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. ********** "The reality that The Church has failed to point out is that those of us waiting on our victorious time are just as much a victor as the person who has received a miracle from God." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 35. Have you ever been so desperate for something that you feel like you might burst waiting on that thing to happen? Believe me, I know that place all too well. I’m just not too sure that is a place where God resides. Let me explain. The Bible is clear that God wants us to be desperate for Him. I just don’t see it all that clearly in The Word, that God wants that desperation for Him to ALWAYS look like something He does for us. That’s not how real, loving relationships work in the human realm. I just don’t think it is the way it works with a relationship with God as well. How can I say such a thing with confidence? Let’s consider a real life example. What if you are married to a woman who is an amazing cook. Night after night you come home to a meal that is way beyond anything you could ever dream of. Now, here’s the hard question you have to consider. Are you in love with your wife or with her cooking? Here’s where that question really gets put to the test. Let’s further speculate that you have had a really hard day at work. What if the day has been so hard that you haven’t had a single moment to eat breakfast or lunch. Don’t you know you are going to be starving by the end of the day? Maybe the only thing holding you together is the knowledge that you will have an amazing meal prepared by your loving wife when you get home. Are you desperate for the meal or for your wife who is cooking that mean? If you let honestly win out, the meal is what you want, isn’t it? How do you think your wife would feel if she was, night after night, only sought after for that amazing meal she cooks. Do you think she would be growing in her trust of love you are offering or shrinking back from it? That’s the exact thing we do with God as we find ourselves constantly desperate for His goodies rather than desperate for relationship with Him. Today’s Bible reading is a really simple one. “You shall not covet…” Exodus 20:15 (NIV) The verse goes on to list things we are not to covet, things like our neighbor’s stuff, etc. But isn’t that what we do when we are desperate for God’s goodies in our life? Aren't we really coveting for the things of God rather than being desperate for God Himself? I know that hits a little close to home for me. How about you? Look, it’s not wrong to ask, even plead with God for the necessities of life. I have found that victim thinking is ready and waiting for me when I think that I know best as to how God is suppose to meet my every need in life. It is when God’s idea of what is best for us at any given moment fails to align with our view of what is good for us that doubt comes creeping in. That doubt might be focused on who we are. It might also be doubts as to who this God is in our lives that result. All I know is that those kinds of doubts are what ushers in the possibility for victim thinking. As you go about your day today, how about taking a look at where you are on the covet spectrum. How much of what you are asking God to be a part of today is really about relationship with Him? The more honest you are with that question, the more likely you are to be able to let God into your day in ways that, I guarantee, will change your world. God loves it when you think of Him more than you think of what He might be able to do for you. Even when your thought of Him is as honest as, "I really need you to do this thing for me today. I want to want you more than I need your miracles. I just don't know how to make that happen." God can't help but to be a part of o

Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** Yesterday we focused on the word joy. We discussed the fact that Biblical joy is a joy that lasts. That joy comes only when we recognize we are in God's presence. God promises to never leave us. He says He will never forsake us. For that reason, we can expect that God's joy will be with us because His presence is always within our reach. Today we are going to see how joy is connected to peace. Where the verse from Psalm 16 that we focused on yesterday deals with joy, the verse from Numbers had me focusing on the word peace. Back on Day 226, we took a look at a presentation called "The Power of Let". In this talk we took a look at a verse on peace that had the words "let" and "rule" that was associated with peace. You might want to go back and check out that presentation again as it relates to what we are discussing today. As I studied those words, I happened to look at the word “face” in the passage from Numbers we read today. As I studied the word “presence” from the Psalm passage I came across the Number's passage again. I was surprised to see that the word “presence” and  the word “face” are the same word in the original language. That really caught my attention. In the King James translation, the word presence was also translated as countenance. This is a word that I have used in the past but, frankly, I really couldn't tell you what it meant. I had to look it up in the dictionary. Countenance basically means a person’s facial expression. The face is the part of a person that we can “read”. That's why it is important to have what is called a "poker face" when playing cards of chance. Did you know that the face is also how we can “read” God? By stepping into the fullness of God’s Presence, we are able to experience joy and peace as we read the pleasure of a father's face beaming over His beloved children. I’ll come back to that thought in a second. But first, check this out. God can also read us by our countenance. I find that fascinating - that the God of the universe would care enough to pay attention to our facial expressions and react to them. Check out today's Bible reading with me now. