Welcome to the Victory Blog

Whether you consider yourself a competitive person or not, you’ve fought to come in first place at some point in your life. Sometimes you achieved the goal, but other times you naturally lacked what was necessary to win.

It’s tough to be at a disadvantage, but Jacob is one Bible hero who dealt with his shortcomings, followed through on some hard life decisions and came out on top as a result.

Our special guest Pastor Steve Vaggalis taught this past weekend how Jacob was born second, but finished first–not because of what he had, but because of Who he had.

If you want to finish first more often, here is what Pastor Steve suggests:

• Define your priorities –Understand the difference between a pressing need and a priority.
• Live with integrity–It’s a supernatural force in your life that’s not contingent on others.
• Deal with insecurities–Jacob discovered how to work well with what he had.

Click here to get the full message from Pastor Steve on taking action in these three areas. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you don’t have, or how many times you’ve fallen short, if you can keep the things, ways and words of God sacred in your life like Jacob, you will begin to finish first.

Shortly after we were married, God called us to adopt due to infertility and we started the process in 2008. Our Atlanta adoption agency went out of business due to the economy right after they approved us to adopt, but God directed us to an adoption agency in Michigan. On August 7, 2009 our agency called us to let us know a teenage birthmom had chosen us to be the parents of her unborn daughter and 2 weeks later our daughter, Natalie, was born. God orchestrated EVERY detail of adopting Natalie – from financing (we paid our agency in CASH, no debt!!), to being able to take paid leave from work. Not only were we surprised, but our adoption agency was amazed how smoothly Natalie’s adoption went.

The Father’s Day weekend sermon about Abraham being the father of faith really spoke to us and reminded us how God has brought our family together through adoption because we stepped out in faith and trusted God.

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We want to hear about what God has done in and through you at Victory. Whether long or short, complex or simple, your story is worth hearing, and there are others who need to hear it. Won’t you please consider sharing your story with us? If you’re willing to do so, please click the Share Your Story quicklink above, write your story, upload a nice photo (if you can) and click submit. It’s that simple. Now, don’t be shy. God’s given you a story for a reason! Share it today!

Like any other victory you may have experienced, being successful at living a life by faith in God starts with a simple decision to do what’s necessary to make it happen. Abraham, the father of faith, made that decision one day, and he defied his family and everyone else around him to see it through. His decision to follow God affected the history of the world.

It takes courage to believe, trust and obey God like Abraham, but if you’ve ever stepped out on faith before, you already have that courage within. If you haven’t, then now’s a good time to start.

Many of us trust God some of the time, but I believe so many more of us are ready to go further. God wants us to diligently seek Him, or live our lives by faith. Once we make up our minds to do it, Abraham teaches us how through these four principles:

1) Faith follows God into the realm of uncertainty

2) Faith believes God for the impossible

3) Faith believes in the Covenant of God

4) Faith trusts God will always provide

I covered these four in detail and more this past weekend as we continue Running with the Giants. If you are a person of faith, you are a seed of Abraham, and God promised Abraham that in him all nations would be blessed (Galatians 3:6-9). But it’s on one condition:  you only have it by faith. Decide today that you will trust God more and more and begin living a life of obedience to Him, like Abraham. Click here to get this message in its entirety.

I attended the Saturday service during the Powerline series, and was truly blessed by every aspect of the service, especially the understanding that the pastor gave concerning speaking in tongues.

I grew up in church and stayed in church. Speaking in tongues was something that I came to believe was a gift that was good, but would be released at the will of the Holy Spirit. It was something to be desired but not as much as other gifts because it did not edify others.

However, the pastor explained the true intention of the scripture. After going home that evening, I confessed to God that I want everything He has for me. I awoke very early the next morning, it was still dark outside, but a song was impressed on my heart and I felt God had something for me. After a time of praise, prayer and acknowledgement that I had not completely made myself available to receive everything God has for me, I began speaking in tongues.

Every point of the message returned to me as I focused to subject my natural understanding to what God was doing. It was nothing like I expected! It was AMAZING!!! I thank God for his goodness and grace. I look forward to accelerating in the path that he designed for me and serving in the power and authority he intended!

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We want to hear about what God has done in and through you at Victory. Whether long or short, complex or simple, your story is worth hearing, and there are others who need to hear it. Won’t you please consider sharing your story with us? If you’re willing to do so, please click the Share Your Story quicklink above, write your story, upload a nice photo (if you can) and click submit. It’s that simple. Now, don’t be shy. God’s given you a story for a reason! Share it today!

What if David—one of my favorite heroes in the Bible, a man after God’s own heart—could walk with you just for a day and impart wisdom, what would he teach you?  I believe he would say the key to life with God is keeping a pure or clean heart.

I learned very early on that everything that happens in my life is a by-product of the condition of my heart (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). Every decision we make, whether we go with God’s will or our own, reveals a very clear image of what’s going on inside at the core. Although David wasn’t a perfect man, he sure did have a pure heart…and we can too.

What exactly does it mean to have a clean or pure heart, and how do we get it—and keep it—in spite of our imperfections? The keys to a pure heart involve trust, repentance and humility. In this message, I break down each of these attributes and how to actually apply it to our lives. I also cover the two critical things we must master like David to protect our hearts and keep them right. Click here to watch!

For weeks, I have had a nagging pain on the right side of my shoulder. I had first noticed the pain after bowling. I went to the doctor, but still didn’t receive the necessary treatment. I’m not sure if it was a pinched nerve, a torn muscle, tension or stress.

After the 11am service this past Sunday, I felt relief! I’m amazed that I have been healed. The pain is totally gone!!! Praise be to God!!!!!

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We want to hear about what God has done in and through you at Victory. Whether long or short, complex or simple, your story is worth hearing, and there are others who need to hear it. Won’t you please consider sharing your story with us? If you’re willing to do so, please go to our homepage, victoryatl.com and click the Share Your Story quicklink, write your story, upload a nice photo (if you can) and click submit. It’s that simple. Now, don’t be shy. God’s given you a story for a reason! Share it today!

My co-laborer in the Body of Christ Christopher Alam of Dynamis World Ministries joined us this past weekend and gave it to us straight about strengthening our faith.  Even as Christians we suffer from “seeing is believing” syndrome. We look for proof to believe instead of believing God’s word simply because it is the final authority on everything. But as Christopher said, “When it comes to faith, believing isn’t everything. You must speak it!”

If we believe that God is the ruler of all mankind, and that He is the One in control of our individual lives, what keeps us from really living our faith?  At what point do we close the door on fear and stop accepting just enough to get by? Do we even know how to truly live our faith?

Christopher gives us a sure plan of action to begin building up our faith right now through four simple steps. If you missed his message, or even if you didn’t, you’ll want to hear it again and again to help reinforce it. Put these steps into practice daily, and watch your life change! Click here to get the message.

As God finishes the work He has started in us, how do we help the process along? How do we stay connected to the presence and power of God and not let it get choked out by the worries and cares of this life?

We become good soil—that person in whom the Holy Spirit takes root. We move beyond the point of believing and receiving God’s Powerline, the Holy Spirit, and we actually live it out over time, not just for a season. It’s called the Holy Spirit life and it’s the life God calls us to—one filled with signs, wonders, unity, community and more.

If we want to consistently produce this kind of fruit, it will definitely cost us something. The Holy Spirit life requires devotion and diligence, but living it is really simple.

Click here for the full message about how to live a life exploding with the Holy Spirit.