Welcome to the Victory Blog

What an amazing two weeks we’ve had! Your Final Destination (YFD), a powerful theatrical production designed to bring people face to face with the reality of Heaven and Hell, ran for six shows with a packed house every night. In fact, all six nights, we had to turn people away (unfortunately) as we simply had no more room.

With the help of hundreds of volunteers, who served as cast, crew, altar workers and intercessors, we witnessed a mighty move of God. Over 2300 men, women, youth and children from all different walks of life responded to the invitations given at the end of each show to receive God’s gift of salvation or to rededicate their lives to Him! It was such a privilege to be a part of what God did, and continues to do, in so many people’s lives. Thank you, Victory, for your willingness, dedication, availability and prayer!

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What do you think about Heaven? What do you think it’s going to be like? Have you ever given any deep thought to that? Very few people know what heaven is really like. Most people think of people and angels just kind of floating around in space or in the clouds, not really having anything to do. It sounds pretty boring. The truth is that there’s quite a bit more to Heaven than that. Most people don’t have a clue just how good heaven will be.

When I started studying Heaven, it was probably the most difficult, but fascinating study I’ve ever done on the Bible. The topic is so vast, that it is impossible to answer every question in a short space, but I would like to answer a few of the key questions. Then, I want to leave it up to you to dive deeper into the subject. (To help you in your own study, let me highly recommend one of the most thorough books on the subject: Heaven by Randy Alcorn.)

The Bible has a lot to say on the subject and that’s where we need to go first to find answers about Heaven. First, take a look at Philippians 1:21-23. Among other things, Paul says that Heaven is “far better” than anything we’ll ever experience here on earth. Think about some of the best experiences you’ve ever had in the earth, or the most beautiful places you’ve ever seen. According to Paul, Heaven will far better.

God’s Word also talks about two heavens. First, there is the present heaven, where believers go when they die and which is described as paradise and a place of transition. (See Luke 16:9-26) When we die on the earth, our bodies return to the earth, and we pass into this temporary heaven in the form of soul and spirit.

Then there is the eternal Heaven, or second Heaven. The Apostle John describes this in the Book of Revelation (21:1-8). At the end of time, the old heaven and earth will be destroyed and there will be a new heaven and earth. Heaven will come down to the earth and we will live on the earth, but it will also be Heaven. It will be more beautiful than anything we can imagine. In fact, the earthly beauty that we see even now is only a vague, shadowy reflection of the splendor that will be. In this new Heaven, there will be no more death, sickness, suffering, sorrow, pain or any other evil thing brought about by sin and the curse. We’ll have new bodies in which we’ll be able to do things we can’t do now. Can you imagine that? It’s true! And, not only that, but we will be in God’s presence all the time, ruling with Him, learning, discovering and rejoicing! I want to go, don’t you?!

Here’s what we have to understand: after we die, we will all face two judgments. The first, which will determine whether we spend eternity in Heaven or Hell, is not based on works (what we have done) but on our faith. It is only if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord that we will gain entrance into Heaven.

The second judgment, concerning our works, determines how we will experience eternity – what rewards we are given. Again, we are not saved by our works. BUT, our works give evidence to our salvation. If we truly have faith, we will do good works. Like the Apostle James said, “Faith without works is dead.” All of us will stand before the judgment seat to have our works judged and be given rewards. Therefore, it matters what we do.

Heaven is going to be unimaginably awesome! Don’t you want to go there? Certainly you don’t want to trade that for a little earthly pleasure now and an eternity of torment. I urge you, if you haven’t already done so, turn to Christ right now. God loves us so much. He doesn’t want any of us to perish. So, turn away from doing life on your own. Stop living only for yourself and surrender to Jesus. Don’t get all religious; just start walking in relationship with Christ, and tell someone about it who can help you continue to grow. If you will do that, all the splendor of Heaven awaits you!

You know, I can’t remember the last time I heard a sermon on Hell. Can you? Few of us ever dive deep into the subject. It’s such a negative thing; most people just kind of ignore the concept. When asked, people have a huge variety of views about what Hell, whether or not it exists, who goes there and why. A recent survey showed that while 74% of Americans believe in a biblical Heaven, only 59% of Americans believe in a biblical Hell. For each person who believes they’re going to Hell, 120 believe they’re going to Heaven. 

