My aim in life is to claim the victory that God offers to each person. I remember attending a seminar put on by the late Leo Schreven (I miss you Leo). He said he could help people quit smoking in minutes and not days or months. To demonstrate, he called up three young kids. It seemed they were all under the age of 10. Once they were on stage with him, he took out his wallet and handed each of them a ten dollar bill. Each one took it immediately and left the stage. This is when Leo asked the auditorium filled with attendees if we “got it”.
He said that he offered them a free gift and the kids took it without deliberation or pondering. He went on to say that God has already offered us a free gift, and that is, victory over sin. Whatever the bad habit or vice in our lives, we need to claim God’s free gift of liberty over sin.
It sounds simplistic now, even as I write this. It is all well and good to just say “I claim the victory”. But how does that translate into actual victory?
All I know is that my wife and I, both smokers and drinkers for decades made a decision to claim that victory over 2 years ago at the end of a road-trip and have not smoked or drank alcohol since.
Some things are easier than others. There are things that I am still struggling with that although I have claimed the victory, I still fall to temptation. These things are real and the struggle to resist is real. The feeling of failure and separation from God is real when I give in to the temptation.
This series is called “Things to know”. It is just a personal discussion about things I discovered through prayer and study that I will discuss here in this format. Understand that these things are things that I still struggle with. I am one weak person discussing how we often set ourselves up for failure and how to claim the promise means to also explore the things we do that leads to sin. I am weak but “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Philippians 4:13
I appreciate feedback. I ask that you pray for me and I invite you to submit your prayer requests and I will pray for you.
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