Do You Want To Enjoy A Victorious Life?

We all love winning and we want to enjoy a victorious life. I have never heard of anybody who wants to be a loser. We know that we don’t have to accept defeat, because in John 16:33 (NIV) Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:37 (NIV) says “….in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” So there we have it. Jesus has overcome the world and through Him who loved us we are now more than conquerors…..or are we? What seems to be the problem?

Something is Wrong.

Yes, Jesus has paid the price. Jesus is victorious, He has overcome the world and through Him we are more than conquerors. But does it show?

Many Christians live defeated lives, yet they know they should be living in victory. Living in defeat, they are looking for some miracle to get them out of a difficult place. As soon as one problem gets solved, they have to deal with the next and they start ‘surviving’ from one miracle to the next and victory becomes something they are looking forward to somewhere in the distant future.

This is what Happy Caldwell calls Defeated Victory in a recent article he wrote in the Believers Voice of Victory Magazine. In the same article he warns that if all we do is to cope, then we will never overcome. He then continues to explain the difference between coping, and overcoming.

To ‘cope’ is “to oppose with equal force”. Happy Caldwell says “if all you do is cope, then you will never overcome. The Bible says we are to overcome the world with our faith (1 John 5:4). To ‘overcome’ means ‘to oppose with a greater force than the problem’”.   

Confusion

There seems to be much confusion. Many Christians tend to think they are saved by grace, but they are still weak, helpless human beings. Many people believe that in order to stay humble, they need to pray for mercy every day and ask for the next miracle in their life to solve the next crisis on a daily basis. Then they anxiously wait to see whether it is God’s will to answer their prayer to provide in their need, whether it is for healing, financial need, or whatever the situation might be.

That is a lie that the devil wants us to believe. Yes, we have been saved by grace, but with our salvation come victory and freedom.

What many don’t realize though, is that we also have to take responsibility. It’s not just about saying a prayer, and then passively waiting to see what God is going to do while you fall deeper and deeper into anxiety.

Let’s End The Confusion.

Man has been placed on this earth to have dominion (Genesis 1:26). Adam and Eve handed that authority over to Satan, but in John 10:10 (NIV) Jesus says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus has restored the blessing, and Hebrews 12:28 (NIV) says “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe”.

Romans 8:15 (NIV) says “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship” , and in verses 31-39 it continues to say “…..If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[j]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹ 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.”

In John 14:11-13 (NIV) Jesus says “¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

In Mark 11:22-25 (NIV) it is written: ²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

In the last two texts we deal with three very important principles:

1. Whoever believes in Jesus will do the works He has been doing, and even greater things, because Jesus is going to the Father. Note that Jesus is not going to come down every time we need a miracle. We have been given the power and we (whoever believes) will do the works.
2. We need to apply our faith and believe that we have received it (not wait and see whether God will answer our prayer). We need to pray according to God’s Word. Before we start praying, we ought to know that our prayer is in line with God’s will. This can only be done when you know what God’s Word says. In other words, we need to pray God’s Word and apply our faith. We can also see this in James 1:5-8(NIV): “ ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
3. When we pray, we need to forgive and not hold anything against anyone, so that God may also forgive us.

We are actively involved in doing God’s work here on earth and we play a crucial part in getting His will done here on earth. We are not to passively sit around waiting to find out what God’s will is and to become anxious while waiting. We are not being left in the dark (as mentioned in poit 2 above), thus uncertainty and doubt should have no place in our lives.

Take Responsibility.

To have dominion, or to rule over something or some place, is not being passive. When you have dominion, you need to be involved. You need to be active and you need to take responsibility.

We need to do in the natural whatever we need to do to achieve the desired result. We need to live a healthy lifestyle. We need to eat healthy and follow a healthy exercise routine. We need to take responsibility and control our finances wisely. We need to take care of our widows and orphans, and become strong members of society. We need to lead by example.

After we have done what we have control over in the natural, we stand in faith until we see the desired outcome.

This might come as a surprise to many, but let’s look at the extent of our responsibility and the need for our participation for a miracle to take place. Look at Mark 6:1-4 (NIV); “Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,^[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 

Now look at verses 5-6; “⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

In verse 5 it doesn’t say Jesus would not do any miracles there, it says He could not. Why? Due to the lack of faith amongst those people.

Man is the only living creature on earth that has been blessed with the freedom of choice. God has blessed us with the freedom of choice to enable us to have dominion and authority over the earth. That is why we must make the choice. But the blessing of being able to choose, is not just a luxury. There is a great responsibility that comes with it. We must choose to believe. Everything in life is a choice. God has chosen to give us that freedom and that is final. God will not go back on His Word. That is why God will point us in the direction, but we must make the choice between blessings and curses, even between life and death (Deuteronomy 30:19), and eventually it is our choices that physically manifest in the earth all around us.

We need to shine our light for the world to see Jesus. Remember, you might be the only Bible someone might get to read.

I receive daily devotionals from various organizations. I recently received one from “Spirit of Prophecy” that I would like to share here:

“Beloved, it is My desire that you occupy the spiritual space that you have been given authority over.  Be present and active in this space.  Permit no evil to violate your boundaries.  Resist and depose the enemy and his works where you find him.  Establish and maintain your borders for as long as it takes, says the Lord.  “Luke 19:13b Occupy till I come.”

Over To You.

You are an overcomer and you are more than a conqueror.

So do you live in victory? Do you exercise your God-given authority? Do you occupy the spiritual space that you have been given authority over and are you active in it?

Tell us about it. Tell us about your experiences. Have you seen miracles taking place? Were you part of it?

I am looking forward to hear from you.