How to Claw Your Way to Victory

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How to Claw Your Way to Victory | by Jamie Rohrbaugh | FromHisPresence.comI sat in the shadows of the stage with my djembe, discouragement and depression swirling through my mind. As a member of the worship band, I was trying so hard to focus on the worship service–but my mind kept wandering toward my miserable circumstances.

For about two years, my circumstances had felt overwhelming … and I didn’t know why God wasn’t doing anything.

I had fought it all. Depression, suicidal thoughts, anger, rage, frustration, bitterness, and more. You name it; I had been battling it. And battling it … and battling it. It seemed like the battle never ended. “Why, God?” was the constant cry of my heart.

Suddenly, though, in a moment of help from above, I realized:

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    “I’m sitting in this worship service feeling sorry for myself. I’m not worshipping. And yet, no matter how I feel, God is the same. He is good. He is righteous. He’s holy. He’s pure. He will perfect all things that concern me, and I can trust Him … whether I feel like it or not.”

    And in that moment, I decided to worship anyway.

    I decided to worship God because He is good, and He deserves to be worshipped. His goodness doesn’t vary from day to day. His faithfulness never fails. He always has me in the palms of His hands … whether I feel like acknowledging that today or not.

    So I lifted my hands to my Father, left the frustrations behind, and worshipped the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And when I did, my perspective changed. My heart changed; and, although I still struggled with the circumstances, I never again struggled with feeling distant from God within those circumstances.

    Can you identify?

    Beloved, have you been wondering where God is lately?

    If so, I want to bring you a word of hope today. Today, I want you to know:

    God is good, and He is faithful, and He is right there with you right now.

    As a matter of fact, if you have made Jesus Christ the Lord and Boss of your life, Jesus lives inside you. So does His Spirit. There is no distance in between you. He has not let you go. He has not left you, and He will never fail you.

    I know things don’t always FEEL like God is with you. I get it.

    But He is.

    Beloved, today, listen to the words of the apostle Paul from 2 Corinthians 4:8-10:

    “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

    Jesus never promised that attacks wouldn’t come against your life. In fact, He promised that they would.

    In John 10:10, He said that the thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. BUT, Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.

    What does that mean for you?

    It means that attacks will come, but you can win anyway if you’ll appropriate the victory that Jesus purchased for you on the cross. The enemy may come against you one way, but he’ll flee before you seven ways. The enemies who rise up against you shall be defeated before your face. And the enemy you see today, you can defeat so handily that you will never see them again.

    It’s all because Jesus died for you to have victory.

    Sometimes you have to claw our way through to victory, though.

    Getting attacked is hard. Being “pressed but not crushed” is not comfortable. Nobody wants to be pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down! Nevertheless, thank God: when these things happen, we can claw our way through to victory.

    What does it look like to claw through to victory?

    • Sometimes it means you double up on your prayer efforts.
    • Sometimes it means you pray in the Spirit in your car for an hour at your lunch break, even if your tears soak your car’s seat.
    • Sometimes it means you get up and put one foot in front of the other, all day long, when all you want to do is hide in bed.
    • Sometimes it means you take another breath, and another breath, and another breath; and you decide that you are going to do ONE thing today that needs to be done.
    • Sometimes it means you make a to-do list, and you mechanically cross each thing off–because you don’t want to do anything at all, so you can’t rely on motivation.
    • Sometimes it means you stand up on the stage, in the shadows with the drums, and worship God despite how you feel.

    Are you feeling crushed, pressed, shaken, flat, and unmotivated today?

    Beloved, I understand. I really do. But you know what? You can’t let the enemy win. He’s trying to steal your peace, steal your joy, steal your right standing with and obedience to God, steal your family, relationships, finances, and everything else you have. Don’t let him.

    Acknowledge instead that God is good, and He’s right here with you, and in Christ Jesus you’re going to win this thing–even if you have to claw your way through to victory.

    Lamentations 3:22-26 says:

    “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

    God’s compassion toward you doesn’t fail. It will never fail. His mercies toward you are new every morning. He is good, and His mercies endure forever.