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? Genesis 4:3-6 (NASB) God noticed that Cain’s countenance fell - that his face was down cast. Basically, Cain was saddened. What made Cain sad? It was realization that he had not honored God as completely as his brother Able had. This story has always bugged me. I have always seen this story as God favoring one brother over another. It actually says his face dropped because God didn’t look on favor at Cain’s offering. The work Cain did was frowned on by God, while the work Able did was pleasing to God. Other than the whole murder thing, I really connect with the pain that came with the sadness in Cain's life. There are times I feel like that all I do falls short. It is easy to believe that the favor of God is missing in my life because I’m not good enough. These are some of the same old tapes playing in my head that have been there Oh so long. What's even worse is that those old tapes seem to be supported by God’s own words! That's almost too much pressure to stand up under. As I studied our verses from yesterday and today, I received what I think is a totally a different perspective. I remembered the purpose of the Old Testament. It is there to show us the hopelessness of relying on our own efforts to get what God wants to give us freely. Adam and Eve decided to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Do you know how hard it

Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** I'm taking today and tomorrow to focus in on a topic that I believe is really important for us to consider. Forgive me for taking two days to land the plane on this one, but there was so much material here I just couldn't shrink it down enough to cover it in one day. So, let's jump right in. In today's reading, we will be looking at two sets of passages from the Old Testament. They are connected in a way that I think those of us looking to live this life as the victor we want to be need to understand. The first verse is from the book of Psalms. It says... You make known to me the path of life;     you will fill me with joy in your presence,     with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11 (NIV) The second reading goes like this. The Lord bless you     and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you     and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you     and give you peace. Numbers 6:23-26 (NIV) The reading from Numbers is a pretty familiar one for those of us who have heard ministers bless large events. These words are often quoted as a benediction, stated over the lives of those people who have gathered for some function or another. I have never really paid much attention to those verses from Numbers, until today. Heck, I really didn’t know this familiar prayer was an actual Bible verse. So much for my scholarly ability! Both these verses were used in a presentation I attended a couple weeks ago. I have taken the opportunity to dig in to the Psalm verse in the past. It was during a particularly difficult time that the issue of joy was something I was desperate to try and understand. You see, for reasons I'm still figuring out, depression had really taken a hold of my life. Joy was something that seemed like such a foreign subject to me. Day in and day out, I saw people who looked to exude joy. It was all I could do to just put one foot in front of the other, let alone be able to experience the kinds of joy that seemed to come so easily to others. Victim thinking was in the driver's seat at that time in my life. I didn't think I would ever be in a place where I could call myself a victor. My wife asked me one day, "Why can't you just choose joy?" That question haunted me in profound ways. It wasn't wrong of her to ask that question. In fact, I now see the diving inspiration behind spurring her into getting that question in my mind and now, into my heart. So much of what I have learned since that time has come as I have dug into God's Word to try and figure out this thing called joy. When I was studying what “joy” meant, our reading from Psalm 16 was a cornerstone for me. As I studied the places in the Bible where the word "joy" was used I came into the realization that that true joy can only happen in the “presence” of God. That's what our reading from Psalms is saying. You see, Joy isn't about being happy. It is about being in a place of contentment, acceptance, surrender and peace. I have found that things of this world just can't bring that kind of joy in my life like being close to this God that loves. me. Sure nice things I can make happen in my world can come close at times. What I have found is that the joy that comes from worldly pleasures and accomplishments can change like the shifting wind, making joy that much harder to understand and live out in this life. I started to see a theme running through the Bible when it came to joy. People who were able to recognize the fact that God was with them had joy that seemed to last. That joy looked to be there whether times in their lives were good or bad. That same joy looked to me to be in the lives of those we would consider saints as well as those we might classify as being sinners. What I saw was that the potential for that joy is there all the time. If God lives up to his promise to not leave us and to not forsake us, then knowing that joy com

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 believe that we are victors whether we come to see the fullness of our destinies in our lives or not." