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“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” I John 5:4

Ever felt the sting of defeat? Ouch – not fun. No one wants to cower in the corner and admit failure. No one wants to proclaim, “I’m a loser!” But often we tie those labels easily to self when we miss the mark. Perfection is elusive in this world…..we just gotta keep getting back up and moving forward. Learning from mistakes while seizing wisdom birthed in hard places. Leaving the past in the past.

Love these power packed words from the Apostle John declaring believers in Jesus Christ as overcomers in this world. Courage, boldness and bravery unfolding from those words. Regardless of the task, regardless of the circumstances – we don’t have to sulk and give up. We can rise above what seeks to hold us back.

Overcoming isn’t for the faint hearted. Life throws a lot of stuff our way. Messy trumps us at every turn. Difficult situations and heartaches attempt to steal away our resilience. But if we keep our eyes firmly planted on Jesus and our faith clings tightly to His word, overcomer will be our name. It will define us and refine us.

The very One who rose from the grave defeating death lives within the heart of His children. Empowering, strengthening and destining us for victory. Try wearing that sweet friend! So the next time despair, defeat and loser threatens to steal our joy, girlfriend just remember who you are. A child of the Mighty God who leads us in victory. With God on our side, we don’t have to worry about threats, injustices or misguided wrongs.

One day the enemy will be defeated. He might reign long and hard attacking us at every turn, but we get the final word. Revelation 22:3 proclaims the best promise ever, “and there will no longer be any curse.” This world as we know will fade away and perfection will at last be ours…..for now, we simply keep believing, trusting and overcoming until we meet our Savior face to face.

“Sweet Jesus there are days when we want to cower and hide the evils of this world are too much to bear. But You have shown us, You have told us – we are more than conquerors – we can overcome this world if we stay in step with You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

“Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding.” Proverbs 3:13 (HCSB)

There’s just some conversations we’d rather avoid. You know the ones that make us feel uncomfortable or uneasy. Like dealing with our insecurities or weaknesses. Being confronted on things we know we need to change. Tough conversations which often cause us to raise up walls rather than allow honest feedback to serve us well.

Ever noticed how easily we change the subject when the discussion is one we don’t want to engage in? In my family the key word is “anyway.” We simply just slide “anyway” into the conversation and redirect the focus to something we’d rather talk about. My mom is the master at this, and we enjoy a quiet laugh every time she lands there. But some subjects just simply can’t be avoided.

Jesus was great at engaging people in life transforming conversations. His words were filled with truth, love and grace. No lecture was required to convey His message. If His audience didn’t get it then Jesus used parables to help them understand. If His audience was critical; He simply spoke truth without igniting a debate or defending Himself. When tough subjects arose, Jesus didn’t insert “anyway” into His response. He took advantage of every opportunity to bring the gospel center stage.

In a 24 hour period, our lips will utter lots of words. Some carelessly thrown around. Others carefully chosen. Conversations will range from simple chatter to major confrontations. We will excuse away “hot topics” we really don’t want to discuss. We will chat, tweet and post whatever we want to say to audiences we really don’t know. So easy to pretend connection than to welcome honest face to face conversation.

Growth is birthed in tackling tough subjects. When we listen rather than quickly respond, we can hear things we would have otherwise missed. When we choose self examination rather than defending self, we open wide the door to transformation. When we stop dismissing, avoiding and disregarding the touch stuff, then we realize the beauty unveiled in gaining insight and wisdom from others.

Anyway will always be an easy stride out of topics we’d like to avoid. Shallow conversations are easy and carefree. But if we really want to engage in deep connections with others, we’ll have to forego the surface level and pursue vulnerability. Best part is we’ll find it’s exactly what we need.

“Father, You created us for deep lasting relationships. Building up, encouraging and strengthening one another. Help us to lower the walls and invite other’s godly perspectives into our world.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life