The Victorious Life

The countries and cultures of the world all seem romantic - until you see them up close and personal. Then you’re struck with some of the ugly, unromantic truth. This is especially true in the realm of spiritual realities. One of our tasks here in Mexico is to heighten your awareness to things as they really are. While this can paint a discouraging picture at times, it is also a good reminder of the ultimate spiritual reality. Christ is victorious and our life in Him is a victorious life! This truth gripped me as a young man, buoyed me in recent years and has followed me to Mexico.

Indulge me in summarizing some of these truths by quoting from A.E. Richardson’s book How to Live the Victorious Life:

* “The Victorious Life is simply a life fully surrendered to God, with Christ dwelling within and in complete control – a life in which the only desire is to bring glory to Jesus Christ.”
* “Christ is to be more than an example – He is our life…although no harm, but only good, can come from attempting to imitate the Lord Jesus, failure is certain to be the result. Good is always the enemy of the ‘best’.”
* “The Victorious Life is a gift and is not to be secured by any struggling or striving on our part. It is not a thing to be attained to by long and laborious effort. It is not a thing we can reach by growing more and more like Christ…It is not a question of re-conversion, it is just a question of recognizing the indwelling Christ as Master in His own house – my heart.”
* “Every Christian has to decide whether he will be wholly consecrated to God, or whether he will remain content to live the Christian life on a low level – which is always a powerless one and a perilous one.”
* “This victory is secured from moment to moment by a moment by moment faith. There is constant victory for the believer so long as he trusts Christ entirely – and only so long.”
* “When the Holy Spirit of Christ dwells in the heart, sin is abhorrent, and a longing for forgiveness always accompanies confession.”
* “Blaze it out in letters of fire, that Christ can and will save us from the power of sin every day and every hour from our struggling, striving, and agonizing.”
* “Surrender is just turning over to God all that we are and have, for Him to do with us whatever he wishes…It is not our surrender that gives us the victory. It is not even our faith! It is CHRIST HIMSELF – the Faithful One.

We are often inclined to think that we can have victory in our own strength, or at least do a little but He is preeminent when He is living through me, not when I am living for Him. Galatians 3:1-3 reminds us, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” It is the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ in our lives that is the victory.