Always
2 Corinthians 2:14 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
1 Corinthians 15:57 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalms 34:17-19 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Romans 5:17 AMP For if, because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness (putting them into right standing with Himself) reign as kings in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Always means always. “You can’t always win, sometimes God wants you to be humbled.” If you humble yourself under God, there will be no need for Him to humble you before people. In fact, He will exalt you (1 Peter 5:6).
Have you experienced triumphing always? No? Does that mean this scripture is not true? Or is it perhaps that we haven’t been in the position we should or fulfilled the conditions to triumph always?
Hefty Hefty, not Wimpy Wimpy
Sometimes we don’t triumph because we wimp out – we let the big bully kick sand in our face, and then like the 98 pound weakling we start whining to God or get mad at Him for allowing it to happen.
Remember the Hefty Cinch Sack commercial (I’m dating myself)? If you want to get rid of the garbage, you are going to have to be hefty hefty not wimpy wimpy.
Ephesians 6:10-13 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
It doesn’t just say, “Be strong”. You aren’t strong enough. That may be your problem, relying on your own strength and abilities. You will not make it. It does say, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might”.
Tapping in to His Strength
John 15:1-8 1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 You are already clean (note: same word translated “prunes” above) because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Abide – to remain, dwell, make your home in. At home is where you are most comfortable, no pretenses, where you are most intimate. It also means to stay. Too many times we take our relationship with God like a fast food drive through lane. And how healthy is fast food for you?
“And let my words abide in you.” This is the other half of the equation.
Joshua 1:8-9 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Meditate in the Word
- Confess/declare it
- This will give you the power to observe to do it. Then you will have good success.
- (Vs 9) Be strong, of good courage – this is a commandment.
Meditate literally means to ruminate, like a cow chewing a cud. It also has the idea of muttering – i.e., speaking the Word to yourself (this is the confession part). Meditation in the Word will help you see clearly what is going on from God’s perspective.
Being a Winner means there is conflict
Being a winner does not mean that you have no problems or challenges. To be a winner, there must be some sort of contest, conflict, an adversary that you win against. That adversary could be Satan (whose name means adversary), circumstances, or even your own flesh.
Psalm 34 is a tremendous psalm of deliverance. Five times it is mentioned.
Psalms 34:4-19 4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Deliverance
Deliver: to rescue, to save, preserve from, to set free
Matthew 6:13 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This is not a prayer asking the Lord not to tempt us; He tempts no one (James 1:13). It is a prayer to lead us around the traps and pitfalls, trouble spots, and to be delivered from the evil one who is the Tempter.
Psalms 91:3 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
Psalms 91:14-15 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Psalms 25:20 20 Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
Job 5:17-23 17 “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.
19 He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
20 In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
22 You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
Even if you go through a trial, if you are delivered, that still makes you a winner. I’m not talking about just barely making it through, but total deliverance.
Winning Against Insurmountable Odds
When you don’t have what it takes to make it, when the odds are overwhelming against you, rejoice! It’s time for God to do a miracle!
(Exodus 14:10-16) “Lord, the sea is in front of us and the chariots are behind us. What are we gonna do?”
“Why do you cry out to me? Why are you whining? Tell Israel to move forward!”
“Uh, Lord, there’s this little problem with the Red Sea, here.”
It was time for God to do a miracle.
(Romans 4:17-21) When there was no natural hope, in hope (according to God’s plan and blueprint, the vision) Abraham believed.
(Acts 16:25) Paul and Silas, in jail, beaten, their feet in the stocks, begin rejoicing. God did a miracle!
(2 Chronicles 20) Three kingdoms come against Jehoshaphat.
2 Chronicles 20:12 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
Rejoice, No Fear
You will notice a common thread amongst all these who were delivered from insurmountable odds: they all trusted God, rejoiced, and did not fear.
Trust
Trust is childlike faith; the faith that a child has. A child may have no idea how to solve a problem, and they really don’t care that they have no idea. They just know that Daddy or Mommy can fix it.
Psalms 31:1-3 1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.
There are two keys to the miraculous deliverance. The first is trust (Psalm 91:2).
1 Peter 5:6-7 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Trust in someone is built when you know someone has your best interests at heart, and you know that they will keep their word to you.
Be Led
The second key to miraculous deliverance is to be led by the Spirit. In Psalm 31:3 David says, “Therefore, for your Name’s sake, lead me and guide me”.
How will the Lord deliver us out of situations? How will He protect us? Very often that protection and deliverance comes through Him leading us and guiding us. He could rip open the heavens and perform an outstanding miracle to deliver us, but very often He will give us wisdom on what to do to get out of the situation. He can protect us by warning us against being at a certain place at a certain time. Those methods may not be as spectacular, but they are no less supernatural.
Of course essential to that deliverance is hearing and obeying the guidance. There are many testimonies of people on 9/11 that didn’t go to work at the Twin Towers. It was much emptier than it could have been. And many people have said that something told them not to go in that day. Not in an audible voice, “Thus saith the Lord: thou shalt not worketh today”, but an inward something. And it is possible that some had that inward something and dismissed it – and lost their lives.
James 1:2-4 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Rejoice
Rejoicing and praising God is a way to outwardly express your trust in God. It is the opposite of whining and complaining and expressing anxiety. It focuses on God and His goodness, rather than on the circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Fear Not
Fear, worry, and anxiety are some of the major attacks, the “fiery darts” that Satan throws against the Christian. Fear is the big defeater. If you get into fear, you will not be in faith or trust, and you can be defeated easily. Fear gives an open door to other attacks.
(Isaiah 54:14) You will be far from oppression for you shall not fear; if you have fear, it will draw oppression from Satan, even as faith draws the blessings of God.
Psalms 27:1-5 1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident.
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
Psalms 56:4 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
David had many opportunities to fear. He had to talk to himself to keep his trust in God, the psalms are these
Since fear gives Satan the “foot in the door” for other attacks, sometimes it is fear that you need deliverance from.
Psalms 34:1-4 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Notice praise and rejoicing again. That is a weapon we have against fear. That is something we can do to express trust.
If Satan can’t get you into fear, then he cannot defeat you. Therefore, if you are in trust and not fear, it is a sign that you will be the winner and he will be the defeated one.
Philippians 1:27-28 27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
Stand Firm
Sometimes it really looks like you’ve lost a battle, you’ve been defeated, you have not been the winner. But here is an important principle: you can lose a battle and still win the war. Kenneth Copeland: “I don’t play nine inning ball games. I play until I win.”
Here is the key: You will win if you don’t quit.
Or another way to put it, don’t quit until you win.
Ephesians 6:13-14 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Faint Not
We talked about being “hefty” not “wimpy”; wimps are weak. They poop out. They grow weary. They faint.
In the 19th century, women had trained themselves to faint when they had a shock.
Galatians 6:9 KJV 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Hebrews 12:3 KJV 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Notice where you do your fainting: in your mind, other translations, your soul. If you are growing weary and faint, it is an indication that you are relying on your own strength rather than being strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Ephesians 6:10).
Isaiah 40:31 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Half the battle is in our minds. If we are defeated there by giving in to fear, we have lost. That is the part we have to play in our deliverance: we cannot give in to fear.
John 14:1 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Do not let – do not allow – your heart to be troubled or afraid. That does not mean that if any feelings of fear come over you that you have blown it. Feelings can come. But what do you do with them? Do you express them and act on them, or do you look to God? Look at the Psalms. Many times David talked to God about what he was feeling, but he never left it at that. He always went on to remind himself of how big God was. He encouraged himself in the Lord.
Yeah, but…
During the healing revival, Oral Roberts would start his program with the words, “Something good is going to happen to you!” And people got mad at him for it. “Aw, you know there are good people who are going through terrible things. How can you say that?”
What about the apostle Paul? He went through a lot of bad things. He itemizes them in 2 Corinthians 11:23-30, the famous “perils of Paul”. And yet he was the one who wrote the words, “Now thanks be to God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ”.
Now other translations render it as “who always leads us in triumph”. It is a reference to the practice of Roman armies, when they had conquered, to have a victory parade. The conquering generals would be out front, and officers, then the army itself, and somewhere in there would be the prisoners of war, of course surrounded by guards. But even the lowest ranking soldier got to participate in that victory parade.
2 Corinthians 2:14 MSG 14 And I got it, thank God! In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.
It was a celebration of victory. And that is what we are supposed to do. Celebrate our victory!
Romans 8:31-39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are conquerors! That means winners! To conquer is to be victorious over an adversary. To be “more than a conqueror” means we not only achieve victory, but we are overwhelmingly victorious (that’s how it is rendered in the Amplified version).
So what is my point? Even though the apostle Paul went through a lot of stuff, he called himself victorious. That’s what came out of his mouth. He focused on the positive rather than dwelling on the negative.
This is another subject you can read about in Life is in the Power of the Tongue, but you can control / influence the direction of your life through your words.
Do we keep complaining about our circumstances, our do we say “in all these things, God has made me more than a conquerer.”?
