This week a comment was made to me I thought interesting. “My own spouse doubts your testimony because he thinks you are a celebrity and that at your own house you are still an angry guy.”
I had two thoughts:
1) Ask my wife if I am a celebrity. LOL
2) Heck, I don’t have to wait to get home to get angry!
I do appreciate this man’s apprehension. Can my life really change that much? Yes, but only by God’s grace can I live a life in His Spirit that brings honor to Him. When I step into my fleshly or carnal mindset and allow my “old nature” to take the throne in my life well, let’s just say it isn’t pretty. Then what? 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
I do get angry but I don’t think I am an angry man any longer. Praise the Lord!
I do not think it uncommon for people to wonder if a speaker is living what they preach. The church may have hypocrites but the world and the culture have a whole lot more than the church. Think of the millions of people who party and act like they are having so much fun, but truth be known they are caught up squeezed by peer pressure and truly are not happy with themselves. The businessman who acts like he is trust worthy, but he is stealing money. Or the person who acts so concerned about having a green environment but they are smoking like a chimney in private. Ok, sorry I digressed for a moment.
We should and I do get angry when I hear an adult has hurt a kid. There are so many injustices, bullies, perverts, and people who take advantage of other people. I get ticked when I see the influence of the evil one that affects so many people young and old, keeping them in bondage to believe the lie whatever it is. These battles are seen in the flesh but, I believe they are often won and lost in the spiritual realm of prayer.
So, remember you and I are only hypocrites if we are acting and claiming to live one life but are living the opposite way behind closed doors. If that is the case, then the remedy is 1 John 1:9. If you stumble in your walk as a Christian, then the remedy is to confess and be forgiven.
Hey, it was good talking to you. As always I really like to read your comments. :-0
Victor
It sounds like this person either does’nt know you or what your really about, or he’s using this as an excuse to “not truly believe” in the power of God, if he put his heart in his hands he would believe, and not past judgement….Keep doing what you do, your are making a difference…God Bless, Thom
Victor,
Glad you shared that. I think as Christians we encounter folks on a regular basis who question what we say we are or say we have. Obviously, by hearing your testimony he must acknowledge that it would take a lot to move you from a point of anger (and everything else) to a point in your life where you can forgive those who may have hurt you in your life. That something big of course is God… And if he listened to you speak and had the opportnity to speak directly with you, like many of us have, he would see that you are no celebrity. We all get angry, but its how we choose to deal wtih that anger that identifies who we really are. Keep up the good work! – Don
Prayer is so important….. Learning about fighting and warfare has just been a way of life for me.My days as a marine instilled an attacking mentality and a mindset of preparation for counter attacks.
As passive as it might sound to the non-believer and non-follower of Jesus Christ.These battles are first fought (vigorously and without ceasing)in the spiritual realm of prayer,as Victor mentions.
We ought to be prayer warriors,I just love the sound of that.”Prayer Warriors!”
Scriptures that often stop me cold from going off in a savage-temperament are:
Romans12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
Romans 12:17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
Jeremiah 23:12 “Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring calamity upon them, The year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.
And a teaching from Jesus Christ himself: Matthew chapter 5 verse 43-44: You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Jesus tells us to pray.
And I love taking things back to the Jesus’s model prayer….Matthew 6.
especially at verse 14 & 15.For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
We are vessels,and God makes the difference,and the Holy Spirit saves people.
Praise God when we want to be is hands and His feet.
I love Jesus,because he first loved me.
And I love All Things Possible Ministries!!
Victor,
I do see an anger in you…a righteous anger. You expressed it well in your note and you express it well in your ministry. It is God-given and you are using it to glorify Him. You are turning over the tables of the money-changers and setting the captives free. I thank God for you…and for your anger!
vic
youre right bro, we should be angry about the abuse of the weak, the elderly, our youth that are victims of there envoirment.
The bible say’s that we are to be fruit inspectors,to be living epistles to be read by all men.
