In 2016, I had been a Christian for over 15 years. Yet, I always found myself down, depressed, overwhelmed, feeling rejected, and defeated. It felt like my prayers were empty, I was spiritually dry, and no matter how much I believed the Word of God, I struggled to accept it for myself. My life was a crazy cycle of prayer and pity, faith and fear, victim and victorious. The crazy thing is, I was a worship leader, youth leader, and was the assistant for a very prestigious mother’s group. As I looked around, I saw many in my same position. We were all faking it in front of the crowd and distressed behind the scenes. This recognition is the reason I started this very blog and wrote the Victory Walk. My heart was that everyone I met would walk in complete victory from the lies of the enemy, doubt, and defeat. What I learned day by day is that freedom does not come from what we accomplish, how many friends we have, or even how long we can pray. It comes from having a solid relationship with the Lord.
Victory comes from knowing who God says you are and walking in it confidently and freely.
Today, I want to empower you with seven ways you can start to break free and walk in victory.
1.) Watch your words.
Your words have power! We see from Genesis 1, that words create, set things in place, and have a generational impact. Proverbs 18:21 that the “power of life and death are in the tongue.” Our words can uplift or destroy. I would encourage you to take an inventory of your words over the next few days. Do you find that your words line up to God’s words about you or are they a reflection of your own self-doubt? If you desire to walk victoriously, let’s first talk victoriously!
2.) Read your Bible.
I believe part of why our words and thoughts can be defeating is because we need to remind ourselves the Word of God. I have found that the lowest times of my life were coupled with a disregard for reading my Bible. Have you ever found your life too busy to read your Bible for even a few minutes? If I’m honest, I am guilty as charged! Yet, as a Christian reading, God’s instruction manual is a key to walking in victory. Within the word of God, we find strategy, wisdom, stories of triumph, and hope! There’s no situation you can experience that God’s word cannot speak to!
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16
3.) Spend Time with The Lord.
Setting time aside to pray, read your word, and just listen to what God wants to say is essential for every believer. With the fast pace of life, we can forget how crucial this is. As a mother of seven, co-pastor, and full-time professor, life can feel to busy to pause. Yet, I have found time and time again that when I awake early and pray, it seems like time itself is multiplied. I am calmer, more focused, and able to face unexpected woes with more grace. We serve a God who wants to spend time with us! We serve a God who wants us to bring our fears, concerns, and desires. How amazing is it that the Creator of the Universe desires an intimate relationship with us! All He asks us to do is to show up!
4.) Praise the Lord for the small and little victories.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1
Praise the Lord for it all! You woke up this morning, praise the Lord! You have somewhere to live, praise the Lord! You have a job, praise the Lord! Whatever, the case may be, praise the Lord! Sometimes as believers, we get “used to” the blessings of the Lord. Yet, one key to walking in victory is having an attitude of gratitude. Chances are, you are more blessed than you think. I have one friend who sends me the three things she is praising God for every single day! My prayer for you is that the Lord enlightens you on how He is moving in your life in the BIG and the small…and when He does, praise Him!
5.) Pray for those around you.
One of my favorite Bible verses is found in Job 40:12, "When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes." In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! I believe there is a key principle here. When we regard other people’s needs as much as our own, God blesses it! We see this with Jesus, He had every right to only pray for Himself with all that would be happening. Yet, He was constantly praying for others, feeding those in need, defending others, and serving those around Him. Jesus walked in an awareness that there were people who needed prayer, kindness, and someone to truly recognize their need. Being intentional about praying for others takes the focus off of our needs and reminds us that God wants to move for other people as well!
6.) Spend time in worship.
Worship can be a mighty weapon for believers! During times of worship, our focus is on the Lord and His goodness. Whether you find instrumental worship and sing a new song to the Lord or pray to the music or download your favorite Christian artist, don’t neglect this valuable aspect of Christianity. I often tell those who lead worship at our church that our Sunday morning worship should be an overflow of our daily worship with the Lord. When we sing songs to the Lord, there is victory! I cannot count how many times I have heard God’s voice clearly about the next step to take on a matter or just heard him tell me that He loves me. In those moments, it was exactly what I needed and helped me to remain hopeful in difficult times. If you aren’t sure where to start, I suggest you download music by Maverick City, Church of the City, Housefires, Kim Walker-Smith, Jonathan Nelson, or Todd Dulaney (my personal favorites)!
7.) Dedicate daily time towards your God-given talent, business, or gifting.
I am a firm believer that one reason we find ourselves defeated is that there's more inside of us! We tend to hold back when it comes to our talent or God-given idea. It seems we get too busy, or we think it's selfish to do things we enjoy. However, I believe we can operate in disobedience when we continue to ignore God’s call to action. Part of the reason we are so defeated and frustrated is that we know God is leading us to do more!
Today, I want to encourage you to walk in faith and victory! God will bless those who are intentional. Remember, living frustrated and in expectation for the next tragedy is not the heritage of the children of the Lord!
I invite you to take 30 days to be intentional about your relationship with the Lord. By clicking here and subscribing I will send you my FREE victory challenge right to your inbox. I have seen my life and so many others see God bring such peace and joy when they make God my priority. Our victory is found in our connection with Jesus Christ!
Speaking of Victory…head over to Itunes and download my first single, “My Victory”. Turn up your speakers for this one! The official lyric video can be found here!
