Sweet victory

"We were made to achieve victory, it is in our hands."

At this day and age, we find ourselves working hard and/ or smart using our skills, talents and experience towards our goals. We struggle to achieve our own goals which we set for ourselves by again achieving goals which have been set by others for us to achieve. We have the drive to work towards these goals for it will improve our lives to combat with the mishaps of life. This is the sweet victory I am talking about.

We work so hard to enrich ourselves which is not a bad thing so long as you are not overambitious. God is pleased with such diligence and blesses the works of our hardworking hands (Heb 6:10). When you compare yourself with your brother, sister, classmates and age mates and it becomes a constant reminder by your parents of how Frank and Mary doing well in their lives. This dawns to you on how you are a failure. You are by no means a failure in any way you may look at yourself. You have to learn how to see your opportunities and how to salvage them to being victorious according to God’s plan.

I love watching DC and Marvel comic TV shows. Just to get your attention; The Flash, a speedster who is able to run faster than a speeding bullet and break the sound barrier, the light barrier, time barrier and dimensional barrier. This means he can at will travel back and forth of time, into the multi-universe and tremendous abilities of running vertical over buildings and above water and vibrating his body to phase through oblique objects. But fictional as it is, he cannot change bad events with good ones as it will affect the time continuity and hence his own very existence and his loved ones. This means at some point, having speed or no speed, time and its events are unquantifiable to us. Bad events will be replaced by worse ones or the very good ones can also replaced by catastrophic ones. And that is why we need to have God in our lives (Psalms 31:15; John 1:3 Colossians 1:16)

Remember, we cannot rely on our understanding for we cannot fathom the architectural framework of our time. This means that if we rely  on our understanding, we will be acting of our own selfishness, arrogance, enviousness, jealousy and all things that say, ”me me me” building that skyscraper called greed.

So having the urge of grasping victory in our hands we need to have the essential ingredients for this sweet victory we are cooking. The ingredients are as follows:

• God
• Time
• Wisdom
• Hope 

God as the first ingredient

God as the first ingredient is the architect of all things visible and invisible and nothing was created without him. (Colossians 1:16-17, Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1, Hebrews 11:3, Isaiah 42:5). We can put our trust in Thee to lead us for we are in total darkness. Yesterday goes away and it is forgotten, tomorrow never comes and today and now is what we deal with so total darkness in deed. “ I am the light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life,” Jesus said (John8:12) So press the “follow” button on your bible as you tell Him your goals, your plans to achieve your goals through prayer and surely he will be the help you so needed.

Time as the second ingredient

Time is an unquantifiable unit of continuous progress of existence and events. Time is quite important for it entails God giving you existence through birth, passing through the stage of life (i.e. childhood, youth, middle-age and old age) and the joy and pain that comes with it. The time confinement teaches us to be patient as the Architect does his wonderful works so long as you believe in Him. (Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14; 31:24, 40:1, 62:5, 130:5).

His timing is perfect for it is moment of glory to show His might and sheer ability to the whole World and the Heavens overall. Secondly, it is an act of love to all who believe and depend on Him in all times (Psalm 62:5; 18:2, 37:2, Isaiah 41:13 Phil 4:6). Thirdly, it is a learning process and when we are encountering challenges we will achieve victory and lack nothing (James 1:2-4)

So with time, we learn what we are taught from events of time and experiences which widens your scope of thinking and apply the understanding gained to achieve the sweet scent of victory

Wisdom as the third ingredient

Wisdom is the understanding, up-right thinking and application of code of conduct towards solving problems with our environment. It is a gift which cannot be taught or trained or learnt from school, college or university. It cannot be obtained from time and its events whereby we can earn experience and gain understanding from them.

Wisdom is not really intelligence or intellect which is the ability to learn from logic of facts that is within environmental classroom. It is the ability of discerning/ judging with truth, having insight and understanding that has no facts or logic which most people will not be able to understand.

• To gain wisdom, we are required to fear God. Fearing God entails: 
•  Obedience-obeying His perfect will (Jer29:11, 1 Tim 2: 3-4, 1 Thess 5:18, Rom 12:2)
• Away Idolatry-having no god other than Him. This is depending on other source of wizardry, sorcery, idolatry or any detesting occult or cults. (1 Cor 10:14, Exod 20:4, Deut 5:8, Is 44:7, Act 7:41, Rom 6:23)
•  Away desires of sin- Evading sin in order to live (Rom 6:23) and also escape God wrath and generational curses against your household (Deut 5:8-9)
• Searching and giving reverence to God – Showing honour and deep respect for His goodness and knowing He is a wrathful God to those who are unrighteous/ disobedient to Him (Nahum 1:2, Rom 1:18, Rev 19:15)

Then James 1:2-8 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

So as you ask for wisdom, you must confidently and completely believe that God will give for it will be done without finding fault. As wisdom will lead you, it will give divine protection from God (Prov 24:16, Ps 34:19), power to resist evil (Eccl 2:13, Prov 2:7b), a long life (Prov 9:14), respect and honour from other men (Prov 11:16), insight and understanding and blessing, prosperity and success (Prov 12:2, 28:25).

Hope

Hope is for what is not seen and what we do not have. Romans 8:24-25 “ But hope that is seen is no hope at all for. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Hope being the forth ingredient for success is important, in the sense, we believe that we will achieve victory regardless of what challenges we may face on our way. This is being courageous, patient, ambitious, optimistic and positive that things will work for the best.

This hope come from the belief and the faith we have in our Lord Jesus (i.e. what is impossible with man is possible with God.) Matt19:26, Mark 9:23, Mark 10:27, Luke 18:27. We have been commanded to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9) as we are assured that God’s presence is always with us until the end of time (Deut 31:6, Ps 23:4; 37:4; 39:7; 90:17 Matt 28:20) We are encouraged to be patient; waiting for the Lord to deliver us from our trouble.

Rom 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance, then produces character and character produces hope. And Hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” We are assured of achieving our ambitions with good motive, positive perception and drive that lubricates away our fears of failure, embarrassment or shame that stop us on our tracks to succeed.

So hope drives us to be faithful through being dependent on God, being patient in time we will gain understanding, being wise that we are not successive by our own works and merit, but giving God thanks and praises for experiencing His glory and delivering us from the failures of life. And all these things produce character that makes hope manifest God’s promise in our lives Luke1:45. Joshua 21:45; 23:45, 1 Kings 8:25, Ps 85:8, 2 Cor 1:20, 1 Chron 17:19, Ps 34:19, 37:6, Prov 10:3,6,7)

In the midst of affliction, hope in God finalizes your victory that our hearts’ desire with good motives ceils the covenant of illuminating God’s glory and fulfillment of joy in our lives.