spiritual victory

By Jim Durkin

Constant warfare is trying to prevent us from receiving what God wants to give us, and it is crucial to identify how God works in our lives to accomplish spiritual victory. We must learn to trust God because, through His infinite wisdom and knowledge, certain circumstances are designed so that we can be lifted up.
Satan resists us in many different ways. He is a liar, deceiver, murderer, accuser and persecutor. In 1 Chronicles 21:1, we see where Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel causing disobedience and the death of 70,000 people. Satan uses a subtle voice to question our identities, and at times we are distracted from our purpose because we may attempt to prove him wrong …’ if you be the son of God’. Once in a while, the enemy is allowed to tempt us to fulfil God’s purpose, but God will not allow up to be tempted more than we can bear, and He will always provide a way of escape.

Satan also accuses us, in Revelations 12:7-11, ‘…the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God, day and night’, as in Job 1:7-22 ‘…But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ “… In all this, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” At the end, Job was able to identify who he was in God. He came through it all with an expanded understanding of God’s purpose with strength and endurance. He didn’t know where he was before this experience, but at the end, he affirmed, ‘though He slays me, I will trust Him’. We have to separate our carnal senses from the truth of God’s Word. It is God’s purpose to train up strong men and women who will be able to withstand anything. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord, and trials are designed to bring forth those Godly attributes in our characters so that we can be overcomers and remain loyal to God and victorious in our overcoming.

Satan sometimes seeks permission from God to sift us like wheat, Luke 22:31, when Peter was accused of knowing Jesus of Galilee, he cursed his accuser, then remembered what Jesus said and wept bitterly. God had a purpose for Peter, and he became a powerful man of God.

The Lord intends that our lives will be submitted, surrendered, and in total agreement with Him through His purpose. God called Daniel an outstanding man. He was righteous, retained his integrity and could not be moved. Daniel 10:10-20, Daniel fasted and prayed for three weeks because he was seeking revelation from the Lord. From the first day Daniel prayed, the angel was dispatched, but a fallen angel deterred him. There are demonic authorities over the kingdoms of the earth. The two angels, Gabriel and Michael, were able to get through the demonic strongholds because Daniel persevered in prayer.

God uses Satan to test our faith and also uses him to show us how helpless we are without God. We must come to the point of confession as revealed by the Holy Spirit to attain spiritual victory. Our faith also has to be rooted and grounded in God’s Word. At the same time, we constantly practice the principles of the Word, fasting, prayer, praise, thanksgiving, obeying his teaching and rejoicing evermore.