I don’t have any notes tonight because I’m going to read a little bit. There are many in the Body of Christ who, when they pray and nothing happens, they say to themselves “I just want to see a little success. I want to see something positive happen.”
That is not what God is after. God is not after success in our lives. Did you hear me? God is not after success. He is after victory!
He is not after success ladies and gentlemen. You are passed that. When you got born again, you got past success. You went into the land called victory!
Say it with me: “Victory is where I live.”
As I was listening to a message by another minister, the Lord dropped into me this message that I’m going to share with you tonight.
We’re going to be in John 11 tonight. I’m going to read this word to you first and then we’ll go to John 11.
“There is a difference between walking in a level of success and walking in victory.”
Now I’m going to be honest with you. When the Lord started giving me this, I’m thinking you have got to help me see this Lord. So He gave the whole thing to me and then I said okay, let’s go back to the dictionary. Let’s see what the word “success” means and what the word “victory” means.
“There’s a difference between walking in a level of success and walking in a level of victory.”
In the dictionary the word “success” is “a degree or measure of succeeding; favorable or desirable outcome, also: the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.”
Success is a “measure” of something. It is not necessarily the whole thing. You can have partial success depending on what you are measuring. Who does the measuring of that something? The person who is seeking the success. We often determine success based on what happens in our lives.
Listen to the definition of victory: “The overcoming of an enemy or antagonist; achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties.”
Can I say “victory is where we live”?
“There’s a difference between walking in success and walking in victory. But sadly many in my churchy don’t know the difference. They’re like little children who taste success and think that they have received an answer to prayer. But victory is more than receiving an answer to prayer. Victory for My children is a lifestyle. (Victory is where we live!) Victory is all that they know. Anything less than victory is a foreign concept to my children.”
Sadly we all know that victory is a foreign concept to the Body of Christ. My heart cries when I make that statement. Victory is not something the Body of Christ is accustomed to. But when you were born again ladies and gentlemen, when God’s life and nature replaced that old sin nature, victory took up residence in you right then and there. It’s already in you. You have to bring it out.
“But you have been conditioned to accept success rather than victory. You have been conditioned to believe that success is what I am after in the kingdom of God. I am not after success. Success is not going to win souls. Success is not going to be, using a term familiar to you, success is not a “game-changer” in the kingdom of God.”
“Victory, complete and total annihilation of the things of this world in your life, is the “game-changer” that Satan fears.”
Right now, when he sees many of us in the Body of Christ he doesn’t see a threat. He doesn’t see people he has to be concerned about.
I may have mentioned this before. The NFL Network has a program called “A Football Life.” This particular episode was about a running back named Christian Okoye who played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the late 80s and early 90s. Christian Okoye was not your typical running back. He was 6’2 or 6’3 and weighed 265 pounds. He ran a 4.3 one hundred. He was big and fast.
One of the guys doing the interview was a defensive lineman for the then-Oakland Raiders. He said that when Christian Okoye was running toward him he made a half-hearted attempt at trying to tackle him. So when the interview asked him why he said “I made a business decision.” In other words, he didn’t want to injure himself trying to tackle Okoye.
The Body of Christ is not forcing Satan to make a business decision, something we’re not doing right now. He needs to say “No, I’m not dealing with Tabitha today. I’m not dealing with Stephen today. I’ll find someone else.” When he does that, he is making a business decision.
Many in the Body of Christ are making business decisions every day and don’t know it. They are not going on the offensive. They are trying to avoid everything they can avoid instead of standing up and being – listen to me – standing up and being who they are.
“Victory, complete and total annihilation of the things of this world in your life, is the “game-changer” that Satan fears. My Son walked in victory. Read the Gospels and you’ll see His was not a walk of success but a walk of victory. He never failed. Did you hear Me? My Son never failed. (On the inside of us lives the capability of never failing.) He was not “successful in life.” He was “victorious in life.” He conquered. He ruled. He dominated. He had the final say in every circumstance and situation He faced in life.”
I read that and I thought about Genesis 1:26, 27 and 28 when God said let us make man after our image, after our likeness and let him have dominion over all the things My hands have created. We were designed to conquer, to rule, to dominate in this world. Why? Because this world is dominated by Satan who wants nothing more than to fill the lake of fire with people.
