As a child of God, is it right for us to be living in a constant, or even for a moment, state of defeat? The holy Word of God says, “NO”. God’s Word says in Colossians 2:6-23, “(v.15) In this way He (Jesus) disarmed the spiritual ruler and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross…(v.20) You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world…” Victory is ours for we are in Christ!
To better illustrate how we are to walk victorious in Christ, picture a soldier. She joined the military to fight in the war for her country. She was given training, new clothes, equipment to help her to be successful and weapons to fight the enemy. And! Her General told her that the war had already been won! All she, and the other troops, needed to do was follow orders and resist any engagement from the defeated foe.
It is our soldiers day to join her troop out in the battlefield, again she has been told that she is and will remain victorious, yet fear grips her. She has her new uniform on, her equipment and her weapons are laying beside her; but she is huddled in the shadows, balled up in fear, telling herself that she’s not good enough to go out and to do her job, her purpose for being there. She doubts her General's promise of victory. She is wrestling with her insecurities that she is not good enough. She ignores all the accolades, the promotions and training that she has received and she succumbs to the oppressing fear, doubts and unworthiness that lies in the darkness that she is hiding in. She hears her General telling her to “Get Up!”, “We’ve already won!”, “I’ve trained you, equipped you with everything that you need and I will be with you!”, “I just need you to do your job!”
Our soldier has a dilemma: she can either stay in the shadows of fear or she can rise up out of the darkness to be the soldier she is called to be. She realizes that if she stays locked in place that she will not be an effective soldier. She cannot help her troop to accomplish their mission. She knows this but the reality of it is hard to fully grasp because the oppression from the darkness seems so overwhelming. She’s not sure how she can muster up the strength and courage to believe in her General or in herself. Then she remembers the Airman’s Creed, “I am an American airman. I am a warrior. I have answered my nation’s call. I am an American airman. My mission is to fly, fight, and win. I am faithful to a proud heritage, a tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor. I am an American airman. Guardian of freedom and justice, my nation’s sword and shield, its sentry and avenger. I defend my country with my life. I am an American airman. Wingman, leader, warrior. I will never leave an airman behind, I will never falter, and I will not fail.”
These powerful words of truth flood her mind, her body is energized with strength and courage. The darkness no longer exists for the light of truth warms her whole body. She is no longer afraid of the unknown. She jumps up, stands tall, grabs her gear and with bravado she walks in strength knowing who she is and that the battle is already won! As she walks out of the barracks, she can see her General smile with pride in her.
Sister, we too are like this soldier who was faced with a choice. We have a choice to believe God (the General) and what He tells us in Scripture or believe the lies of the god of this world, Satan. Those are our only two options. Now, you might have just thought, “I believe in my own wisdom and understanding. I don’t believe in the devil but I don’t know if I can trust God.” If you said something to that effect then you are believing the lies of the enemy. God’s Word tells us in John 14:6, “I am (Jesus) the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” The only way that we can make the right choice (believe God, not Satan) is to search the depths of God’s eternal, never changing Word.
Do you know that as a Christ-follower that you have been adopted into the eternal heritage of Jesus? You are God’s adopted daughter. Romans 8:15 gives us this truth, “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.’”
In an article by Ellen Mady, she states that in Roman times if a child was adopted that meant that they were “desired by the parents” and that “the child would be a permanent part of the family; parents couldn’t disown a child they adopted (or sell them into slavery).” God tells us the same thing in His Scripture. Romans 8:38, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love...indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are His adopted, grafted into the family tree, children. We are daughters, princesses, of the Lord of Heavenly Armies who, “owns the cattle of a thousand hills…”(Psalm 50:7-15). Our Heavenly Father is all Sovereign, all Wise, and He is Love. Everything that flows in and out of our life has to go through those three aspects of God. What awesome truth and hope. We can stand tall knowing that what we face in life is to make us more like Christ (Side note: living in God’s grace does not mean that we keep on sinning without consequences).
