Achieving Victory
Achieving Victory
“For sin shall not have dominion over you……” Romans 6:14
The Bible teaches us about a constant struggle between good and evil, about continuous tensions between the carnal and the spiritual aspects of our nature. We have all experienced the human dilemma – we want to do what is right and holy, but sometimes, too often, we end up doing the opposite. At times weakness overpowers us.
God knows of this condition in human nature, and He designed a plan. How can we be victorious? First we have to want to be victorious. God sent His Son to show us exactly what victory looks like. We see it in His teachings, His works, His example and His entire life climaxing with the Resurrection. “He swallowed up death in victory…” (Isaiah25:8).
So how can we be victorious? St. Paul writes: “But thanks be to God Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We cannot be victorious without giving Christ prominence in our lives. He had told His disciples that without Him, they could do nothing. So Jesus made sure that He did not leave them without help. God sent them the Holy Spirit – The spiritual presence of Jesus Christ. Therefore the basis of our victory must be our closeness, our union, with Christ. The Holy Spirit was given specific tasks concerning us: “He shall teach you all things, and remind you of all that I have said to you………He will guide you into all Truth…” (John Ch.14&16) God’s Word is Truth, so as we study the Word, the Holy Spirit guides and teaches us. Then He reminds us of what we have learnt so that it can impact our lives. There are also other tasks that were given to the Holy Spirit:- He enables and empowers us to be witnesses of Christ (Acts 1: 8); He gives us wisdom, strength and courage to overcome temptation and all obstacles along our Christian journey. The Holy Spirit is the God-force in our lives enabling us to live as the new people that we are in Christ.
Do we allow the Holy Spirit to influence us or do we live as we want, forgetting the words of Paul : “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you; you are not your own…you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to God.” (1Cor.6:`19-20)
Al Jones