The Bible - Practical Applications for Everyday Life

Chapter 6 Living in Victory But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:57 We often think of victory in terms of competition or contests where one individual or team is victorious. But there is a victory that surpasses all others; it is the victory we have over anything we encounter in this world that may control or defeat us. As stated in the verse above, we can achieve victory through Jesus Christ. We are able to have victory over addictions, anger, pride, interpersonal conflict, worry, sinful desires of every kind, and even death. If we put our faith and trust in Jesus, he will help us live a life of victory because He Himself is victorious over all. He has all authority over heaven and earth and is greater than any difficulty we may face. As a result, we can live life of victory that is filled with peace and joy. In Revelation 17:14 we find these words: “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” The Lamb refers to Jesus Christ and he is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. In other words, He is ruler over all leaders on earth. In fact, He is the ruler over all things in this universe. He has overcome the forces of evil (Satan) through his victory over death on the cross and now reigns supreme over the heavens and the earth. Similarly Matthew 28:18 states “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus is all powerful; nothing is too hard for Him. The wonderful news is that Jesus’ victory is something that we can all share in. He overcame rejection, sorrow, sickness, and even death for our benefit. And He desires that his followers also live in victory. Though we may experience difficult circumstances and experience life’s valleys, we need not remain there. Because He overcame and now lives, we too can overcome and live. Mastering money People treasure many things in this world such as status, sports, power, friendships, possessions, to mention a few. For many, money is the most treasured of all. They not only treasure it but allow it to dominate their lives. The Bible has much to teach about money and contains specific warnings about the love of money. Why is it so bad to treasure money? After all, who wants to be poor? Is it not possible to love money, things and people equally? Let’s explore what the Bible has to say about this. The Bible explains that when we put money first, it leads us down the wrong path. In I Timothy 6:10 the Apostle Paul said: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people who are eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (NIV). Paul puts it plainly; all kinds of evil and grief result from putting money above all else. Paul did not say that money itself is the root of evil. It is of course possible to possess large amounts of money and manage it wisely. Rather, it is the love of money – being so focused on one’s personal wealth that it becomes more important than anything else. There are many reasons why this is so. First, money can dominate our thoughts and actions to the point that we no longer have a balanced and clear thought process. It can cause us to say or do things that are unwise and even dangerous. Those who love money rarely, if ever, have enough money. This drives the need to earn more and more, even though they are already very wealthy. When our focus is on money, it is not on those things that God values, and that’s a problem. Second, it is because money competes with God for our attention. In the first of the Ten Commandments, God made it clear that He comes first. “There must be no other God’s before me” (Exodus 20:1). Anything that comes before God means that it interferes with our relationship with God, or worse, it takes the place of God. God says do not do this! He desires to be first in our lives. When we push God aside, we miss out on many things such as blessings, wisdom and peace. We lose touch with the very One (Jesus) who is most able to help us through life. And when that happens, we are given over to our own desires and this then leads to all kinds of evil that Paul mentioned. Jesus spoke directly about this in Matthew 6:24 where He said “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”. Jesus did not say that it is difficult; He said you cannot! Third, the love money comes with the risks of selfishness, greed and unjust gain. Consider the following warnings: Proverbs 1:19. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 15:27. Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. Proverbs 28:22. A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. Greed can creep into person’s life and eventually gain control over their thoughts and actions. This can lead to stealing, deceit, mistreatment of others and even worse actions. God understands our nature completely and our strong tendencies toward selfishness and greed. This is why He warned us so many times. He also knows that if our focus is on Him rather than money, we will avoid many problems.