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. ********** "What rights do I have as a victor? Honestly, the only answer that puts me in a place where expectation doesn’t lead to offense is, “I HAVE NO RIGHTS!” Maybe it’s just me, but thinking I have God-given rights puts me in a place of thinking I’m entitled." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 206. I believe the crux to the problem of our Victim-Based Society today is the issue of rights. We are so fortunate to live in a country that was formed on the amazing principle of freedom as a right that is granted by none other than God Himself. That foundation isn't the problem. It is what we have done to twist that foundation in ways that work to benefit the individual rather than the community that has made rights such a victim laced proposition in our society today.  It is when the individual finds offense that their rights have been infringed upon that the issue of entitlement becomes such a powerful force in their life. Entitlement comes with such a demanding spirit. Entitlement is never really satisfied so offense continues to happen. The view that the personal rights of the victim are being continually squashed at every turn is confirmed in the eyes of the entitled. This kind of thinking pits one person against another. That causes disunity and ultimately victimization. Those who are entitled eventually come to the point where they are willing to victimize others as they fight for their rights in ways only a free country can ever allow.  Salman Rushdie puts it this way. "Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read.  If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people. I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it.  To read a 600-page novel and then say that it has deeply offended you: well, you have done a lot of work to be offended." Yet that's where many of us are in today's Victim-Based Society. We are doing a lot of work to be offended. We feel we have the right to be offended and are entitled to compensation for that offense. We are working really hard at being offended and that is destroying the very fabric of our nation today.  Paul in the Bible dealt with the issue of rights, entitlement and offense with the Church in Corinth. Check out today's Bible reading with me.  Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:11-12 (NLT) Paul is 100% correct. He has every right to be supported for the work he was doing with the people in Corinth. He was entitled to support in ways the people of that city had supported others in the past. Paul could have demanded that support and was on solid legal and ethical ground to do so. Yet Paul took a different tact. He decided that he was going to do something completely unheard of and radical by all comparison. He decided to abandon his rights for the good of all those he was called to serve. Now that's a victor's way of approaching the issue of victim thinking if I have ever seen one.  Reality is that in this life, we have no rights. You see, rights come to those who are citizens of a nation. If you are not a citizen of a country than the basic rights afforded by that

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 have our destiny tied to what we do here on earth, our identity is able to get so convoluted that victim thinking can really take over. This is particularly the case for those who have felt God leading them in a particular direction only to have that direction fall short of their expectations in one way or another." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 189. It is so easy to view destiny as a straight line. I'm here, my destiny is there. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Makes sense to me - right? Problem is that the things in this life are rarely that simple. The same goes for destiny. I can't tell you how many times I have felt God leading me towards what I thought was a destiny in my life. There are times where I could actually see the results of what God was leading me to do. Those are exciting times to say the least. When you feel the leading of God and actually have a vision of what you think God wants you to do there is a confidence that wells up from deep down inside.  In every one of those situations where I felt so completely lead by God I have failed to end up where I so clearly thought I saw God wanted me to go. The disappointments I have felt over those failures has driven victim thinking deep down into my soul. In fact, I now have to fight a lingering doubt in my life that says, "Maybe I cant' trust the things I think I'm hearing from God in my life."  I coming to believe that it isn't that I can't trust God or what God might be saying in my life. I'm learning that I need to hold loosely how I interpret what God is saying and adjust my actions accordingly. What I'm really learning is that the path to destiny isn't a straight line, it is a lane. Lanes aren't straight, they are winding. Twists and turns will be a part of our path. Though we may end up exactly where we thought we would at the very beginning of our journey, the path will be anything but straight. That's a fact that I think God has ordained in life so that we won't loose sight of our dependence on Him and His love for us.  I was talking with a friend of mine the other day. He was expressing how he is searching for his purpose in life. I could hear the familiar strings of victim thinking coming through my friend's words. It isn't that it is wrong to ponder one's purpose. It is that victim thinking can latch on in insidious ways when we become preoccupied with finding that purpose. I could hear in my friend's voice that he was beginning to link purpose to his identity. In other words, my friend was starting to believe that his identity wouldn't be all it could be unless he identified his purpose and took steps to make that purpose a reality.  