Now for the next several minutes, you and I are
going to go back to the heart -to -heart talk
regarding victories. And in everything, I don't
care what it is. You name it, and you'll find
that wherever there is the real, there's always
a counterfeit. And now we're talking about the
counterfeit. victory and the real victory. And
if you know somebody who professes to be a Christian
and there is no joy in their life whatsoever,
they're just enduring their salvation. And you
say to yourself, oh dear me, if that is what
it means to be a Christian. Deliver me. I tell
you frankly, I'm so constituted. I could not
have decided to give my life to the Lord Jesus
Christ to be a Christian if some folk I know
had been the only example that I had ever seen
of being a Christian. That's right. I mean that.
Lord, deliver me from these long -faced, depressed
people, these negative people who glory in their
depression, who love being sick. Oh, I tell you,
they feel that you've got... to go around in
a state of depression, to live a victorious Christian
life. Now, that's what we're going to talk about
today. Mm -hmm. I want that this fact will get
a hold of you forever and ever and ever, and
that is the fact that our Lord wishes us always
to be full of joy, always, everywhere, under
all circumstances. Don't you dare tell me I don't
have any troubles. Oh, my goodness alive. Troubles?
Sure. Do you know that since you've known me,
my mother has died? The best friend I ever had
in my whole life, or that anyone else has ever
had, Eve Conley, went home to glory, right at
the height of this ministry. You talk about troubles?
Sure, I've stood before the open casket. That's
the reason I can preach to you and be a comfort
to you. I've gone through the deep waters. Oh,
sure, my friend. Sure, that's the reason I can
talk to you about your deep waters. Sure, I've
had my dark, starless nights alone. That's the
reason I can talk to you about those nights when
there isn't a star in your sky and the waters
are deep. Talk about carrying a heavy load? If
you would know the load that I carry, you wouldn't
want to be in my shoes. Sure, that's the reason
I can talk about these things. But I can... also
tell you that there is a place in the Lord Jesus
Christ where there is happiness. There is contentment.
There's absolute satisfaction inside of you.
Because you have peace of mind and peace of soul.
And this miracle has to come from within. Therefore,
I say to you again, believe me, it is true. Our
Lord designed. It is His plan. It is His desire.
He wishes us always to be full of joy, always,
everywhere, under all circumstances. And Paul
knew this glorious secret. A miserable -looking
Christian stood outside of a mission. And someone
was passing by. Said, oh, won't you please come
into our service tonight? And the fellow that
was passing by gave the professing Christian
just one swift glance and replied as he hurried
on as fast as he could. Oh, no, thank you. I've
got troubles enough of my own. He didn't like
that. Oh, sure. A life of victory is a life of
trust. Always remember that. There can be no
life of victory unless there is complete trust
in Him. Remember that always. If you want real
joy, His joy. If you want a life of happiness,
true happiness, under all circumstances, all
conditions, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, no matter what happens,
there must first of all be a life of trust, complete
trust in the one who has never made a mistake,
who cannot make a mistake, who is perfect wisdom.
Know that. Now, let us be quite clear as to what
the victorious life really is. What does real
victory involve? What does it mean? We've got
to know this because the devil does all that
he can to entice us to accept a counterfeit victory.
And when I say a counterfeit victory, I mean
a victory where we... We're getting ourselves
through the victory on our own efforts. There
is a difference between our efforts and his power.
Now you take the question of bad temper. Oh,
somebody said, I'm going to turn it off. Oh,
now she's talking about something that just hits
me between the two eyes. And I don't want to
hear about temper. I know, my friend. But it's
there, and you've got to face it. Let's take
this question of temper, bad temper. Some person
who is constantly irritable. Is there anything
worse than trying to live in the same house with
somebody who is constantly... The very second
that somebody disagrees with them, they lose
any victory they ever did have. Immediately.
