The Weekly Encourager – April 20, 2015 - Victory!

I have good news to share: God gives amazing victory!

A few weeks ago I wrote that I was trying to be thankful in a difficult relationship. [To protect a reputation, I am not saying who the person is or whether it's a man or woman; I will use “he” for simplicity.] This person had treated me pretty badly. I was hurt, and I had to run to the Lord. I knew that God had promised to uphold me, help me, and guide me. After a quick but urgent prayer, my first action was to call the individual and ask questions, giving him opportunity to speak his mind. Throughout this very challenging conversation, some things happened. Naturally, I was shocked and hurt by what he thought of me. This whole conflict was totally unexpected. Yet I knew and felt the warm presence of the Lord by my side at the same time. Here was another test of my progress as a Christian disciple: how would I respond to this person's evil accusations?

Well, I can tell you what I wanted to do. I wanted to counter his arguments immediately with the truth from my perspective, to convince him somehow that his impressions of me were wrong. I wanted to defend myself against the arrows zinging my way. Also, I was sorely tempted to bring up some of the many ways he had hurt me over the years. I wanted to launch a few zingers of my own. But I am thankful that during that phone call, the Holy Spirit in me was greater than the desires of the flesh. I decided to make no defense and no offense. I simply made sincere apology for every personality trait he criticized and every action of mine which he didn't like. “A soft answer turns away wrath” and “turn the other cheek.” It was no coincidence that this happened around Easter, when I was already thinking about Christ's road to the cross. It was time to put truth into action. I agreed to do everything the person requested, whether I wanted to or not. I chose to give honor and respect, whether he did or not.

After the call ended, I continued to pray for many days, and I asked others to pray. I knew that God was sovereign over this situation, but I had absolutely no emotional strength left to deal with it on my own. I prayed for wisdom and understanding, and what to do next, since this person wanted to jettison the relationship. In particular, I was very upset about certain possessions he had, that belong to my family. These are items of sentimental value to me (no monetary value), but he refused to give them to me. I was hurt, but the Lord convicted me that I had placed too high a value on getting these items. I was complaining to the Lord that this other person was too materialistic, yet I saw that my desire to own these few items was materialistic. I was complaining to the Lord that this other person was too manipulative, yet I saw that I was tempted to use these items to manipulate him.

With lots of prayer, using Scriptures that came my way during those weeks and counsel from my husband and others, I decided that I needed to give up any claim to those family items. The Good Shepherd was calling me, saying, “You are not in a good place. Walk down this road with Me a little farther and learn how good I can be to you.” This was huge for me, but I obeyed, figuring I would be crying over the loss. But, as soon as I made the decision to let it go, I felt as if a burden had slid off my back. I had been carrying around those family items for years on my back without ever knowing it! I made a conscious decision to trust in the Lord, and He gave such immediate and unexpected relief. It was like being washed with a warm golden shower of peace.

At that moment, lines from an old song came back to me, and with great joy I sang:

I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously: the horse and rider thrown into the sea!
I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously: the grave is empty, won't you come and see?

The grave is empty! Christ is risen! He was accused falsely, yet did not answer back. He was killed wrongly, yet rose above it all. “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” My next action was to write a short email to the difficult person, again being as kind as possible and assuring him that I would do as he asked. No defense, no offense, no mention of the family items. A day later, I was amazed when the response I got was positive! I'm not sure whether the person wants to continue the relationship, or what the future holds, but I am sure that God did this!

The Lord calls me to take the high road, no matter how low the other guy goes. The Lord calls me to love my enemies and do good to them, no matter how wrong they are. The Lord calls me to value my eternal inheritance above the most precious possessions here on earth.  The Lord calls me to humble myself, and let Him lift me up if He chooses. Jesus Christ gave me the victory, and I owe Him all the praise.

God gives the Victory!
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