The victory is already ours. It's our job to live it like we believe it.

yah happy happy joy joy.
actually the scriptures tell us that as Chrostians we are no part of this world, and you WILL be persecuted. We will be killed by people who think they are doing Gods work. Paul rejoyced when he was persecuted as he knew the reward was to be great.
so if your life is all ducky then mabe you need to step it up a notch. narrow is the way, and wide is the path to destruction. What have you done for the Lord today?

'What have you done for the Lord today?'

Hmm... Should not the question be, 'What have you done for your fellow human today?' [For what you have done for the least of my brothers, you have done for me.]

As for persecution, Christians enjoy 80% dominance in the United States yet claim ad nauseam to be persecuted for their beliefs. Where, exactly, is persecution of the faith? If some dominant group throws you (and a large percentage of your Christian peers) to the proverbial lions because of your faith, perhaps I'll revise my assessment of your 'persecution.' If you suggest that the movement to maintain a moderately secular government to be 'persecution,' perhaps you need to look at a history book and learn just what persecution is about. The time of true Christian persecution was in classical antiquity, not in modernity. Look to the Jewish people to see true persecution. Look to the slaughter of the American Indians for an example of widespread tyranny. Look to the Crusades, Church rule, and the various Inquisitions to see how Christianity has dealt many times more persecution than it has received.

If any modern-day Christian claims persecution, s/he had better be hunkered down in an attic somewhere afraid to breathe for fear of being discovered, dragged into the street, and tortured until dead. Otherwise, quit b*tching about how horrible Christians are treated when there are so many people across the globe who know true persecution and torment. I think perhaps the people in Sudan and Darfur have it a bit worse than any of us typing at our computers can claim.

(PS — I'm not singling out rambill79 here. This is another of my pet peeves, and I think people fall back to Biblical clichés without considering that they aren't truly applicable. So, my apologies to rambill79 if this post seems to be especially harsh or attacking. That's not my intention at all, and when I reference 'you,' I'm using it in the plural sense — not specifying rambill79.)