Sorry to be so blunt, but that is what I'm starting to call, "straight line thinking." Here's what I have found with straight lines in life. The only straight line in the human experience comes about when we tie anything we can conjure up to identity. It is when we associate who we are with anything we are able to set out to do that we are lead down the straight line to victim thinking. Purpose and destiny isn't a straight line between here and there, but victim thinking is when we tie purpose or destiny to who we think we are.  Today's Bible reading is such a simple yet powerful reminder of what God is doing as we go down the twists and turns of the life He has made for us. It says, The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. Psalm 138:8 (NKJV) This is the last line of Psalm 138. The Psalmist is going through some hard times. He said earlier in the Psalm "Though I walk in the midst of trouble..." Maybe David was remembering so

Click here to link directly to the audio file. ********** Sometimes when I listen to music of any kind I get drawn to a word or a phrase that really gets me to thinking. This is especially the case with worship music. One Sunday our worship leaders played the song, "At The Cross" by Chris Tomlin. One of the chorus' repeats a word over and over again. That word is "here." On that particular day the word "here" really was speaking to me. The more I thought about what that word meant the more my victor status came into focus as I let the "here" in my life overwhelm the victim thinking ways that come with thinking of anything other than "here." Right here and right now, this is our destiny. What happened in the past, even a few seconds ago is gone. What will happen in the future can't be guaranteed. All we have with respect to making destiny happen is in the right here and right now. That's what was hitting me so hard when I heard that chorus from Chris' song. I remember my mother saying that I shouldn't wish my life away. She was responding to my many bouts of looking forward to a certain circumstance happening on a future date. When I would say; "I can't wait for next week to come." she would remind me to live in the here and now saying, "Don't wish your life away." I have to be honest, those words seemed pretty ridiculous to me at that time. As I now realize how fast time is slipping by I cherish those words of wisdom and work to live in the moment more these days. Here is all we really have so why not enjoy our here as much as we can. Destiny is experienced in the here and now, not in the past nor in the future. Reality is that our here and now destiny might literally stink! When circumstances at this moment are not what you would ever want in your life, destiny can seem to be such a cruel and hurtful prospect. Enjoying the here and now when bad times hit can be quickly replaced by wishing for something different in the future. It is when we face a stinking destiny that time can be such an enemy for the person trying to live out a victor's life. When it comes to a stinking destiny, we are in good company. Jesus faced a stinking destiny when it came to the cross. His here and now included torture, suffering, rejection and ultimately death. Don't you know Jesus was tempted to want something more as He suffered on the cross for you and for me? Yet in the middle of His crucifixion, Jesus allowed the here and now to linger in ways that made a difference in the lives of those all around Him suffering in their own ways. Check out one of today's Bible verses for how Jesus used his here and now to change our world. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34 (NIV) In the middle of His suffering, Jesus let us know what He was doing on the cross. He was ushering in forgiveness for all who were alive at that time and all who live in our here and now. Jesus could have been so preoccupied with getting out of the suffering He faced that those words might have never been uttered. We have a record of Jesus' purpose for life and for His death because He let His stinking destiny be all it could rather than hoping for something different and better. Sometimes the bad situations that come against us are but a prelude of something greater that is happening around us that is just too far above our pay-grade to really understand. When bad times hit it is a good idea to pay attention to what is going on around us so that we don't miss the miracles that are happening all around. Jesus' next words were to a man hanging on a cross right next to Him. This man defended Jesus from the attacks of another suffering to death for his crimes and from the attacks from those watching this brutality take place. The man asked Jesus to remember Him when this life passed and Christ said the following; Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."Luke 23:43 (NIV) As Jesus suffered, He let His