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 192. The "we" in the quote I just read are those wanting to live this life as victors. You see, the only way I have found to do this is to have a frame of reference that doesn't require victory to be what defines my victor status. This is especially true when it comes to destiny. If you are banking on your victor status to be proven by the extent at which you are able to determine and make happen your destiny, you are on a crash course for victim thinking in your life. Destiny, like victory, can be such a fleeting thing. One moment we think we have it all figured out and in the next moment we are left wondering whether we will ever experience what just a few moments ago, was so clear in our minds. That's why making destiny or victory the foundation for our status as a victor is a strategy that just doesn't work in the long run. This world has an amazing ability to offer up some pretty wicked curve balls at times. The challenges that come against us often make it so difficult to believe whether we will ever experience victory. That feeling can be such a victimizing experience. Stay long enough in a place where we are dealing with victimizing prospects and victim thinking can't help but to take over. I hope this isn't too bleak of a view for you. It shouldn't be. Destiny is something that is going to happen in your life. It just will! What that destiny looks like might not be exactly what you have in mind. That's where victim thinking can really come into play. When our idea of destiny doesn't match up with what God might want our destiny to be, life can loose some of its sweetness if we are relying on destiny to make our victor status a reality. This doesn't mean that we aren't to go after all we have on our hearts to pursue. Quite the opposite. I believe God wants His Children to go after as much in this world as they possibly can. It is when our motives for going after what we want from this life are tied up in the world that trouble is sure to happen. Perspective, especially when it comes to how we view our identity, is so important for the victor. Check out what God says about perspective in today's Bible reading. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV) Up, up, up. Our gaze needs to be shifted upwards in all things that has to do with who we are. Looking around at this world for proof of who we are or proof of our worth, is not what works in the long run. I know many of you are ready to argue with me on this point because your worldly perspective is working for you at the moment. I guarantee a few hiccups in how the world treats you and you will be rethinking your strategy. I know this for a fact because I use to think my worldly results were good enough to make my identity what I thought it was suppose to be. It was when victory became more and more elusive that victim thinking came to call as I got more and more confused as to who I was suppose to be. I haven't given up on destiny. I hope you don't think that is what I'm proposing in today's presentation. What I have given up on is relying on destiny to help be what makes me see my identity more clearly. I still believe that a BIG destiny is what God has put me here on this earth for. I'm taking steps to make that BIG destiny, as I see it, happen. If God has a different plan, so be it. I'm still His son and that alone makes me the victor I long to be. What I am trying to stop doing is letting how effective I am at

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. ********** "Victim thinkers give in to the lie that they have no choice. We always have choice. The fact that the choices we have aren’t always what we want them to be is when we are tempted to believe that we somehow just don’t measure up, and we start to think like a victim." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 186. Our quote today is such an important one for victors to get into their lives. We always have choices. It isn't the lack of choices that make life hard to deal with. It is the fact that the choices we have aren't always what we want for our lives. When we use the words, "have to" to describe tasks in our lives, we are telling our souls that we have no choice. The soul is quick to believe that lie and will do all it can to rebel against what we are doing so that choice comes back in as a possibility we can entertain. I'm so glad my soul is fighting for my freedom. The soul is a powerful ally in the battles we face in life. I know this sounds so formula driven, but when we use words like "have to" to describe everyday tasks, we are setting up our soul for battle in ways that aren't needed for our protection. "Have to" living makes it hard for our soul to distinguish between real threats and those things that we have labeled in a way that makes our soul think a threat is coming. When I say, "I have go go meet my wife.", my soul gets conflicted. It knows that the relationship with my wife has been a freeing and powerful place of healing. Yet the words I use to describe meeting with my wife imply an element of being trapped through obligation that the soul hates. I believe my words make it possible for my soul to mistakenly see my relationship with my wife a threat. In doing so, it then looks for and highlights every misstep my wife makes in ways that breed discontent and division. I know this sounds overly simple, but I believe words have power. Words like "have to" make it possible for us to give in to victim thinking strategies that make relationships, so difficult to maintain. Here's what the Bible says about the power of our words. Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;     good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life;     they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Proverbs 18:20-21 (MSG) Good words do good things in our life. They are fresh and sweet like that perfectly ripe fruit we all love to enjoy. Good words gratify - they can give life. Bad news is that words can kill. The author of our reading today says that words are either a poison or a fruit. How words work in our life is completely up to us. Life or death, good or bad, poison or fruit - how we choose to use our words makes all the difference in the world. This is particularly the case when we use words like "have to" in our lives. I found it interesting that the very next verse from our reading today deals with marriage. It says... Find a good spouse, you find a good life—     and even more: the favor of God! Proverbs 18:22 (MSG) Happy wife, happy life - a saying that is used a lot these days. My example of  "having to meet my wife" seems extremely appropriate as words and relationships are connected in our reading. I need the full power of my soul to make any relationship all it can be, especially the relationship called marriage. Setting my soul up for confusion over what is threatening my freedom isn't something beneficial when it comes to letting words empower important relationships in my life. Our tongues can be a play a powerful role in making life be all it can be or in poisoning the goodness that abounds in and around us. Listen carefully to how you use the words "have to". When you hear yourself using them to desc

