victory

I have been thinking lately on what godly/heavenly victory is.
that I typically associate victory with a new job, more money, healing, success…. but I dont think thats what god meant when he calls us victorious.

Been reading the stoning of stephen in Acts 7 and the bible says:

‘Stephen, full of the holy spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of god, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand. And he told them, ‘Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand!’…
As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. Falling to his knees, he shouted ‘Lord, don’t charge them with this sin.” And with that he died.’


This passage always always gets me. If that isn’t freedom, if that isn’t true victory i don’t know what is. Typically, i wouldn’t view death as victory. Particularly being stoned to death. but this story challenges that-  Stephen stood in the face of death and in the midst of his stoning forgave his murderers. He died free of anger and hate for those who’s hands killed him.

Maybe we’ve taken this idea of victory and slotted it into our culture. Our world, that dictates victory by the state of our circumstances. But I think this story teaches me that God calls us victorious purely in knowing Him. That our victory is not determined by the state of our health, our bank accounts or our possessions.  That real victory is found in a deep and real relationship with Christ. Despite death or hardship or failure or success, our victory is Him.