What does it take to be more than a survivor of hepatitis C? It begins with attitude, proactive choices, and healthy decisions that lead you to become an overcomer.

I personally don’t like the term ‘survivor.’ The word survivor means you have come through something difficult but it labels you, it can keep you locked in a victim mentality.

Being an overcomer is about setting you free. You have more than survived, you are rising above the ashes of where you were and moving beyond into a new life, that’s being an overcomer.

It begins with attitude, and decisions backed with determination and a relentless spirit that no matter what the circumstances, you will keep your focus and move forward. You may fall down, but you rise and keep moving forward.

Hepatitis C can be a long journey for many. But the hope for freedom and a cure is highly possible. You have to be willing to climb the mountain and face challenges.

The Bible is packed with overcomers and how to become one. From the Old Testament, look at David. He was a shepherd boy, who even then was preparing to be a warrior though he did not realize it at the time. When up against the giant Goliath, he chose to focus not on how big Goliath was, but how big God is. He’s stepped into the sandals of obedience, tied them with courage and fought with faith in God, and became an overcomer. His life changed. Your’s can too!

Abraham, Moses, Paul and so many others throughout the Bible, became overcomers too. God took them from where they were and helped them become overcomers. Their first step in becoming an overcomer, was not on the battlefield, it was coming to a personal life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. He’s there to help you too.

Keep in mind, Jesus who overcame temptations, rejection, and even death, is there to help you become an overcomer too.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NIV

First, it takes a humble spirit that turns to God with a sincere heart. “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” Psalm 105:4 NIV

Nancy Leigh DeMoss shares an extraordinary nugget for ordinary folks who have a desire to become overcomers, “The outcome of our lives is not determined by what happens to us or how others treat us but how we respond to those “hard things.” We will be affected, of course, by these painful circumstances that are a part of the fabric of our lives. But horrendous as they may be, those things do not have the power to control the outcome of who we are. They do not possess the authority to declare us victims.”

In short, it’s not what happens to us that matters, it’s what you do with it. That choice will have a profound effect on your life.

You can develop new eyesight with a new heart, new focus and fueled with an overcomer spirit as you take those steps drawing closer to God. He will help you become more than a survivor, you will become an overcomer.

“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 NIV

Where are you in your journey with hepatitis C and liver disease? What challenges have been in your life?

This entry was originally published in Life Beyond Hep C, and is reprinted with permission.