Victory in Christ

God will preserve us and bring us through the difficulties of life, if we are those who put our faith in Him for salvation (Romans 4:4,5; Ephesians 2:8,9; Acts 16:31). Now it is not my purpose here to discuss whether a person can lose their salvation, though I am convinced they cannot (Romans 8:29-30; John 10:27-30; 1 John 5:11-13). But even if it is possible for a person, by clear and determined choice, to reject God’s salvation (and I do not believe it is), for those who are His children there is victory over all the things that would try to destroy us (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:5). This does not mean we will not face challenges; we live in a fallen world and are in the midst of a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-12; 2 Timothy 2:3,4; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6). But God has given us victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil, who try to trip us up and destroy us (Galatians 5:24; 6:14; Colossians 2:15). The sins of our past have been forgiven (Romans 8:33,34; Philippians 3:13; 1 John 2:1,2), and God is at work in our life to transform us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 2:10). Further, He has promised to bring us through all tribulation and even use it for our good (Romans 8:28; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 4:17,18), and even to give us victory over death itself (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Revelation 21:4; Philippians 3:20,21). Therefore, we can trust Him for the future, knowing He is in control (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6,7; Matthew 6:25-34). But if all these things are true, how come I sometimes do not feel very victorious?  

I think a large part of this is a matter of perspective. God sees the end from the beginning and understands all of our life and, based on that, states that we are going to be victorious. It is a victory seen from God’s viewpoint. But we, looking at the present moment, do not see that. We do not know the whole story, and therefore we do not see how it will work out. Also, there is the danger of depending on feelings. The ultimate issue is not what I feel, but what is true. Therefore, we need to look beyond our immediate circumstances and trust God for His ultimate victory (Proverbs 3:5,6; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 8:24,25). This does not mean it will always be easy. We are promised that in this life we will have problems (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 1 Peter 4:12,13). But we can face those problems confident in the victory we have in Christ.