Each year in April, places of worship are filled with congregants celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Musicians perform with precision while liturgical dancers gracefully twirl in worship. We join our voices and boldly proclaim Christ’s victory over death, hell, and the grave (Revelation 1:18)! From glorious mass choirs to singing trios of tiny tots, the victorious sentiment is consistent – He is risen, making us more than conquerors.
While we don’t need a Resurrection Sunday to recognize the Savior’s victory, isn’t it interesting how we can proudly sing about the joy of overcoming one day, and the next, our problems greet us like old familiar friends.
The Blues of Defeat
If Christ died for our victory, then why do we feel so defeated?
I asked myself that same question after an extended time of illness. The sickness caused me to miss time at work, which in turn, affected my input on a major project. Although the project was completed on time, since I wasn’t at work I missed a sizable bonus. A few days later an unexpected issue with my car demanded a costly trip to the mechanic. In the days following, a leak in our upstairs bathroom caused significant damage to our kitchen ceiling.
It was one thing after another. Unfortunately, instead of counting it all joy, I felt overwhelmed, defeated, and discouraged.
I remember silently thinking to myself, “If one more thing happens, I don’t know what I am going to do!”
After a couple of days, I could see that my defeatist attitude was beginning to affect my family. I had to do something to snap out of my discouragement.
3 Ways Conquerors Can Stay Up
How can we as conquerors stay encouraged when we feel like giving up? Try these 3 play calls:
1. Use the Word of God as a Weapon Against Frustration.
I had to use the word of God to help me to regain control over my emotions, and to remind myself that God was with me. Because I am a visual learner, I wrote down these three scriptures on sticky notes and placed them in strategic places around my house where I could see them:
Joshua 1:9 – Because I was feeling like God had abandoned me, I had to remind myself that He was with me. I had to remember that God’s thoughts towards me were good and that He would not leave or forsake me.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Reminded me that I need to put my trust in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord meant that I had to give up trying to figure out why everything was happening and simply trust that the situations would work out in my favor. Because so many things were happening at once, I didn’t know exactly what to do or how to handle things. Acknowledging God and asking for His guidance helped to clear my thoughts.
Philippians 4:6-7 – Reminded me to pray about everything. Once I gave every situation over to God, the Word promised that His peace would guard my heart and mind. With God’s peace protecting my mind, I was covered!
2. Thank God in Advance for the Victory.
Before my situation was resolved, I began to thank God for working on our behalf. By speaking words of praise, before I saw the circumstance improve, it slowly began to increase my belief that He would, in fact, answer my prayer.
Instead of reciting the problems, I began to speak about my positive expectation. At first, this was not the easiest thing to do because – to my natural mind – it did not make sense. How could I possibly be saying “thank you” for something that had not yet happened? My situation had not changed, but I came to understand that thanking God in advance was something that I had to do by faith.
When we act and speak in faith, it pleases God. As we begin, the Word of the Lord in Psalms 9:10 AMP reassures us that the Lord does not disappoint those who trust in Him. I found that when I did this, my attitude began to change for the better – almost immediately.
3. Call Someone Who Can Pray with You.
God did not intend for us to walk our life journey alone. While I don’t think that you should share all of your personal struggles with just anyone, it is important that you do have people in your circle with whom you can confide.
Be open to sharing your issues with a trustworthy friend who has a strong prayer life. This friend or group of friends will encourage you in the Lord and will remind you of the power of prayer. They will hold you up and support you.
If you don’t already have a group of friends who will pray for you, ask God for divine connections. He will put good people in your life to walk with you through your difficult times and see you to victory. When your friends love you, they will go to battle with you in your time of need and pray for you.
So, what’s the play call?
Life may be a bit difficult for you right now, but I’d like to encourage you! Don’t give up!
Our difficulties only last for a season and they are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
Look for a single scripture that encourages your heart and stand on the promise of God’s Word to sustain you.
God has promised us victory – don’t give up until it’s yours!
The book of Matthew begins with the “generation of Jesus Christ…” Mattew 1:1
The point of this proverb is that our words, spoken in the right circumstances, are of immeasurable value. We are to speak with purpose to those in whom we’d like to invest. Some of us may have younger teammates who have followed us in certain seasons of life and possibly throughout our entire life.
Yep, that’s where I was going with this. I imagine that this is how God wants us to be in His presence. You know, even when He pours into us, He wants us to want more. God never wants us to get enough of Him. 
When we work to earn self-love, we become overly competitive and envious which affects our relationships and how we look at other people. The Bible says love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39). If we don’t love ourselves, we cannot truly love anyone else.
The enemy has been working overtime to make us feel bad about needing God. It’s as if His goodness makes us feel so bad about our sins and weaknesses. This shouldn’t be the case.
The other day, there was a fly in my kitchen. I know, I know, that’s not news because it’s summertime and there will be flies. Stay with me anyway. 
Beginning in verse 6, God begins to speak of how He delivered His people from Egypt. He references the burden they carried on their shoulders, probably referring literally to the bricks they carried in slavery. He speaks about answering their troubled call from Egypt, leading them out by a pillar of clouds and a pillar of fire. He speaks of delivering them from their thirst and revealing 
It’s important to note the reason God wants us to obey, the reason God wants us to walk in His commandments. He uses the words, “that it may be well with you.” Our heavenly Father desires good for us. But, with stubbornness in our hearts, we often say, “I’m going to do it my own way.”
God desires our trust. 
