Do you know Victor? I do and I spoke with him several times a few weeks ago while in court. More about that conversation in a minute.
Recently, my wife and I each performed our civic responsibility by serving jury duty. Though in different weeks, we each spent two days sitting through the arduous process of jury selection.
There were about 70 prospective jurors in my group when we were called into court. One by one different people were called to take their place in the jury box. The judge, then the attorneys would question each person. Many, if not most, had reasons why they couldn’t or wouldn’t serve – some seemed credible and legitimate while others seemed questionable, but that’s not the point.
Now mind you, I have been privileged to serve in pastoral ministry a long time. And I’ve heard it all . . . and then some. But the sheer volume of sad and tragic stories of prospective jurors gripped me those two days. It seemed like everyone was damaged and incapable of serving.
I was reminded once again that humanity is hurting – our world is broken, devastated and incapacitated and . . . Victor and I talked about it. He concurred with me.1
As we talked I was reminded that there is always good news with the Lord Jesus Christ. But it’s so easy to forget.
Over the last few days we’ve heard about the devastating earthquake in Nepal with over 5,000 confirmed deaths, the explosive, spreading riots of Baltimore, escalating tensions in the Middle East with Iran’ seizure of a commercial container ship, ISIS, violence, prickly political matters here in the U.S, our California drought, the economy . . . and more. Whew! It’s easy to forget the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, there are an endless amount of reasons why people become and remain victims. But one of them –sin– has made a victim out of all of us on this planet. That’s where Victor comes in. He came to cast out all of the victimization . . . all of the sadness . . . all the brokenness . . . all of the sin and so forth. He came so that you could be a victor and not a victim. Do you know Victor? Are you becoming a victor?
But to become a victor, one must make a series of choices. Here are a handful – five choices you and I must make to be on the road to victory. There are far more choices than these five but this is a place to start.
Choose to know Victor completely! Even those who already know him (aka Jesus) need to know him more, know him better and know him completely. Real and lasting victory comes only through our Lord Jesus Christ! He came to help us be victors! See 1 John 5:4-5, 1 Corinthians 15:57, John 16:33, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 8:37.
Choose to regularly remind yourself that Victor cares about you! Many of us interpret bad things as proof that God does not care for them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Also, one of the biggest hurdles people face in life is that of rejection. God has chosen you through Jesus Christ. See Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 Peter 5:7, John 14:27, Matthew 11:28-30.
Choose to look on the good rather than the bad! Remember to choose right thoughts. Take time to ask the Lord to show you all of the blessings in your life. Good mental practices are spiritually right. See Philippians 4:8-9, Proverbs 23:7, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:1-3.
Choose to use the Victor’s authority! Declare your rights, privileges and heritage through Jesus Christ! See Ephesians 1:3-14, 1 Peter 1:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:17, Galatians 4:7.
Choose to be thankful to Victor! Keep in mind that an attitude of thankfulness has incredible power. When we really express thanks we release God’s dramatic power to overcome complaint. Keep in mind that the one leper who thanked Jesus for his healing, received additional grace for complete wholeness. See Luke 17:16-19, Jeremiah 30:19, 2 Chronicles 5:13, Matthew 15:36.
I hope these choices help. God is in the business of helping people become like Victor!
I wish I could have had Victor talk to all those prospective jurors. It would have been a life changing experience for each of them. Because Victor was with me, I whispered to him about them. And by the way, the court case itself was quite tragic so I whispered to HIM about it . . . them.
I love Victor! And he loves us!
–Pastor John
1 – Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32