We are Victors Not Victims

1:36 So enjoy today's message. I want to remind every one of us today that we are not victims to our circumstances, but we are victors. See, God called us more than conquerors. We're not a slave to circumstances. We're not captivated by our own thoughts, but we can think the thoughts of heaven. We can literally think the thoughts of our champion, Jesus Christ. He says that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. You know what? When I think of a conqueror, you know what I think of? I just picture this, this ring with two boxers in there. And I think about these boxers and how they have those big old boxing gloves on and they, they smack each other in the face. And you know what? They don't fall down. They keep on at it. They keep at it. They keep at it because they're champions. They don't go into that ring thinking they're anything less but a champion. Now, if they get knocked down, have you ever watched them? They bounce back up. See, champions have bounce back in them.

2:42 And god has called you a champion in jesus christ God has said you have bounced back But how do we keep this mental bounce back? How do we keep this emotional bank account full? You see just like you keep money in your bank. You wouldn't think about writing a check Not having any money in your bank. So you work to keep money in your bank You check your bank account you make sure it's going to cover your life cover your bills cover your children. Well, we have to do the exact same thing with our emotional bank account. We have to make sure we're covered. We have to make sure we're strong. See, I think about those boxers and you know what they have? They have mental toughness. They have mental toughness. They don't go in that ring as soon as they get hit, they think, oh, that's it. I'm out. I'm done. No, they have prepared their minds. They have got themselves in a place where they know they are champions. And I believe too often we're allowing ourself to sink below who we really are, to not meet that standard of a champion. Now listen, God gave his life for us through Jesus Christ. He gave his son. So we have to attach ourself to that champion mentality. The Bible says we are to have the mind of Christ Jesus. So we're supposed to attach our mind to the mind of Christ. What is God saying about you today? You need to take inventory about what are you thinking about yourself. Are you thinking champion thoughts? Are you thinking weak and defeated thoughts?

4:23 You know, just like when you have your car full of gas, it runs beautifully. But when you start to get low and it starts to run out of gas, it starts spittering and spattering. And you think, what is going on? You check the gas tank and you think, I've run out of gas. See, we too have indicators of when our emotional bank accounts are low. And that is we get frustrated. We get upset. Everything seems hard. Seems like it's never going to change. It's always impossible. We don't enjoy the gifts that God has given us because we're overwhelmed. that is how you can check your emotional bank account right there are you enjoying the life that god gave you are you acting like a champion are you overcoming the punches of life because the truth of the matter is life is a lot like that boxer in a ring you're gonna get knocked out every now and then you're gonna get hit every now and then somebody's gonna offend you every now and then. But you have bounce back. You have what it takes, mental toughness. And I want to encourage every one of us to take the time to fill your mental bank account. You know, I love my kids so much. My husband and my children are the greatest gift that God's ever given me. They're my life. I love them so much. I'll do anything for them. I try to do everything for them. I bug them. I get around them. I want to be around them. My children say, you love me too much, mom.

5:57 I love my husband. I'd rather spend time with him bike riding or just hanging out than anybody else. But if my emotional tank is not filled, I cannot fill my family's tank. I can't enjoy the gift that God's given me, the greatest gift of all. The Bible says it like this. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Can I ask you a question today? How are you loving yourself? How are you taking care of yourself? How are you building yourself up? You're a three-part being. You're a body. You're a soul. And you're a spirit. And it's very important that those pieces go together. God has given you a regenerated spirit to connect to his word. But he wants your mind to be full of his word, anchoring you. You're not supposed to be tossed to and fro. You're not supposed to be blown like the seas of the shore. One day up, one day down. One day you're happy, one day you're not. You're not supposed to be like that. God's given you strength. He's called you a conqueror. Listen, if we're going to enjoy this life that Jesus came to give us, the abundant life, we're going to have to fill our emotional buckets, our emotional tanks. You know, one of the most spiritual things you can do is to fill your emotional tank. Now, not everybody fills their emotional tank the same way, but it's a very spiritual thing to do because when you're facing the challenges of life, if you're going to come through unscathed, if you're going to come through looking like a conqueror, you're going to have to get some mental toughness. You're going to have to decide that God is for you and He's not against you, that you are well able to do what He's called you to do.

