Victory.

1 John 5:5

NKJV

“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Victory has been guaranteed in my life through the resurrection of Christ. He defeated the grave once and for all, and now anything that could possibly bring death to me can have no dominion over me, for I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Sin, which brings death, has been laid in the grave for eternity. It's fate has been sealed, even though I still fall to it daily, I have the ability to rise again through Jesus. The power and dominion it once held over me has been destroyed. Over the last couple of months, God has been teaching me how to lay claim upon this victory I have in Christ. While I have yearned for it to be an experience like that of turning on a light switch, it has been more of a process of flipping a multitude of switches in the correct sequence. Not that it is a bad thing, in fact it has been the best road for me. Now that I have been experiencing what defeat feels like under the crushing weight of sin, victory through Christ is all the more sweeter. The bitter gives way to the sweet, and it naturally makes that which is sweet even sweeter. The feeling of defeat is never enjoyable, but had I not been going through various defeats, reaching the end of myself and my limits, I would not know how to properly appreciate the cross of Jesus. The empty tomb would not mean nearly as much as it does today, and that it will in the future. I don't exactly welcome failure and defeat with open arms, but I'm learning to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” Aside from learning that, I'm also learning to use my failures for good. They are what enables me to go along the right path, the one which leads to life. It's somewhat like a process of elimination, but with higher costs of pride, comfort, security, time, and effort. The cost is not cheap. But, the results are worth it. As I discover what does not work in pursuing God, I discover with great joy what does. Those discoveries are what draw me closer to God, because His nature and love are revealed to me. The failures make me appreciate all the more His grace, and how faithful and good He is to use the bad for good.

Who am I in light of this verse? I am a victor,  a winner, an overcomer, and more than a conqueror. I am reminded of a verse on a card my mother gave to me, Psalm 18:2. “ The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” I am none of those things without my God. He is Jehovah-jireh, who provides all I need in order to win, to overcome the world which I am passing through to the final destination, heaven.