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 'have to' thinking permeates all parts of our lives, freedom becomes something that we can only dream of." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 177. One of the hallmarks of those of us being set up for victim thinking is that we indiscriminately use the words "have to" to describe normal, everyday events in our lives. I have to go pick up my kids. I have to go to Church. I have to spend the evening with my wife. As I have said before, "have to" speaks of obligation. Obligation makes our souls believe that our freedom is under attack in ways that puts our will, intellect and emotions on high alert.  Do we really mean that your kids, your church and/or your spouse are obligations? Sure there are tasks that we have committed to do when it comes to these important parts of our lives, but is obligation really the best word to describe what we are doing for and with them? Think about it. Do you really want your spouse to be obligated to spend time with you? Doesn't that sound like the furthest thing from freedom and love to you? It's like you are forcing them to do something horrible as though spending time with you is a chore like no other in their lives. Is that what we mean when we say, "I have to spend the evening with my wife?" I sure hope my wife never gets the idea that spending time with her is something I see as a chore that I have to suck up and just do. If it is, I have bigger problems than just victim thinking in my life that needs to be addressed.  "Have to" are't magic words of some kind. They aren't casting a spell over our lives that guarantees bad things will come our way. No, these two simple little words communicate a picture to our souls that might not be as accurate a snapshot as to what is going on at any given moment. It is when our souls gear up for a fight that we can cause others to be victimized by our actions in ways we never intended.  I'm trying to pay attention to my words particularly when I'm attempting to communicate my need to take on a task in my life. I would much rather use the words "Get to" to describe those things I am involved in. "Get to" speaks of opportunity where "Have to" speaks of obligation. I have said it before but, the soul loves opportunity and hates obligation.  You see opportunity speaks of freedom where obligation speaks to bondage. If I am obligated I am bound to that thing in ways that my soul really doesn't like to let be a part of my existence. Opportunity, on the other hand, conveys a positive spin on a situation that our soul loves to get behind and make the best happen for our lives.  The Bible can be read in such a "have to" kind of way. There are a lot of do's and don't when it comes to what the Bible teaches in some places. Following the logic I've presented here, "have to's" in the Bible sets up our soul to fight what God is saying in ways He never intended for us to experience. It is as though when we read the Bible with a "have to" approach we are making our souls an enemy of God Himself. That's not a very life giving place for our souls to take us.  I once came across today's Bible reading and took on a "have to" kind of approach. Before I describe the results of my actions, let's read what God's word says.  Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. Psalm 128:1-4 (NIV) Who doesn't want to be prosperous? Who doesn't want the relationships with their spouse and children to be all they can possi

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. **********"Deep down inside of us all, there is a hunger to be known. We work so hard to satisfy this hunger by doing things that make us look good to the outside world and make us feel good inside. Oh, how temporary this is! This kind of satisfaction is such a jealous mistress in our lives. It is never satisfied!"As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 72. Most of the challenges I have had in my marriage and with other important relationships happen when I feel I'm not being understood. At the root of that feeling is the deep and unmistakable desire to be known. It is when we are known that we can really be appreciated and valued for the amazingly unique creations that we really are.  I believe this is the purpose for our time here on earth. We are to come to a place where we know that we are known by this God that made us. Unfortunately this world is really good at making us think that if anyone really knew who we were than we would be outcast even more profoundly than we feel we are right now. This is just as true, and even more so, as we think about ever being known by this God that made us.  Have you ever taken a close look at Da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper"? There so many details in that painting that lead me to believe there was true inspiration behind this amazing work of art. One of the interesting elements of the painting is the position and posture of each of the twelve disciples. There Jesus sits in the middle of this motley crew and as you study what each one is doing you get an glimpse into their personality and understanding as to what was going on. To Jesus' right is a very feminine looking person. This is the apostle John. I've often wondered why Da Vinci would make John look so demure? In fact, recent rumors regarding this depiction of John and Jesus in this masterpiece have been floated indicating that Jesus must have been gay and that John was his lover. Isn't it interesting how rumors can be used to try and get us way off track particularly when those rumors have no substantiation at all. No, I think Da Vinci saw something different about John and his relationship with Jesus that highlights a victor characteristic we need to be made aware of. I think Da Vinci was focused on a statement John used about himself when he referred to Jesus. Check out one such statement hidden in today's Bible reading. