Watchman Nee, “Because victory is his, therefore it is ours.”The very fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead is a great message that He is victorious! Imagine being in a foreign country and had to serve time in prison. Your sentence is ten years, but your friend who loves you steps in and serves the ten years for you. You are able to walk free. Now although you are free you may feel a bit awkward knowing your friend is taking the penalty for you. Image after many years seeing your friend walk free. He is walking free because the payment has been completed. If you did not see him walk free, it would mean that he was likely still in bondage. Yet seeing Him walk free is very joyful! Jesus on the Cross became sin, died, and was in the grave for three days. Had He still been in the grave, we would have no hope. Yet Christ rose again and is still is alive. Christ is a victor, and so are you!
2 Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphin Christ…”
In the book Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee does a great job at explaining the book of Ephesians. He breaks the book into three parts, how we are seated with Christ in Heavenly places. The next part deals with how we walk with Christ. And the final chapters explain how we are called to stand with the armor of God. He explains, “By the resurrection God proclaimed his Son, victor over the whole realm of darkness, and the ground Christ won he has given to us…Thus we do not fight forvictory; we fight fromvictory.” What is the ground we are standing on today? It is victory ground!
When the Scriptures talk about spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-18 the word, “wrestle” appears once, yet the word, “stand” appears four times. Based on this I believe that spiritual warfare is 80% defensive and 20% offensive. Yes, there are battles and struggles that we face daily, but the Scriptures tell us, “…greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). I don’t seek out the devil. That is not my calling in life. I am called to seek after God. When some people think about spiritual warfare, they have this idea that they need to go out and find darkness. I would not make that the goal. Whatever you seek you will find. Instead seek after God, then when you encounter darkness, you will be able to stand strong.
Greg Laurie once said, “Death died when Christ rose.” God is telling us to stand in the victory Christ has won. Jesus, through the cross, has defeated death. No longer do we have to deal with a fear of dying. The Apostle Paul once said, “…Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) (NIV). How can death not sting us when we have sinned and sin results in death? The answer is one word, Jesus. Because Christ died for us, we can now live with Him. When Christ rose from the dead, we rose with Him! Christ is victorious, and so are you!
Courage With Grace Ministries 