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 know who we are offense takes on a different role in our lives. We have choice. With choice comes freedom and power. That’s the destiny of a victor." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 217. People often misunderstand the feeling of power that comes with being offended.  We tend to believe that in our offense we have a newfound authority over those who have offended us.  Offense speaks from the belief that the offended is correct and the offender is in the wrong.  Though this may be the very case, the power that the offended feels is a short lived and extremely unproductive kind of power in their lives. All too often those who are offended have come into this condition because of a challenge (real or perceived) to their identity.  Offense is extremely easy when we have a wrong view of who we are.  When we are satisfied with allowing the roles we play to define who we are offense happens more and more in ways that establish victim thinking habits for people in this world. Victors have found their identity has been established and secured by what God has spoken in their lives.  The success or failure of the roles that they play and what others may say about them as they work out their roles, don't drive the victor to offense as quickly as it used to when they were confused about their identity.  When the victor is offended the reality of their identity helps them to move out of that place of offence before victim thinking can take hold of their lives. The power that the offended feels is a choice challenged power.  In other words the offended has little choice but to react in ever increasing victim thinking ways.  And, as we have seen in the past, those stuck in victim thinking ways are doomed to become victimizers themselves.  Offense leads to victim thinking which then leads to situations where the offended can become offenders in one way or another. Check out what our bible verse for today says about the power we have in our identity.  for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) Offense is really about fear.  It's about the fear that we have when someone says or does something that contradicts the identity we want others to understand about ourselves.  It's about the fear that we allow to control our lives when it is a possibility that the good things in our life might be challenged by those around us.  It is the fear that comes when we just don't know who we are and we are afraid others might not to be able to accept or love us when our identity is in question. Being offended might bring a sense of power into our lives but that power doesn't hold a candle to the power God is talking about in the 2 Timothy verse we read earlier.  There is real power in our identity.  Power to overcome fear.  Power to realize that we are loved for exactly who God made us to be.  Power to live in our status as a victor when victimizing events try to bring offense into our lives. When someone says or does something today that offends you maybe it's time to try something different.  Maybe it's time to reject that false power we all feel when we are offended and step out of that spirit of fear into the place of power that is love and self-control.  This is one of the ways victors can walk in the fullness of their status when the craziness of this world allow situations to offend us.  Make the power God has provided to you, the victor, something you choose over the timid power that comes with offence.

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. ********** “I have found that the concept of performance is at the root of whether I feel like a victim or a victor. If I perform up to the standards I have set for myself or that others have set for me, I feel like a victor. Fail to perform up to those ever elusive standards and I’m a victim.” As quoted from the book victor - breaking free from a victim of a society by John H. Hovis Page 3. Feelings; they are the trap of performance. If I perform in a way that looks good in the eyes of others, I feel good about myself. I FEEL like a victor. If I fail in the eyes of others, I feel bad and victim thinking tries to take hold. Performance in religion is the single most damaging thing we can be a part of when it comes to living the life of a victor. Unfortunately the Christian faith isn’t immune to performance based standards. So many people I speak with that have little or nothing to do with church say  that it is the hypocrisy in the church that turns them off so completely. That hypocrisy can be steeped in performance issues. I bet you feel the same way when hypocrisy based on holding out standards that are so easily missed comes against you and your life. Think about the last, “self professed Christian leader” or role model who has taken a tumble morally. Doesn’t it feel a little bit good to see someone, who one moment is attacking the “sin” in this world only to find their reputations tarnished by that same sin in their life? When we use performance as a benchmark as to how good a follower of our God we are, hypocrisy is quick to rear its ugly head. When I choose to live by the fact that my performance will never be good enough for my God I begin to have compassion for those around me who struggle, like I do, with living up to the ever growing list of do’s and don’ts religion likes to put on me. You see, God is perfect; I’m not! His standard is impossible to attain. If I take it upon myself to try to be perfect, or fall into a misguided, rules based religion in an attempt to come close to Him,  I’m doomed to live life with the prospect of victim thinking lurking at the door of my heart. That’s why I believe in Jesus. He was and is perfect. He was able to live up to the standards of a perfect God and paid the price for my not being able to do so. That’s what makes me a victor. Any focus on performance in religion will only leave me discouraged and make it impossible to attain my goal. The