The Attitude of a Victorious Woman (Mark 7:24)

Is God great to you? Is He truly great? I can’t hear you. Is He really great? It is a pleasure to be among God’s people.

It is a wonderful time. Jesus Christ rightly said, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in their midst.” I believe that when we gather in the name of Jesus, the presence of Jesus is manifested in a special way, because Jesus Christ likes to be among His people and has great things for each one of us.

Whenever Jesus Christ is in a place, wonderful things always happen because He always has something good for His people. His will is good, pleasing, and perfect. It is delightful to be in the presence of the Lord. Today I have rejoiced with all of you.

Previously, your pastor and I had talked about how I would like to visit this congregation, and it came about in an interesting way because we came to give a series of conferences. It had not been planned very far in advance, but it took place at this church, and it has been a pleasure to be among you.

The atmosphere feels pleasant, and when we go to a particular place, we can sense the atmosphere. It is beautiful to see the decorations; it is beautiful to see the order, the lights, and the instruments, but there is also another atmosphere at work, and that is the spirit of the atmosphere. It is the atmosphere that welcomes the Lord.

The Lord is a God who always reveals Himself. He reveals His love in a special way, like a father toward his children. Jesus Christ reveals His grace in a special way. On the cross, He revealed to us that He loved us through an act in human history. In the Holy Spirit, He reveals Himself to us as comfort, as someone who gives power.

Today the Lord brings a word for all of us, and it is found in Mark, chapter seven. We will begin reading with verse 24. The word of the Lord says:

Rising from there, He went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and upon entering a house, He did not want anyone to know it, but He could not remain hidden, because a woman who heard about Him came and fell at His feet. The woman was Greek and Phoenician by nationality, and she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, because it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then He said to her, “Because of these words, the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when she arrived home, she found that the demon had gone out and her daughter was lying on the bed.

Let us pray for a moment. Lord, we give You honor and glory today. We acknowledge Your presence in this place. We acknowledge Your presence in this place. We know that You are in control of all things, and we know that Your heart is a heart that desires to bless us, that desires to reveal itself to us and, above all things, to form in us a special attitude that can make us Your people, a people capable of living up to Your purpose.

You have a purpose for each one of us, an individual purpose, a purpose for our families, a purpose for this congregation, a purpose for this city. You have a purpose for this state. You have a purpose for this nation. Lord, today we submit to Your purpose and receive this word, Lord, this challenge to our lives. Right now we say to You, yes, Lord, we want it. We long for You to speak to us. We desire You to manifest Yourself among us.

We receive what You have. We are willing, Lord, to abandon anything that is wrong. We are willing, Lord, to enlarge our tent. We are willing to leave our comfort zone, because we are Your people, because You have redeemed us, because You have a purpose for us.

Lord, today we say “Yes” to You. We accept Your word and reject all spiritual opposition, everything that would prevent Your word from flowing in our lives. Right now we tell the enemy of our souls—Satan, you have neither part nor share in us. Jesus Christ is our Lord, and He is the master of my will. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen and amen.

Today we want to speak about a subject that I have entitled “The Attitude of a Victor.” Tell the person beside you: I want to have the attitude of a victor.

Whenever I have people do exercises, I like to watch how they do them. I like to read people’s attitudes. At first it sounds funny. I’m doing it because they’re telling me to, but I’m shy. When I come to church, I like to concentrate on what they are telling me.

But your conquest represents your brother’s victory. This church’s victory represents the neighborhood’s victory. When neighborhoods conquer, that also represents the city’s victory. And when cities are conquering cities, we can also conquer states.

I know that you have struggles. I know that you have challenges. And it is possible that the Lord is bringing this message for you. He looks at you with special eyes. He sees you as capable people, as people with potential, as people who can make a difference. Not merely as people who are listening to something, but as people who are listening with a purpose.

Because God is forming an attitude in you. So I want you to tell the person beside you with conviction: “God is forming the attitude of a victor in me.” Look them in the eyes: “God is forming a victorious attitude in me.” How many say Hallelujah? How many say Amen? How many say: I am a victor. I am a victor. I am a victor in the name of Jesus.

The attitude begins through faith. When I am able to believe, I am on the path toward an attitude. It is interesting how clearly and concisely we learn from this woman. Of all the passages I have read, this is possibly the one in which a somewhat harsh attitude on Jesus’ part toward a human being is most clearly evident.

Many people who speak about this passage wonder how it is possible that Jesus spoke to this woman in this way. How is it possible that Jesus, being such a compassionate person, reacted to this woman in this way?

And sometimes we can lose sight of what God is doing when we focus on one detail. Because God has the big picture. Our God is a God of processes. Although He works in small details, although He likes small steps, He is moving toward something great and is leading us toward something great.

He has great things for us. He has great things for me. Those great things are conquered through small steps. But if we focus only on that small step and forget that we are on a journey, we can lose our sense of purpose. That is how this passage should be read: through God’s purpose, in which the Lord helps a woman develop and form an attitude that would take her beyond simply asking for the demon to come out of her daughter.

