God’s Grace is Behind Your Victory

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

1 Cor. 15:57 (NIV) “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”

God wants us to be victorious over the demonic forces and attacks against our lives. He wants us to learn how to draw strength from Him to put down the carnality within us and rise up to be who He has created us to be in Christ. He wants us to grow in wisdom and stature as individuals representing Him in this earth. His Word is filled with covenant promises promising this help. As we seek God through the Word and prayer, His Holy Spirit will speak to us, teach us, guide us and reveal God’s heart to ours. This is a coveted prize and one that God promises to those that seek Him. It’s available to all.

Our victories in and through God comes by learning to trust and stand strong in faith in the promises of His word rather than ourselves. Jeremiah 33:3 declares, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

David became probably the greatest soldier and warrior for God that ever lived on this earth. Quite an accomplishment for a shepherd boy. Quite and accomplishment for a man who was the youngest of many brothers and who was mocked and put down by them growing up. What saved him from becoming an insecure and dysfunctional person that would one day blame all his problems on His upbringing and family? The answer is simply his love and worship of God which lead to his constant communion and trust in God. David was known for these qualities and God’s manifest presence in the details of his life was evident to all. He went on to become a King who subdued kingdoms and literally millions of soldiers and people.

David and reached a point in his life where he defeated all of his enemies. Every surrounding kingdom and people had been defeated or subdued by him. His army had become the most powerful in the world. He was at the pinnacle of greatness in his life. Satan loves this time. It’s a time where he waits to tempt with pride. He whispers, “Look what you’ve accomplished – you should be so proud of yourself.” It’s a time where God can be forgotten. It’s a time where we can take credit and glory.

At this moment of great victory for David, Satan tempts David to go count all the people in His kingdom. Why? So David could know exactly how great he was. 1 Chr 21:1-2 says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.” David yielded to this temptation and reduced the greatest fighting men in the world to now go out and be bean counters – counters of people. They were humiliated. They were greatest of warriors, not accountants! They didn’t want to do this and were degraded by it, but David had slipped into pride and when it was done, God pronounced grave judgment upon David.

Pride manifests itself in many ways. God wants us to be victorious but He does not want us to slip into pride. The most important thing to know in any accomplishment or victory in life is that it came because God’s grace equipped us to obtain it.

A few years ago, I was watching one of the great Christian NFL football players rise to the top. He was considered one of the best if not the best there was in his position. Every time he scored a touchdown, he would humbly give glory to the Lord. As time went on, he did many good things always giving praise to God, but, the praise of men came at him like a freight train. That happens to victors. Everyone loves a winner and he had become one. The media dogged him for repeated interviews and articles. He continued to be great on the field but his touchdown dances when from kneeling and lifting a hand in praise to God to a cocky strut. As interviews continued, they became more about His greatness and less about God. Pride set firmly in and God fade out. He like many people who experience victories, begin to believe they are responsible for the greatness of their lives. They forget it is a product of God’s abundant grace. That doesn’t make victory bad – just pride!

We all have to deal with pride. We want to deal with it. Why? Because in James 4:6 we are told, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Grace is God’s supernatural help and equipping that aids us in achieving great things. Without it we would all be nothing. Everything good that we achieve is because of it. Therefore, grace is something to be greatly cherished. If we think we are anything, we have let pride come in and we have God resisting us. Pride is destructive and stupid. The point of victory is the platform to bring God sincere praise, not false humility giving lip service but really thinking you are the hero of the day.

Pride sets people up in their minds to think they are someone important. They think they are cool, or rich, or smart, or good looking, or powerful, or whatever. They soon become blinded, think of themselves more highly than they should, and set themselves up for a course of destruction. A fall is coming!

Humility – knowing God is the source of every good thing and victory – helps us to see God’s hand in everything we do. Victory creates an open door to give glory to God and creates further opportunities to influence others for Him. This in turn opens the door for more grace and the cycle of winning continues. Then today’s Fresh Manna verse “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:57 becomes true for you!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/