Victory comes through faith!

A christians life is a life of constant battle and warfare against sin. Before coming to Christ we didn’t even recognise sin and hence the need to fight sin. Satan is devious and malicious and he knows how to trap you with a million tricks most suited and personalised for you. So if you need to be victorious in this life battle then you need to be vigilant.  Hence our life is a constant fight – we will only win if Christ is in us!

• I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

What is this victory?

So before we see what this fight is about let us start from the end…the Victory! This is the promise that we hold unto as a believer. That victory is yours…if…The promises of God are great but often conditional. And the only condition he lays down here is ‘Faith’. To receive that faith that coms freely by His grace. And if we do that, this victory is ours- No one can snatch you from the Love of God 

• For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4

• No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Matthew 8:37-39

• Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 1 Corinthians 15:24

Victory against what?

So what is this fight all about. It is sin. Sin is the fatal weapon of Satan. If we don’t recognise it and deliberately fight against it ( through God ) we will be damned. ( the second death as we read in the scriptures- eternal damnation ) “Killing sin is not optional. This is mortal combat: Sin dies or we die. We refuse to settle in with sin.” John Piper

Hence our fights in this world is not with people but with evil powers, temptations! Hence the victory is against this darkness..

• Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 

• For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Ephesians 6:12

• “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. . . . Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5).

• Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4

• Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

And how do we gain this faith to fight?

The ‘Good News’ is that we are not alone in the battle and we are not without enough ammunition. God has empowered us with ‘His Word’ ( Jesus resisted the devil in the wilderness just by starting each of his defence with -It is written…Matthew 4:4)  and ‘The Truth’. He has already dealt a mortal blow to the devil through his death and resurrection. He has made captivity captive. Our firepower comes from just believing…

• So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”John 8:31–32

• We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6

• Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

• Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15

• Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

• The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. Proverbs 21:31

• The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”Exodus 14:14

And finally put on the full armour of God and be battle ready always:

• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore take up the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Ephesians 6: 10-18