Christians are called to live victoriously by embracing struggles, temptations, and sorrows as opportunities for growth and triumph through divine grace. It is the privilege and duty of every believer in Christ to live victoriously. No soul can achieve noble character without the cost of pain, disappointment, and sacrifice. All that is beautiful in life must be won through struggle. Crowns are not placed on people’s heads through the whim or favoritism of any king. The promised criwn is the reward for victorious achievement.  We may stay close to the shore with our boat, never pushing out into deep waters. But then we will never discover new worlds or learn the secrets of the sea. Do not miss the blessing that comes only when we lose ourselves. No cross, no crown. The soul without struggle is bland, and it’s muscles remain flabby.  Only those who overcome the hurdles know the sweetness of victory. Our Father honors us when He places us in situations where we must struggle. He gives us an opportunity to exercise faith to win the greatest honors and the richest blessings. God never makes life so hard for us,  that we cannot live victoriously with His Holy Spirit.

No child of God has ever faced a terrible conflict with the evil one that was impossible to overcome. No temptation comes upon us except what is common to all humanity. Our God is faithful. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear. He will provide a way of escape so that we endure nobly. A Christian never needs to say, I cannot endure this. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit, He will never fail us. Jesus faced the most difficult temptations, but He was always victorious. Now His all-conquering Spirit is in us as we face and endure our temptations, and we cannot fail when He is with us. A sin we conquer becomes a new strength in our life. We are stronger because we have conquered. We are braver and more confident for the next battle. Every conquest gives us a new spirit of life, making us stronger, as the strength we have defeated now becomes part of our own power.

Victoriousness in speech is among life’s hardest conquests.  James wrote about the experience when he proclaimed truth that the tongue is harder to tame than any kind of beast, bird, creeping thing, or creature in the sea. In fact, no human can tame it. The Spirit advises us to be slow to speak and slow to anger. A Christian ought to learn to control their speech. The potential for harm in angry words is appalling. No prayer should be on our lips more often than the one from the old psalm. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. A hasty word spoken in an uncontrolled moment can leave deep wounds and pain in a gentle heart. Ruin a sweet friendship, or set an innocent life on a path of evil.  Cruel words that burst forth in a single flash from unlocked lips cannot be taken back. Moses was not the only person shut out of a promised land because of one thoughtless word. It is better to suffer wrong in silence than to risk speaking in the heat of anger.  A single careless word spoken  can become a source of lasting pain and regret. Wisely we listen more than we speak. Enduring an act of injustice, wrong, or unkindness with patience is ever regretful. The memory a hasty word often causes us very deep shame. Humbly we realize that our critical words showed a weakness, or even a lack of moral and spiritual balance. This hurts our self-respect, and we know that our regret is now useless. The flip side is a wise choice. Whenever we  show loving kindness and patience, inspired by Christ’s love, our sacrifice of words is warming to our soul.

Our mind of Christ is activated in our restraint. From whatever childhood environment in which we were raised, the Holy Spirit works to regenerate our souls. Even out of living conditions where it seemed impossible to develop a strong, beautiful character.  Souls may grow up in the  limitations of poverty. If they lack the education needed they may envy other souls who have far better opportunities. Yet, these very limitations, often prove to be the blessings through which nobility is reached. Early hardship is often the best school for training people. Not many who have achieved success began life in comfortable circumstances. Poor health  can make it difficult to live nobly, but this is not an insurmountable barrier. Many who suffer have developed a rare sweetness of spirit. They have lived in a way that made the world better and left behind a legacy of blessing. Many a shut-in has transformed a place of suffering into the center of a heavenly life. There is no health condition that prevents one from living victoriously in spirit, even if not physically. A soul can be brave, cheerful, and accepting of limitations, praising God in sickness and in pain. The soul that chooses to sing a song of joy and praise in their prison is pleasing God and blessing the world. Let sunshine and gladness illumine thy face. T’will help someone else to keep sweet. Do troubles oppress thee? Let God be thy stay. Tis easy to sigh, but tis better to pray. Thy sunshine will come in his own blessed way.  Strong passions may arise, or our temper might seem uncontrollable.

A parent or teachers sour disposition might make it hard to be loving and sweet. Remember, none of us were born saints, and often there are tendencies in our childhood home that give life the wrong direction. Enduring those years develops perseverance.  The day comes when the Spirit of God awakens the soul to heal what was distorted. The spoiled disposition, the quick temper, and out of control desires are changed. And by the blood of the Lamb, the soul becomes more than a conqueror. The grace of Christ can take the most unlovely life and transform it into beauty. When the grace of God is allowed to work freely  many souls find their desires changed. A new home in Christ is life’s best school. It is not always easy to live sweetly in every home. Sometimes the atmosphere can be unfriendly, cold, cheerless, and chilling. It is hard to keep one’s heart gentle and kind amid the bitterness that can creep into a home. But no matter how much a home may lack love, or how much bitterness it contains, a Christian’s mission is always to be kind, to try to overcome the harshness, and to live victoriously. Our We are never outside of God’s reach.  Consuder that every musical string is musical because it is tied at both ends and must vibrate within a limited space. If you cut the string and let it fly loose, it no longer produces musical notes. Its ability to make music depends on its limitations. Similarly, many souls become capable of producing sweet notes only when they are compelled to live with restraint. The very difficulties in their circumstances are what bring out their best qualities and produce the finest results in character and achievement. Paul describes himself in one passage as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. His life could not be crushed, his joy could not be extinguished, and his songs could not be silenced. We all face trials in some form, but no one needs to be overwhelmed by them. However, it is very important that we learn to pass through our sorrow as Christians. Jesus Himself wept, and our tears become sacred when they blend our love for friends with our love for Christ. However, our tears must not be rebellious. Instead, Thy will be done must breathe through all our sobs and cries, like the melody of a sweet song in a dark night. Pain tends to beg us to harbor bitterness. A soul may feel broken, and no longer caring for life. But this is not the Christian way. Accepting sorrow can bring us a tiny fragment of God’s sweet will for us. It can deepen our understanding of the divine love of Christ on the cross. We should meet it quietly and reverently, being careful not to miss the blessing it offers. Then we should immediately rise up again and continue with our work and duty.

After a death, many souls give up, but that is not victorious living. Sorrow does not excuse us from any duty or responsibility. Our work is not finished just because a child, spouse, or friend’s assignment is done. God’s plan for our life continues, even though the plan for the life dearest to us has ended. We grieve for a short time then agree with God and lean on His strength to return to our duties. We can choose to live with even greater purpose than ever after grief has touched our heart. Our tears leave the soil of our heart more fertile as seeds of new compassion bloom. The experience of grief teaches a soul many lessons. We are wiser afterward, more thoughtful, and better equipped to guide and comfort others. We find fresh revelation to share. As a follower of Christ, we should never allow ourselves to be defeated in any experience. With Holy Spirit to help us, we need never fail, as we are always more than conquerors. Many a good soul may fail in a worldly sense. Yet, in the moral and spiritual realm, the soul sparkles light. The only true failure is to slide into sin. Our trust and faithfulness to Christ is our victory, even when all is lost. All things fulfill their purpose, low or high. There is no failure, only victory when we surrender all to Christ for His glory.