Category Archives: Identity

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Finding Victory

Over the years I’ve seen so many Christians go through very difficult things. Many have gone through very similar things whether it was betrayal, divorce, grief, sickness, depression, addiction or the lost of a loved one. And yet upon going through some of the toughest things life may ever bring I’ve seen two very different things happen. I’ve seen some do everything right so to speak, pour their heart out to the Lord, bring Him their pain, stay in community and deal with their difficulty. They do so well because they do everything right that many times months removed from their struggle you would never have guessed they greatly struggled and went through a very difficult time at all.

However I’ve also seen the opposite take place and it breaks my heart! I’ve seen believers stay in the place of discouragement, depression and defeat for years (even a lifetime)! Where some have chosen to be better on the other side of their struggle, many have chosen to be defined by it, they take on a victim mentality and they stay in their misery. They often become bitter, critical and extremely negative about almost everything in life!

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, this is not the abundant life that Jesus has promised us! Some have preached that it is, but I am here to declare to you today that this is not the gospel! God is not only with you in your suffering but if you’re willing to follow Him He will lead you to a place of wholeness. God doesn’t call us victims, He calls us victors! Yes Jesus suffered but He did it for the joy that was set before Him! Yes Jesus said that in this life we would have trouble but in the same breath He also said take heart and be of good courage because I’ve overcome the world! And in Christ through faith we overcome the world as well! As believers we will suffer trials and tribulations, persecution and suffering but nowhere in Scripture does God tell us that we then are defined by these things! Like the saints of old that we read about in Scripture we are not defined by our experiences, rather we are defined by God’s great love for us and the victory that He has won for us through Jesus Christ our Lord!

I read in my Bible that we are the ones who overcome! We are more than conquerers through Him who loved us! We are to rejoice even in the midst of difficulty for our God has given us the victory! He ALWAYS leads us into triumph! He is the one who leads us from the place of defeat to a place victory! How you might ask? It’s through His love!!! As we bring Him our pain He surrounds us with His healing presence! He comforts us, heals us, strengthens us, gives us hope, peace and a reason to rejoice again! He makes us whole and gives us purpose where there was pain.

Maybe this message is for you or maybe it’s for someone that you know and love. Whoever it’s for hear this clearly: You don’t have to stay in the place of your suffering!God loves you! And it’s through His love that He invites you to rise up and find the healing and wholeness you’ve been longing for! Believe God for your healing! Believe God for your peace! Believe God for your joy! He makes all things new and He is wanting to make all things new with you! And when He’s done the world around you will know!

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” Corinthians 2:14-15

Father, I pray for healing and wholeness over all those who are stuck and feel defeated. I pray that you would lead them to you that they may experience the great exchange! In the place of their pain you would give them purpose, in the place of their mourning you would give them joy and in the place of their heaviness you would give them the garment of praise! Touch, strengthen and heal your children for their wholeness and for your glory in Jesus name, amen!

Blessings!

John

Scriptures referenced: John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:37, 1 John 5:4, Isaiah 61:3;

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PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/

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Why God tells us to Remember

All throughout the Old Testament God sends reminders to the people of Israel to help them remember who He is, who they are and all that He has done for them! He would tell them to take stones from the Jordan or build an altar, they would even change the name of different mountains, valleys and cities to always remember what God had done there. Often this wasn’t only to help them remember but also in order to teach to their children and their children’s children to remember all that God had done. I love the richness of this and I think we can learn a lot from these practices of old.

How many times do you and I face difficult situations and those difficulties lead us to a place of anxiety and fear. Too often we may even know what to do but we just get stuck. We forget who our God is, we forget who we are and all that God has already brought us through! It’s in these times that we need to remember! Remember it was God who saw Joseph through both slavery and prison. Remember it was God who delivered the Israelites from Egypt, who parted the Red Sea for them and destroyed pharaoh and all their enemies. Remember it was God who delivered David from Saul and Daniel from the lions den. Remember it was God who provided Elijah with miracle after miracle right when he needed it! Remember it was God who rescued the Hebrew three from the fire and Peter both on the water and in the jail. Remember it was God who healed the blindness from Bartimaeus’ eyes and raised Lazarus from the dead!

In whatever season of life we may be in, whatever we may currently be facing we need to remember that Jesus Christ rose from the grave and the same power that rose him from the dead now dwells in us! We need to personally remember all that God has done for us over the years, his faithfulness, his kindness and how he’s ALWAYS been on time! We need to remember His promises in Scripture, the prophetic words spoken over our lives and the truth’s He’s whispered to our hearts. We need to remember, so when the enemy comes and lies to us we can look him in the face and rejoice because we REMEMBER that our God is with us, for us and faithful to see us through!

Be encouraged today as you remember…

~John

“And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Joshua 4:20-24

PS Pass this message along, share it with a friend, remind those who you know are going through a difficult time and make sure to teach these things to your children! And always remember that the Lord is good and He is always faithful!

(I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/ )