I Declare Victory!

“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” - Proverbs 4:23 NCV

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." - Luke 6:45 NIV

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” - Proverbs 18:21 NIV

As believers, it is important to be careful what we think, because what we think is what we will say and what we say is how we will live. Therefore, we must harness the power of our thoughts and words. In doing this, we are able to overcome the idea of defeat and declare victory in every area and situation of our lives. Therefore, this week we will continue with the momentum from Sunday’s message titled “Victorious Declarations” and our theme for the week is “I Declare Victory!”

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!” - John 8:44-45 NIV

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 NIV

Throughout His ministry, Jesus made a clear distinction between that which is true and false – the Truth vs the lie. He describes Satan as not only a liar but the father of lies. As much as he desires to place himself above God, the creator of the heavens and earth, Satan is attributed credit for creation of lies – nothing else. So, while he’s a liar through and through, Jesus is declared as the undisputed Truth. In fact, He’s “the way and the truth and the life.” Everything was created by this Truth therefore it has the power to sustain, whereas an attempt to create or build on lies will always result in failure. Today, I want you to begin to displace the lies of Satan with the Truth of God. This requires you to do two things: 1. Receive the Truth and 2. Reject the Lie!

Along with this powerful declaration of victory in our minds, I want to provide you with strategy to see it manifested. This is necessary because faith without works is dead, therefore we must couple our faith with strategic works to experience the power of our words. The word of God provides much strategy for winning in the mind, but here are two I want to share with you today:

1. Choose your thoughts. In Philippians 4:8, Apostle Paul encourages us to think only on things that are positive and edifying. This is important because for so many, our minds have been conditioned to identify what’s wrong in our lives, marriages, finances, and health but we cannot find a trace of what’s right. What Paul is telling us is that we must be proactive in our thinking and choose our thoughts rather than allowing our thoughts to come and go as they please, robbing us of our peace, joy and hope. When we choose our thoughts, we choose the direction of our lives.
2. Separate yourself from the past. Throughout the generations, people have become grossly obsessed with the past. We see this in almost every area of life: in conversation, traditions, and even social media memories. While history helps us to see where we’ve come and can even help us navigate the future, we must not confuse the past with our present. It is possible to become so obsessed with the past that we are unable to look ahead to the future. This obsession is accompanied by limitations and is severely debilitating. We can be limited by both past success and failures – a limitation fueled by fear of never matching that success again or never seeing success at all. Either way it goes, as long as we hold to the past, we will never see what’s ahead. This is why Apostle Paul encourages us to forget what’s behind a strain toward what is ahead (Philippians 3:13b). It’s a strain because our minds are married to the past, but our hope and future cannot be found in our past, only in Christ.

Make a decision to walk in victory in your mind by choosing your thoughts and separating yourself from the past. Walk by faith in the strategies found in God’s word.

Today, we are declaring victory in our purpose! You may be asking “How can I declare victory when I don’t see my purpose or consider victory amidst my failures?” I’m glad you asked because for every declaration we lift this week, there’s scriptural context that validates your claim. When it comes to purpose, God declares and demonstrates throughout the Bible how He created us with purpose and it’s His will that we fulfill it. So much so that He will cause everything to conform to our purpose in accordance to His perfect will. Therefore, I want you to know that God has a wonderful plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Don’t become discouraged by damage, delays or loss you experience along the way, as it’s all working together for the good (Romans 8:28). You can confidently declare victory in your purpose as God created you to be victorious!

Victory in relationships is not illustrated through overcoming another individual. Remember, Jesus said “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) therefore it’s not our goal to overcome people but to overcome division and dissension through pursuing unity, choosing humility and walking in victory!

"Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works." (James 2:26 NLT)

"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." (Galatians 6:9 NLT)

All week we’ve been building our faith through powerful declarations. James shows us that bold faith in strong declarations is useless without good work. Paul encourages us to not become worn in doing what’s good. But what is the good? What should we be doing outside of declaring? I’m glad you asked! Today, I’m going to breakdown the good by giving you what I’m calling the 5 Keys to Progress & Victory:

1. Pray – Prayer is the starting point for the progress of the believer. It is essential for our progress in any area of life. It’s in prayer that we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the appointed time He will lift you up in honor (1 Peter 5:6). Without prayer, our progress is hindered and our success is limited. Therefore, prayer is not only where we start but it must be interwoven – heavily involved throughout the entire process.
2. Plan – As we know, faith without works is dead, therefore planning is the first step to bringing it to life. As the Lord told Habakkuk, write down what you see (Habakkuk 2:2). Even if you’re not sure, still write because God will correct your plans along the way. Proverbs 16:1 (NLT) says “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.” This means don’t marry your plans, plans can change, instead marry the Answer – God.
3. Prepare – Preparation and planning are not the same, in planning we detail our goal, write the vision but in preparation we begin to break ground on our assignment. It’s preparation that we begin to make our mind, environment, and resources ready for purpose, use or activity.
4. Produce – Producing ties back to our original assignment to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). God didn’t make us to simply be dreamers but to produce good things from the dreams He’s planted within us.
5. Pursue – Don’t be afraid of success, pursue after what God has planned for you like you can’t lose. Victory is built into your design and you are destined for victory!

 
As we close out this week of prayer, I encourage you to don’t stop declaring victory over every area of your life, but be sure to put effort behind your faith. Remember the 5 Keys to Progress and Victory: Pray, Plan, Prepare, Produce and Pursue!

Did you know that Thryve Church prays together 365 days a year? Join us Monday-Friday at 6:30am & Saturdays at 8am for "Prayer at the Altar" by dialing 339- 207-7471 and then join us Sundays at 11am for Worship Service! Learn more here!