Is our biggest problem negative circumstances?  Nope!  Is it finances?  Nope!  Is our biggest problem allowing the World, the Flesh and the Devil to sucker us into doing what we know is not right?  What were we thinking when we did the idiotic, stupid, selfish, thoughtless things that may have made a disaster of our life, not to mention the pain inflicted on our immediate community of family and friends?  Or we may still look pretty good on the outside, but inside there are thoughts that will not allow us to have an untainted relationship with our Savior.

Don’t forget the previous blog post, “Sin is a Fact.”  Each time we sinned, there were negative consequences, some only in our minds, others disastrous with untold damages to our family and to those around us.  Consider this question: “Did you have to make those disastrous choices or were there other options?”  The answer is “We made them of our own free will – no one forced us.”  So obviously, the choices we make are a large part of the problem.  How can we live in Victory instead of Defeat?

Is a Victorious Life something that is available to us but we don’t know how to appropriate it?  Are we destined to have sin and self conquer us?  Must we live our present life in defeat, looking for our only hope – physical death, to finally gain the victory?

Our life, in respect to the “Gospel”, the “Good News” about what Jesus has accomplished for us, can be separated into three parts, Past – Present – Future.  Let’s assume we have received this “free gift” of God’s Grace.  Most believers understand their Past sins have been forgiven at the Cross – no problem there.  Most believers also understand that Christ has secured a Future place for them in Heaven with Him when they are dead and gone from this world.  But just look around at our life and the Present lives of the believers you know.  Are they currently experiencing a Victorious Life?  Certainly God has a better solution for our present life, doesn’t He?

In our present circumstances, how can we stop making these selfish decisions that take us down instead of lifting us up to a place where victory is possible?  Is our Biggest Problem, our “self”, solvable?  That’s what we hope to discover in this series of lessons.