Some of us come to Christian churches so that they will solve one little thing in our lives. “Pastor, I need you to pray for my finances. I need a job. I need it urgently. I know it has been a while since I have been involved in the things of the Lord. But I need to go, so I’ll drop by on Sunday. You see, my daughter got sick. So I need help. So I’ll drop by on Sunday. Look, I’m having problems with my wife. She doesn’t want to cook for me anymore. Now, when I ask her for food, she shows me the pot. So now I’m even afraid to ask her for food. I need you to change her for me. So I’m going to church to take her there.”

And many of us come to churches so they will solve one area of my life. And what happens is that sometimes the Lord does help us solve that area. And then we settle back in until another problem develops. And that prompts us to seek the Lord again.

This is what God wants to prevent. Because that is not having the attitude of a victor. The attitude of a victor is characterized by certain steps that a person takes; certain characteristics are clear in the attitude of a victorious person.

Look with me at this passage, verse 25: “For a woman,” it says, “whose daughter had an unclean spirit, as soon as she heard about Him, came and fell at His feet.” The first thing we see in a person who has a victorious attitude is that she does not resign herself; she does not allow the problem to neutralize her.

A person with the attitude of a victor is someone whom the problem moves to do something; it is someone who does not allow that problem to be greater than her desire to overcome it. The desire is greater; the longing to move forward is greater than any depression, any illness, any crisis, any marital problem, or anything that is taking away God’s purpose. Problems move that person. Problems make that person leave where they are. That is the first thing we should know about people who are victorious.

The second characteristic of victorious people is that they surround themselves with people greater than themselves. Let us see what this woman did. She went and sought Jesus. What did she do? What must you do when you have a problem? Whom must you seek? Whom must you seek? Hallelujah! You and I must seek Jesus.

Jesus is the being who is greater than all of us. She surrounded herself with people greater than herself. Jesus was supposedly on vacation in this passage. He was trying to be alone, trying to regain His strength. We too must make an effort so that we can also have a moment to recover.

But this woman had a need, and that need pointed to someone who could help her, and that name was Jesus. He is the only one who can help us in many situations in our lives. So you are in the right place. This is the right time. This is the right atmosphere. It is the right place for us.

So this woman goes and seeks Jesus, who was supposedly, as it says here in verse 25, practically hiding—that is, He was trying to have some time in private. That reveals an interesting detail about God’s character. When there is a need, God cannot hide. God is available for a need. Christ was there for her, and she sought Him until she found Him.

What is your attitude when facing a difficulty in your life? Do you start looking a little and say: well, I’m going to go to church. If they tell me something that helps me, I’ll come back; if not, I’ll leave. Because I don’t have much time. I know I have problems. I know I have difficulties. I know I lead a life characterized by many crises. But I don’t have time to go around searching in church.

This woman persisted, persisted, and persisted—until she found Jesus. Now something interesting happens. Look at the barriers she has to overcome. Once she found Jesus, we see the somewhat harsh words that say: “First I have to give to the children.” Before anyone else, to the children.

And He mentioned the word that we translate into Spanish as “little dogs.” It was a word used culturally at that time, and it meant those people who did not belong to the Jews’ cultural group. And so Jesus Christ used it. But something interesting happened with that woman because she had to overcome certain barriers. First, she was Greek by birth. Her nationality ran counter to this Rabbi’s practice. Jesus Christ had come to His own. He was the Rabbi of the Jews, and she went to Him, knowing that Jewish teachers would not typically accept her.

The second barrier she had to overcome was Jewish law. It was not only her nationality, but also the Jewish legal system, because it was precisely that system which prevented relationships with and service to non-Jews.

A third element was Jesus Christ Himself in His capacity as Rabbi, as a teacher of the law. He represented a kind of border patrol. He had to enforce the law. So she knew her barriers well. She knew what she was up against. This is a characteristic of a victorious person. That person must know the nature of things. What is this problem about? Why am I going through this problem?

If we want to move forward in our lives, we must learn to analyze the situations in our lives. We must penetrate and come to understand each crisis. It is interesting that one of the world’s most outstanding athletes is one of my favorite athletes. He is Lance Armstrong.

I am a cyclist. So we have something in common. He became truly famous after recovering from cancer and winning five Tours de France. In one passage from his latest book, “Every Second Counts,” he says: “If I were given a choice between cancer and winning the Tour de France, I would choose cancer.” Let me explain what he means.

Cancer taught him what the true priorities of his life were, what the value of life was, what the future might hold for him, and that he had to devote himself to a life of service to humanity. He had to learn to appreciate certain people and certain family members. He had to appreciate the gift of the physical body. He learned a great deal, especially in terms of the attitude that victory is not found in comfort.

He was able to recover. There was a 40% chance that he would live and a 60% chance that he would die. So he began to adopt an attitude. He began to read about cancer. He got the best doctors. The best doctors for him were not those who simply told him, “You have cancer,” but those doctors who knew the problem of cancer well and looked at the possibility of overcoming it. He surrounded himself with those people and began to learn every detail about cancer. And he began to believe that he could overcome it, and every day he got up. And after a chemotherapy session he felt sick, but instead of focusing on the feeling, he focused on the fact that it was necessary for him to move forward.

