Hi friends! How was your weekend?
I’ve had an incredible two days. This morning was Day Two of Victory Weekend, and I’m all pumped up. It was a good two days, and I can tell you this: my life will never be the same.
Until today, I never claimed victory, as in, spoke out and claimed it. Well, today, I did. I claimed victory in all areas of my life in the name of Jesus. I declare that I’m a man who loves God, and it’s time to stand up and stop the pretending. Real men love God, serve Him, and aren’t afraid to share with others how God has changed them. All my life – even for the past seven years as a Christian – I’ve been running away from my potential, from my destiny as a child of God. Well, no more. Today, I claimed my victory in Christ because I will no longer subject myself to self-condemnation.
I’m coming away from Victory Weekend with seven mindsets in place, that I’m actually posting on my website so all visitors and regular readers can hold me accountable:
1. I am addicted to food, but I renounce this addiction in the name of Jesus!, because God is more than enough for me! God can satisfy me the way food never can. 1 Cor 3:16 says Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? The Temple of God deserves to be treated well, and I renounce unnecessary eating, binge eating, junk food and soda, in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit and my holy wife hold me accountable.
2. I am a victim of the delusions of self-pity, and I will no longer allow the enemy to convince me I am worthless. John 1:12 says Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… I believe in Christ Jesus, I have received Him in my life, He sits on the throne of my heart, and I have no reason to feel sorry for myself. Fact: Christ died for me. My life is valuable to God, so I should see myself as valuable.
Likewise, God loves you too. Why feel bad about yourself when you have the Creator of the Universe on your side?
3. I will no longer joke about myself, because I renounce identity cursing in the name of Jesus! This one struck me deep. All my life, I was told I was fat, and I would never really become thin. Even when I lost 50 pounds, that was only temporary, and I gained it back. I realize now that I was cursing myself to fail! When I made self-deprecating jokes about my weight, I was cursing myself. When I told myself I would never amount to anything greater than what my friends were achieving, I was cursing myself. Romans 8:31 says What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? No more. I am a victorious man in the name of Jesus, doing great things to bring glory to His name.
4. Hurt people hurt people, so I renounce the easily-offended spirit and the untamed tongue in the name of Jesus! I don’t hold grudges, but I do get hurt easily, and I hurt people easily in the name of a cheap laugh. I will seek forgiveness from these people (if ever I’ve done it to you, email me and I will arrange a meetup with you if you want, and I will apologize to you personally over a cup of coffee, my treat), and I forgive those who have offended me. I renounce the troubled tongue in the name of Jesus! For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45), and no more, by God’s grace, will I blurt out without thinking, because my heart is joyfully ruled by Christ.
5. I renounce fear in the holy name of Jesus Christ! I am reminded that God is my protector. He is my Jehovah Rohi, my shepherd, who watches over me and protects me. He is my refuge in times of trouble (Nahum 1:7, ang walang kamatayang encouraging verse ng buhay ko, LOL.) Millions of people have chronic and/or occasional money problems, health problems, difficulty at work, and personal struggles, among many things, but I have a great and mighty God. What do I have to be afraid of?
If anything, I declare victory over all the abovementioned struggles in Jesus’ name, and what a powerful testimony that will be when God carries my family and me to success. Praise be His and His alone!
6. God is not my last-minute option. He is my only option. I was stunned when I realized how little people depend on God, myself included, running to Him only when the medicine doesn’t kick in, when the paycheck runs out, when the girlfriend/boyfriend leaves, when the loved one dies, when the contract doesn’t get signed. All these things are earthly, and they will pass away. Matt 24:35 Heaven and Earth will pass away, but [God’s] words will never pass away. Why rely on something temporary, with no power to bless? God will be first option always in my life, and to create a lifestyle of prayer is to create a lifestyle of victory.
7. I am doing this all for hundreds of people. Wanna know something? If you have problems in your life, take a look and see if similar problems are present in your family. Is there a family history of disease? Suicide? Broken relationships and marriages? If someone starts something extremely negative, it is highly possible that pattern may be repeated in future generations (sukob!).
Well, I am not letting any of those curses pass on to Nathan and Nathan’s kids, no way! By God’s grace, we’ll nip the problems in the bud. When I realize that I am responsible for the future of hundreds of people down the line, I am awed and even more determined to rely on God to make my line victorious and God-serving.
That was my weekend. How was yours?