But here’s the deal, Jesus said that the path to Hell is broad and easy. Many people tread that path. Conversely, the path to life is narrow, more difficult and relatively few people walk that way. While it’s become popular in our culture today to believe that there are many paths to Heaven, the Bible explicitly states that there is only one way: through Jesus. In fact, he said it himself, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NIV)

In truth, our souls go on living forever after our earthly bodies have passed away. And, after we die, we will live for eternity in one of two places: in Heaven with Jesus or in Hell with the devil. It will be the decisions we have made during our earthly lives which will determine which one. Therefore, anyone who has a belief in God and in the truth of his Word has to seriously consider where they will spend eternity and the reality of both Heaven and Hell.

Because we so rarely give any real thought to these things, I thought we should spend a couple of weeks delving into what the scriptures have to say on the matter. This week, as you may have noticed already (and despite how unpopular the subject may be), is about Hell.

First thought: “Why did God create Hell?” The answer is very simple – Hell was never created for people. God never wanted any of us to go to Hell. Rather, God created Hell as a place of punishment for the devil and his angels who rebelled against God, attempting to usurp God’s throne before the creation of the world.

Hell is indescribably awful. Imagine never being able to see anyone or anything, never resting or sleeping, being utterly alone, feeling forgotten, living without any hope, being consumed with fear, being tormented and completely separated from God…forever. This barely begins to describe existence in Hell.

So, what happened that caused mankind to have to go there? Answer: Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, listened to the devil, disobeyed God, opened the door for sin to enter the human race and died spiritually. Because of their choice, each of their descendants (that’s you, me, everyone) has a bent toward sin and we cannot enter Heaven in that state. We are born on the path to death and Hell. Therefore, unless something changes, that’s where we’d all end up.

And now for the good news! God has the answer for sin and Hell: Jesus! Through Jesus we can enter into life. He came to buy us back from our sin by becoming a sacrifice for us on the cross. He took all our sin upon himself, died and then rose again in triumph over sin and death. He opened the doors of Heaven and offers life to all who believe. All we have to do is turn away from our sin, receive God’s forgiveness and surrender our lives to Jesus.

So, let me ask you this: Where are you headed? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? If the answer is no, then I want to encourage you to face the reality of eternity. You cannot count on even one more breath. Don’t wait. Surrender now. Don’t spend even on more moment on the road to Hell. Choose life.

Second, if you’re one who knows that you’re on our way to Heaven, what are you doing to help keep others from going there? Those of us who know the good news have to share it with those who don’t. Wouldn’t every one of us want someone to save us if we were drowning or on fire? Then, how much more must we seek to bring the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to those all around us who are lost and going to Hell? We interact with people every day who are on the very threshold of Hell. Let that fact motivate you to share the Gospel with them. Be bold. Tell them about Christ. Bring them to Your Final Destination this week. Be intentional. God doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell, do you? Of course not! I urge you to live like it!

This past weekend, we were so pleased to have guest speaker Bishop Harry Jackson, Sr. Pastor of Hope Christian Church in Washington D.C. and founder of High Impact Leadership Coalition. He brought a stirring and timely message that I’d like to recap here.

In case you haven’t noticed, we seem to be having a meltdown – politically, economically, morally, etc. We’re in a real crisis time and we don’t like it. Most of us just want everything to be nice and easy. Some of us need to get off of easy street and join the battle that’s already raging. Something more important is at stake than our comfort zones.

You see, God wants to take us through a process of transformation…but it’s not easy. In fact, it usually requires some degree of struggle. Yet, when we get into a time of crisis, usually all we can think about is how badly we want out. We just cry out, “Oh, God! Get me out of this trouble!” But God is not about just getting us out of difficulty. He wants to use our crises to transformation us. Yes, God does want to bring us out of these problems, but he wants to do so by changing us, transforming us. He doesn’t want us to be defined by our “issues.” He wants to take us beyond them into the increasing glory of the purposes he has designed for us.

God has a prophetic destiny for every generation and every individual, but sometimes we miss these callings because we need to be transformed. We, the church in America, are in that place right now. We are so divided in so many ways – particularly along racial lines – and this hinders the accomplishment of God’s purposes for us. God wants to do something in the area of reconciliation – a real transformation, anextreme makeover, if you will. Think about it: if we were transformed and began strategically evangelizing, reaching across cultural barriers, we could end racism in America in one decade. (Let me note: The diversity that is represented at Victory is a prime example and is essential to the work of reconciliation that God wants to do through the church in America.)