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. John 13:23 (NIV) Look how John describes himself. "The disciple whom Jesus loved." Now, there's a bold statement if I have ever seen one. I have always thought that this statement was kind of pompous. Did John really think that Jesus didn't love any of the other disciples? Then it was explained to me this way. It wasn't that John thought that Jesus loved only him. No, it is that John realized that He, like all of us, are loved by Jesus. Where Peter was always busy trying to prove that he loved Jesus, John was secure in the fact that Jesus loved him. The difference between the way John viewed love and the way Peter viewed that same concept is so important for the victor to grasp. You see, John knew that he was known, warts and all, and was loved by Jesus. Peter saw his shortcomings and felt the overpowering need to fight his shortcomings in order to prove his love for God. John's approach to love is how a victor can live in a world filled with victimizing circumstances while Peter's way will ultimately lead to victim thinking in that same world. When will we ever get it into our heads that we are known, loved and wanted by this God that made us. God isn't waiting for us to get our act together so that He can love us. He loves us just the way we are. That is such a power filled and fre

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. ********** "Condemnation is an identity crusher." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 59. There is nothing like a healthy dose of condemnation to make us question who we are. I'll bet you can think back to your childhood and remember words that were spoken over your life that still have a power over you in ways that are unmistakable. If you are like the vast majority of the people on this planet, you too will have had way too many negative and condemning words spoken into your life that continue to influence you today. Why does condemnation have such a power over our identity like I believe it does? Could it be that we just weren't designed to be condemned in any way? I believe that is exactly the case. We are made to live forever in a life-giving, positive place with our creator as our daily companion. Because we choose something less than that idealistic way of living, we have been placed in a world that wants us to literally kill ourselves trying to prove something we already are. It is when we fail to gather that proof of who we are that the words of those who were just as lost as we are come back to haunt us. The condemning words of those we looked up to in the past, who were stuck in victim thinking as we can be at times, is what helps to fuel belief in the lie that we will never be the victor we feel like we should be deep down inside of our souls. That's why God has taken such elaborate steps to eliminate condemnation from our lives as far as He is concerned. The absolute beauty and power of a savior is something I don't think we let ourselves ponder for very long. You see, condemnation can only come from God when we choose how we want our lives to be judged. If we choose to be judged by what we do as proof of who we are, we can't help but to hear the condemning words from God Himself. We will never be able to do enough to measure up to the ideals of perfection required to commune with our creator. Choosing to be judged based on our actions is a strategy that assures defeat. Jesus isn't a the founder of a religion. He is the eliminator of condemnation. The fact that he took on the punishment of all our imperfections makes us perfect. He stood in our place so that we could have communion with our creator no matter how good our bad our lives look at any given moment. No other religion can do what Christianity does. A follower of Christ can't be condemned because there are no expectations when it comes to performance as far as God is concerned. Check out this simple Bible verse regarding condemnation. The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Psalm 34:22 (NIV) None of those who come to God will be condemned. It doesn't say as soon as you get your life in order condemnation will be gone. It doesn't even say that if you are good at what you do for God you won't be condemned. No, condemnation is gone when we simply come to Him. That's the beautiful message of Jesus Christ. Where all other religions require performance to be the benchmark of acceptance, Christianity stands out by making acceptance automatic by what God has done rather than what we might do. If performance doesn't enter the picture when acceptance is concerned, then how can there be condemnation? Condemnation comes when we are chastised for not being good enough at what one person thinks we should be good at. Condemnation comes when a parent is disappointed at how we have turned out. Condemnation comes when an employer finds fault with our abilities and actions at work. Condemnation comes when a spouse rejects us because our love for them didn't rise to a level of acceptance to meet their needs. With Christ, condemnation is gone because performance isn't even part of the equat