Bible reminds me about my abilities and my understanding of right and wrong when it comes to living a life with God. It says; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Look, there’s nothing wrong with setting goals and using my natural ability to reach for those goals. Same goes for our striving to know our God. What I am saying is that we have to hold loosely the results of our natural efforts. Sometimes our best efforts just fall short. That’s when victim thinking can take hold. I’m also not saying that, as a follower of Christ I’m not to do anything. There’s plenty for me to do as I follow Christ in my life. I’m just choosing to not let whether I perform up to some man made standard be what defines whether I’m living like a victor or a victim to be what controls me today. How about you? Ready to live like a victor today? Then let Jesus’ actions on the cross be what makes you a victor, not how well you perform 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. ********** "They see their melancholy ways as somewhat of a badge of honor; even though they can’t feel or see God, they continue to follow Him. There has to be some reward for choosing God in spite of the fact that their lives can’t prove His existence. Hear the haunting strings of victim thinking in such a response?" As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 165. Oftentimes some of the most downcast and negative people you will see are people who call themselves Christians. I have seen movies that portray monks who spend their days literally beating themselves with branches over the wretched people they are.  Maybe I have it all wrong, but those who follow Jesus should be among some of the most joy filled people to walk the face of the earth. Sure if we compare ourselves to a perfect god, those monks are doing exactly what they should be doing.  We are wretched people when compared to the perfection of a perfect god.  Our wretchedness deserves punishment more significant than being beaten by twigs and branches. We deserve to be wiped off the face of all creation! But that's the whole idea of Jesus!  He came so that we might be able to live in the fullness of the identity of the victors that we are in spite of our failure at eliminating wretchedness from our lives.  It's not perfection in our lives that makes as victors, it's the perfect life of Jesus Christ that allows us to be seen as the victors God made us to be. A wonderful and talented friend of mine named Manna Ko gave a presentation to a group of Christian artists and authors.  In this presentation she discussed the "7 Ups of Being a Christian." One of the "Up's" she presented was that we, as followers of Christ,  weshould " Dress Up." In her talk she asks the important question, "Why are we all walking around like a bunch of victims?" She was referring to the fact that so many of us have allowed the challenges that we face to make us doubt the identity of the victor that Jesus paid such a high price to provide for us.  In that regard, we're just like the rest of the world when we are so quick to "Dress Down" in a way that makes victim thinking a real possibility in our lives. Where Christians and non Christians alike get it wrong is that we let the circumstances of this life define our identity, and therefore our attitude about the life that we live.  Christians are not immune to challenges and trials in this life in spite of some teachings to the contrary.  The bible is clear about what a follower of Jesus might expect. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 (NIV) Darkness, death, pressure, confusion even persecution.  Not a very appealing benefit list for those who might be thinking of following Jesus if you ask me.  The reality is that all of these things and more are likely to happen whether we follow Jesus or not.  Unfortunately, we have somehow bought into the lie that by accepting Jesus all these challenges and more will somehow not be a part of our life. When Manna spoke of "Dressing Up" she was talking about the concept of putting on our best because of what God has done for us. Put on our best face, our best attitude, our best hop

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 is yours. Circumstances don’t define that victory, God’s Love for you does." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 65. Victory and living the life of a victor aren't as connected as closely as the world has taught they are. Having victory in my life can't be the single characteristic as to what makes me a victor. If the presence of victory is the requirement for victor living then we all are doomed to victim thinking due to the fact that victory, by the world's definition, isn't assured in this world. From time to time we will go through patches when victory seems to be anything but ours. It's during those times, times when we long for victory, that our identity as a victor can be severely challenged. Nothing ushers in the effects of victim thinking more than when our identity is being challenged by failing to see the personally defined and often misplaced characteristics of that identity to materialize in our life. Look at it this way. Say you value the identity of being an artist. if your definition of what it takes to be an artist includes selling your art for seven figures or more you are likely to doubt yourself in this identity  since very few living artists can claim this kind of fame. There is nothing wrong with working towards achieving a status where your art sells for astronomical amounts. It is when we tie our goals, and the chances of us reaching those goals, to our identity when victim thinking can work to cripple our lives. When you boil it all down, victory, from the world's view, is all about success. The victor loves success as much as anyone else. Tying our definition of success to our identity of a victor is such a damaging and joy robbing thing for us to do. It is when the challenges of this world come at us that we can