And he began to see something so painful as a possibility for coming out of it stronger. So, in the end, he was able to overcome it. And when he returned to compete, something miraculous happened. His physical condition after cancer was stronger than it had been before cancer. To date, he has won five Tours de France. In July he is going to compete for his sixth. No one has ever won six, and no cancer survivor has ever won a Tour de France.

It is important to understand your problem. It is important to surround ourselves with positive people. It is important to seek the right help. This woman understood that.

Another thing we see is that a person with the attitude of a conqueror is irrationally persistent. Even when circumstances tell her, ‘It isn’t possible,’ even when the barriers tell her, ‘No, it isn’t going to happen,’ the person believes, ‘I have to make this happen. It is going to happen; I am going to move forward. My marriage has no solution. There is no other way out. There has to be a way to conquer this.’

That is believing in the Lord. That is knowing that God is by your side. And this woman was learning to have that right attitude.

Another thing that strikes me about this woman is that she learned a new language in her life. I call it the “language of success.” Look at this language with me. This message in verse 26 says, “The woman was Greek and Phoenician by nationality, and she begged him.” In verse 28, after Jesus Christ had practically told her no, she replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

And this is the language of success, which learns to say ‘but’ to those who tell you it is not possible. But she said: But there is still a possibility. And she wrestled with Jesus. And she wrestled with the situation. And she conquered it.

Jesus Christ tells her, “Because of this word, it is going to happen in your life”; because of that word you have spoken, because of the language you have, because of the mindset you have, this is going to happen in your life. I want to tell you something, brother. Christianity is about a language; it is the language of faith and the language of success. It is not a language in which problems and suffering are absent. It is a language that learns to challenge any problem and any situation.

And it says: But I have a greater God, a more powerful God. I have a God who heals. I have a God who transforms. My God is greater than my problem. And she conquered it. She achieved those results. That is what the Lord wants.

What is your need? What is your problem? God does not have you here merely to solve one problem. He has you here to give you an attitude. He wants to give you the ability—say with me, “ability”—to conquer and overcome.

What is your need? What is your challenge? What is it that you need to overcome today? That is something we want to pray about. This is the word that God brings with Him. You have something there that you need to conquer, because you can do better than you already are.

As a church, you have great things to accept. We are hearing the news about a political event that is going to begin. What will your attitude be? “Ah, I knew that sooner or later...” Or will you stand up and say, “No. But we can still overcome. We still have power. In the name of Jesus, we are going to make a difference. History is still being written. There is a possibility of overcoming because God is the God who controls everything.” That is where I want to pray.

I want you to picture yourself right now with that situation you have. What is that need which, if you had Christ here in flesh and blood, would make you say to Him, “Lord, I need this in my life. Lord, I need You to work in my home. My relationship with my children is not right. My relationship with my wife is not right. I am not content. Lord, my financial situation keeps going from bad to worse. Lord, I am not content with my life. Lord, I would like to obtain a better education. I feel frustrated because I always had dreams and have not been able to fulfill them. Lord, my legal situation is also bad. Lord, I need Your help. Lord, I would like us to have a healthier state here in Massachusetts. Lord, I wish You would not allow these sorrows. What do I have to do? I will not resign myself to this situation.”

Can you see Jesus at that moment? He says to you, “Let us work. I am going to create an attitude in you, and you are going to make a difference. Let Me work on your attitude, and you will bring about change. I want to join you in this situation, and I want to make you a conqueror. I want to help you not only to solve a problem, but to become a problem solver—a person capable of facing any situation, passing through the crisis, coming out on the other side, and saying, ‘I have overcome!’ Because God, because Jesus, has helped me.”

I want to pray for you now, right where you are. I would like you to raise your hand. Just keep it there. At this moment, I would like to entrust the task of praying for these people to him. I believe greatly in your pastor. He prays for you. He loves you. I trust the prayer of a pastor who loves his people. Right where you are, stand up—simply, wherever you are. Your pastor is going to pray, and I am going to intercede for him.

Let us pray, brothers and sisters. Father, we are not the ones who solve our problems—You do it in us.

It is Your Holy Spirit who, as the sermon said, is a Comforter and a Strengthener. So, Father, this morning we stand on Your promise and Your faithfulness, and we say: Strengthen us. We lay aside negative attitudes and every attitude of defeat, Lord, in the name of Jesus. We refuse to resign ourselves to our situation, and we declare that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Your Word says that nothing is impossible for God. Oh Lord, we clothe ourselves with that attitude.

Lord, Your Word says that before these things, we are more than conquerors. Hallelujah. More than conquerors, Lord. Father, this morning we focus on that aspect of Your Word which says that we are more than conquerors through what Christ has done on the cross of Calvary.

So away with every attitude of defeat; away with all fear. Father, we clothe ourselves with the garment of hope, of joy, Lord, and of praise. And we worship You, Lord. We give thanks to the Lord. Your faithfulness is great.