The Victorious Life

Introduction Living a victorious life is the desire of every Christian who wants to serve the Lord; however, this is not always possible. The reason is that believers are often attacked by various things that hinder their progress and success in life. Therefore, the aim of "The Victorious Life" is to highlight that failure, problems, obstacles, and the darts that God's children receive are not enough to stop, block, or bring down those who have placed their trust in the Almighty. This work clearly and simply addresses the setbacks faced by believers, why they happen, and the biblical, theological, and even scientific responses to overcome them. In the first chapter, the topic of the crisis of failure is addressed, which is a reality that twenty-first-century Christians are living with. This chapter will teach about the reality of the problem and how it is frequently ignored by most people. Many Christians have even become accustomed to living defeated, but that is not God's will. The second chapter expands on the topic and then studies failure from a biblical perspective, examining how it has been recorded in the Holy Scriptures. These scriptures never attempted to ignore, evade, or oversimplify failure; on the contrary, the biblical text clearly exposes this issue and how it was dealt with to stop it, mitigate it, and learn from the mistakes of those who made them. The third chapter presents the main topic of this work, which is the victorious life. It openly states that believers can overcome everything that comes their way and live in victory. Therefore, some keys to achieving this goal and practical advice for reaching it are taught. The fourth chapter studies the example of a biblical character who lived a victorious life to its fullest extent. It briefly analyzes the life of the prophet Elisha, how this man of God experienced great victories in all areas of his life, and what can be learned from his example for today's Christians. After the first four chapters, the work focuses on the areas where believers battle every day due to the number of situations they face. In this case, the fifth chapter will have a strict focus on the struggles faced as a Christian, and the reader will learn about the origins of these struggles and how they can be overcome. The sixth chapter continues along the same line but focuses on the trials that believers experience simply because they are Christians. This specific chapter is entirely transformative, as the reader will learn how God uses trials to perfect, form, and equip His children for work and growth. The seventh chapter deals with the topic of temptation and how it is used by the devil with the sole purpose of causing God's children to fall. This is an impactful chapter as it delves into the most terrible aspects of the enemy and how he tries to bring down God's children. The eighth chapter discusses the spiritual warfare that God's children must fight against the enemy. It expands on the enemy's field of action, his strategies, and his most lethal weapons to bring down believers. The ninth chapter addresses the topic of the inner enemy. Here, the reader learns about the internal struggle that believers face every day. It clearly exposes the weaknesses and frailties of the believer and how the enemy uses them to fight against them. The next segment of chapters presents a menu of situations, most of which are internal issues, and how these things cause so much harm to the believer, often being the root of spiritual defeat. In the tenth chapter, we address bitterness: what it is, how it attacks, why people become bitter, and what can be done to overcome it. Chapter eleven deals with anxiety. It expands on this issue, teaching about the causes of anxiety in individuals and how it can be overcome. Additionally, in the following chapter—twelve—discouragement is discussed. It emphasizes that discouragement is one of the strongest and most malicious darts that Satan throws at Christians. Discouragement takes away people's desire to live, fight, and blocks individuals from fulfilling God's calling. Then, in chapter thirteen, the topic of envy is addressed, and it is learned how this does significant harm to those who let it dominate them. Some envious people and the envied are studied in the scriptures, and what can be learned from their experiences is examined. In chapter fourteen, the reader will learn about fear and how this evil paralyzes, neutralizes, and incapacitates those who let it dominate them. The book concludes by discussing personal relationships in chapter fifteen and how these can help God's children get along with others, as well as how to work with difficult people. Chapter sixteen addresses the topic of conflictive relationships, revealing that they are a torment. However, with God's help, they can be improved. The final chapter discusses happiness. It teaches about the meaning of happiness, what produces it, how it manifests, and addresses it from biblical, theological, and scientific perspectives. This work anticipates blessing and liberation. Chapter 1: The Crisis of Failure "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12. Introduction Spiritual failure is one of the most painful experiences a Christian can endure, especially for those who want to serve God and have made a commitment of faithfulness to the Lord when they were baptized. A fall can occur for various reasons, many of which will be discussed in this book. However, there are also individuals who may experience it involuntarily, perhaps due to negligence. Sometimes, a person may not realize they are neglecting things that, though seemingly small, can cause significant harm. Remember what Solomon said about the little foxes: "For the foxes are little, destroying the vineyards" (Song of Solomon 2:15). Ultimately, many people fall due to a lack of knowledge—meaning they are unaware or unprepared to face situations that could lead them to fall. Regardless of the source of the fall, it does happen, and what follows may be the difference between one person and another. Most who experience failure can rise again when they are helped, allow themselves to be helped, and humble themselves, while others unfortunately cannot overcome the failure in their lives and sink into the abyss of defeat.