Victor I dont want to, nor do i need to defend you to anybody, all i know is what i see in you and youre testimony for Jesus Christ.
hey, i love God , but there are day’s that i may have a bad day or been rubbed the wrong way by someone, but i dont come home & abuse my kid’s or wife, usually God will show me the scenario when i have settled in a little and he will show me that i may have been prideful, selfish, or just plain ol stupid.!! He then brings me to the cross and washes me with His love & forgivness. “oh see what the blood has done for me” Thank you for saving a poor o’l soul like me.
God Bless you Victor,Eileen &family.
As a man that was once controlled by his anger, I can tell you that God most certainly can change lives. Jesus is in the life changing business and He’s darn good at it. I know that my wife and family see it. It’s hard to convey that change to someone that has not witnessed the change first hand. It’s hard for someone who does not have God’s help to realize how a person can change. Without His help we can’t, but with God, all things are possible. Hmmm, that sounds familiar.
Sincerly,
Phil (renewed in Christ) Snedeger
I know hidden anger is definitely a problem and a lot of us men are angry and don’t even really realize it much of the time. However, the Bible does say to be angry but sin not. Anger isn’t the as much as staying angry is. This is something I still deal with and you’re right, if we allow ourselves to crawl into the flesh, that is a sure fire way of it getting a small flame going into a raging fire.
When someone makes accusations against someone it’s usually because they are guilty of that very thing. If this is the case, I hope this guy will come to terms and realize that the Lord has the power to set us free from anything and everything that hinders our walk with Him. But we must confess and surrender it all unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ that we may be free to live for Him and in Him. Victor and family, get up the good work. You’re in our hearts and prayers.
Of course there are hypocrites in the Church. That’s why we’re there. We’re all sinners! If we were perfect we wouldn’t need the Church.
Hi Victor,
I sure do appreciate you, dood. And your response here was right on the money, and something I needed to hear. I recently found myself walking in victory. And it was great, a time when I could hear the Holy Spirit more clearly. But I stumbled and now I am standing back up, seeking God’s hand to hold, wanting to “keep up”. But I know it will be His strength, not mine. Thank God for 1 John 1:9. And I get much comfort from Paul in Romans chapter 7 where he confesses his shortcomings and then moves to chapter 8…..Praise God. May we all, brothers and sisters, follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.
God bless you all.
Here’s my take on all of this.
I’ve been a Christian since 1975, and since then I have failed so many times in so many areas that I can’t remember them all. I learned along the way that my heart is exceedingly wicked, and on my own I can’t even really know it’s hidden issues and agendas fully.
I’ve known Victor since 1991, and I’m not surprised at all that God is using him. What I have seen is that God uses the poor, stupid, sinful, misdirected, cynical, clinical, and you name it when it is least expected or when there is no awareness of it happening.
Victor is like all of us who claim Jesus Christ as our covering. His best day is probably alot like mine…pitiful filthy rags when compared with the righteousness of Christ. Anger…yea, I can see what the guy might be talking about. Acting at times like he is completed even while in this earthly state…yea, that too could and probably is VIctor.
But so it goes with all of us. No matter who you are, my guess is you can’t keep your guard up 24 / 7. I can’t, and for the most part, I quit trying. I never was a success at it. The Victor I know is just a poor dumb guy who doesn’t know any better than to be himself and let his guard down at times. He should be able to keep the image up by now, especially in public and certainly in private, but he just is so limited. He isn’t capable of holding the standard…and I’m glad.
If he really could, I’d be torn up. I’ve bought in to the “all of us gone astray and the ” narrow way thing”. I don’t want to find a Billy Graham that has it all together, because that would only indict me on another plain with my God. If just one “Victor” out there could be a perfect standard bearer, then why not two, four, ten thousand…me? But as we all know…we can’t hang. We are ultimately doomed to pay the price for our poor dumb stupid actions, attitudes, attempts at holding up 24 / 7 through our own efforts.
