Victorious

Victorious. It is a word that we mutter under our breath as we face every sort of adversity and trial that comes our way. I will be victorious. It is almost as if we try to convince ourselves that we will overcome … that our children will serve the Lord … that our prodigal children will return home. Victorious.

The very definition of victorious causes us to pause:

• having achieved a victory; conquering; triumphant:
• having defeated an adversary:
• of, relating to, indicative of, or characterized by victory:

Victory. In order for me to be victorious, there must be a victory. So let’s break it down. Victory is:

• a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
• an engagement ending in such triumph:
• the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest:
• a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc.

Friends, whether we believe it or not, we are at war. In order to be victorious, we must engage in that war for the lives of our children. We must hold on to the promises of God.

“Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine” (I Chronicles 29:11).

Sometimes we don’t understand why we face different circumstances in our lives. With our natural eye, there is no explanation.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57)

Two weeks ago one of my older saints came up to me weeping. She said, “Pastora, I’ve been evicted from my home. I don’t know where I will lay my head tonight.” This lady is a worshiper. She is faithful in everything. My heart broke as I saw her weep. I told her, “Don’t worry. You can come and stay with me until God provides.” She called me later that night to tell me her son had opened his home for her to live there – the same son she had been asking prayer for at every service for four years.

As I walked into service this past Sunday, the same sister came running up to me with a megawatt grin. This time she said, “Pastora, now that I live with my son, I have had the opportunity to share with my daughter-in-law the plan of salvation. She has asked to be baptized in the name of Jesus!

Evicted. Desperate. Heartbroken. Homeless. These are not words that are synonymous with victory. Oh, but when we have faith, it gives us victory over every situation.

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (I John 5:4)

Note: This article originally appeared in the Ladies Prayer International e-newsletter. To subscribe, visit ladiesministries.com. Jessica M. Marquez is a Teacher and Speaker. She pastors, alongside her husband, Nueva Vida Miami, in Miami, Florida. She also served, alongside her husband, as a missionary of the UPCI, for 14 years, to the countries of Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, serving the women in each of these countries.