For those who continuously suffer under the weight of spiritual defeat, the gospel is “Good News” indeed. It is a message of both salvation from sin and the subsequent deliverance from Satan’s power. Yet far too many believers seem to have only grasped the message of the former. As a result they go up and down in cycles of excitement and depression, happiness and anxiety, victory and defeat. They know they can experience God’s forgiveness of sin through Christ, but on how to prevent the acts of sin they are completely powerless. They think memorizing scripture verses or fasting or prolonged prayer will somehow equip them with this power.
It is easy to get into this sort of rut. Especially when you allow yourself to be influenced by preachers and teachers who are themselves defeated inwardly and yet do not know any better. The principalities and powers which govern this world’s system, if they cannot prevent the knowledge of forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, will do all they can to corrupt the message of deliverance from sin’s power. The pervasive power of the flesh’s nature makes it easy for us to believe in the hopelessness of deliverance. This coupled with the poison of sinless perfection makes for a very persuasive argument in avoiding the topic of deliverance altogether.
But, we must ask ourselves, what does the Bible teach? What has God promised in His Word? If deliverance from sin’s power is there, then surely it must be a truth as universal as the forgiveness of sin, and one to be appropriated by faith as readily as any other promise in God’s Word.
Dear reader, has this been your experience? Have you labored against impure lusts, against fear, discouragements, the love of money, anxiety, jealousy, pride, greed, hypocrisy, laziness, gluttony, anger, disbelief, self-acclaim, malice? Do you face these enemies with your shield raised, sword-in-fist and teeth clenched? Do the onslaughts of these uncircumcised Philistines wreak havoc in your devotion life, your family life, and contaminate all of your daily doings? Has it occurred to you that God’s will for your life is to overcome them all and experience a systematic triumph each and every time? If you have resigned your soul to an endless cycle of defeat and forgiveness, then I believe you’ve missed the most wonderful aspect of your birthright in Christ. Like Esau, a deceiver has cheated you out of what is yours for a temporary fulfillment of carnal indulgence.
Do not let Satan rob you of God’s deliverance another day. Jesus Christ is your Savior by faith; He is also your Deliverer by faith. As with your salvation, you can only be delivered from the power of sin by faith through grace. If you are yet expecting to be delivered through the efforts of self-determination and religious willpower, a thousand years will go by and you will still be defeated. You will go to your grave having never tasted of the glorious triumph over sin offered to you though Jesus Christ.
Many believers never enter into this experience simply out of ignorance of this one truth: The grace of God is the power which enables us to overcome sin, and this power is appropriated by faith, and not through any human effort. They who seek to slay Goliath using Saul’s armor undertake a mission of suicidal lunacy! We can never in a million years win a battle predicated upon spiritual evil. Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood – we therefore cannot use flesh as a weapon against flesh. Our battles are altogether spiritual; they are the Lord’s, and as such they are won only through His power of grace.
Call upon the power of the Lord’s grace, then, the next time you are tempted. Learn to summon the power of God when you hear the Philistines’ trumpets sounding in the distance. Ask for His grace when the war drums are beating, and run to the the throne of His grace at the rumbling of their iron chariots. Be prepared to face the enemy in the resistance of the Lord. Deliverance will come right away if you make a habit to call on Jesus the moment you are tempted. The waters will open and swallow the foe and leave you rejoicing evermore upon the seashore. You can triumph each and every time if you will only humble yourself and admit the battle is the Lord’s. Trust Him to conquer the uncircumcised hoards and have faith that He is able to keep you from falling and renew your spirit. In your time of need, cry to your Father in confessed weakness for His perfect strength and God will win the battle for you every time.
The true Christian life is one of victory through the Hero living within us. He is our Abiding Joshua who goes forth to meet the enemies of God in our stead: “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Brother Paul