Victors Not Victims

In one paragraph

Doctor Laura Sanger brought the message this Sunday morning, speaking on what she called "Victors Not Victims." She walked through what Scripture says about spiritual maturity and what it actually looks like to be a son or daughter of God in the fullest sense. The thread running through everything was this: Jesus already won the seed war, and the church needs to live like it. She opened by naming...

Read together

1. Exodus 15:11 Moses asking 'who is like you among the gods' to show only the God of the Bible is holy
2. Genesis 3:15 the seed war prophecy about enmity between seeds and bruising of head and heel
3. Genesis 6 the fallen sons of God taking daughters of men and producing the Nephilim
4. Romans 8:14 those led by the Spirit of God are sons of God and received a spirit of sonship not fear
5. Romans 8:37-39 we are more than conquerors and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
6. John 14:10 Jesus saying the words he speaks are not his own but the Father living in him doing his work
7. John 7:16-18 Jesus saying his teaching is not his own and he who speaks on his own seeks honor for himself
8. John 12:49-50 Jesus saying he did not speak on his own but the Father commanded what to say and how to say it
9. Isaiah 55:8-9 our thoughts are not his thoughts neither are our ways his ways his ways are higher
10. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 in the last days perilous times will come describing lovers of self money pleasure having a form of godliness but denying its power
11. Galatians 4:1,7 as long as the heir is a child he is no different from a slave but as a son God has made him an heir
12. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Paul addressing the Corinthian church as worldly infants in Christ still on milk not solid food with jealousy and quarreling
13. Ephesians 4:14 infants in Christ tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching and cunning deceitful scheming
14. 1 Corinthians 14:20 Paul telling the Corinthian church to stop thinking like children and in their thinking be adults
15. Colossians 2:9-10 all the fullness of deity lives in Christ bodily and believers have been given fullness in him who is head over every power and authority
16. Colossians 2:15 Jesus having disarmed powers and authorities made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the cross
17. Ephesians 6:12 our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers authorities powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms
18. 1 Corinthians 15:55 O death where is your sting O Hades where is your victory thanks be to God who gives us victory through Jesus Christ
19. Philippians 1:21 to live is Christ and to die is gain because death does not separate us from Jesus
20. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 God always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of him and we are the aroma of Christ

What was said

• Pray the dangerous prayer Dr. Laura described: ask God to show you the mixture in your life and remove it.
• Identify one area where the Holy Spirit has been prompting you to surrender, and take that step this week rather than waiting.
• Before you speak or respond in a situation that matters, pause and ask whether what you are about to say is spirit-led or just your own good intentions.
• Pick up one of Dr. Laura's books from her table and start reading it as a way of feeding on something beyond the basics of your faith.
• Write a prayer request on a Tribe connect card and drop it in the wooden box so the staff can pray over it with you on Monday.

Talk about it

1. Dr. Laura described sons of God as people so surrendered to the Holy Spirit that they will go wherever the Spirit sends them, say whatever the Father commands, and do whatever the Holy Spirit asks. What does that kind of surrender look like in your daily life, and where do you find it hardest to let go of your own direction?
2. Several people shared stories about obeying the Holy Spirit when it was uncomfortable or costly. Think of a time the Spirit nudged you toward something that was outside your comfort zone. What happened when you obeyed, or what held you back if you didn't?
3. Dr. Laura said that acting on good intentions without Spirit-led guidance can actually be a form of following our own will rather than God's, and she gave the example of agreeing to collaborate with someone before she had a clear yes from the Lord. How do you personally tell the difference between a Spirit-led impulse and a well-meaning impulse that is still coming from your own soul?
4. Dr. Laura described three stages of spiritual maturity using the Greek terms napios, paideon, and wios, and said that remaining as a spiritual infant or child means our inheritance in Christ is undervalued and underutilized. Where do you honestly think you sit in that progression right now, and what is one thing that might be keeping you from moving forward?
5. Pastor Brian closed by saying that the speed of Christian maturity is measured by one word: obedience. He invited people to identify an area of life where the Holy Spirit is asking for surrender. What did that moment surface for you, and what would a concrete next step of obedience look like this week?