“Victory comes from you, O LORD. May you bless your people.” (Psalm 3:8 NLT)
“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:31 NLT)
“For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:19-20 NLT)
The “Promised Land” of the Old Testament is a picture of the victorious life in Christ of the New Testament. The Lord gave the land to the Israelites, but they still had to go in and take it. Every time the Israelites would enter a battle in which they were living in obedience to the Lord they would experience victory with no casualties. It was only when they took their eyes off from the promises given to them, and tried to do things on their own, that they experienced defeat. They were to go into battle with the confidence that the war was already won. Through faith and obedience they were positioned to watch God win their battles for them. The familiar account of the 12 spies is the clearest example of what I am saying.
The Lord gave the Promised Land to the Israelites. He told them there would be enemies to defeat, but He also told them in advance that He would fight their battles. The land was theirs, all they had to do was to take it. Moses sent in 12 spies to scope out the Land. They were sent in to report back the conditions for planning purposes. This was not an assignment to determine whether or not to go in to the Land. It was to develop a winning strategy based on the information in their report. The spies came back, and instead of simply giving the conditions report, they preceded to make recommendations as to whether or not to enter the Land. 10 of the spies were so afraid of the enemies that they saw themselves as “grasshoppers” and completely forgot all of the Lord’s promises. The end result was 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and the death of a generation that robbed themselves of experiencing the Lord’s promises in their lives.
Life this side of heaven has many battles. I have discovered that the difference between being a “Victor” or “Victim” comes down to how I see myself, and whether or not I trust the Lord’s promises. When I am living from the victory that I have been given through the salvation that I possess in Jesus Christ I am a “Victor” even before the battle is over. When I look at my own abilities and focus on the enemy, I become a “Victim.” The choice is mine.
I need to remind myself in each and every battle: I am not battling with the Lord to get what I need, I am battling with the enemy who is trying to stop me from experiencing what the Lord has already given me. The Lord is on my side. Whatever the battle is, the victory has already been won and the promise is yes and amen in the Lord.
So when faced with a battle remember…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 12: “Victor or Victim, the choice is mine. (every victory implies a battle)”