Today, Thursday September 9
Victorious Faith
1 John 5:4-5 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
The moment we became a believer and began our spiritual journey as a follower of Jesus Christ we entered a battlefield! Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Every day we are faced with the choice to either be a friend of God or to be a friend of the world. “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) In this same chapter, James went on to tell us, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Today, we are either overcoming the world, the flesh and the devil, or we are being overcome. These two verses before us here in 1 John 5:4-5, should give us great hope and courage that we can indeed live in victory every day. Did you notice that John said, “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world….”. Everyone means there are no exceptions and no excuses!
The sad thing is so many of us are living defeated lives and are in a constant state of discouragement with ourselves and how we are living. But it doesn’t need to be that way! This is a victory of faith, but faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God! The person who overcomes the world is the one "who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:5). It is not faith in ourselves, but faith in Christ, that gives us the victory.
Identification with Christ in His victory reminds us of the several times we have read "as He is" in John's letter. "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). We should walk in the light "as He is in the light" (1 John 1:7). If we claim to abide in Him, then we should conduct ourselves as He conducted Himself (1 John 2:6). His children are to be, on earth, what He is in heaven. It is only necessary for us to claim this wonderful position by faith—and to act on it.
The key, of course, is faith, but this has always been God's key to victory. The great men and women named in Hebrews 11 all won their victories "by faith." They simply took God at His word and acted on it, and He honored their faith and gave them victory. Faith is not simply saying that what God says is true; true faith is acting on what God says because it is true. Someone has said that faith is not so much believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence.
Victorious faith is the result of maturing love. The better we come to know and love Jesus Christ, the easier it is to trust Him with the needs and battles of life. It is important that this maturing love become a regular and a practical thing in our daily lives.
Today, are you being overcome or are you an overcomer?
God bless!