7:51 See, there's nothing worse than being in bondage. Can you imagine being tied up in bondage? See, that's what it was like before Jesus. No, you know, there was not a grace, a spiritual freedom like there is today. God loves you and He wants you to walk in everything that He came to give you. Sometimes it's as simple as this to fill your, to fill your spiritual account. It's to remind yourself that you're God's masterpiece. That you're made in His image, with His character, with His likeness, with His strength. That you're unique. That He specifically designed you. You're not an accident You didn't just show up on planet earth But god has the specifications on you You're lacking nothing You have everything to accomplish what he's called you to accomplish You need to dwell on that get that into your heart and mind And don't compare yourself with other people Because the truth of the matter is they don't have what you have because you're special you're unique You're one of a kind you know I believe if you really want to have some mental strength you have to be your biggest cheerleader you have to be your biggest cheerleader you can't wait for people to validate you you have to believe in yourself don't wait around for someone to send you flowers send yourself some flowers.

9:20 We should get up every morning and we should make declarations of faith. Now, if you've come to this church very long, or you've been in this ministry very long, watching online or on the radio or wherever, you know that every single Sunday, Joel gets up here and he declares over us who we are in Christ Jesus. He is saying, let's bind our mind to the mind of Christ. Let's connect ourself to heaven. because that's what we are. We are heaven bound. We are conquerors here on earth. He tells us we're disciplined. We're focused. We're intelligent. We're beautiful. We're smart. We have everything it takes. Okay. Let me just ask this question. I want y'all to be really truth and I'm not trying to embarrass anyone. Can I just see, and don't be embarrassed if you don't, that's okay. Can I just see a show of hands of how many people get up every morning and make positive declarations over their life.

10:22 Okay, that's not enough. That is not enough hands. Congratulations, guys. More power to you. Let me tell you something. You're cheating yourself if you don't get up and bind your mind to the mind of Christ, if you don't say what God says about you. See, there is a veneer. It looks like a thick wall, but it's not. It's thin. It's just a veneer, and you have to break through it. Because see, we weren't taught to say nice things about ourself. We were taught that if we say nice things about ourself, if we say we're talented, that we're boasting and we're bragging. But can I tell you you're not boasting and you're bragging you're boasting on the lord You're boasting about who he made you to be You're boasting about his likeness You are binding your mind to heaven and when you do that you are more than a conqueror We have to get up and make these declarations of faith We also need to decide that we're going to enjoy our life. We're going to enjoy the peace and the joy of the moment. How many of you just rush by life? We all do. Rush through life and we forget to breathe in those beautiful moments when your child kisses your face, when your husband tells you he loves you. When you get that promotion, it's back to work. Take a minute.

11:42 Breathe it in. Say, thank you, Lord. Be grateful. Look around. Go outside and look at the trees, the grass. God made that for you. He made that for you to enjoy. Pause, take a minute, collect your thoughts, and realize you were created not to struggle, not to barely get by, but to be more than a conqueror. I bought a bracelet the other day. It was just a funny little thing, but you know what? I've been working on this myself, and it's what they call a pause bracelet. It's a little beaded bracelet. On the back of it, it's got a little disc. And inside that disc is a battery. And you can set that little disc to 60 minutes or 90 minutes. So every 90 minutes, that little disc vibrates on my wrist. And it reminds me to take inventory of my thought life. It reminds me to pause and to be grateful. It reminds me that when I do these things, it brings an awareness to my life. What's going on in my thoughts? It helps me to redirect and refocus.

12:52 See, we go at a thousand miles a minute. We're doing one thing and we're thinking of the next thing that we have to do. And so, all throughout the day, we need to just take these moments to pause, reset our focus, remind ourselves that we're aligned with heaven, that we can't get under, out from under the mighty hand of God that we can rest in his presence. We can relax. You know, you don't have to have a pause bracelet like mine. These days, you can set your, your, uh, telephone. You can have a little alarm go off. You can set little post-its around. Whatever you need to do, I encourage you to pause throughout the day and realign your thoughts to the thoughts of Christ. See, God wants to strengthen us in Ephesians 3 16 in our inner most being. That soulish man, he wants it to be anchored, strong and secure in him. It says in Philippians 4a, it says, make sure you're taking time throughout the day to think of these things, things that are true, things that are noble, praiseworthy, things that are a good report, things that are lovely. Whatever is a good report, praiseworthy, That scripture is telling us this. You can find praiseworthy, noble, and excellent things in your life throughout the day if you'll look for them. Amen? If you'll look for them. So, if you're having troubles in your relationships, if you're frustrated all the time, let that be an indicator.

14:25 It's time for me to start declaring who I am in Christ. It's time for me to quit comparing myself to others. It's time for me to understand that I am uniquely designed for this time on earth and that I have gifts to enjoy and I'm going to enjoy them. I believe if we'll do that, we'll see God's love and faithfulness and we will become more than conquerors. Amen.