    Beloved, even if you feel pressed, persecuted, and frustrated today, will you make the decision to worship Him anyway?

    Making this decision will be a big step in your growth; a big indicator of victory. You can do it; the Lord will help you. And when you do, you will encounter Him right where He has been the whole time–rising up inside your heart.

    Go ahead. Put on your favorite worship song and lift your hands to the Lord right now. And remember that you are worshipping Him because He’s worthy, whether you feel like it or not.

    Did this word speak to your heart today? If so, leave a comment below and tell me what the Lord is saying to you! I’d love to hear from you!

    44 Comments

    1. Tess White says:

      Here we are to worship, here we are to bow down, here we are to say that You’re Our God. You’re all together lovely, all together worthy, all together wonderful to us!
      Thank You Father God for always being with us through our amazing Savior and Lord Jesus. We are so grateful for the presence of Holy Spirit! These last two years You have shown Yourself so faithfully as EVERYTHING we need, during this journey that we continue to claw our way out of.
      Thank You for assured victory because of Who You are in our lives and others. Thank you Jamie, as you continue repeatedly to reveal the character of Jesus through what you say, do and minister. May your family have the desires of your hearts for The Lord’s glory!
      Blessed be the name of The Lord!

        1. Elizabeth says:

          God bless you Jamie, I will keep clawing, my home is in foreclosure I prayed I agreements for 15,000. I have to go to court Oct. 22. So I was feeling down, thanks again for the encouragement. God bless you.

          1. Thank you for sharing Jamie dear, l have been inspired.

      1. Dr. Torise Hiller says:

        Thank you Thank you

    2. Melody Laake says:

      I really needed this today. My oldest son is in federal prison for 8 more years. I feel like I am incarcerated with him. My other son dropped dead of a heart attack in 2011 at the age of 32. It’s so hard to put one foot in front of the other. As I sat at the piano in church yesterday, I just wanted to go home. For whatever reason, all my expectations of God’s mercy and a miracle just haven’t happened. I’m 66 years old, and I am tired. All I want is to bring my son home.

        1. Marie simeon says:

          I am Marie I really need it today ! I’m In a custody battle right now , My only child not with me. I have to go to court Tuesday October 11 at 3 o’clock . Please help me to have my only son back Jayden Simeon. I know everything is possible with God. Thanks sister in Christ
          I really touched by your prayers 🙏🏽💐🙏🏽 My son will turn 14 November 13

      1. Laurna Tallman says:

        Hello, Melody,
        My middle son became schizophrenic when he was 16 in 1997. God was with me through incredible pain, confusion, and suffering, which affected our other 4 kids, too. I healed Dan in 2006 with a right-eared music therapy that I invented under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Two years later, his addictions caught up with him and he became schizophrenic again. I was 66. I thought I would die having to take care of him again. A tiny amount of medication that had stabilized him before made him much worse. We moved into my sister’s house to spare the rest of the family his mania. For weeks he could not sit still long enough to put headphones on him to focus music on his right ear. But when he did, even for 5 minutes, he slowly started to heal. During that year, I began to try to find explanations online for things I’d noticed about his illness symptoms and his healing. It turned out that no one had noticed those things except me. I did intensive research for a year and uncovered the key to mental illness and to much more — something doctors had never noticed before. The sound stream through the right ear is what keeps the left, rational half of the brain dominant over the right-brain in their integrative processes: learning, memory, self-control, and many aspects of health. I wrote a book but it was too complicated for most people to read. I started helping other people with dyslexia, bipolarity, depression, schizophrenia, hearing loss, and many other kinds of illness.

