January 21, 2009

Called to be Victorious

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Being victorious, for me, is an overwhelming feeling of happiness and a God given achievement always cherished. However, it’s very rare that I experience victory in my secret life; a life that only God and I know page in and out. Subsequently , the victories that I experience in my secret life are some of my dearest. Maybe it’s because I understand what it means to be a miserable failure, what it means to be a loser, what it means to be defeated!

“Could this ever be true?” I shrieked out, “Does the Bible say, a person in Christ is a new creature, old things are passed away and, behold!...all things have become new?” Well I’m still trying to behold…through the last so many years. But…things just haven’t seemed to change. I just keep falling into the same old sins again and again. It’s not that I like to do it. I hate it! And the thought of it disgusts me. Although I profess the same, but my stand somehow deteriorates when I’m tested. Its like I’m so helpless and weak to fight against it.

And when did my old ‘things’ pass away, or did it ever go away? It’s surprising that it never left me nor will it leave me in this present world. All that happened was that it lost its authority over me. But it’s still there in me and that’s why I guess I keep getting my feet dirty all the time. As long as I feed my new God-given nature, that ol’ fellow will never grow. Assuredly, this is the first step to living a victorious life. That old fellow loves it when you don’t have that spiritual strength. That’s when he plays his cards.

Trying to fight temptations myself, I end up leaving God out of the battle field. I would bring in mine own strategies, mine own ways of fighting my secret sins, and would land up failing miserably. It is one thing to know that the battle belongs to the Lord and another to experience God fighting the battle for us (1 Sam. 17:47; 2 Ch. 20:15, 25:8; Ps 55:18). When God brought us out of the land of Egypt, his sole and main purpose was to be our God (Num. 15:41) and that he could be glorified through our lives. And hence he confirms that by assuring his children saying, ‘I AM, the Lord YOUR God’. He is not any god, but OUR God. We poor puny mortals get lost in our struggles and do often forget that God is on our side. Well, God too knows that and hence he’s given us his Word.

It is so important for us to get back to his Word, to study more about our God, to learn more about our struggle. We so many a times try assuming facts about what the Bible says because we have being hearing it over years. But what exactly does the Bible say? Who is this God we have on our side? Maybe this sounds like another preachy write up. But hey, that’s what I thought too sometime before. Till when I realized that I really don’t know anything much about my God.

Understanding who your God is strengthens you in your battle. Our victory is a cause for a big time celebration for him, and our loss is his loss too. You are the commander but keep in mind, the battle is his; the choices you make will decide the game. The right choice ensures you the victory, because you are not fighting the battle, but God.

To be able to take a right decision when faced with our secret sins requires God’s Word to guide you. We are so good in just doing a quick daily glance through the Bible. But I want to encourage you to take out some more time and study the passage you are reading. Being victorious is not something we can master in a couple of days but what we mature in through experiences. We are called to be victorious because God is on our side. It’s not a call that is a request, but an affirmation from God himself!

Along with the Word of God, we need proper Christian fellowship to back us up in our everyday life. Being in the company of God’s people encourages me in my spiritual life. The times when I’m down, there is the church that is able to push me ahead through some way or the other. Might be their enthusiasm to serve God, or their brotherly love, or their “Hi” and “Bye” handshakes, or their warm “How are you my dear friend” queries, or the discussions in our youth group, or those messages that leave me challenged, whatever they be, there are so many things that in some way or another gears me up for my spiritual battles. Fighting my struggles no more is a lonely affair. There is a huge army of fellow-brethren backing me up. Wow, now that’s a battle indeed!

On the other hand, the struggles I face really can’t be told to anyone. They might be so disgusting and horrible for people to even relate to it or to even believe it to be true. And if people can’t relate to it, it might as well as be a hot story for gossip. But how long could I keep all these things to myself. I needed someone who could understand my problems, counsel me, understanding the depth of my struggles.

Now when I look at my friend, as of a truth, it has made me accountable to someone at least. Now someone cares for me, knows me in and out, knows all those times I run around with a mask, knows those areas I’m prone to fall and can advice me and help me out at that time. Facing such struggles does put you down, make you lose your sense of direction; they make you so ill with God. You begin to get frustrated with life and yourself. At such times you need a shoulder to run to; someone who can put you back on right gear, someone who understands you and can relate with you, and help you even if it is in a very small way. It’s not that he is a perfect guy who can guide me out. He too is searching for answers like me. But we are no longer alone. I know that he is praying for me more sincerely than anyone else.

The Bible supports this friendship through the life stories of David and Jonathan, Paul and Barnabas, etc. Through experience I can say that it is very encouraging to have such a friend in your call to be victorious; a friend who understands you completely and someone with whom you can share all your problems.

“Flee away from youthful lusts” that’s what the Bible instructs us. Flee away from those pleasures that just give you momentary pleasure like drugs and alcohol. Avoid going to those areas will tempt you. Run away from the pleasures of Satan. Be alert in your battle because your adversary, the devil, is not only a roaring lion, but also an angel of light. Being victorious is a no easy task. So get up on your feet, sharpen your weapons, and get ready for the battle! Remember we are called to be victorious because God is on our side!!

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