Living in Victory

Christians desire to grow in their relationship with God. They want to flourish, to experience victory in their Christian lives. They want to live in the overcoming power that the cross provides. But they are stuck. They are like my friend, John, who works sixty hours per week, sits in two hours of traffic each day and carries the burdens of the world on his shoulders. He and his wife, Jenny, love each other, or at least they used to. They now spend their time together carting their kids to activities after driving through Taco Bell for dinner. Every week, John sits in the second row at church, listening to the pastor, and he and Jenny volunteer in the children's church. But he told me last week that he is exhausted. On the surface, he has a good life, but deep down he is drowning. He has no real victory.

How does someone like John stem the tide? How does he start living the victorious lifestyle Jesus came to offer? Many find the answer in promises of a magic pill, something that provides a quick fix. But such fixes don't exist. The victory of God is an ongoing lifestyle while adopting and applying certain priorities that prepare and equip us for life. True victory comes in heaven and not on earth. And only the Spirit of God living through the believer based on God's Word can give true victory. But there are basic principles that God has used throughout the centuries to encourage believers and give them victory.

In this book, I've pinpointed nine principles and priorities that will help a believer live a victorious Christian life. They are:

• victory in preparing for eternity
• victory in experiencing God's love
• victory in God's grace
• victory in God's sovereignty
• victory in spending time with Jesus
• victory in close relationships
• victory in the local church
• victory in rest
• victory in healthy living

These nine priorities will help you understand and apply principles that are simple, biblical, and time-tested to produce spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits. My aim is to stimulate you to live these biblical truths while allowing the Holy Spirit to transform you.