I’m going to tell you right now ladies and gentlemen, Barry is not there yet. I’m not living in the victory the Bible says I can live in. That is not a confession of defeat. That’s not a negative confession. That’s a confession that says I recognize where I am at this point in my life, that I know where I’m going and where I want to be because Jesus has set the standard for me.
So, I can look at the standard and see where I need to be based on where I am right now. I’m not ashamed of that. But I tell you what, I am not going to be here five years from now because I’m not going to stop until I look in that mirror and see Jesus. Do you know why? Victory is where I live.
“He conquered. He ruled. He dominated. He had the final say in every circumstance and situation He faced in life. That is a life of victory. That is a life born of My loins. That is a life that can only be found in those who live with Me. So don’t accept success in your life. Don’t settle for anything less than complete and total victory – total and complete annihilation – of all the enemy’s wiles directed at your life. Live as My Son lived. Model His behavior. Do what He did. Live in victory, saith the Lord.”
What is the Lord telling us ladies and gentlemen? He’s telling us that Satan has no power over us. None. Do you know why Satan has power over us? It’s because we don’t know that he doesn’t have power over us. As a body we don’t understand that.
I look forward to the day that Barry gets up and the curtain is pulled back and I walk into that life that my Father has been waiting for me to walk into – with all its fullness and with all its authority. Because the bottom line is when Barry walks the way his Father wants him to walk he’s going to be a conqueror, he’s going to be victorious and he’s going to bear fruit in his life. He’s going to save souls.
For me this paints a completely different picture of what my life should be like. I’m not supposed to have success here, success there, a miss here, and a miss there. I’m supposed to have victory all the time – not success. We need to show people what victory looks like. We need to model the behavior that Jesus modeled.
There is no excuse for not living like a son of God. There is no excuse for not living like a daughter of God.
In John 11 we’re to look at Jesus’ victory walk. Or, if you prefer, victory lap because this is just one example of many.
(1) Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha
(2) (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
(3) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
(4) When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
(5) Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
(6) When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
Now a lot of people say Jesus waited two extra days because according to Jewish customs a body had to be in the ground at least four days for the person to be truly dead. Let’s read on.
(7) Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.
(8) His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
(9) Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
If you are walking in the day, you won’t get caught off guard, you won’t stumble because you can see.
(10) But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
What is Jesus talking about? He’s saying “I am listening, I am following the leading of the Holy Spirit – by the light that’s in me. That is why we didn’t go two days ago.” Remember Jesus said he only did what the Father told him to do. Remember Jesus said my meat is to do the will of my Father. So, when Jesus delayed two days do you not think he was doing the will of his Father?
(11) These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
(12) Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
(13) Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
(14) Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
(15) And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
Jesus is saying that "one of the reasons that Lazarus died and I was not there is because I want you to see the example of what you are to become."
(16) Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
(17) Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
(18) Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
(19) And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
(20) Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Okay, you need to get ready for this.
(21) Then said Martha unto (Lee), if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
(22) But I know (Lee), that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
“Judy, if thou had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, whatever thou shall ask of God, God will giveth thee.”
Do you see where we need to be?
Martha is standing in front of you. “Sister LaFaye, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know that if you would pray to God he will live.”
It puts a whole different light on this record when you put your name in here. Until we start seeing ourselves in Jesus’ place the works that he said we are to do we will not be able to do. Jesus lived in victory. Say it with me: "Victory is where I live."
Then said Martha unto Jason, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know, Jason, that even now that whatever thou will ask of God, God will give it thee.”
Then said Martha unto Gloria, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know, Gloria, that even now that whatever thou will ask of God, God will give it thee.”
One more.
Then said Martha unto Cindy, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know, Cindy, that even now that whatever thou will ask of God, God will give it thee.”
The world needs to see a people who can go to their Father and receive from their Father.
Can you imagine going to a country dominated by radical Islam? They have lined up Christians. Ten of them have already executed. You go over there and one by one by one you say “Live.” One by one by one they get up.
You want to talk about making a difference in this world?
You want to talk about people seeing Jesus right now?
You want to talk about people not criticizing Christianity anymore?
We have to want to see this happen otherwise it’s never going to change. It’s up to us.
The crowds came when Jesus did the miracles. What the miracles did was allow Jesus to preach the kingdom of God.
We need to be at a place in our lives where victory is where we live. And because victory is where we live, victory is always with us wherever we are!
