us be what Jesus has done for us on the cross. I can't stress how important this concept is for us to live like the victors we so long to be in our lives. Relying on our actions to confirm our victor status is just as futile of an endeavor as to thinking that our efforts will ever be enough to please this God. Alone, we can't - we can't make our identity work, we can't live like a victor, we can't avoid victim thinking, we can't relate to this perfect God. With Jesus we can! Let me read today's Bible passage as it relates to the work we do trying to please God. If God doesn’t build the house,     the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city,     the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to b

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "In religion we worry about the results because results reflect on our identity. We do good, so therefore we must be good. Failure means there must be something wrong with us. This is victim thinking." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 78. Religion and results can be tied together in ways that work to make victims of those who buy into the results based means of getting to this God that is suppose to love us. Results back us into the corner of using our religious understanding to try and make sense of all that comes at us in this world. It is when we bow to the alter of results that victim thinking can't help but to be the outcome that drives our lives. You see, results make us move in circles where good and bad are the issue. Humans were never suppose to know the difference between what is good and what is bad. I know that is an impossible concept to wrap our heads around. We are bombarded by the need to determine good from bad in everything we do all day long. The knowledge of good and bad is what causes us to live in a way where victim thinking comes in and tries to kill our prospects of living fully in the life of the victor God sees us to be. Religion, at its worst, adds another layer of confusion to the potential victim thinker stuck in making good and bad the basis from which they live out their identity. Religion brings in a host of rules and regulations to try and help us figure out good from bad. That kind of thinking puts in an adversarial position with those who think differently when it comes to what is good and what is bad. Its no wonder a large portion of the world fails to embrace organized religion today. Jesus made it very clear that He hated religion. He knew the awesome power and benefit of a relationship with The Father. Jesus saw, first hand, how man had turned what was suppose to be a relational approach to God into a results based process. Jesus had some pretty direct and harsh words when it came to the leaders of religions entities. He called it as He saw it and I think we need to be looking at our own methods of coming to this God to make sure we too aren't falling in the same trap. Religion makes us think it is all up to us. Do this, don't do that. If we can just keep the rules in a good enough fashion, maybe, just maybe we will be good enough to make it in the end. Ask any person who has little or no church experience and they to are caught in the results based method of getting to God. Most believe that if the good in their lives out weights the bad, then surely God will let them into whatever is next after this life. I hope you see the futility of that kind of religious and non-religious, results based thinking. I'm exhausted just considering what it takes to be good enough to be a part of what God promises. I've tried to live a results based life. I've tried to let what I do be enough to prove who I am. For a while that seemed to work just fine. It was when what I did didn't seem to rise to a level that I thought made enough progress in life that fear started to creep in. What if all my efforts weren't good enough? That made me double down and work all the harder. I did so until I nearly worked myself into an early grave. It was when I took time to slow down that I started to recognize the unforced rhythms of the grace God surrounds us with on a moment-by-moment basis. The more I tap into those rhythms, the more I feel the pressure being lifted from my need to let results be what makes me worthy of whatever this God has for me. Phillip Yancy has a quote on grace that blows results living out of the water. He says, "Grace, like water, flows to the lowest points." Religion has gotten way too preoccupied in making us acceptable to receive that g

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** "When we rely on our own efforts to be righteous instead of allowing The Holy Spirit to convict us of our righteousness we come face to face with the feeling of condemnation. Long term condemnation is the foundation of victim thinking." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 58. I have lived most of my life being guided by the principal that goes something like this, "If you want a job done well, do it yourself." Although I still feel this principal has served me well in the past, I have come to realize that it is not universally true about some of the work that I come across on a day-by-day basis. Where this principal is especially wrong is when it comes to my identity. Forming the identity that I need and making that identity be something that lasts is simply not a job that I can do very well. I don't know of a single person in this world that is suited to do this job in a way that even comes close to something that we can describe as "well." It isn't that we are too limited in our ability. We aren't missing some kind of education of mental prowess to make this job be all it can be in our lives. It isn't even that we aren't pure enough in our motives to make our identity a task that we can accomplish with any kind of competency. No, our shortfalls in the area of identity come with the reality that we are strangers in a strange land. That fact makes forming and maintaining our identity something the victor simply cannot do on his or her own. Today's Bible reading shows two men, who face an identity crisis before God. One handled it a religious way while the other handled it a relational way. Can you guess who God sees as the victor here? Let's read the story now. And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ The tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.' Luke 18:9-14 (NASB) The Pharisee was someone who took the responsibility of identity really seriously. He studied and applied himself in ways that allowed him to rise to the tops of society at that time. Don't know you know there was a lot of pride the family of this man felt knowing their son, husband, father and/or sibling had what it took to be thought of in such regard by all in that day? That entire last paragraph is what makes victim thinking possible when it comes to relying solely on ourselves to form and maintain an identity for ourselves. Pride, status, power, and ultimately condemnation are all the result when we think we have it all under control as far as identity is concerned. Not only are we putting ourselves in a position where we will ultimately be disappointed, it is so easy to look down on others who might not be as adept at securing identity like we think we are. So it was for this religious leader. His position allowed him to believe that his standing was assured before God. After all, he had done it all the right way, so wouldn't God be so proud. God says in our reading today that it will be the Pharisee that will be humiliated due to the fact that he dared exalt himself based on what he had done to get to where he was in life. It is