VICTORIOUS LIVING

VICTORIOUS LIFE SERIES

In Jesus message to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, the word
overcome is constantly repeated (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21). God said
that whoever overcomes will not be hurt by the second death (Revelations 2:11). To
him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the
nations. The one who overcomes will be dressed in white and his name will not be
blotted out from the book of life (Revelations 3:5). Heaven is for the victorious people.

There are three enemies that Gods people must defeat:

1. Our Sinful Nature
21
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22
For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in
the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me
a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I
am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to Godthrough
Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but
in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Romans 7:21-25a

The human or sinful nature is what we inherit from the sin of Adam (Romans
5:12; 1 Peter 1:18). This is the fallen nature that drives us to sin.

How to Defeat the Sinful Nature?

Live in the Victory of Jesus.
If we make Jesus Christ our Lord, then the sinful nature cannot control us. There
is complete victory in Him! (Romans 7:24-25a)

Live Under the Control of the Holy Spirit.

Once we have surrendered our life to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us
(Ephesians 1:13-14). This is why God commands us to walk in the Holy Spirit
and not in the desires of the sinful nature of man (Galatians 5:16-17). Jesus
Christ did not only redeem us from our sins but also from our sinful nature. If we
continue to live out our sinful nature, we will reap death, but if we destroy it
through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will gain life (Galatians 6:7-8; Romans
8:13).
1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the
law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2
 Live in the New Man.
We must deny and kill the desires of the old nature everyday (Luke 9:23) for
those who are in Christ now crucifies their sinful nature (Galatians 2:20; 5:24).
We must accept that Jesus Christ already redeemed us from our sins and from
our sinful nature. Moreover, we must accept what Christ did on the Cross and live
in the new man that we received from Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christianity is
not merely a changed life, but a new life.
15
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new
creation.
Galatians 6:15

2. THE EVIL ONE

12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

The three most dangerous weapons of the enemy:

1. Temptation (Matthew 4:1-10)- The reason of temptation is to drive us away from

Gods will in exchange for desirable things.

2. Accusation (Revelation 12:10) - Satan is called in the Bible as the Accuser. He

has four ways of accusing:

a. Self-accusation- The devil bombards our minds with lies about ourselves.
He repeatedly condemns us with our sins, faults and weaknesses already
forgiven by God in order to discourage us.

b. People Accusing Us- The devil also uses other people to accuse and
destroy us.

c. We Accusing Others- If we are not mindful, the enemy can also use us to
accuse others

d. Accusing God- Many times the devil accuses God to destroy our faith in
Him

3. Deception (1 Timothy 4:1) - The devil attacks us with false beliefs leading us to
wrong decisions in life. This is what he did to Eve (1 Timothy 2:14). We can be
deceived through wrong decisions, wrong beliefs, wrong doctrines, and wrong
visions. A deceived person cannot recognize that he or she is in the wrong.
 How to defeat the devil?
8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you
know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of
sufferings.
1 Peter 5:8-9a
7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

To defeat temptation, accusation and deception of the enemy, we must 1)

watch and pray in the Spirit, 2) submit to God, and 3) resist with faith
until he flees. When we fight the devil, we must use the name of Jesus (Mark
16:17) and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17;
Matthew 4:1-10).

3. THE WORLD
15
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the worldthe cravings of
sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does
comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:15-16

The world here does not mean the physical environment created by God
(Roman 8:22) or the peoples of the world loved by God (John 3:16) but the
systems of the world that defy the principles of God. The above verse talks
about three worldly values:
i. Lust of the Flesh - This refers to a life yielded to sensual pleasures and vices
(2 Timothy 3:4) to meet the desires of the sinful nature. Living in worldly
vices is already the accepted norm that from the worlds viewpoint, living
a holy life on earth puts us on the wrong side.

ii. Lust of the Eyes - Lust of the eyes means the bondage of materialism. Many
people value material possessions more than they value God. Money is
the god they love and worship (Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10).

iii. Pride of Life - This refers to living in self-arrogance. Some people always
strive to become great and famous in the eyes of others. They are always
boasting of their identity, possessions and accomplishments.
 How to defeat the spirit of the world?

The Bible says, Do not conform any longer to the patters of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve
what Gods will isHis good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). The true
followers of God are cautious not to take part in the wickedness of the world. Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and
widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James
1:27). We must be filled with the Holy Spirit of God and His word, so the worldly spirit
cannot influence us. (Ephesians 5:15-18, Psalm 119:1)

The Three Enemies are Related to Each Other

The three enemies of the Christian are directly connected with each other. The
devil tempts us through the systems of the world so we will walk in the sinful
nature.

Our Victory Is Assured in Christ

No matter how many and how powerful our enemies are, we will still be victorious if
God is in us. In the Cross, Jesus Christ defeated all our enemies, and we that are in
Him must live in that victory (Colossians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 15:57).

APPLICATION:
1. What are the rewards of a victorious Christian in this world?
2. Why dont some people live consistently victorious spiritual lives?