        In 2015 (I was 74), our youngest son (30) was in jail weekends, basically, because he had perjured himself to protect his mentally ill partner, then, tried to keep seeing his kids who needed him desperately. He had a massive left-brain stroke. Again, I thought I would simply die from grief and from the effort of helping him and his family. But JESUS used that situation to change his partner, reunite his family, and begin healing him. After 3 years, he was told by specialists he could never improve. He started using my Focused Listening music therapy and has slowly improved for the past year. Now another stroke victim is going to try the same therapy. Apparently, listening to music only with the right ear clears inflammation from the brain. It has reversed my sister’s dementia. I have helped a dozen other schizophrenics to improve or to heal and dozens of people with less severe problems have found the one-eared therapy helpful. Melody, in all things, GOD is in control. He wants to work through you. Even when it feels like everything you have tried to do has failed, JESUS picks up the pieces and gives you the strength to move forward in HIS LIGHT. Jamie’s Word today is about receiving that strength when all seems lost. I am 78 now and trust that HE will bring me the money to launch a new business: selling headphones specially designed for doing Focused Listening according to some simple rules. The middle son relapsed at the time of his brother’s stroke and healed himself with Focused Listening. In April he was assaulted by the police and became schizophrenic again. Finally, he is rebuilding his life without drugs but it’s still a battle for him to take responsibility for his own behavior instead of blaming others. The LORD is my strength. The LORD is YOUR strength. Praise HIM because HE is worthy of praise, not because you feel like it but because thanksgiving heals and resets the dominance of the rational left-brain over your tangled, right-brain emotions.
        Peace and love,
        Laurna

        1. Hi Laurna, just reading Jamie’s blog and came across your story and found it very interesting and would like to recommend to someone i know who’s going through some difficulties. just a few questions around right ear music therapy. is it a specific type of music that you should listen to? and how long often should this be for? is there a time frame?
          best wishes
          Roxanne

    3. John Raby says:

      Jamie; Your comments come “just in time, and spot on”. As I was being treated last night until 10PM in the emergence ward for the third time (a severe accident to my left leg) I looked over at my faithful wife of 47 years sitting at my bedside. She was worried and had low blood sugar because we hurried to the treatment center. Then powerful love feelings rose up in me to comfort her and I no longer focused on my aching leg. Then T focused on the nurse and doctor and how tender they were; full of concern for me. When I asked the nurse about her life and situation she was emotionally worse off than my wife or myself. Similar for the Doctor. Wow! I was surrounded by God’s people all looking after me.

      John

    4. Lara Whittaker says:

      Amen and amen, i needed this word this very day

    5. Thank you for your words of encouragement.

    6. Noel Palmer says:

      Thank Yahweh for this word of encouragement. It moved my spirit to keep in the race to eternal life.

    7. Hi Jamie,

      I truly thank the Lord for You. The Holy Spirit connects His people, last week You sent a word about using talents for God, I was seeking for God’s confirmation about my gift and to work for God, Your word confirmed it. You spoke about a paid-for house and I was blessed as my house is in arrears and the bank wants to take it, but I believe in my heart that God will come through for me. Today You are talking being perplexed and still worship God, Hallelujah Jehova, Abba Father is faithful my husband and I woke up at 2 am today and worshipped & praised God for an hour, You are an angel sent from above to deliver God’s message to me, to confirm that I am still on the right path and God is still holding my hand.

      Thank You so much, May the Lord bless your ministry, may He keep you in the shadow of His wings.

    8. Oh sweet Jamie

      i don’t know if you will understand how you have posted this on time……THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU:-) GOD Richly bless you:-)

      Love u mwah
      KimG

    9. I needed this word today. I ha e good days and I have bad days. More bad than good and it takes a toll on me emotionally and spiritually.. I know God is there and He is with me and He is working but it’s hard waiting and not hearing from Him. We sold our house quickly and didn’t have a place to go so we moved in with my MIL. Hoping it would only be a couple of months now is almost 7 months and it’s hard. I’ve been trying to find a job since we shut down the diner at the end of July and my husband is a youth pastor and we are getting offers to go to interview at other churches but we haven’t heard what God wants us to do. I get so easily discouraged now when I used to be so happy. Life seems so unstructured and disorganized to me now. I need a job and a place of our own for our kids and ourselves. Life is really hard right now but I will worship God anyway because He is always good and my kids are healthy, I have a God living Husband and I’m alive in Him.
      Thank you Jamie for your word!