So, we need to get an extreme makeover – to go through a major transformation process. In order to do this, there are four stages we go must go through, four types of grace that we need to rely on.

First, we need Survival Grace – This is for times of crisis, like when you only have enough time to say “Jesus” right before a car wreck…and you survive…and it’s amazing that you’re still alive. This is God demonstrating that his hand is on you. In these times, instead of despairing about what has been destroyed, we have to understand that God is doing something.

Next, there’s Visionary Grace. In this stage, God uses the crisis to tamper with our inner vision, desires, hopes and dreams. The old ones have to be dashed; they are often the flesh or the enemy. They are really false hopes and God has to break us free from these things because they limit our faith. He wants to take us beyond our limitations, to do above and beyond all that we have asked or imagined. So, he breaks us out of our current hopes, expectations and visions (ours are just not big enough for the abundance that he wants to pour out) and expands our capacity. He uses the season of trial to stretch our box.

Thirdly, we need Transitional Grace. Because old wine skins can’t take new wine, God has to make us ready. Sometimes, at the beginning of a transition things seem to be going the opposite of where their supposed to go. That’s because we don’t know how to operate in the new realm yet. We need a transitional time to learn how.

Finally, we need Establishment Grace. As we move into the new realm, God begins to say “touch this/don’t touch that.” It’s about getting our priorities straight. We have to ask ourselves, “Is God first?” and “Do I trust him?” God is going to give us a new way of operating in this new realm. As we step into the fullness of the new realm of transformation, this grace will produce the ability to bring tremendous reconciliation along racial and other lines and so impact our nation as never before.

I urge you, if you are going through a time of crisis, understand that it is an opportunity to get a hold these graces and be transformed by God as he moves you into a whole new realm. Don’t resist the process; embrace it and the One who is at work in the midst of it. Let him give you an Extreme Makeover.

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Because we care, we give. Since Christmas time of last year, we have generously given nearly $850,000 towards iCare projects! Through iCare we are being Christ to individuals and communities, both locally and abroad, as we are doing in:

Ethiopia

• Where we are building an orphanage on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa that will have a capacity for 70 children and is on schedule to hold opening ceremonies and begin welcoming needy children in November. And, where we have drilled nine wells already, and have three to six more on the way in the area of Angacha. Tens of thousands now have access to clean water in one of the poorest areas of the world. And also in:

Sierra Leone

• We are so excited to announce that we have raised more than $680,000 toward our Grafton Village Medical Facility and School. It is now PAID IN FULL and well on its way to completion! We will soon be serving approximately 600 children in 14 classrooms, with 18 teachers and staff; and providing quality medical, dental and ophthalmology services with Christian love, compassion and prayer!

Thank you Victory for your generous giving!

We had another rough week with more bad financial news than we’ve had in a while. With the largest drop in the market ever, a $700 billion bailout passed (adding to our already inconceivably immense national debt) and unemployment rising at a startling pace, so many people are living in fear and anxiety. Everyone is realizing just how uncertain the future can be, and many are terrified, acting irrationally and don’t know what to do.

These may be difficult times, but God has a way to take His people through without all the fear, anxiety, hopelessness and despair that are so prevalent. He has a better word for us. In order to get there, however, we have to go through a process. As I have studied this process of receiving God’s provision in difficult times, I have consistently found three principles at work:

First, we must put all our trust in God alone – not in man, self, finances or government – in God alone. Now, I have to admit that I don’t always do that. There are times, when I start trying to take back control, try to do things on my own or start trusting in others. But this is double-mindedness and instability and God doesn’t answer our prayers when we’re in this state. He knows that we cannot receive His provision. It is only when we are trusting God that we will know and walk in His revealed will, and do so with health (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual) and prosperity. These things depend on our trust relationship with the Father.

Second, having put our trust in God, we will then keep God first in everything we do – in our time, our talent and our treasure. We will freely give God our first and best in every area. Now, we have a tendency, when things are tight, to stop giving to God out of fear and anxiety. This is because we start focusing on our problems rather than God. But this goes back to the first principle. Trusting God will close the door to fear and open the door to giving of ourselves in faith.