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. ********** "Satan knows his end is assured. All he can do is try to get as many of us to go his way as possible. 'Misery loves company' is certainly an expression designed with Satan in mind." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 151. We are in a constant war. Do you believe that is a true statement? Sometimes our good life makes it easy for us to ignore the battles that are going on all around us. Don't be deceived. Those battles are real. They are happening. Though we all may see our world through rose colored glasses at times, the fact is an evil exists that wants to see you and me destroyed. Why does evil want us destroyed? I heard someone speak to this point recently. They said that evil wants us gone because we are loved by our God. I believe it all comes down to jealousy. The commander of evil is called Satan. He hates God. Why? Because Satan is jealous of God's authority, His power, His position and His perfection. The Bible says that Satan wanted to be like God. So much so, He is warring against the forces of light in hopes to over throw God's dominion over all creation. Truth is, that's a hopeless endeavor. Satan knows that all too well. This fact doesn't stop Satan from trying to stop God's plan from coming about. In fact, there have been times in the Bible when Satan was close to derailing God's Plan for this world. Just as Satan was about to taste ultimate victory, God's plan wins out again. How frustrating it must be for Satan, as his hopes for God-like position are dashed time and time again. Because Satan hates God and God loves us, Satan hates us. It's that simple. The evil that brings badness in your life does so to try and get you to hate God, like Satan does. The fact that so many choose to follow this God in spite of the evil that comes against them is what makes Satan want to destroy us all! All that would be a very scary proposition if it were not for the fact that the outcome of the battle against good and evil has already been won. Jesus' death on the cross assured Satan's defeat. He knows that all too well. Why do you think Satan tried so hard to make sure Jesus would never be born? Several times in the Bible, genaside against the Jewish people was attempted. Satan knew that if he could wipe out the Jewish nation, Jesus could never be born. Though so much heartache was wrought in such a barbaric strategy, God still prevailed. Here's what the Bible says about our adversary, Satan. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (NLT) He's a murder. He hates truth. There is no truth in him. Lies make up his character. He is the father of lies. Notice a thread in this verse when it comes to Satan? He just can't tell the truth. That's a really big clue those wanting to live the victor's life need to grasp fully. Satan's tactics are all steeped in lies. He is going to lie to you about God. His lies will be directed at your identity. He will create counterfeit truths that look Oh so appealing. He will whisper untruths in your ear about yourself, others and God Himself. His playbook for getting us off track has one page in it. On that page is written one word - LIE! Problem is that Satan is a master at lying. You know what it takes to make a lie convincing. Lies work best when they are sprinkled with truth. Satan will take things in and around you life that are true then twist them in ways that makes the lie look so real and absolute. Remember, he is a master at doing this so we need to be forewarned and armed to combat those lies that will, without a doubt, come against us. How can you tell if Satan is lying to y

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. ********** "Telling someone that they need to move on before it is their time can be such a damaging piece of advice. Talk about victimizing someone, telling a person that they “just need to get over it” is one of the most hurtful statements we can make if it is not yet time for that person to move from where they are to where they will eventually be." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 142. Next time the words - "just get over it", or anything like them, come to mind, please take time to consider whether you should really say them to that person or not. I am well aware that there are times when people need to be helped move forward from where they are right now. We all get to places where we get stuck from time to time. Words like "just get over it" might be the exact right thing to say at that time in a person's life. The reality is that those exact same words might be the death nail in a person's ability to cope if shared at the wrong time. You see, we have to be so careful of the words we choose when we are in a person's life. The world is so good at bringing condemnation into our lives. Telling someone that they need to "just get over it" can be so condemning if spoken at the wrong time. What that person hears when you tell them to get over it at the wrong time is that they just don't measure up. We are in essence saying to them, not only are your circumstance really bad, but your too are just as bad for not being able to move on like it appears everyone else is able to do. When challenging times hit, what we need are friends who will be inspired to act. Sometime that inspired action is sitting there and doing nothing as the friend, dealing with bad times, mourns the losses that have come against them. Sure there's potential for that person to get stuck in the mourning process. I have seen time and time again that people in mourning have an amazing ability to instinctively know when it is time to get up and get moving again. For the most part, they really don't need me or you telling them that they need to just get over it. Most of the Book of Job in the Bible is a story of how not to be a friend. As you may remember, Job