    10. Laurie Griffin says:

      God be with you sister Jamie
      I thank the Lord that we can share these feelings with each other as Christian’s. God is so faithful in giving light to our steps even when the road before us is unsteady.
      My family lost a son/ brother in March to addiction. He was not a believer. Again we lost another son/brother 3 weeks ago to the health consequences of drug use & disease. He was a believer, just lost. We have not laid him to rest or celebrated his life because our 96 year old mother has been in & out of the hospital with blood pressure issues and a difficulty swallowing food. Every day I praise God for what He has set before me to handle. I do feel the pressure but I know I won’t be crushed. He leads me in courage as necessary decisions are made to give mom the best care as she draws nearer to being in His presence. Sister & other family desperately need Jesus as Lord and He gives me gentle words to share His truth with them. These days are devoted to serving Him in the hospital, and where ever He takes us. Hoping she will be helped with her physical needs by the doctors here and then released to go back to rehab for strength building so she can come home again. I claim the victory in that happening ! I will care for her until He takes her home. My life is here by her side. I’m not alone. The great I AM is here. I will praise and worship Him and victory is mine for He is my victorious Savior, God who sits on high and the holy spirit with lives within me.
      Thank you for sharing your heart testimony and I thank God for giving me time to sit, read and dwell in the secret place of the Most High God.
      Love and blessings dear one !
      Thank you for your commitment to the Lord !!

    11. Angelique says:

      Hallelujah! Praise to our God. He is good and I thank Him for keeping us under His wing. Amen

    12. Thank you Jamie for this word. For the past few weeks I have found it hard to pray, listen to gospel or even to read God’s word. I have given my life to Jesus, accepted him in my life, been baptized, and received my right hand fellowship this month at my Church. Literally all of this took place this year, but started from Easter 2019 when I accepted Jesus as my lord and savior. I was thinking maybe I am experiencing spiritual warfare but I am all new to this so I have no idea. Reading this word from you lets me know, although I have always know, that when the going gets tough still pray, and worship God. I feel so bad that I was not and/or refusing to do that mainly because I felt as if God had forsaken me. I will continue to pray through the storms. Thank you Jamie for this timely reminder.

    13. Thank you Jaime for Daddy Gods message🌈🦋& assuring us He’s always present🎁. Luv to u💙

    14. sam hodges says:

      I have fighting a severe sickness but have known that God is great and things are better. Life is always a battle but God has always been with me. I found out last night that my youngest great granddaughter is autistic. I has broken my heart with such heaviness. I am believing for my family to know the Lord in an intimate way. Thank you for your words…God is in this with me no matter the outcome. I will take your advise and worship more, not for my situation, but for the love that God is. Thank you for reminding me! In His love,
      “Sam”

    15. Thank you Jamie for this word. I needed it today. So timely. Yes praise and thanksgiving is very healing and life giving.
      I thank God for all the testimonies. To God be all the glory as His children trust Him and hold on against all odds. You are faithful and gracious Abba Father.
      God bless you Jamie and your family. Thank you for your love and generosity in sharing.
      Gladys.

    16. Wendy-Ann Warner says:

      Blessings to you and your family Jamie.. Thanks for sharing your experience…. It made me realize that I have to be constantly I prayer.

    17. Elizabeth Tuinidau says:

      Hi Jamie!Thank you sooo much for the great message.I went through this right now…satan sole my game but my God and I will win this battle.I will continue to exalt Him alone and worship like never before.Amen for the great n a blessed Word from God.

    18. It is an encouraging and inspirational message with Scriptures. Thank you.

    19. Amen!
      I just woke up to a very bad dream.
      I will focus on God’s light and not darkness. I will claw my way to victory through prayers and fasting.
      My breakthrough is now. In Jesus Name

    20. Dear Jamie,
      This speaks to me! I have waited on the Lord forever….. and nothing seems to be happening. I hate life because it has lost meaning.

    21. Thank you so much for this encouragement. I’m down and frustrated with the things going around me. I feel restless and don’t know what to do. Lord, I’m so sorry for being sluggish. Holy Spirit guide me. I surrender all to You., In Jesus mighty Name Amen.

    22. Lucretia Wingate says:

      Amen and Amen 🙏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾. This spoke to me. Thank you GOD 😇.

