“God sees more in you than you see in yourself.” 

¹²And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. ¹³And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. ¹⁴And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? ¹⁵And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. ¹⁶And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

Judges 6:12-16

In this passage of scripture the writer reminds us that there is one qualification for victory – that God be with us. As long as we are looking at our own shortcomings we will not be able to focus on the victory that God has waiting for us. Don’t feel qualified or deserving of the miracle? Well, in the natural you may not be. But God doesn’t look on your natural qualifications or what you may have done in the past. God always sees you in Christ. He sees you through the blood of Jesus. He sees you victorious in the things He sends you to do and so should you!

And besides that we are supposed to see ourselves in Christ. He is the image we are supposed to be looking at. It’s never been about me and what I have done. It has always been about what God has done for me and who He has made me to be. Self defeat is a trap of the enemy. It always starts in our thoughts. It is a sneaky way to keep us living on a lower level. Basically anything that starts with “self” is born out of the flesh. It’s now about us, it’s about God!

 Victory Decision

A low self-image is a distorted form of pride and is self-defeating. I will get into God’s Word and begin to see myself the way God does and act accordingly.

“Our source of strength in prayer is remembering and speaking forth past blessings.”

⁴One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.  ⁵I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. ⁷They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

Psalm 145: 4-5, 7

³⁷David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

1 Samuel 17:37

Did you know God told his people when they experienced a victory to build a memorial and when they pass by it they should tell their children about what God did for them? Seems like celebrating past victories was important to God. Now He didn’t say stay there forever. He didn’t say to get stuck in the past and stop moving. NO! He told them when you come this way remember. He has more victories for you!

When I have a hard time getting into the place of prayer, (let’s face we all have those moments) but I have found one of the quickest ways I can get the the river flowing is to begin to remember and thank God for what He has done for me. The last thing I ever want to be is unthankful. I don’t want to ever forget how He has saved me, how He has healed me, how He has provided for me. I want to testify of God’s faithfulness to help others that are struggling. But I know there is more! As I am faithful to remember and speak those things, I know that it will release more victory in my life.

Victory Action

 I will speak forth in faith how God has blessed me in the past.

“Love is a decision, not an emotion.”

 ³⁷And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. ³⁸But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. ³⁹And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

Acts 15:37-39

 The walk that God designed for us to have is one of faith. Not feelings.

1 John 4:8

The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

When you choose feelings of bitterness over love you are choosing the circumstances over God. What moves you? Is it your feelings? Is it the events of your past? Or is it your heart desire to be more like God? Well, God is love.

Is it easy to love? Not always! Some people are easier than others to walk in love with. However, that is their problem, not yours. Difficult people are missing the most important thing, love. They are missing out on relationships. Your responsibility is to do what GOD said to do.

Galatians 5:13 (Practice Love)

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.

You think, well okay, I have to walk in love. (Big sigh!) No you get to. You get to act like Jesus. Have those people you are having a problem with beat you until your face is unrecognizable? Have they nailed you to a cross? That is what they did to Jesus. But what did he say? Father forgive them. It was the ultimate display of love.

Sometimes we have to draw boundaries so that people don’t bring harm into our lives. That’s okay. Sometimes people quit talking to us or separate themselves from us. So how do you love a person like that? You pray for them. You pray the Word of God over them. You ask God to let you see them the way He sees them. The way He saw you when you were most unlovable. It will change your heart. And soon, the feelings of love will follow the action of prayer.

Victory Decision

As time went by and Paul chose to walk in love toward Mark, this relationship became profitable for the spreading of the Gospel.  When I act in love, the feelings will follow.  From this point on I choose to walk in love.