came into some horrific circumstances at the hand of Satan himself. All His kids were killed in one terrible accident. All His riches were stolen in one day. Even Job's health was taken from Him all in one fell swoop. How this man was able to function in such dire circumstances is way beyond my comprehension. When Job's friends heard of his situation, they came running to his side. Check out today's Bible reading with me now. When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words. Job 2:11-13 (NLT) At first, these three friends looked to be exactly what Job needed. They left their homes, their families, their jobs, their responsibilities and sat with Job in silence for seven days! Now, that's dedication for sure! Score one for Job's friends. But, then things changed. Maybe it was the pressure of their homes and their families and their jobs and their responsibilities that made them take a turn with Job. Whatever it was, each of the friends tried, in their own ways, to get Job to "just get over it." Chapter after chapter of this book described hard and painful discussions between Job's friends and Job about what was the cause of all these calamities. All this discussi

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. ********** "Peace in the soul is what I believe makes it possible for one set of generous people to live like victors and another set of generous people to use their generosity to perpetuate and/or deal with victim thinking." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 122. In the past, we have talked about generosity as a strategy fueled by victim thinking. This kind of generosity happens when those trapped in victim thinking use generosity to get the attention, the accolades and the acceptance the damaged soul is so needy of. It isn't that these people aren't being generous in applying this strategy, it is that their motives make it so they can't tap into the power behind being truly generous. You see, there is a power to generosity that, I believe, taps into the heavenly realm. I know that sounds so mystical and beyond our natural abilities to even comprehend, but bear with me a bit as I explain what I mean by that. Generosity is all about sharing. Generosity is really about the haves and the have not's. It is when someone who has something that another doesn't and then decided to share that thing that the power of generosity can begin to be understood. I happen to believe this is a trait that was started and perfected by none other than God Himself. You see, God has everything. He is the ultimate example of one who would fit into the "have" category. His riches go beyond anything we could ever think or imagine. In fact, take a look at today's scripture reading as it relates to the vastness of the riches God has in Heaven. The angel who spoke to me had a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city was perfectly square, as wide as it was long. The angel measured the city with his measuring stick: it was fifteen hundred miles long and was as wide and as high as it was long. The angel also measured the wall, and it was 216 feet high, according to the standard unit of measure which he was using. The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chalcedony, the eleventh turquoise, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate was made from a single pearl. The street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. Revelation 21:15-21 (GNT) There's a lot of precious materials mentioned in today's reading. I don't know whether the description of this heavenly city is to be taken literally or not. Maybe it was just the author's way of trying to describe how amazing this city was - I really don't know. But for a little bit, let's consider this reading to be literal and see how it might relate to how much God has. Let's just look at the walls for a second. Our reading today says the walls of the city will be 1500 miles square. They are some 216 feet tall and wide. Now, that's one big wall! The author of this passage says, that the walls are made out of a semi-precious stone called jasper. This stone is a beautiful quartz based stone that is used to make jewelry, among other things. Jasper sells for about $8/pound when bought wholesale. Using the measurements from today's reading, it would take approximately $14.6 trillion dollars to purchase just the stone to make this wall. For those of us who find these numbers hard to visualize, 14 trillion is the number 14 with twelve zeros after it. To put that into a different perspective, if I were to stack 14.6 trillion dollar bills on top of each other, my stack of George W

Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** I was listening to a presentation this morning and this verse really caught my eye. We have read it before in an earlier presentation, but I wanted to take our time together to discuss one important word in today's reading. The Apostle Paul wrote the following... Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 (NIV) The presenter was using this verse to show the fact that the abundant life that God promises through belief in Jesus Christ (see John 10:10 when you get a chance) is a life that can be filled with peace. Isn't that what the world needs today - a little more peace? I know I sure can use this ever elusive quality in my daily life. When the presenter read this verse, he stopped on the word "let". It was as though he hadn't seen that word before in this scripture. I know for a fact this man has studied the Bible in ways you and I will never be able to in our lives. But, at that moment, I was watching God do something in this man's life, with one simple three letter word - "let". I love those moments. When they hit, they are a wonder to behold. All day, after this presentation, I was thinking of the word "let." I decided to write on it a bit and this presentation is the result. You see, the life of a victor is filled with the need to "let" life happen. That's the only way peace can be a part of who we are. I'm not talking about peace that we settle for when it comes to our life. The peace of a good paycheck, a good meal, a good