#24 You Are a Victor!

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25). 

You are a victor in Christ Jesus! Don’t ever forget this. The enemy will do all he can to have you consider this to be just another study series. God has done a mighty work in your heart and life. You are blameless in Christ and you should embrace this Truth with a great deal of joy. Give God all the glory, majesty, dominion over your life, and authority to rule you each day. When you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free (John 8:32). 

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:23-24). 

It is my daily prayer that God will give you His peace each day. I ask the Lord to sanctify you in every area of your life. I hope your spirit, soul, and body will be made complete and without blame until Jesus comes to greet us in His Second Coming. God is faithful in calling you to daily repentance and godly living. He will bring all of your struggles with temptation to pass. This is a promise and commitment to you by the one and only living God. 

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21).

The Lord’s covenant (promise) with you comes through the seal of the blood of the eternal covenant of Jesus Christ. Because of this seal, He has equipped and empowered you to accomplish His will in your life. When you rest in the reality that God does this work through you, through the Holy Spirit who resides in you, He will be well pleased with all the efforts you apply in the Spirit. This promise, written in blood, will “seal the deal” in all of your warfare activities. We may be sheep, but He is the Lion of Judah!

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

I trust that you will dedicate all of your efforts to the One who is able to do for you more than you could ask or even think about asking. Your resources are limitless in Christ Jesus. Never fall into the trap of thinking that God does not care about the small and insignificant things in your life. He not only cares about the small things, He reveals to us that those of us who are faithful in the small things, He will entrust much to us (Luke 16:10).

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Phil. 4:23).

It is my prayer that God’s grace (unmerited favor) would be poured out on your spirit for daily living. As Satan tries to condemn you with feelings of guilt and condemnation, know that God’s grace is never going to change--no matter what you choose to do in walking after the flesh. Condemnation may be one of the major tools the enemy uses to keep you from walking in your victory, but God’s grace is what sustains you to face the lie and walk in what is true about you.

"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it" (Col. 4:17).

God is not just interested in setting you free from the deeds of your flesh. He wants you to step into the ministry that He has called you to fulfill. It doesn’t mean you have to quit your “job,” but it certainly means He wants to use your “job” to accomplish His mission for you and those around you. Consider praying about how God would want you to spread the Word of the Gospel in your daily living. It could mean going into full-time ministry, discipling one-on-one (men with men; women with women), teaching Sunday school class, giving your testimony publicly, helping with a ministry you have come to love, or simply ministering to your family. Whatever it is, He wants you to fulfill it.

If you need help in locating your calling, get with an experienced discipler (biblical counselor) to aid you in discovering how you can give the life of Christ away in your daily living. This element of healing is critical for your ongoing growth as a believer.

“Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:13-14). 

One of the easiest and most beneficial ways of reaching out to others in need is helping other ministry leaders accomplish the work to which God has called them. Find out what their pressing needs are and then give time, effort, money, material possessions, skills, or whatever you have to offer. This way the people and ministries you believe in can be fruitful and multiply the works of God. You and I must engage in good deeds to meet the pressing needs of God’s ministry.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!” (2 Thess. 3:16).

As God allows circumstances to flood your world, cling to the peace that will surpass all of your understanding. You will find that this kind of peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). He has already promised that He will be with you through it all (Heb.13:5). Therefore, press on to the mark of excellence. Don’t look behind; just fix your eyes on Jesus and He will direct you in all of your plans (Heb. 12:1-2).

“Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’--which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you” (1 Tim. 6:20-21).

God wants you to put up a shield (guard) around the persons, places, and things He has entrusted to you. Remember, your shield is faith and faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26). Apply what you have learned and do not slip back into worldly discussions and arguments that are falsely called “knowledge.” These friends or strangers claim to be wise in their own eyes, but their debating and wrangling of words have caused them to go astray from the faith. Avoid such men!

“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth” (2 Tim. 4:17).

Jesus Christ has a mission to stand with and strengthen you in all your ways. He wants you to proclaim all of what He has shown you to others. This is how He accomplishes His divine will for mankind. He wants all men to hear and experience the freedom you have been given. You were rescued; now go help others be rescued!

“Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say” (Philemon 1:21).

Take great confidence in what God has done for you. Your obedience to complete this and other studies of the Lord are for a divine purpose. Many of you will accomplish far more than what I have as a servant of the Lord. One of the greatest privileges of being a minister is watching others embrace Truth and carry it far beyond the measurement that initially was given to me (the teacher).

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

It is my hope that we have been able to cover a multitude of your sins with the grace of Jesus Christ. I trust that this series has brought you into a more dynamic relationship with Christ. This study does not offer a lifetime guarantee from insults, persecutions, difficulties, and/or distress. Christ Himself doesn’t even offer that. In fact, He warns us of suffering as He has suffered (1 Peter 2:19; 5:9; Acts 9:16; Romans 8:17). God is more interested in what we do with our sufferings. If we embrace the Truth that all things work together for the good (Romans 8:28), we will not consider it strange when the enemy brings temptations and attacks our way.

Most stories of victory are birthed from pain, struggle, and perseverance. Your story is probably no different. I hope your story is His story in the making.

This is the conclusion of our series, Faithful Father: Restoring Hearts of Children to the Father. Thank you for going through this study. I pray that your walk with the Groom is rich, free, and full. Please feel free to contact me for special counsel or if you have any questions. I will attempt to answer them personally--Stephen Phinney!

You Are a Victor. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.