He Did It

Far too often, we assume God is doing nothing simply because we cannot see the end of our pain or the light at the end of the tunnel. Reality is not best seen from a human perspective. Reality - truth - is best seen from God’s point of view. Following are the lyrics of a song declaring the reality of God’s victory in my life. Rather than seeing myself as a victim, I choose to see myself as He sees me. I see myself as VICTOR! Read the lyrics to the song then I will share the story behind those lyrics:

He Did It
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan - May 21, 1998

Verse
I know there’s no guarantee
What tomorrow holds for me,
But I know I have victory!
Life brings sorrow, suffering,
But the journey is such joy to me
For I know One who walks with me!

When I pass through the waters
I will not be overcome
When I pass through the fire
I will not be touched!
Ev’ry step of the way Jesus
Is right here besides me!
Ev’ry step of the way
Come what may He is my life
And victory because

Chorus
He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
He lived it! He’s run it!
He ran the race and won it!
He ran to win! So I run straight to Him!
And I will win because

He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
I’ll live it! I’ll run it!
I’ll face the race and run it!
I’ll run to Him!
I will run this race and win
When I run to Him!

Verse
Death has no real hold on me!
Life is more than what I see
For I know I have victory!
Jesus took my place, my sin.
Paid my debt then rose to win,
Assuring me of victory!

When I pass through the waters
I will not be overcome!
When I pass through the fire
I will not be touched!
Ev’ry step of the way
Jesus is right here beside me!
Ev’ry step of the way
Come what may he is my life
And victory because…

Chorus
He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
He lived it! He’s run it!
He ran the race and won it!
He ran to win! So I run straight to Him!
And I will win because

He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
I’ll live it! I’ll run it!
I’ll face the race and run it!
I’ll run to Him!
I will run this race and win
When I run to Him!

I received the chorus of this song back in November of 1997 – soon after my pastor’s daughter came home from the hospital after very successful liver transplant surgery. For the first few years of her life, it seemed God was not going to heal her, but then He came through with provision just in the nick of time…or so it seemed from our human point of view. God had seen the need and had already set the steps in motion to see it come to fruition…something human eyes find it difficult to perceive much of the time.

The chorus was a very bold proclamation from my heart as a war cry. The enemy had not won! My God had won over her ailment by providing a new liver….much as He had provided Abraham with a ram in the thicket just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac. At that time, the Lord did not see fit to complete the song so I simply put it aside and waited for a more opportune time – and more inspiration!

In May of 1998 another friend expressed some very heart-rending concerns over his Dad’s health. As I prayed for his Dad and asked God for healing over the cancer that had invaded his body, the Lord gave the rest of this song to me as a declaration of what true victory really is. We win – whether we live or whether we die!

During the same time I was thinking of and praying for this friend and his Dad, I happened to watch the TV show, Touched by An Angel. I had never really watched the show before, but for some reason I watched it this night. The story was of a Chinese dissident, imprisoned then tormented by her captors. The angel sent to watch over her told her of God’s love for her…and stood between her and those who would beat her – receiving the beating in her place! As she was led to be executed, the prisoner cried out to the angel, “Are you there?”, to which the angel replied, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…when you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.” (Isaiah 43:2)

This impressed such a vivid picture upon my heart and mind that this is exactly how much God is with us, for us, and desires to help us in this life. God used all of these components to bring this song to completion…and just as with the characters on the TV show, we win! We win! This truth inspired the rest of the song and came as miraculously as that ram stuck in the thicket for Abraham and Issac…

Jesus died that we might overcome the enemy and sin. Jesus died and rose that we might live and walk out this life in victory, no matter what. We all die…but do we all really live? He who dies well, trusting in faith that God is still Champion, also lives well. This song is for every believer, and captures our truest identity – an integral part of our very being as overcomers. We win!

O sing to the LORD a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
Psalm 98:1 NASB

I know it can be difficult to look past the setbacks of life…like physical ailments or persecution or conflict or lack…but we must be receivers of God’s grace to look PAST those things that vie for our attention and look to the Lord in the HERE AND NOW, fixing our eyes upon Him and seeing each and every situation from His point of view. From His point of view, IT IS FINISHED! Already done!

I have Parkinson’s but I am daily choosing to see my body as healed by faith in Jesus. He is Healer of our ailments. See yourself healed. I have a testimony I will continue to share in spite of what the world thinks of me - in spite of the world’s constant attempts to silence me. I see myself as victor rather than victim.

Due to my illness, my physical mind is under constant attack, but I remind myself that God’s truth is THE truth in spite of what the illness tries to get me to think! I see myself - think thoughts about myself - delivered from stinking thinking.

He is our Deliverer. See yourself as free in spite of persecution. He in our Peace. See yourself as a man/woman of peace today in spite of what others choose to say and do. If we don’t fix our eyes on Jesus and see life from His point of view, we tend to lose hope…and hope deferred makes the heart sick according to Proverbs 13:12 NASB. Plainly and simply, we must walk in victory as overcomers by God’s grace…and kick the lies of the enemy - and victimhood - to the curb. Just read the end of the Book, ya’ll. We win! ‘Nuff said!
Dennis Jernigan

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:2-4 NASB

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast and to hear the song He Did It, just got to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/he-did-it-1575394806/

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/boxing-winner-looser-sport-fighter-555735/