Everyday Step with Jesus

Our circumstances and our emotions sometimes lead us to believe that we are in defeat, but the reality is that we are in victory. It may seem cliche to say that we are in victory when things around us are falling apart but, if we are in Christ, it is the reality. It may not feel like it at the moment but when we turn to the cross and what He has done we realize that we have the Victorious one on our side. When we turn to Him we go from defeat to victory. Keep on reading…

There is so much brokenness around us in this world, sometimes the people that we love, that are the closest to us are broken, sometimes we feel broken inside. This brokenness that surrounds us is heavy on our shoulders and begins to weigh us down. This heaviness creeps up on us and before we know it we begin feeling defeated. We don’t even know where it comes from because it is all around us, slowly but surely getting heavier on our shoulders. Sometimes the trials seem like they are one after the other, making us stumble along the way, making us feel like we are going down. And all of these feelings are valid…but in Christ they are not our reality. The thing is that in the middle of the trial all those feelings become our reality in our mind when we take our eyes off Christ and put our focus on what is around us. I know from experience that during the trial it is hard to not let those things get to us because at the moment all of these feelings are so real and raw. The victory that Jesus obtained on the cross is even more real than anything we may be feeling in the moment. Despite knowing this truth, we tend to forget it in the middle of the trial. 

In the middle of our situation when we have hit rock bottom and the punches keep on coming, it becomes hard to believe that we are more than conquerors, but it is in those moments that we need to focus on Jesus and not our circumstances. This doesn’t mean that we ignore the situation that we are in, but rather acknowledge our situation and choose to recognize that our God is bigger than our current situation. When Jesus was being beaten and crucified it looked like the Pharisees had won, like they had the victory…but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. The gruesome torture our Lord went through was necessary to obtain the victory. Our God always has a greater plan than what we can see. Your current situation is not your final destination because the Lord is not finished yet. You may not see the victory before your eyes now, but wait and see His sovereign plan unfold in your life. Remember that His plan is greater than your own plans and current situation, and the victory may not come the way you expect. Even if our actions are the ones that lead us to our defeat, it is not the end of the story. In Christ, we have new mercies every morning and the opportunity to repent and turn back to Him…a new beginning every day. 

The Victorious One

Jesus obtained victory when He rose from the dead. To the people it may have looked like they had defeated Jesus but that “defeat” quickly turned into victory. We have that victory as well, through Jesus! His Word tells us:

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15:57 NKJV

Jesus has already defeated this world, and since we are in Christ we also have gone from defeat to victory. Through God’s grace and Jesus we have obtained victory, we are victorious through Him. Despite the brokenness around us, we can turn to Jesus and what He did on that cross and be reminded that He has overcome. Our current circumstance doesn’t change what He did on the cross, but what He did on the cross does change us. This is why we can say that we are in victory, that we are not defeated. We need to remind ourselves this truth and what His word tells us that we are…victorious and more than conquerors, we are overcomers through Him.

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 NKJV

Paul was being persecuted and God’s followers were being killed(Romans 8:37), but despite their circumstance they took refuge in the One that made them more than conquerors. No matter who or what trouble you are currently facing…He has given you the weapons to overcome. He has already made you a conqueror. 

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 NKJV

Our faith in Him helps us to overcome anything we face in this world. Death once had a stronghold over us, but we believe in Jesus and that He is the Son of God… Jesus told us clearly 

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NKJV

Every time I read this verse it gives me comfort and helps me realize that everything is going to be alright. Jesus overcame the world, that includes everything that is in this world, that means every problem, obstacle, and evil that comes our way. It can’t overcome us because it has already been overcome by Jesus. Although we are broken by the things of this world, Christ is the ultimate puzzle master. He puts even the smallest, most broken pieces together…including yours.