When we don’t put God first, we bring a curse into our lives. I don’t want to live under a curse. Do you? Of course not! So, if you’re struggling financially, ask yourself if you’re giving God the first and best of your time, talent and treasure? If not, you can repent, turn back to God and start making Him first in every area. Test Him in this. He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings. And, He will rebuke the devourer.

Finally, to receive God’s provision in difficult times, we must be willing to receive what we have not earned. Recognize that there are times when God wants to bless us when we don’t deserve it, when we haven’t earned it. We have to be able to receive it. Some people are good at giving, but terrible at receiving. We need to call in the blessing and be willing to receive it whenever and however it comes. Also, we need to go out and harvest what we have planted. Don’t leave the harvest in the field. Don’t be passive; aggressively go after what God has promised. Receive it by faith. Call in the resources. Don’t be one of those people who are just sitting back “waiting for God” passively all the while struggling financially because they won’t diligently go after God, His promises and their harvest.

No matter how difficult the times or our circumstances may appear, God will take care of us and we can go through them with peace and confidence. We only need to trust in Him completely in everything – rather than in ourselves or our understanding; put Him first in our time, talent and treasure; and then humbly and actively receive His provision.

By: Pastor Colleen Rouse

“We eat what we like.”  Remember that tagline?  It was used to promote Apple Jacks cereal.  I never liked that commercial because it featured adolescents with cocky attitudes of entitlement.   Yet, it seems to epitomize the American mentality; and, we are in the midst of an economic crisis because of it.

We have lived without restraint. Our ferocious appetites have ruled us and freedom has been a means of fulfilling vices.  We despise waiting for anything and thus have not learned to develop patience. If we like it, we go for it without question and mostly without the proper funds, all because we can.  Creditors have became our friends, telling us they are on our side.  They became our source of counsel as to the size of our homes and big screen TVs.  If they gave us permission, we treated ourselves because, after all, we deserve it.  We have been willing to risk it all for TVs and cars because we never dreamed that “it” would come.

Our forefathers were willing to risk it all as well.  They came here in search of precious liberty and independence, knowing it would not come without a price. They were willing to risk their lives to find a place where they could use this freedom to pursue the One they desired to serve with all their hearts, Jesus.  How we have drifted from this pure motive to use our freedom to serve ourselves. Paul, admonished us in Galatians 5:13 NIV “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”  The freedom that we have today has come from those who fought in wars, serving us in love.

We have been so proud of our independence and at the same time, we have lost our appreciation for it.  We don’t want to belong to anything or anyone so we forsake getting married and opt for living together. The dollar bill that says in God we trust has become the god in which we trust. We have been deceived.  Paul also said in Galatians 5:1 MSG “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”  The country that loves her freedom has come under the harness of debt. We belong to the bank and even the banks belong to someone else, mostly foreign nations.

In reality, the “bailout” we need is much greater than the tune of $700 billion.  Our bankrupt state is a result of spiritual bankruptcy. You might be thinking that I am making everything sound bleak and hopeless, but that is not the case.  In fact it is because of hope that I am willing to admit to our foolishness.  You might be thinking that you are not one of those I have described above.  Perhaps not, but this is a day when we must begin thinking corporately and not independently because all that leads to is what is being demonstrated in Washington, blame shifting.  There is a different shifting that can take place and it is not too late for our country. The shift I am referring to is a shift in pursuit, a RETURNING. Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”

The pilgrims who first landed here came with a great sense of purpose.  Our forefathers who drafted the constitution wrote down the vision God gave them for this nation.  We were meant to be a beacon not a blemish.  We were meant to use our freedom for helping others not for lavishing our own desires.  We must return to who we were called to be as a nation. We must return to our first love. We have built our houses on sand (credit) but we must build them on the Rock.  We must return to our first love.  We must be willing to refrain at times from “eating what we like” so we won’t have to stand in soup lines.

The beginning of the Declaration begins with the following, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Sometimes I wish that Jefferson would’ve left that last part out.  Let us pursue life with the same passion with which we have pursued happiness. Life is only found in Him.  We must return to our pursuit of HIM but we need help in finding our way.
We need something to clear away the confusion, dissention and lack of discernment.  We need leaders with pure motives and clear vision.  We as the Body of Christ need to break free of the hypnotic state we have been under.  We need a clarion call.

