Victrory Sweet Victory

July 13th, 2008 River of Life Ministries Pastor Michael West
Sermon: Victory, Sweet Victory
Scripture: II Chronicles 20

Victory. Ever thought about it? Maybe it’s in sports, or war, team against team, but ever think about victory for you? In your everyday life?
There are three components in the dedication for victory:
Unity. Unity of vision. We can only be victorious when all the players are on board, unified in vision, regardless of how much talent or potential there is.
Diversity of skills. What a baseball team was made up of all pitchers? Or football all quarterbacks? Or a business with only salespeople? Doesn’t make much sense does it? Every organization, every church requires diverse talents to succeed.
Leaders are dedicated to victory and raising players to their potential and pastors are dedicated to victory by raising up disciple-makers, because we are all called to be soul-winners.

I will not accept defeat. As a parent to a child going through school, “you will do your school work.” as a pastor to this church, “you will pray, you will worship, you will learn, you will obey, you will evangelize, you will love, you will forgive, you will lead!”

And in our failures, we will know that that is only a small price to pay as the success for today and we will press on together.

What makes some achievers excel and skyrocket while others plummet? Some call it luck, blessing or whatever, but the truth of the matter, in spite of great difficulties they finish in the top 5 percent in the company even though they may have lost some key accounts. Achievers find ingenious ways to increase profits…..Chad and the shirts…..

Achievers graduate while raising two kids in a single parent home. They see things possible where others don’t. They recruit one after another to join the team. It just seems as though things just happen for them. That’s there calling someone says. We like to think of ourselves as a bit above average and the achievers are those who leave average in the dust. Why? What makes the difference?

Is it family origins? Wealth? Better opportunity? High morals? The absence of hardship? No, none of those things. The factor that separates those who shine and those who don’t is found in one thing: the perception and the response to failure. Nothing else has the same kind of impact on our ability to achieve and accomplish what our minds and hearts desire.
It’s time to start living the life you have always wanted by getting serious with God and stop with the excuses.

If August is happening, it’s because you got serious with God and let Him have the battle. The only reason we need to pray on about something is for our own peace of mind.

Let’s learn from Jehoshaphat’s situation—II Chronicles 20:4-5
God heard him the first time. He need to speak about the situation and here is a good place to say, we can talk to God at other times, not just when there is trouble. God can see and He can hear.

God heard you the first time you prayed, after that, it’s time to talk to Him about Him. —II Chronicles 20:6
As friends with God, we have to know He is not just a problem solver, He is my Heavenly Father, my Friend, God is my everything and I appreciate Him more than any words I can say.

Look what Jehoshaphat said next—II Chronicles 20:7-11

He is ready for the fight. He is speaking