doubt our ability to experience success. That's when despair can usher in the long term and devastating effects of victim thinking into our lives. Even the Bible can be a bit confusing if we view things like victory, success and prosperity from the wrong perspective. Take a look at today's reading and think how victim thinking can result if we turn this verse into a formula to prove our identity. and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 2 Kings 2:3 (NIV) On the surface today's reading is a pretty clear formula for victory, if prosperity is part of your definition of victory. It says in the scripture, "Do this (observe and obey God's commands) so that you may prosper..." What happens to you when you are observing and obeying as perfectly as you can yet prosperity is not the result. If you are like me, when this happens over and over again, then you come face to face with some serious doubts - doubts about yourself and doubts about God. In that place of doubt victim thinking can't help but take root and grow. Truth is that victory is ours. As was said earlier, however, our circumstances will never be enough to consistently prove we are victorious. Fact is, we are victorious even in the absence of victory when we rest in the belief that victory is ours when we know God loves us. Circumstances don't make us victorious, God's love for us does! It is his love for us that makes us victors and that kind of status can't ever be fully confirmed by circumstances in life. But what about today's Bible reading? How do we deal with the seeming contradiction between what is being said and this view of victory in God's love? Today's reading isn't a formula for success - It is a statement of relationship. If we observe and obey the commands of God,

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. ********** “Have to” can close the door for us to see God’s Hand in our lives. “Get to” opens that door, especially as we exercise our power of thankfulness particularly in bad situations." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 184. It's so interesting how humans tend to rebel against those things in life that come at us with the words "have to".  Tell a child that they "have to" do something and there's a pretty fair chance they will do all in their power to make the opposite happened. "Have to" speaks of obligation and makes our soul believe that we have no choice.  When faced with the possibility of no choice I believe we want to react negatively because we have been designed to live in freedom.  I'm not talking about freedom that comes from man.  No, the freedom I'm speaking of is a freedom that was placed inside of each and every one of us by god himself.  That freedom isn't limited to a particular country, political system, or way of life.  It is something that all humans instinctively know and do all they can to rebel against the bondage of things exemplified when "have to" living is a possibility. Victim thinking is a realistic option when we allow the words "have to" to be a part of the tasks we face each day.  Of course there are obligations that we all have as we live the life we been given.  But, why negatively empower those obligations with the soul crushing words "have to"? "Get to" on the other hand speaks of opportunity.  The soul hates obligation and loves opportunity.  Why?  Because obligation tends to limit our freedom whereas opportunity can be the beginning of freedom filled endeavors in our life. What I'm presenting here is more than a semantics issue.  "Have to" prepares our soul to do battle against the potential for lack of freedom.  "Get to" releases our soul into the power of making as much freedom as possible available in our lives.  That's why "have to" closes the door to being able to see god's hand in our life whereas "get to" opens that door so that we can better see the goodness of god, particularly when we apply the strategy of thanksgiving in our lives. Here's what the bible says about the power of thanksgiving. 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) Two "commands" can be seen in this verse.  The first one is live in peace.  The second is be thankful.  The power in thanksgiving is that we have the opportunity to live in peace.  I believe the words "have two" make it so that obligation destroys our ability to be thankful and therefore peace is so hard to maintain.  No wonder the soul get so riled up at the prospect of the words " have to".  The soul longs for peace! Even the most abominable task takes on a different meaning when a "get to" perspective is used to describe that task.  It is almost as though we're giving the soul permission to be thankful for even the challenging things that come into our lives.  It isn't as though we're lying to ourselves by being thankful for challenging times.  It is because the of the fact that the goodness of god can be seen and experienced even when badness happens to us that enables  us to be thankful and praise him. You have a chance today to make peace be a motivating factor in empowering your soul to have an impact in this world.  The next time you recognize your use of the words "have to" why not stop and look at that situation and find something to be thankful for.  Do this every time you hear yourself saying "have to" and see what happens when you unleash the power of the sou

