B6 – The Lord Wants Me To Be Victorious In Him
“ He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” 1 John 4 vs. 4
It is a wonderful thing to gain victory. Imagine your favorite sports team has entered a great tournament and are at the final competitions. You would be very happy if they were to gain victory and win the tournament wouldn’t you? Or if you have done well in your school examinations, you just can’t wait to get home and show your family the good work you have done.
We all want victory in life, whether in sports or at work. The kind of victory that we are going to discuss in this lesson however is quite different and it is the most important kind of victory you may ever experience.
To become a victor or a winner, it means that one should first have competitors, opponents, enemies or struggles to overcome. Therefore we must first consider and know as a Christian who our enemies or opponents are. In that way we can face them, fight them and overcome them.
Who are our enemies?
Satan
Satan is our greatest enemy. He will try to cause you to do evil things. Satan will also sow the seeds of doubt in our minds and introduce sinful thoughts in our minds. He does not want us to love the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan also wants to discourage us from reading our Bibles. He gets very upset to see us reading God’s word and praying. He knows that by reading the Bible and praying to God, we will be able to resist his temptations. The Bible says,
“My little children, this things I write to you, so that you may not sin.” 1 John 2 vs. 1
Self
One other enemy of the Christian is self. Before we got saved we lived only to satisfy ourselves. We cheated in school if we chose to. We shouted and scolded our family members. Sometimes we told lies and used hurtful words to others. But now, if we have truly accepted the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior, we are saved. We do not wish to continue doing those evil things anymore.
However, we are still human and a sense of self still exists in us. As a Christian, I still have to face the issue of a desire within me to do according to what I want and how I want it to be. When this self obsession is in control of our lives, it will prohibit us from doing things according to the way of God.
How can we be victorious?
You may ask yourself, ‘how can we overcome our enemies, Satan and self’? The answer is a startling one: We do not have to overcome Satan. He is already defeated. The Lord Jesus Christ has already secured victory for us over Satan when He came into the world. The Bible says,
“For this purpose the Son of God (the Lord Jesus) was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (Satan).” 1 John 3 vs. 8
Satan is much stronger than us because of our sins. But the Lord paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and therefore redeemed us from the power of Satan. On the third day after His death, the Lord Jesus rose again from the grave victorious over Satan, death itself and evil spirits. People can now choose whom they want to serve and obey. Those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ will never need to fear or to obey Satan.
What about our other enemy? When Christ died for us on the cross, he destroyed the power of self that used to control us. Although it is still possible for a Christian to do sinful things, we have a choice to say “No!” to self and “Yes!” to the Lord Jesus.
How can I gain victory over sin every day in my Christian life?
To answer this we must read 1 Corinthians 15 vs. 57. It says,
“But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This means that Jesus Christ our Lord is our victory. If we trust Him, He will help us to defeat Satan. Remember that the Lord Jesus is in us, while Satan is in the world. That is why we read in the Bible,
“He who is in you (Jesus) is greater than he who is in the world (Satan)” 1 John 4 vs. 4.
If we try to fight Satan with our own efforts we will fail. But if we trust the Lord Jesus who is in us, He will give us victory.
One other thing we need to remember is that we have to read our Bibles and pray daily. This will strengthen us spiritually. We read in Psalms 119 vs. 133,
“Direct my steps by your word, and let no iniquity (evil) have dominion over me.”
It is important that you keep away from people who will encourage you to sin. Once again there is a verse in the Bible to help us on that.
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Proverbs 1 vs. 10.
Of course, your friends will laugh and scorn at you if you do not join them in their sinful ways. Pray and ask the Lord to help you to say “No!” to this temptation.
What if we fail?
Sometimes we fail. And Satan will make sure he reminds us of our failures to discourage us. Don’t be discouraged. Tell the Lord in prayer. He will forgive you and give you a fresh start. See 1 John 2 vs. 1;
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
So be strong, be courageous. The Lord will never leave you; He will give you victory over sin every day if you trust in Him.
Your memory verse for the day is:
“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”
1 John 4 vs. 4
Next Steps
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