I don’t know the guy who made the comment, but I’d like to say I understand what he is feeling. The enemy has compared me to some of you in the quiet recesses of my thoughts on many occassions. He has put me into a thought process that questioned every motive you can think of. I’ve been angry at Victor and many more like him on numerous occassions. But in the end, I was only angry at myself for not being able to hold the standard myself. I hate to fail, but it’s too late. If you put $100 bill in the offering Sunday and I see it, I’m probably going to think several thoughts about you and your motive. If I see you talking about leading some person to Christ, I hate to tell you but I’ll probably think words like GRANDSTANDING. If you go down the isle or ask for prayer out loud this week and I hear it, I want each of you to know I’ll try not to let my mind wonder about what it is you are really doing or have done. I’ll try, but I’ll probably be sure in “my heart” that you’re hidding something. It’s those voice inside…you know?
So, if you fail to meet my expectations, I hope someone hits me with a board. But what will most likely happen will be I’ll again put on my robe as “JUNIOR HOLY SPIRIT”. and I’ll judge you. But it doesn’t fit me at all, and pretty soon I’ll hear a voice inside saying something like “You are right Pete, he is a pitiful soul and isn’t it funny he looks just like you…a hopeless sinner in need of a Savior. And then I’ll again stop and plead for the Blood of Christ to Cover and Cleanse me. It’s daily thing with me. I just can’t help it.
Have a wonderful day!
Pete
There’s nothing wrong with being angry at the devil and at what he is doing to our young kids. So you can say , yea I’ m angry at satan and I will beat him with prayer not martial arts. Keep up the good work Vic. My wife and I have been praying for you ministry all week. God Bless
I love all these comments…powerful!
We truly are not perfect…just forgiven!!
To God Be All The Glory, Amen!!
Howzit! A month long stay with you and your family is a good gauge of who you are, both in front of people and at home when no one is looking. My family and I were looking. Righteous anger & telling the world (and those bound by the things of this world) that enough is enough, is a GOOD THING. Not many choose to be in the forefront of this war…and yes, it is a WAR. Yet you continue to pull up your boot straps, put on your armor and move forward for the Kingdom of God. It takes more then most are willing to give. The truth is, you’ve been extremely long suffering in this battle. Sharing your testimony hundreds and thousands of times can wear a person down…..especially your testimony. But we believe that the Lord has called you to this ministry and you are being obedient to His call to war, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God….” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.
What the Lord is doing in your life is testimony itself of the Truth. Many are responding to the goodess of our Lord as a direct result of the ministry He has entrusted to you. It’s much easier to be a spectator sitting in the stands then to be on the playing field getting hit. He’d do well to stop making excuses for his choice of unbelief and look at the condition of his own heart. The choice not to believe is a personal one, the rejection of God Himself (and the work He is doing in your life), not based upon a person’s PERCEPTION of someone else. Many are coming from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. That’s the whole point! “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel” Isaiah 45:3
Based on first hand experience – and what an experience it was =0) – you are committed to the battle for souls. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” 1 Thimothy 6:12. We continue to stand with you and your family in prayer! We love y’all!
A celebrity??? And an angry one at that??? Now, that’s funny!!!
Love you guys!!!
If any one has a reason by way of their past to be angry, Victor, its you! But having seen you in person and heard your testimony, I have to say what comes out of you in public is the Holy Spirit of God. I know that God doesn’t change, so I know that it is the same in private as long as you stay focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ. I don’t think getting angry at the enemy constitutes sin, so If your anger is a rightous one, and I am sure it is than by all means be an angry man for Jesus. I pray for you guys all the time. God bless you and keep fighting the good fight. Love in Christ, Kathy Cramer
I think you could get angry if I was to take the big boiled crawfish from in front of you and eat it myself, Mais Cher der is just so much a man can take yeah. My tragedy is that indeed I do handle pressures at home different than when I am at work, and my coworkers can’t imagine it. will call soon. Jack
Victor, my friend, after working with you for 2+ years and being in your home several times, I have to say that the only times I have seen you angry had to do with someone innocent being hurt. No, you are not perfect! But, you are God-called to this ministry, and we love you, bro! Keep up the good work. David and Karen
Is my dad an angry guy you ask? My dads a great guy, he beats the odds, with where he should be in his life. Gods done great things with my Poppa and so I can say from personal experience no he’s not. Whoever asked that question seems like their in a bad mood. I’m working right now and I thought I’d add to your blog! woohoo! love you.
ps
if people call you celebrity then i am too.
:]