Victory Over the World

…This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (I John 5:4)

What does it mean to overcome the world? Does it mean the elimination of your problems? Does it mean maintaining a state of complete peace, security, wealth, and comfort? Does it mean perfect health, an adorned home, and an overflowing bank account?

All these things can be tremendous blessings from the Lord and God certainly desires to bless us! But the notion that these things are the only evidences of victory is inconsistent with the life of Jesus as He sweat drops of blood on His knees in the garden on his journey to death and humiliation on a cross. Paul, then, would have been greatly defeated when he “despaired even of life” and in his heart he “felt the sentence of death” (II Cor. 1:8). Job must have also failed miserably having lost his business, his children, his houses, and his health. Even his wife and closest friends turned against him and condemned him.

So often, when we face difficulty in our lives, we begin to question God. Many of us, at times, face enormous challenges, feeling a great travail of soul like Jesus, Paul, or Job. At these times, we are tempted to believe the Lord has left us. That He has forsaken us. This is possible, if we have forsaken Him; if we have deliberately and knowingly disobeyed Him and are living in a state of rebellion against Him. But if we have searched our hearts and cannot find that state of rebellion and we continue to search for the Lord and put our trust in Him, we can rest assured that He has not forsaken us. The Lord’s faithfulness toward us does not depend on our feelings. When we find ourselves in these difficult times, we must be careful to fight the correct battle. We must recognize and confront the true enemy. We must strengthen the weapons of our warfare.

Although we seek to live in the abundant blessings and goodness of the Lord, true victory that overcomes the world is also the ability to stand in the midst of enormous difficulty and pain in this life and declare, as Job did, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). Job knew true victory, that even though the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away, “blessed be the name of the Lord!” Most of all, the bible says “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”

The next time you feel an enormous attack on your life, grab hold of your faith. Praise the Lord and bless His holy name! Declare to heaven above and the earth below, to every angel and demon, to every fellow man “I may be suffering loss and facing hardships, but I refuse to believe the Lord is anything other than perfect goodness and love. My mind and my tongue will not charge the Holy One with any wrongdoing. I refuse to sin against my God. I will put my trust in him and hope in him!  He will bring be through, refined as gold.”

This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith!