There are many in our world today who are victims of terrible crimes. Their lives have been greatly altered by those around them because of no fault of their own. Though most of us live fairly “normal” lives we still tend to feel we are the victim of other’s mistreatment. I believe this is Satan’s way of making us feel defeated and this keeps us from being and having all that God intends for us. It is so easy to blame others for our problems and our inadequacies. When we make excuses for our behavior, we are denying the power of God if we are Christians. There is nothing healthy or freeing about being the victim. Paul suffered more than most of us will ever imagine, yet he, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned the words in Romans 8:37, that says we are more than conquerors.
Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
He could say that because of the relationship he had with Jesus. He understood the value of looking at the big picture. In the previous verses, he talks about how God is the justifier. He will have the final judgment on everyone. For those who have accepted the sacrifice of His Son for their sins, no one can condemn them. Christ makes intercession for us to the Father. He goes on to remind us that nothing and no external thing, can separate us from the love of Christ. Not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword. In other words, no one but ourselves can hinder our relationship with God.
Romans 8:33-35 “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
We can be conquerors if we keep our focus on Christ and see the divine purpose in our suffering. It’s all in how and who we look at with our circumstances. We are born with a sinful nature that puts ourselves first. We feel sorry for ourselves and fail to understand everything that happens to us goes through the mind of God first. He does not cause the bad things, but he does allow them. Sometimes we bring things on ourselves, and at others, we truly are the victim, but we still need to study and find God’s purpose for allowing it in our lives.
Could it be he is trying to get our attention to draw us closer to Him? Could it be he will use how we handle our situation so that we will be able to help others to come to know Him? The way we deal with our problems tells much about our belief in God. As I watch some people sit and worry and feel defeated, I wonder where the God they say they serve is.
In Psalm 94, the writer speaks of all the horrible things that are happening to God’s people. He asks the question, can God not hear, can He not see what is going on? The answer was of course He can and He does. He made the ears that hear. He made the eyes that see. He knows everything. The psalmist poses questions in verses 16-19.
Psalm 94:16-19 “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slipped; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.”
He comes to a great conclusion at the end of the chapter. The LORD is our defense, and He is our refuge. In verse 23, he declares that God will take care of the enemies in His own time.
Psalm 94:22-23 “But the LORD is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.”
Through Him, we can be conquerors! I remember Corrie Ten Boon’s testimony of being in a Nazi prison camp during the Hitler regime. Instead of focusing on the tragic circumstances, even the death of family members, she kept her eyes on Christ. She won many women to Christ while she was in captivity under horrible conditions. I have read of many who have endured and overcome hardships. When they took their focus off themselves and used it as an opportunity to show others Christ, not only were they helping others, but they also felt great peace and hope for their newfound purpose in their circumstances.
Being a victim or conqueror is a choice. No one or thing can conquer us unless we give in to self-pity and an attitude of why me. There is no reason to give up in defeat, and every reason to keep fighting for what is right. We are to push forward and make it known our fight will continue because He has already won the victory for us. Take away the narrow focus on your camera of life, and put on the wide-angle lens. God is there and He wants you to be victorious through Him. It may, or may not, change your circumstances, but it will certainly affect how you feel and how you affect others. I have been a Christian for a long time. I know it’s hard sometimes to keep the right attitude, but we must push forward one day at a time. There is a lost world out there watching how we respond, and their eternal soul is at stake. Be a CONQUEROR through all that God has given us.
