“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57
“For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5 There is another text that tells us about the victory that we have through our faith in Jesus Christ: “Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37) It is not always easy to see that we are victors. Life just sometimes wears us down and we feel defeated and alone, but according to the word of God we are victors because of our faith in Jesus Christ. There are some things that we need to realize about this. We do not always feel like victors. As I mentioned above, life has a way of wearing us down, making us weary and sometimes leaves us feeling defeated. If you feel this way, you are not the first Christian to have moments like this. Just because we do not feel like victors does not mean that we are not victors. The scriptures that are written above, and a lot of others, make it a settled fact that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, He enters our lives through the Holy Spirit and gives us the victory. I’m not saying that it is a good thing to feel defeated; I am saying that, being human, we will sometimes feel that way. If you are down in the dumps feeling defeated and you are a Christian, go look in the mirror and say to yourself: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; therefore, I have overcome the world." And you might add: “Greater is He that is in me than He who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) It is not a sin to feel defeated at times; it is a sin to stay that way and live as a loser. Being a victor in Christ does not mean that we will always win. We learn as much through defeats in life as we do through victories. The two authors of our texts, John and Paul, are good examples of what I mean. John lived a long life, but he suffered persecution like all other Christians of his day. He wrote Revelation while living in exile on the Isle of Patmos. Yet he could write: “Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.” The apostle Paul was persecuted in every place that he went. Leonard Ravenhill wrote that “everywhere Paul went, there was a revival or riot.” Paul spent years in prison in Rome for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Yet this great man of God could write: “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” John's and Paul's victory was not in their circumstances but in their Lord. That is exactly where our victory is as well. Just because you might have been defeated, you are not a loser because you “are more than a conqueror through Him that loved (you).” We need to remember that we are not victors because of our own strength but because of the Lord’s strength. Remember what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:57: “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Victory in Christ is a gift that God has given through our faith in His Son. We didn’t earn it, and we didn’t bring it about, but it was given to us by Almighty God. If you are down in the dumps at this point in your life, get up and claim that victory that you have in Christ. If you don’t have that victory, give your life in faith to Jesus and it will be given to you. Rejoice! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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