I love the spirit of victory that emanates from Romans 8:28-37…
It implies that we don’t have to settle for merely becoming survivors in the trek of life. With God’s power and goodness at work in our lives, we truly can become “more than conquerors” in every aspect of our lives. Here are some principles that can help us, like Paul, develop a “more than conqueror” attitude through Jesus Christ.
1. In ALL situations, meditate on the goodness of God.
Romans 8:28 affirms us that ALL things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. In Psalm 27:13, David zeroed in on the goodness of God while finding himself in a seemingly hopeless situation. “I believe that I should look upon the goodness of God in the land of the living.” He wrote these words while being confined to a cave as a bounty was on his head. But he believed, despite his circumstances, that he would see God’s goodness, not just in a future heaven, but in the land of the living… In the not-so-distant future. God will turn things around in the hear and now!
2. Know that, with God, everything can have a redemptive purpose.
Have you ever had an “apparent” failure that turned into a redemptive experience? The truth is, no failure needs to remain unredeemed when God’s word promises otherwise. We need not shy away from taking necessary risks when ultimately we know that we cannot fail if we are following God wholeheartedly. Even if we “seem” to fail in the eyes of ourselves and others, God evaluates failure completely different from people. Knowing that everything has a redemptive purpose gives us great confidence to step out in faith and do things others are afraid to do because we know that ultimately God will grow us through setbacks and any “apparent” failure. Redemption is a powerful life-giving force that many will never experience because they are too afraid of failure. For the person fully following Christ, failure is never fatal; it always brings life-giving redemptive purpose that ultimately galvanizes even greater confidence in his or her estimation of God’s goodness.
3. Never exchange your TRUE identity for a victim mentality.
In verse 35, Paul reflected on all of his hardships and took note that others regarding him as being a sheep headed to the slaughterhouse… the Titanic just waiting to sink. But Paul refused to look at himself the way others looked at him. He said, “No,” in other words, “I don’t think so homey!” In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. And he goes on to declare that nothing can separate us from the power of God’s love at work in our lives. In times of hardship, it’s critical that we don’t develop a victim mentality. We need a “more than conqueror” mentality. Even when others have written you off, you must never exchange your TRUE identity for what your circumstances or people have declared over you. Know who you are and declare your identity over and over again. You are not a victim – you are a child of God with incredible redemptive purpose and limitless potential.
4. Be willing to learn endurance.
Hebrews 10:35-36 says, “Therefore do not throw away your CONFIDENCE, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Confidence is something God wants all of his children to possess just like we would want our own children to be confident. But it’s hard to have confidence in times of distress. Yet we grow the most in times of adversity as opposed to prosperity. The generation that came out of the Great Depression also came to be known as “The Greatest Generation.” There is a correlation! Maintaining your confidence while waiting for God’s breakthrough in your life is where you will grow the most. If we begin to understand that our “waiting” is integral to our growing in Christ-likeness, imagine what our lives could look like if we learned to accept waiting with appreciation. Imagine the endurance it will produce in us…
5. Lastly, maintain your integrity while waiting on God’s goodness.
The word “integrity” stems from the Latin adjective integer, meaning “whole” or “complete”. In this context, integrity is the inner sense of “wholeness.” Erich Fromm said, “Integrity simple means not violating one’s own identity.” After Job lost everything in his life including the lives of his children, his wife questioned why he maintained his integrity and chided him to curse God and just get it over with. But Job maintained his integrity and it contributed to his great confidence in being able to declare, “though he slay me, yet will I TRUST him!” Job didn’t forfeit his TRUE identity. He held fast to his God. He retained his integrity. And his fortunes were restored. There is confidence and HOPE that is fortified in you when you maintain your integrity.
Hold to these five principles and watch God produce in you an unshakable inner confidence of who you REALLY are: MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!!!