The Battle Is Not For Victory But From Victory

Why is it that we as Christians think that we should fight the battle by ourselves, that we must fight Satan for things that we already possess? We become offensive and defensive towards individuals that do not agree with us. That try to change our minds or the way we view our beliefs system. Maybe we try to fight to keep the church from dying or to bring in more members. We just fight for everything to keep the name of God in truth. It is true that God has given us the weapons for defense purposes but, have you ever thought that in the spiritual realm we have power now, when using the WORD as the defensive or offensive weapon do you know the difference?

• Nearly all weapons of our warfare described in Ephesians are purely defensive. Even the sword can be used as well for defense as for offense. The difference between defensive and offensive warfare is this, that in the former I have got the ground and only seek to keep it, whereas in the latter I have not got the ground and am fighting in order to get it. And that is precisely the difference between the warfare waged by the Lord Jesus and the warfare waged by us. His was offensive; our is, in essence, defensive. He warred against Satan in order to gain the victory. Through the Cross he carried that warfare to the very threshold of Hell itself, to lead forth thence his captivity captive (4:8, 9). Today we war against Satan only to maintain and consolidate the victory which Christ has already gained. (Nee, 1957, p. 54)

Although we have the power to rebuke we also have the weapons that are named in Ephesians, we must be able to decipher when to use the offensive and defensive weapons. Christ already warred against Satan and his army and achieved His victory.

• By the resurrection God proclaimed his Son victor over the whole realm of darkness, and the ground Christ won he has given to us. We do not need to fight to obtain it. We only need to hold it against all challengers. Our task is one of holding, not of attacking. It is a matter not of advance but of sphere, the sphere of Christ. In the person of Jesus Christ, God has already conquered. He had given us his victory to hold. Within the sphere of Christ the enemy’s defeat is already a fact, and the Church has been put there to keep him defeated. Satan is one who must do to counterattacking in his effort to dislodge us from that sphere. For our part we need not struggle to occupy ground that is already ours. In Christ we are conquerors- nay, “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). In him, therefore, we stand. Thus today we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. We do not fight in order to win but because in Christ we have already won. Overcomes are those who rest in the victory already given to them by their God. (Nee, 1957, p. 55)

My questions to you today are what is your battle? How are you fighting it? What can you give to God and what has God given to you?


Love,

Viv