The last couple of days we have seen how David defeated Goliath and how God gave Gideon victory over the enemies of his land…Each of these examples, and there are many more, deal with physical enemies and victories but God’s Word also promises victory in spiritual things.
“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.” I John 5:4 CEV
“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.” I John 4:4 CEV
In both these verses the old King James language says that we are overcomers. With God’s power working through us we have been promised victory. Even if we are relatively young or new to spiritual matters, we can have victory over wickedness. The victory isn’t ours because we are spiritual giants; it all comes from having Christ live in us.
It’s part of our inheritance.
“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.
14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18 ERV
The armor we put on isn’t of our own making. It’s given to us by God. I remember hearing a man recall his time in Germany after World War II. He was part of the US occupational forces. He was a seventeen-year-old kid and it was his duty to patrol the streets, making sure that nothing illegal was going on. He remarked that he was small in stature and did not command any respect by his appearance. However, when he put on his Army uniform and had that US patch on his shoulder, he represented the US Army and that commanded respect from the forces that had been defeated.
On our own we will fall short but when we are dressed in the armor of God Satan and all his demons tremble.
If we are not winning the battles in our life, we need to check a few vital issues. 1) Do we have our armor on? 2) Are we being obedient to God’s leading or are we trying to fight using our own rules? And 3) Do we know our rights or is Satan cheating us?
Satan tries to trick us into thinking that God’s power will not work for us. He makes a lot of noise to scare us, tells us lies to deceive us and manipulates circumstances to make us think that we are defeated. He wants us to give up. It is at times like that we need to remember the instruction we received from the Apostle Paul to stand. And when we have done that, keep standing.
When we stand we are a representative for God Almighty. We have His authority and power to overcome the enemy!