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. ********** "Victory and defeat will be part of the holy’s life just as it will be part of the unholy’s life. Oh, but the day when we are called home, how things will change!" As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 52. I happen to believe that there is so much more to life than what we experience here on a day-by-day basis. I think there is something greater going on than just what the results of our actions happen to be. That's why I have taken the position that I am so much more than what my victory's or my defeats might say about me. I simply can't stand for my identity to be limited by what this world says is right for me when who I am is concerned. If I buy into the world's way of doing things then the only way I can call myself a victor is if victory is all I experience. Give me a season where victory seems to be eluding me and my victor status will be the furthest thing from my ability to believe. Stay in that place where I don't believe I am a victor and victim thinking can't help but to take hold in ways that I know will cause victimization to others around me. The same can be said about how we sometimes misinterpret what the Bible says about us. It is so easy to believe that God is communicating that only the good will prosper and only the bad will suffer. Sadly, this just isn't the case on this side of Heaven. Our circumstances have so little to do with our ability to live up to some religious standard. Believing that our good life is dependent on how well we live out a holiness is such a foolish and dangerous way of living. How can I be so certain of this prospect? Just think of the life of Jesus. Is there anyone who was or will be as holy as God's own son? I don't think so! Yet, as holy as this Christ was, His circumstances didn't turn out such that any one could say that His life was good. This isn't said to predict that the lives of a follower of Christ will be just as bad - that's just isn't the case at all. This is said to help us all disconnect the circumstances of life we live from being able to follow some man-made religious or worldly standard. Good or bad, holy or unholy, moral or immoral, winner or loser - we all will have good times in our life and we all will face the bad as well. That's why I'm so stuck on talking about the fact we are victors, not because of what we have done but because of what God has done for us. If I look to anything I do for confirmation of my victor status I will eventually be disappointed - so much so that I might abandon feeling I will ever be a victor. When I get to such a low point as that, victim thinking is all I have left. When we are stuck in that trap of victim thinking is when we become the kinds of victimizers that make our Victim-Based Society thrive like it is today. So, the next time you come against some challenging circumstances, maybe it is time to think about what is going on from a different vantage point. Rather than letting the badness make you think there is something wrong with you maybe it is time to think there is something wrong with the world. Check out today's Bible reading as it relates to this point. If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you. John 15:18-19 (MSG) Did you know the world hates you? That's why the badness is happening to you. The world can't stand that you would dare to believe that you are something more than what the total sum of your abilities prove. The evil behind this world doesn't want you to walk in the power that you are more than what you can do and how well yo

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 in The Church look at a man’s circumstances in order to judge how much of a victor that man is. This is wrong, and it makes those of us who don’t measure up to a certain elusive standard of victory feel like victims." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 40. Circumstances are such a lousy means of judging the extent of whether a person is a victor in God’s eyes or not. How can I say this with such conviction? It is because of how God treated Jesus that makes me believe that circumstances, and what we do with those circumstances that makes me believe God has a totally different perspective when it comes to the victor’s life. Check out today’s Bible reading. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17 (NKJV) On its own, this verse doesn’t speak much about circumstances and God’s view of His son as victor. You have to realize that, up to this point,  Jesus hadn’t done a single thing worthy enough to be written about in The Bible. God was saying, “Check out my son - I am so proud of Him.” He wasn’t proud because of what Jesus did. He was proud because of who Jesus was. It was Christ’s identity as God’s Child that made God proud. It’s the same with us. Our standing with God is in no way connected with what we have done or will do for Him. Our standing is complete because of our walk with God, not because what we do as we walk with Him. It will always be a temptation for us to look first to accomplishment and circumstance to judge a person’s standing. Sometimes, that’s the prudent thing to do in this world. In God’s economy, accomplishment and circumstance play such a different role when it comes to identity. Our identity as God’s Child is secure and that’s what makes us a victor. There is one word in today’s Bible verse that we absolutely must hold onto as we face a world that is judging us based on how well we do. That word is “beloved”. Jesus wasn’t God’s son; He was God’s beloved son. That’s what we are as we give our lives to God. We are His beloved son or daughter. There is power in that word, beloved. The victim thinker might be God’s son or daughter but he/she doesn’t believe they are God’s BELOVED son or daughter. Victim thinkers are trying to earn that title of beloved. Hang onto the fact that you, a victor in God’ eyes, are the beloved. It isn’t what you do that makes you God’s beloved - it is who you are. Living this kind of life can make today different when it comes to victor living vs. victim thinking.