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. ********** "If I am entitled to something and that thing is somehow not fully provided there is nothing I can feel but offense, and I inevitably see myself as a victim." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 200. The dictionary defines the word "entitlement" as the belief that one is deserving of or due certain privileges.  With that definition in place it is easy to see how victim thinking can result when those things we feel entitled to don't happen in the timing or the way we demand.  There is little that challenges the lifestyle of victor more than holding onto the belief that we are entitled in one way or another for anything in this life. The definition of entitlement has a word that the victor needs to pay attention to in their lives.  That word is deserving.  Victim thinking is quick to happen when we believe that we deserve anything.  When we find ourselves in a place where we think we deserve something what is actually happening is that we are comparing ourselves to someone else. Think about it. If you feel you deserve that new car aren't you actually saying that you have performed in one way or another better or more completely than others? Deserving speaks of reward. If you feel deserving aren't you really saying you are better than the others in your life and that you are entitled to being awarded for being better? Look there is nothing wrong with being rewarded for a job well done. Rewards are such a sweet prize for us all. It is when we turn the corner to where we feel deserving that the victor stands the best chance of falling into victim thinking. Worse than that, victim thinking over issues of entitlement create victimizers when we fail to get what we believe we so completely deserve. Again, this way of thinking isn't in any way to make us feel guilty about good things happening to us. If God is a loving Father then how could he be against good things happening to his children? The problem with being entitled and acting out of a place of feeling deserving is that it is so easy to cross the line from an appreciative child to a demanding brat. This is particularly the case when we see others receiving things that we might feel we deserve. It goes back to that comparison thing. Not much pushes my buttons more than when I see people who, in my opinion, have expended much less effort and sacrificed less than I have end up getting more than me in return. Hear the victim thinking undertones in that last statement? It is when I allow myself the opportunity to compare myself to others when trouble is sure to follow. Comparison often leads me to offence when the issue of entitlement is concerned. Comparing ourselves to others, when it leads to offence, closes the door on our ability to hear from others and from god himself. Here's a question I've begun asking myself when entitlement starts to take me down the road to compare myself to others, "Why would I ever want to be like someone else?" Yes, there might be some the goodies in that person's life that I might be jealous of but do I really want to be like that person? To take it a bit further, do I really want to be like any other person in this world? I know the messiness in my life but have no idea of the hidden messes in that other person's world. When it comes to the choice between the mess in my life vs the mess in someone else's, the devil you know is so much better than the devil you don't know. So, the reality is that there isn't anyone in this world I should let the issue of comparison to get me into potential victim thinking ways. When it come to god, however, now there's someone maybe I would benefit from comparing my life to. Better stated, God is the perfect model for me to structu

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. ********** “I believe that we inside The Church have been living a lie for way too long. We have used the things of God for our own well being and haven’t lived up to the ideals we have set for ourselves, let alone those we think God has set for us. We have caused enough damage in this world by trading our identities for something we are not. It is time we live life as victors, not victims.” As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 5. Victim thinking takes hold the most when we are faced with the prospect of not getting what we want out of this life. This kind of thinking is just as rampant in the church as it is outside of it! I hate to burst your bubble, but God isn’t in our lives to make our lives comfortable like we want them to be. I know you know that but look how quickly this kind of victim laced thinking slips into your everyday life. Just think back on the last three things you prayed for. I’d be willing to bet those requests were for temporary things. Yes, your prayers were probably for BIG things like healing or provision or the return of a lost relationship. But, think about it; each of those things are for this world, not for what we will live for when we pass into the next phase of eternity. Look, I’m not saying it’s wrong for us to pray for temporary things. What’s wrong is to live under the misguided expectation that God’s great love for us means our comfort is what matters most to Him. The lie that makes victors sink into the pits of victim thinking is that our walk with God means our lives will be exactly what we want them to be. God has so much more planned for our lives than that. Take a look at what the Bible says on the subject, There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (MSG) It’s only natural that, if we keep praying for things that directly impact our comfort and those prayers go largely answered in ways that don’t assure our comfort, we will begin thinking that God’s love is somehow not for us. That, in the simplest form, is Satan’s plan for you and for me. He wants us to doubt God’s goodness for our lives. Demanding that God’s goodness mean we live a good life (by our own definition) is the foundation by which victim thinking can come between us and a vibrant relationship with our God. What’s on your prayer list today? If you are like me it is filled with comfort driven, temporary requests. That’s good! Keep on having a two way conversation with God over these and all issues in your life. But today, do something different. Let the power of your standing as a victor be the foundation for your prayers and watch how God responds. What you might see differently is how to press through the lies Satan is trying to get us to believe and move into that special place of a victor that is due a Child of God’s!