    23. Hi, I have been truly blessed by tbis Word, it resonates and is right on time!
      Please pray for the wife of my cousin, her name is Vanessa, she has been diagnosed recently with a serious illness.
      Please pray that the illness will cease, dry up and dissappear.

      Thank You so much,
      Much Love

    24. Dearest Jamie, thank you for sharing your deepest hurts, and the picture of what you went through is so raw with pain and so clearly put that the picture is most vivid. You are just so blessed, gifted, beautifully made and Papa God has ordained you to share your life’s story and save you from all that you went through because your story isn’t uncommon as many have gone through the same and are now going through the same. Yes, to some extent I can relate, and also know the power that comes from looking up and crying out rather than laying down and giving in. God bless you my precious sister, you are just so beautiful. I thank God for you and your ministry. Thank you for your honesty, and dedication Papa God.

    25. Carla Y Lane says:

      God Bless you Jamie, and thank you for encouraging the Body of Christ. for me, I am not getting this encouragement at my own church. this word resided with me, and as I work from home, I have my Christian Radio Station that plays worship music all day. God is Good inspite of our circumstances. Thank you, and God Bless your day today.

    26. Praise him, Praise him 🎶 🙏🏼🙏🏼

    27. Delia Gonzales says:

      Thank God for you Mrs Jamie I am so greatly He has done great things in your life and now you are being used by Him to teach us and encourage us to do the same I have being feeling like that but I will make the decision to worship him and also to claw the enemy so he won’t kill still amd destroy nothing from me thank you once again I did buy the lesson to help you I will do every step you have mentioned also wait upon my Lord for He is merciful and His mercies are new every morning God bless you and your family have a wonderful and victorious day

    28. I was down when I opened my mail to read this wonderful words of encouragement. Honestly I have been blessed. Thank you.

    29. Des Greene says:

      thank you Jamie for your words of encouragement. I love your straight direct words very effective. this has hit the spot with me and I thanked God and Jesus for all the help he is giving me even when I do not notice it because of my own short comings. he has lately answered one of my requests and I am grateful for that. I will stay with it because I need him to sort me out in his way. I recognise that and am ever mindful of it ,satan can distract you.

    30. Okay, this really helped me, a lot. God I saying through this that, it’s not tat hard. Come back! Let me live on you a d help you see, everything is good, if you just let me love you. I’ve felt him before, pulling on my heart strings, to come back. It’s not as hard as you think. I’m going to do that. And stop listening to that old evil thing. Thank you Jamie for this word from Abba Father. <3

    31. Thembi Mabuza says:

      Hi Jamie
      You are really a God send servant of t he Most High.Today between 6:30 and 7:00 my daughter who is suicidal called me saying she loves me but amazingly she was crying.I dropped the phone and called her sister to check her.she overdosed accurate pain tablets.The reason being she feels ashame of herself.she was reading a novel it talked about rape and it triggered her emotions that while she was still in Grade R the son of our neighbors who was in grade 2 or 1 by then molested her and that is troubling her now she told us about that last year December when she was discharged from hospital for trying to commit suicide.Thank you so much for this word.She is now admitted in Benoni or Gauteng province and I’m in Witbank she is 27 years old.This year she couldn’t attend school(grade 11) because she was admitted for two weeks in hospital for depression she is still on treatment
      This encouraging message gives me strength and words to pray,thank you so much,woman of God .I believe and trust the mercy of God to deliver her.I tried to remind her what the doctor said last month,we consulted because she was suffering menstruation pains the Dr put her on solar and congratulated her that she is still a virgin .Jammie I pray that God continue to reveal Himself to you and help to always have zeal to do what He says for I’m I have a problem in listening to God when He speaks my mind is always busy,speaking alone sometimes when He speaks I meditate His Word but I don’t think I am doing it with full concentration.I really need deliverance

      1. Praying for you and your daughter, friend. I’m so very sorry. May God heal and preserve her life.

    32. I am fighting some negative thoughts thankyou Jamie for sharing I need to worship God more all praise to the Father Amen

    33. Amen Amen your massage came in the Jammie,Glory be to our God

    34. Thank You Father, and thank you Jamie! I so needed this today!

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