A clarion call is a powerful request for action or an irresistible mandate. It referred to a medieval trumpet and it is derived from the Latin word meaning clear.  We need true prophets to begin to open their mouths and speak truth and we must listen to what they say. I know that many of us may groan at this idea because we have heard many prophets declare many things. Some have been so audacious to declare that as long as we sent in our immediate pledge of $777, whatever they spoke would come true.  Those individuals will answer to God for their malpractice but that doesn’t mean there are not those who listen to God and have an authentic and specific assignment.  I believe that when they give the clarion call, it will be confirmed by the Spirit of Grace and Truth and rally us to prayer.  Rather than continuing to occupy the position of “wait and see” with the rest of this country we must take the somewhat different position of  “Wait on the Lord” and “See with eyes of revelation”.

I believe that the Lord is going to use the fivefold ministry gifts in unity once more to help us return to Him.  Let us begin to pray for the true leaders with righteous motives to be put in places of leadership in this nation and we will shine again.

This has been quite a week. In fact, the media is saying that we’re in the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. There is so much fear, panic and turmoil – more so than I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s way too much. And God is looking for His people to respond in a different way – not by fear, but in faith.

In order to do so, we need to get back into God’s Word to remind us that God is the answer for all of our troubles. When we start looking at the Word, God encourages us and builds our faith. He reminds us that no matter what happens, He is still on the throne…He hasn’t fallen off. He’s not worried in the least. We are going to make it.

In Psalm 23 (which is such a good passage of Scripture to meditate on every day) David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” In other words, when we are under the lordship of Jesus, there is no wanting in us. We trust in the Lord, recognizing that He is well able to take care of us regardless of our circumstances. And this brings us into a place of peace and rest – where God wants us to live. No stress or worry; only peace and trust in Him.

Worrying accomplishes nothing. It only shows that we’re trying to control things on our own because we don’t trust God. We have to remind ourselves constantly that we are not the ones in control; God is. He takes care of us. He provides for us. This is the path of righteousness in which He wants to guide us.

David also writes, “Yea, though I walk through the valley…, I will fear no evil.” Life is filled with valleys. They are inevitable, unpredictable and impartial. That is, we all go through them at different times in our lives and they usually come at the worst time. But, valleys are also temporary – we may have to walk through them, but we don’t stay in them. And, most importantly, valleys are purposeful: God uses them to teach us and show us things; it is only in valleys that we grow; we don’t build faith on the mountain tops, but in the valleys; and, valleys drive us closer to God.

In order to walk through life’s valleys and come out on the other side, we have to decide to walk by faith and not by fear. That means focusing on God’s promises (found in His Word) instead of our problems. We need to feed our faith not our fear. Put a higher priority on God’s Word than the fear-mongering news media. I’m not suggesting that we disconnect, but just to stay focused on God’s promises.

Also, know that our words have tremendous power over our lives. If we keep speaking our fearful thoughts, we’ll bring what we fear upon ourselves. To get out of the valley, we must speak God’s promises over our lives, for what we are today is a direct result of what we say and believe. We have to change the way we speak; to quit speaking doubt and unbelief and start agreeing with what God says.

We need to learn how to hear God’s voice, and to obey everything He tells us to do. Now, this can be a difficult thing because sometimes we don’t want to do what God tells us to do. At other times, it can be hard because we’ve let the voice of the world (TV, radio, internet, music, etc.) get too loud and we need to turn it down. Remember, God often speaks in a still small voice – give yourself a chance to hear it.

Finally, always remember that God is with us. Yes, I know that’s really simple, but it’s so true and so profound. David wrote, “I will fear no evil for You are with me.” In other places God says, “Fear not for I am with you,” and “I will never leave you or forsake you.” People, jobs and money may leave us, but God will never leave us. The world is full of fear because most people don’t have that revelation.

Consider where you are right now in your faith. Are you walking by faith or fear? Are you speaking your problems, fears and anxieties, or what God says? Are you listening to your thoughts and the world, or to God’s still small voice? I urge you: seek God. Spend time with Him. Help yourself remember that God is with us, that He will never leave us and that with Him as our Lord and Shepherd, we will lack nothing and He will bring us through the life’s valleys victoriously. In these tumultuous times, the peace you’ll have as a result will be a more powerful witness than anything you could ever say.