They're ready for a fight. They're ready for
a knock -down, drag -out. Oh, everything is wonderful
as long as you agree with them and they're getting
their own way. But the minute you cross them,
the minute... You do not agree with them. And
they are not getting what they want. They are
a different person entirely. Mm -hmm. You know,
many Christians pride themselves on the fact
that they exercise such self -control that their
temper never gets the better of them. I've seen
folk like that. Oh, sure, you may have a person
like that in your own household. It's a matter
of self -control. If it is a matter of self -control,
then, my friend, it isn't the power of God that
does it. There is literally a place in the Lord
Jesus Christ where he gives you genuine, where
he gives you true victory over that thing. It's
like that. These people who pride themselves,
over the fact that they have such self -control
that their nasty disposition never gets the better
of them. They never show it. They just think
they don't show it. That they have such self
-control over their temper that it never gets
the better of them. By this they mean that they
try not to show it. But it's there. It's there,
my friend. There's no denying it. It's there.
Now, the victorious Christian life, the life
that Jesus promised in the Word, the life that
Paul was talking about, is not one which merely
makes our outward actions right. It's a life
which gives victory in the inner realm of the
heart, on the inside, where this miracle all
takes place. Know that. Everything that I'm talking
about takes place on the inside of a man, on
the inside of a woman. That miracle begins with
in and not without. Mm -hmm. It's a life which
gives victory under all circumstances so that
our desires are right. It affects our eyesight.
We see things differently. We accept things differently.
To want to do wrongful things and to rest...
strain from doing them is not real victory. Now
that hits somebody sure. As long as the want
to is in your heart, as long as you want to do
the thing that is wrong, but you restrain Restrain
yourself from doing it. You might as well go
right ahead and do it because it's as much sin
as trying to... You don't have victory over that
thing. Let's face it. Let's be dead honest with
ourselves. To want to do wrongful things and
to restrain from doing them is not real victory.
You have nothing victory over that thing. You're
only using self -control. The wonderful thing
is that God takes the want to out of our very
hearts. For we long only to do His will. That's
right. Now, I'm constituted so that if I want...
to do a thing bad enough. I usually do it. I
can't help it. But you know something very marvelous?
I know what I'm talking about. This thing is
very real to me. The thing that I'm talking to
you about is something that's one of the most
real things in my own life. And I tell you the
truth. There is a place. In the Lord Jesus Christ,
where you use no restraint on your part, it is
the natural way of living, where your will is
His will, no longer two wills. Now, this is something
that's almost incredible to some folk listening
to me. You won't have the slightest idea what
I'm talking about. is a place and remember something
love governs the whole thing the whole thing
is governed by love he doesn't hold an axe over
my head and forces me to love him or forces me
not to do certain things and compels me to do
others no this whole life of Real victory is
governed by and controlled by love. You do it
willingly. You see, that is also true in a home.
When a wife loves her husband enough, and it's
sincere love, and it's genuine love, she will
do the things that... she knows will make him
happy. That will bring happiness to him. She'll
want to please him. Oh, sure. That's the reason
Papa and Mama got along so well together. I had
a very happy childhood because Papa was so crazy
about Mama that he lived to please Mama. And
Mama thought, Papa was pretty nice, too, I'll
tell you. And if she knew a certain thing displeased
him, she didn't do it. It was her desire to please
him. Therefore, there was no conflict there.
And then there I was, the offspring, the child,
brought up in the same atmosphere, and... It
was the most natural thing in the world for me
to be happy knowing that I was pleasing Papa,
that I was pleasing Mama. It was no conflict
there. It gave me joy. It was a natural way to
live. Not that I was compelled to. I did it because
I loved them. And my friend... That's the secret.
The same secret of love. When you and I love
the Lord enough, we live to please Him. And in
pleasing Him, we live in the center of His will.
Nothing is a sacrifice. We don't talk about consecration.
the consecration just naturally will be there.
We know, having perfect confidence in Him, that
nothing can come into our lives but what He allows
and He permits. And there comes that perfect
trust. Yes, my friend, the wonderful thing is,
that God takes the want to out of our hearts
and we long only to do His will.