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. ********** “God’s plan is so much bigger than how nicely our life turns out. His plan is to secure, for all eternity, a relationship with as many souls as possible. We are part of that plan. Our destiny will be seen as complete in as much as we let Him empower the roles we play through our identity as God’s Child.” As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 20. I don’t say this as a put down in any way but, our plans will ALWAYS be lesser than the plans God has in this world. Our plans, no matter how much we live the victor’s life, will be tainted with the “self” in ways that pale to the overarching love of our God’s plan for this world. Again, this isn’t a knock; it is just a fact that those of us who want to live like a victor must get a firm grasp upon. Today’s Bible reading stresses this point so well. It says; “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) As soon as we get into our heads that God’s plans, His purpose, always prevail, the sooner we will be in a position to deal with the devastating effects of our plans falling short from time to time. Victim thinkers are people who have bet their entire being on the hope that their plan for a comfortable, meaningful and good life will come about. Sometimes the plans for our own definition of what a good life looks like come into complete contrast with the plans God has for His children in this world. It is when the good life we have worked so hard to maintain is challenged that doubts about God’s goodness can come in to play. That’s what Satan wants for us all - to allow enough doubt of God’s goodness to sneak in so that we are crippled when it comes to living like a victor. Those trapped in victim thinking ways have often lost hope that God’s goodness will ever be for them. It is when we confuse the goodies from God with God’s goodness that victim thinking can take hold, particularly when our plans aren’t going our way. God is a good God. His plan for salvation for the entire world is a good plan, one that cannot be stopped! The victor and victim thinker alike are part of that good and unstoppable plan. When we are living a life surrendered to God’s plan, then we are in a position where we can go after all our plans with the kind of gusto God has made us to have. Going after our plans with this kind of attitude makes the choice to live like a victor come into focus in our lives even when our plans don’t succeed. Look, the reality is that we have no guarantee our plans will work out. The only way I can even begin to think that I’m a victor even when my own personal plans aren’t victorious is to trust in the fact that I’m part of a plan that is so much larger than my own. It is in this place of perspective, an eternal perspective, that I can begin to live the victor’s life. Today you will have plans that will succeed and plans that will fail. It isn’t that your were being rewarded for being a good Child with successful plans just like it isn’t that you were being punished by failed plans. God’s plan is all that is guaranteed in the world in which we live. Your life as a victor is ensured the more you give into these three realities; the first one is, that you are God’s Child, secondly, because you are his child you are part of God’s Plan and thirdly, it is part of His Plan that we, his children, will too prevail.

