THE WALK
PART 52

THE WALK OF VICTORY

Have you noticed the battle is intensifying? If you have not recognized the increasing darkness, maybe you are not fighting the good fight of faith! Do not become like the frog who sits in the pot of water that is on the stove. The water is “gradually” heated and the frog does not notice he is being boiled alive. “Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and (for which) you confessed the good confession (of faith) before many witnesses.” (I Timothy 6:12 AMP) There is such a thing as “earnestly contending for the faith” and that means to (strive in combat) and be active toward the cause of Christ. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) We talk and sing about victory but what are we being victorious over? We can be victorious over sin, ONLY when we become more pure and holy. This only happens when we are determined to resist temptation and sacrifice our flesh. The church wants to shout and dance about the rapture but very few want to talk about being a living sacrifice! Yes, Jesus is our victory but victory is never easy or cheap. On the battlegrounds of war, there are dead soldiers, fires burning and the landscape destroyed. As the survivors are wounded and changed forever, it would seem hard to describe “victory” without acknowledging the great price of blood. Likewise, the cost that Christ paid to give us the victory is not something we can casually say without realizing the COST of His suffering.

Are we enduring tribulation as a good soldier of Jesus Christ? Maybe you are not taking spiritual warfare seriously, but rather allowing yourself to be entangled with the affairs of this life that doesn’t please your Lord. Maybe? (II Timothy 2:3-4) There are two sides; the body of Christ of our Father God (I Corinthians 12:27; Mathew 6:9) and the body of Satan of the father of the devil (Revelation 2:9; John 8:44). If you do not choose God, by default you automatically get the devil! (Mathew 12:30; Acts 26:18). Brother Billy, I choose Jesus but why is it when I start reaching out for Him the battle increases? Because as you yield to the Lord, He opens the door wider for more of His Holy Spirit to flow through you. Moreover, the only reason resistance becomes more fierce is because you are moving in the right direction! Be encouraged – remember, victory is DEFINITE! “For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7). IF we keep putting our faith and works together in the authority of Christ, we will be fulfilled in the Kingdom that is to come! “But, thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Corinthians 15:57). Keep walking on the devil and know that he is defeated every day, (John 17:18; I John 3:8; Mathew 10:7-8). Do not stop confessing and taking the land! (Joshua 1:3; Luke 10:19) Everyday in your life make sure that Jesus gets everything He paid for with His blood! Warriors – CHARGE!

We see a very interesting and encouraging story found in II Kings chapter 6. Syria and Israel were at war and the king of Syria was troubled because whenever he attempted a military strategy he would discover that Israel was always one-step ahead of him. He had a meeting and asked his servants if they had any information about a traitor in their midst but they said they had heard about a prophet of God named Elisha that had the ability to see the future and help the king of Israel. Therefore, he sent a large company of soldiers and chariots by night and surrounded the city of Dothan to kidnap Elisha and thus eliminate the gifted spy. Very early the next morning the servant of Elisha noticed the entire city was about to be attacked at any moment. He asked Elisha, what could they do and he answered in verse 16; “Fear not: for they that are with us are more than they that are with them”. Now I am sure the servant was confused and wondering about this statement the same as we would act if we were in a crisis that looked hopeless. How many times have we faced a critical situation and used our human reasoning and logical thinking to find a practical solution to our problem? If we only look to what is available to us in our brain then we are destined for defeat because we do not wrestle with flesh and blood but our true warfare is in the spirit realm. In II Kings, chapter 6 and verse 17, Elisha prayed and asked God to allow the servant to have a glimpse into the next world. We talk about the eyes of our understanding being opened and ask the Lord to “open the eyes of our heart”, but what does that mean? The servant’s understanding of truth went from imagination to literal and this spiritual enlightenment allowed him to KNOW divine reality the way God sees it. “And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha”. Seeing the truth was much more thrilling and faith building than the veiled truth. Revelation transforms our “vision” into a tangible substance that is real to our spirit. It is a privilege to peek behind the curtain into the next dimension and see the mysteries of the spiritual realm. This is not to say that we should not believe in the things we cannot not see because faith KNOWS, “without seeing.” God is saying, that everything we take at face value and then later discover how much work and how many people were involved to produce the finished product, was all done according to His perfect plan. When we thought life was out of control we later realize that God had His steady hand on the wheel. The lesson that is being revealed here is for God’s people to understand there is another world at work all around us and to be sensitive of good and evil at all times. Behind the veil of mortality, there is another world of spiritual reality and since we are spiritual beings living in a natural realm, we must use discernment to live this higher wisdom. The encouraging news to us who straddle these two dimensions is that God has complete authority and control over “both” and He wants us to be aware of what is going on all the time.

We have a clear understanding that angels are fighting battles for us behind this “curtain” as demons have been assigned to destroy us. How many times have we avoided “accidents” and never realized we were in serious danger? When demonic creatures have pointed their arrows at us and swords have been drawn, how many times have angels intervened on our behalf and delivered us from certain defeat? Let us remember there are many more servants of God willing to help us on the other side than enemies who are against us. Moreover, walking in this holy knowledge gives us confidence in knowing that situations are not always the way they seem. The devil uses ignorance of God’s Word against the saints and “bluffs” them into surrender and defeat. Fear is one of our most devastating issues only because we have either never learned about the next dimension or we refuse to believe it is true. Let us who are children of the light praise and worship our Lord for providing our constant protection and security. Transformation and being renewed is all about opening the eyes of our heart. Selah.
“He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
(I John 3:8)

“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:1)

“For the Lord your God is going with you!
He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’” (Deuteronomy 20:4)

“Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” (Joshua 10:8)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

“Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:37-39)

“Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.”
(Psalm 3:8)

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (I John 5:4)

“My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless His holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all His blessings. It is He who forgives all our guilt, who heals every one of our ills, who redeems our life from the grave, who crowns us with love and compassion. He fills our life with good things, renewing our youth like an eagle’s.
The Lord does deeds of justice, gives judgment for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses and His deeds to Israel’s sons. The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. His wrath will come to an end, He will not be angry forever. His Word will never fail.
Our Father does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is His love for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his sons, the Lord has pity on those who fear Him. For He knows of what we are made, He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass, he flowers like the flower of the field; the wind blows and he is gone and his place never sees him again. Nevertheless, the love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold Him in fear; His justice reaches out to children’s children when they keep His covenant in truth, when they keep His will in their mind.
The Lord has set His sway in heaven, and His kingdom is ruling over all. He is the ultimate authority of all things and no one is more powerful than He is. Give thanks to the Lord, all His angels, mighty in power, fulfilling His Word, who heeds the voice of His instructions. Give thanks to the Lord, all His hosts, His servants who do His will. Give thanks to the Lord, all His works, in every place where He rules. My soul, give thanks to the Lord, and bless His Holy Name.” (Psalm 103)