Victory: His Part, Our Part

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Oh the subtlety of the evil one. He has duped many Christ followers into thinking that he is so strong they can never be victorious over him, or that he is so weak they can defeat him in their own strength. Don’t be duped! You can live victoriously when God does His part and you do your part.

First, God has given us everything we need to live godly in this world. Paul said that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing when we are in Christ [Ephesians 1:3]. In other words, we have divine resources at our disposal—weapons, if you will. This weaponry is divine, unlike anything on earth. Listen as Paul describes it to the Corinthian Christ followers, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds” [2 Corinthians 10:4]. 

Human resources and human effort alone will never defeat a spiritual enemy. That’s why we need to be aware of, and use, the resources that we have in Christ. He provides what is necessary, we use what He has given us. 

The Christian walk is described in the Bible as a war, a race, and a fight, all of which require human effort. We must completely depend on God’s power and strength, but that doesn’t mean we are passive about it. 

God supplies everything we need to be victorious, but then we are told to:

apply ourselves to good deeds

resist the devil

bring our bodies under subjection

walk in wisdom

press toward the high calling of God

cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit

work out our salvation with fear and trembling

perfect holiness in the fear of God

Everyone of these things calls for fervent action. Therein lies the balance; God supplies everything we need, we supply the effort!

In Christ you have every resource necessary for spiritual victory. But victory will not come if you are merely passive. A victorious life involves daily obedience to Christ and His Word.

By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3