relationship, good health or good anything is a peace that is valuable but, Oh so fleeting. Sure I want that peace in my life as much as you do. However, the peace I think Paul is talking about here is a peace that can be there no matter how good or how bad our lives are. I believe that peace is possible when the victor is in the place of letting life happen as I saw it unfolding in the presenter's life today. There is no doubt that we have all been taught we need to "make" life be what we want it to be. The world is really good at proving this point day in and day out. Believe me, I know this to be true in so many ways in my own life. It isn't wrong to be in the business of making the good we want in our lives come about through our efforts. It is when we tie the results of our attempts to "make" happen what we want with who we are that victim thinking trouble can rear its ugly head and peace can go out the window. The victor needs to come to grips with the fact that "let" trumps the power of "make" as far as identity is concerned. "Let" speaks to allowing something to happen. When the victor is in the position of letting life happen, it is like we come into contact with something greater than anything our own efforts could ever bring into reality. When we come under the authority behind "let" in our life, the efforts we "make" seem to be able to do more that we could have ever thought possible. To get a better idea of what Paul was trying to convey in this verse about letting peace rule in our lives, I decided to take a look at some study tools that explain how the original language was used in these writings. To my surprise, the words "let" and "rule" are connected. I'm no Greek scholar, but it appears to me that they are the same word. It looks to me that when used together in a sentence it takes on a meaning quite different than what I would have thought the two words individually meant. Let me explain that a bit further. As I said, the words "let" and "rule" are the same word in Greek. The meaning of the word has a lot to do with making a decision to award a prize to a competitor in a sporting event. In fact the word "umpire" was used in the definition of the word for "let" and "rule" in the original language. Very interesting - isn't it? What does all that mean? Here's what hit me today. An umpire has to decide things. He or she has to take what 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. ********** "Now, the self-conscious part of our very being controls how God is seen and how our lives are impacted by the things that happen in this world. This isn’t how it was supposed to be, and we suffer in ways that make us give in to victim thinking as a result." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 110. The soul is called the "self-conscious" part of our being. If you boil it all down, the soul is really what sets one person apart from another. Sure, we have physical differences that makes each and everyone different, but, there is something about the soul that makes the individual truly unique.  The soul is an amazing combination of will, intellect and emotions. The power of the soul comes as we mix together these three elements, in just the right combination so as to make our mark on this world. Though the soul is a powerful force, it was never intended to be what humans were meant to rely on when it comes to making our identities what we think they should be.  You see, the soul is too limited in nature to be able to piece together all the segments of what it takes to have an identity that can stand the test of time. The soul's power comes when it reacts to stimuli. It simply was not designed to be the architect and implementer of something as precious and important as our identity. I believe identity has to come from something much more creative, something much more foundational than an entity that was made to react to input.  The soul, when led by the spirit, is a force that is something to behold. The spirit is that part of us that, I believe, is divine in nature. It is the spirit that has a connection with God that makes it uniquely qualified to help shape who we are. When the soul's ability to be the reactionary force it was made to be, is combined with the eternal connection of the spirit, humans begin to shine in ways that make change something exciting to contemplate.  When we rely on our will, intellect and emotions to shape our identity, we settle for a version of who we are that is only as good as what is happening in our lives at that moment. If things are going well, our soul react in a way as to let our identities be positive and, Oh so good. When things take a turn for the worse, our identities spiral into pits of despair, at times, all as the soul does its best to react to the negative coming against us at that time.  The spirit's job isn't to react. It's job is to hold a steady course. The spirit knows where we are headed. The soul can only react to where we are right now. The spirit isn't concerned with the highs and lows of our situation unless those highs and lows are taking us in the wrong direction. When the spirit is in control, it empowers the soul to react to getting off course in ways that makes it easy to get our lives back on track. The soul just isn't capable of doing that same kind of job because it doesn't have all the tools necessary like the spirit does. Relying on the soul to do the work of the spirit is like trying to fit a square peg in the round hole. Just like any job in the real world, the right tool for the right work is paramount to making easy work of any task.  I believe that is why our society has sunk so deeply into its Victim-Based condition. Not having the right tools to make identity all it is suppose to be has made it so easy for us all to be entitled, misinformed, demanding, offended and victimized individuals. As a result, our souls continue to try and dig us out of this mess in ever increasing ways that make victim thinking all the more likely. It just doesn't have to be this way.  The spirit has something that the soul needs desperately. Check out today's Bible verse for what the spirit has