Articles
Are You a Victim or a Victor?
At what point in His life did Jesus tell His disciples: “. . . take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b NASB)?
This sounds like something appropriate to say just following His resurrection, but the truth is He said it just before the cross!
Jesus was not framed. He was no victim of circumstances. His death was not the result of a nasty turn of events. It didn’t just “happen” that way.
Knowing that His death had been on God’s drawing board since before the world was created, Jesus was able to approach it with confidence: “. . . I lay down My life . . . . No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:17b-18a).
If we are truly His disciples we will aim to develop the same attitude toward life that He had. Instead of feeling overburdened, crushed, defeated, or victimized by life, we can
“overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NASB).
Our ability to face whatever life may throw at us is based on Jesus’ own example: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Why feel victimized when we can be victorious—in Him?
