"Real vs Counterfeit Victory: Part 1" Kathryn Kuhlman Overcoming Sin and Anger

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.