Did you know that you are victorious, as a child of God? We are! Our faith, confession and repentance in Jesus Christ, as our Lord, seals us to share in the glory of Jesus. We are now part of Christ’s body, His bride and since we are in Him and the Holy Spirit (His representative) resides in us, we share in His victory of the cross. At the cross His perfect sacrifice and resurrection defeated death and He took back the authority over this earth that Adam gave to Satan at the fall of man. Christ Jesus has the authority over all spiritual authorities and so do we. 1 John 5:4, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” 1 John 4:4, “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.” One more powerful truth (though there are numerous more) Paul in Colossians 2:6-23 encourages us with this truth, “(v.15) In this way He (Jesus) disarmed the spiritual ruler and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross...(v.20) You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world…”
I just want to stop and praise Emmanuel (God with us), the great almighty I AM! He is worthy of all glory and honor for who He is! We have done nothing, absolutely nothing to deserve His eternal, unwavering love, yet He chooses to love us despite all that we know about ourselves. Thank you Jesus for your perfect sacrifice. Thank you for choosing to do the Father’s will. I will be forever thankful and may all praise be given to You every moment of the day.
I hope that you are beginning to see how God sees you. He sees you through the blood of Jesus, His atonement. He sees you as righteous because you belong to Jesus and when He looks at you He sees His perfect Son in your face. He calls you holy (set apart). He calls you His child! He calls you a priestess, one who can come boldly before His throne. He sees you as His masterpiece. Let that word sink in for a moment, masterpiece. You look in the mirror and you see your past. You see your failures (on repeat). You see brokenness, weakness, unworthiness, no hope for you; YET God sees you as HIS MASTERPIECE! HIS!! You are HIS handy work. He created you for HIS purpose, HIS glory and to reflect HIS Son in your life to a lost and dying world.
You (we) tell God that He is a liar and that His work is not good enough when you look at yourself and say that we are not worthy, not good enough, defeated, alone, ugly, unlovable, and imperfect. That is dangerous ground to be on calling God a liar. You and I both need to speak God’s truth into our lives on a daily, moment by moment, basis. The lies of the enemy are to keep us from walking tall and in God’s strength. Satan wants to keep us in the defeated position. He knows that if we do not rise up in the victory that Jesus has already provided for us that we cannot live out the purpose we are called to.
It is time to rise up! It is time to walk tall in Truth! It is time to stop telling God that He got it wrong when He chose to redeem us! It is time to tell the god of this world that he is defeated! It is time to walk in the power and authority that God has given to us in the blood and name of Jesus! It is time to cast aside the lies of defeat and be all that God has called us to be! We are in the latter days of our life...let's not waste anymore time...RISE UP IN VICTORY! For you belong to God!
Lord of Heavenly Armies thank you for fighting for each and every person that belongs to You. You are the Mighty Warrior who saves (Zephaniah 3:17)! There are no words to truly express the magnitude of how great You are Father. Thank you for loving us despite our weaknesses and failures. Thank You for your holy Word that shows us the truth about who You are and who we are in You. Help us to no longer believe the lies of the enemy but to walk tall in confidence that You see us as your child. Let our backs stand tall knowing that we live in the victory that Your Son, Jesus, paid with His life for us to walk in. May we not disgrace the sacrifice of Jesus by living in defeat. In the name of Jesus, Holy Spirit fill us with your mighty presence and strength. Scripture tells us that when we are weak that You are made strong so that we cannot boast in our accomplishments but in YOU! Thank You that Your Word promises us that You forever hold us in Your right hand and that though we might stumble that You will never let us fall. You are so good to us. Help us to be so good to You. In Jesus name, amen.
Additional Scripture:
Definitions:
Atonement - a covering (for sin)
Holy - "...it involves a right relation to God", "sanctify"
Redeemed - "to buy out", "to release by paying a ransom price"
Righteousness - "the character or quality of being right or just"
Sanctify - to be sacred and set apart
Salvation - "deliverance, preservation, salvation", describes the grace of God