“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NLT)
Do you feel victorious? Most days, I do. Most days, I grasp the beautiful reality that spiritually, Jesus has won the battle over good and evil. Part of our inheritance from our Abba Father is this assured victory.
“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory we must also share his suffering.”
Romans 8: 15-17 (NLT)
When I think of spiritual battles, I sometimes think of Rocky Balboa. That dude was tenacious, wasn’t he? In Stallone’s first depiction of Rocky, he decided how he defined victory — making it 15 rounds — and he did. It wasn’t pretty. He didn’t win by the world’s standards. He won by his.
Could part of our problem with feeling defeated be wrapped up in how the world around us defines victory/success? The spiritual battles we fight have spiritual weapons, and our victories may look different than we expect.
Let me encourage you to look at your most recent battle and ask yourself a few questions:
• How can I describe this differently than I have in the past?
• Did any good happen?
• Did I learn any valuable lessons?
• Can I see how God worked through this difficult time?
• Have I been able to help someone else with my testimony?
When we take a moment to adjust our lens, maybe what seemed to be so blurry sharpens. We see our victory when we choose a spiritual lens. Remember when the Armenians were at war with Israel (2 Kings 6:8-23)? Elisha’s servant was in despair when he saw the Armenian army before them. Then, Elisha said this,
“‘Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!'”
What did Elisha’s servant see?
“The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”
How are you defining victory in your life? If it doesn’t fit with a worldly view or it’s a tough fight, do you feel like you are defeated? Romans 8:37 proclaims that we are more than conquerors through our relationship with Christ Jesus. Let’s don’t let our enemy, Satan, confuse us on how victory looks or redefine what God has said make us victorious. Take a closer look. Ask yourself a few questions, and hopefully, you will see yourself as the mighty warrior you are!
