Have you ever wondered what the wait is all about? Have you asked the Lord, when am I going to see the promises fulfilled that you have spoken over my life? Have you ever wondered if you did something wrong and that is why you are being, what feels like, delayed from fulfilling your destiny? Have you struggled with disappointment fatigue? I have struggled with all of these questions, for I do not believe there is a victory without a battle. But what I have learned in this process is that the battle is not with some external person or force that is hindering me, it is a battle within me. It is Jacob wrestling with God, saying, I won’t let you go unless you bless me, kind of battle. I think I am speaking to people who can relate, which is why when the Lord spoke this to me this morning, I knew I had to release it to my fellow women and men who are wrestling until they are blessed.
Maturity preceded victory is what the Lord told me this morning.
Maturity is a character issue. Think about it for a minute, when we were immature, we were impatient, unkind, selfish, insecure, all about us all the time. But then as we matured, got married, had kids, got that job, went on that vacation, made some more money, bought that first house, maybe been through a divorce, maybe had to bury a loved one, and the list goes on, we matured. Maturity is a character issue and maturity precedes victory. Biblically, we see maturity in 2 Peter 1 where Peter talks about how God has given us everything we need for living a godly life (v.3); how He has given us great and precious promises (v.4); then he goes on to say, “In light of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises”. Peter exhorts us to respond by becoming mature, by adding to one-character quality like knowledge, another character quality called self-control, the list goes on of what he is inviting us to add. Peter concludes by telling us this character development will make you mature, productive, useful.
Victory on the other hand is not a character issue, but a soul issue. Once we have matured, by developing the character qualities we need to be productive and useful, then God brings us into the process of dealing with the issues in our soul. We see this most clearly in James 1, where James exhorts us about finding joy in our trials and testings, so endurance can grow. James even says, when endurance is grown, we are fully developed, perfect, complete, lacking nothing. Trials, tests, and may I add time, heal our souls from the wounds inflicted on us that have caused us to believe, God is not good, God can’t be trusted, God has forgotten me, God doesn’t love me. These are soul issues that God is working out in us through the trials, testings and time. 3 John 2 says, “…May you prosper, even as your soul prospers!” God has been prospering our souls because He wants us to be victorious.
Maturity precedes victory because it takes maturity to endure to the place of victory. Jesus is coming back for a victorious church, a beautiful bride, and for that to happen He matures us in our character, then heals us in our souls, so we can be victorious. The voices that are about to arise and are already arising our voices of victory, because they have not only matured, but they have a prosperous soul, so they are walking in the victory they are proclaiming. They have learned what is means to be more than a conqueror, they exude they are an overcomer, they are victorious. Jesus has matured their character and healed their soul, so they can reign and rule as a victor, not a victim. Men and women alike all have to mature in character, prosper in their soul, so they can be a voice of victory in this hour. The church is about to be victorious again, because the voices of victory are here and they are rising.
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