It Starts Small

I thought a lot about God’s miracles in my life. Each time God had done something incredible because he was moving. I still hadn’t quite grasp the concept of victory. Sometimes it’s hard when searching scriptures to find understanding. I had quickly learned you just have to be in prayer that Jesus will illuminate understanding. I came across some scripture that started to illuminate victory. There were three things I discovered: Knowing, recognition, and yielding. (Romans 6)

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:6

What was this knowledge I was supposed to understand? I had to understand my own identification with Jesus. Romans 6:6-11 tells us exactly who we are. When we receive Christ as our Savior we are in Jesus. We are one with him. Galatians 2:20 says that until I received Christ, sin was my master, but when I spiritually died with Christ, my debt was paid. I was no longer a daughter to evil, but a daughter to my Heavenly Father. We are dead to sin and no longer a slave to evil. Sin no longer had control over my life, but because I was a new creation, I had the power to control sin.

We are a new creature! The old is dead. It’s gone. It’s left in the grave.

Knowing this you also have to recognize the appropriation of Jesus. You can count on Jesus to raise you from the dead not because you feel it, but you know it.

Likewise, reckon ye also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:11

Victory is not a feeling. Victory comes by truth and you know it and count on it. Salvation is not a feeling, it’s a fact. You recognize that day by day you are dead to sin and it holds no power over you. You hold power over sin. You’ll never be free of habitual sins until you recognize it has no power over you. You’ll never find healing for a broken mind, until you recognize it has no power over you. This power is given by truth through Christ.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:13

Finally, yielding is the emancipation through Christ. This answers the important question, why does the dead me still rise? It’s because I have not learned to yield and be emancipated. How do we yield?

First, We must dethrone sin. Sin is a free will choice. You must choose to say no. You must embrace that Christ gives you the power of authority to say no. Do not invite sin into your day. Refuse it and rebuke it daily. When satan comes in and lives in your heart he doesn’t just casually waltz out. It the power and authority God gives us to kick him out. Once we embrace he can not rule us, we use that knowledge to throw him out.

Honestly this was a huge truth bomb to me. I never knew that I could just call on Christ’s power and through his authority rebuke Satan and he would flee. I thought it was the constant ignoring, and saying no enough times he would eventually grow bored and just leave me alone. I never knew I could kick him out of my heart. Kick him out of my mind.

Second, we must put Jesus in the throne. This means daily inviting and putting Jesus on the throne. Before I ever ask anything of God in my morning prayers I lay my heart and mind on his alter and ask him to cleanse me of my unrighteousness. Then I rise and declare him lordship over my heart and mind. I give him control over my heart and mind to be my conscience.

When I first began to practice living in victory I had to pray many times through out the day. Jesus was helping me to control my thought life (blog for another day) and I found myself hourly praying for Jesus to sit on the throne and help me. It’s not easy at first when you’ve had satan sitting on your throne for years, but God is awesome and over time it got easier and easier to just give him, yield to him, complete control.

Finally, we must become slaves again. Wait, isn’t that counterintuitive? We have to recognize we aren’t slaves to become slaves? Yes, we become slaves to righteousness. We give authority to Jesus to rule our lives. Jesus is an amazing master of our lives. He gives us freedom from sin, faithfulness, and fruitfulness.

Knowing: I praise Jesus for giving himself for me.

Recognizing: Jesus gave himself to me to receive his fullness.

Yielding: surrendering and yielding that God lives through me.

I believe these verses in Romans (chapter 6) tell us how to live in victory. Victory isn’t a battle feeling of conquering. Victory is an attitude and persistent surrendering to God almighty. Victory is knowing and counting on truth.

Tie it all back to faith:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Victory is hearing the word of God and acting upon (conviction) what he has spoken through truth. Until we embrace our own victory given to us, that we are a new creation, we live deaf, dumb, and blind by our own death clothes.

I was starting to understand how Jesus builds faith in us. You can’t live in righteousness or obedience until he speaks his word to you personally. Conviction is not a feeling you’re doing right, conviction is the obedience of what God has spoken. God had opened a flood gate and was pouring his word into my heart. His truth was healing. His truth was building the foundation of our relationship. His truth was giving me victory to know and believe.

But how does his victory get us across the rivers of life?