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 just can’t lose even when the score seems to point out that they are behind from a worldly perspective." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 24. We have been so conditioned to look to the scoreboard when it comes to whether we are winning or losing. The game of life isn’t like any sports event in which we we might participate. The score just doesn’t tell the tale when it comes to winning and losing from this life’s perspective. Chasing a score is such a role driven kind of life. If you really believe the saying, “Those with the most toys at the end wins!”, you are in for a wild roller coaster ride of a life. What usually ends up happening is that identity is tied to the toys, not even to the prospect of winning or losing. When the toys go out of style, what happens to your identity? Winning in life, for the victor is so much more than who has the most ___________________ (you fill in the blank). Winning in life has something more to do with the closeness of God than which side is on top. Check out today’s Bible reading to see God’s perspective on keeping score. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) God doesn’t seem all that concern with the score. After all He knows who wins - God does! I have a good friend of mine who sums up The Bible in that way - “God Wins!” Look at the verse to see what God is concerned about. First of all He is concerned for our attitude. He says, “Be strong and courageous…” He knows that we will look at the scoreboard and the clock and fear will grip us as we feel the pressure to make up lost ground as we feel time slipping away. Fear does an amazing job of getting us into a place where we can miss what is really important. Be strong and courageous - it isn’t about the outcome that is important. There is so much more with God. The most important thing God is concerned about from today’s Bible reading is that we know He is always there. It says the Lord our God goes with us. His presence is always there. Sometimes when we get preoccupied with the scoreboard and/or the clock we can’t feel His Presence. Our focus on our need to do more blinds us to seeing Him. God knows that is a bad place for us to be. What’s the score in your life? The more we can eliminate our need to know the answer to that question the better chance we have of living out this life as a victor. As you are faced with score keeping and clock watching today, remember that God is with you no matter what the scoreboard might be saying at this given moment. Live in that place of God’s power knowing His Presence is all we need to change everything about the game of life we find ourselves part of today.

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 more we believe our identity is somehow related to the pains of life that have made us victims the greater the possibility that we, the victims, can become the victimizers. As dangerous as it is for the secular world to allow victimhood to define its identity, it is totally devastating for The Church." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 20. With failure comes victimization. It hurts when we fail. Sometimes that hurt is so profound that we get to places where we end up hurting others. When the sting of failure has come so often our view of life can darken to the point where we can barely see the light of goodness in our lives. It’s those times when victim thinking can become so profound in a person’s life that the victim can become the victimizer. Key is to not let victim thinking take such a profound hold that victimization can be a real possibility. That’s easier said then done. Victim thinking is so insidious. It slowly sneaks into our lives that often times it is hard for us to recognize the symptoms. Even when we do recognize the symptoms the victim thinker is oftentimes slow to admit that they are stuck in this dark place. I love what today’s Bible reading says about being in that dark place victim thinking can take us. Check it out for yourself. With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (The Message) Four words are key in this verse - they are the antidote to the kinds of victim thinking that can lead to victimization. “No Longer Have To…” These words speak of choice. Victim thinking, just like victor living is a choice. We don’t have to live under the “continuous, low-flying black cloud” of victim thinking. Choosing to live under a new power, the power of Christ, is what makes it possible for those of us profoundly stuck in victim thinking to turn our lives around and live the victor lives we were made to live. Though we may continue to face brutal tyranny in our lives, that works to make us victims, we no longer have to fear the brutal tyranny of death! That strong wind of Christ is what gives us a strong footing when the horrific winds of hell blow against us in this life. I wish I could say it makes life better, there just isn’t any guarantee of a better life for the victor or for the victim thinker. Life is going to be what it is going to be. Today can be your day to feel the changing winds in your life. It’s time to take a deep breath of the new breeze that is coming your way. The black cloud of victim thinking can’t stand against the refreshing breeze that is Jesus Christ. Your victor status is guaranteed in Him. It is critical that you CHOOSE to be a victor. The well being of the lives of those around you literally depend on you making this choice. Remember, victim thinking will lead to victimization. Make today your day to catch that new wind of your victor identity through Christ in your life.