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 need to see ourselves as God sees us. That’s where the freedom of being a victor can come for all us Children of God. Not knowing our standing before God leaves the door open to victim thinking." As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. HovisPage 49. How do you see yourself right now in your life? How does your life stack up when compared to the whatever you think makes you measure up in this world? If you are like me, the answer to those questions change significantly as my circumstances change. If life is going well my standing in the world is pretty secure. When bad times hit I can be extremely unsure of my standing. That's the danger of tying our standing to anything that can change over time. The changes we experience can make us doubt our standing and place us in a position where it is so easy to fall into victim thinking. In order to walk fully in our identity as a victor it is critical that our standing be tied to something that is unlikely to change, something that has a standard in which we can trust and something that we can believe has our best interests at heart. For me, I haven't found anything in this world that fits this bill except a relationship with God himself. Here's what the Bible says on the subject of the battle we have with ourselves when it comes to our standing. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) I like the visual painted in today's reading. The issues of standing, and therefore identity, is something that I can visualize akin to getting dressed. I have to "put off" the old ways and "put on" the new. The old ways are those standards that define my standing in ways that can make me doubt that standing from time to time. The new ways are synonymous to me learning to find my standing through the way God sees me and learning how to trust that new way of "putting on" my standing in this world. The reason I like the getting dressed metaphor when it comes to my standing is it helps me to make sense why I don't default to the new way of "putting on" described in our reading today. You see, "putting on" the new requires for me to "put off" the old. Truth is I like the old, I'm comfortable with it even though it lets me down from time to time. It's like that old shirt or those old shoes. Though they are well-worn and tattered, they have served me well in the past and I find it difficult at times to "put off" the old and "put on" the new. Our standing is assured in Christ! Our standing is not assured when viewed using standards from this world. Isn't it time to "put off" the old ways of letting our circumstances be a part of what defines who we are and therefore our standing? I know it is hard to just throw away that old garment that represents the old way of verifying our standing but the new garment of standing in God's eyes is so much better suited for who we are. When issues come up today that make you doubt your standing maybe it's time for a wardrobe change in the spiritual sense. As those doubts hit you take a moment to actually visualize the process of "putting off" the old and "putting on" the new. Your standing is secure in how God sees you. There is no amount of success in your tasks today that can enhance your standing and no amount of failure that can diminish it. You are His child. That makes you a victor! Your circumstances and their success or failure have nothing to do with that standing. Remember, God sees you as perfect - now that's a standing we all should find easy to "put on."

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. ********** “That’s the danger of allowing the roles we play to define our identity. Roles always change.” As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 16. As the old saying goes, there are two things guaranteed in life - death and taxes. I want to add a third, roles will change, it's a guarantee. Sometimes roles change in a dramatic and often, unnerving way! The fact that changing roles are a reality means that using roles to define who we are is a dangerous place for the victor to be. Those who bank on the steadfastness of a particular role they are playing to define who they are are destined to live the miserable life of a victim thinker. Roles change. It’s a simple fact that just can’t be argued against. Even the titan in business, who's role as a business magnate will change when he is either too old to do the job or when he passes away, has to face this fact. Just like death and taxes are assured, roles are guaranteed to change. Why would you ever allow any role you play be the defining characteristic of your identity? Part of the reason we work so hard to keep a winning role as part of our identity is that we are afraid of not knowing who we might be when our roles do change. Worse than that, most of us are afraid of not liking who we might become when roles change. That fear has its basis in the fact that our perspective is too short sighted. Victors seem to have an eternal perspective that makes the roles they play less impacting when it comes to identity. Take a look at today’s Bible reading in this light. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV) Victim thinking happens more frequently when we fix our eyes on the shifting roles that are ahead of us. That kind of short-sightedness can lead to a feeling of hopelessness when what we are focused on doesn’t work out as well as we would like. The victor has found ways to fix his eyes on the Lord and make the eternal more of his/her daily life and identity. Living a life like this makes changing roles less and less of an issue to the victor. So, to your list of guarantees (death and taxes) add the fact that your roles will change. As you see this change in roles happening in your life today, take a deep breath and know that God is in the middle of that change. The eternal glory spoken about in the verse above is for you! Why? Because you are a victor in Christ. No amount of role change can alter that fact. Take each change as it comes today with a dose of confidence that comes from the fact that your identity is secured by the eternal and, often unseen, things of God. That’s the kind of antidote victors need to the kinds of  victim thinking that can come with the reality of shifting roles.