The Promise of Victory: Overcoming Persecution
As we engage in spiritual warfare, we will face persecution and tribulation. Therefore, we need to keep the promise of victory before us. We cannot allow obstacles to discourage us. Jesus told us, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Revelation 12: 3-5 gives us a picture of the church’s battle against Satan: “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”
The book of Revelation is full of symbolic language. The “man child” speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ in His coming to the earth, His ruling over all, and His being caught up to the throne of God. The “woman” refers to Israel from which Jesus came forth; and yet the “woman” is also symbolic of the Church.
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:6-9).
As we noted in an earlier chapter, these fallen angels are now demonic spirits. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10). If we are criticizing and accusing our brethren, we have fallen into the trap of the enemy, the original accuser.
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” (Revelation 12:12-13). Israel came under persecution, but this also refers to Satan’s persecution of the church.
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:14-17).
Satan is angry with the woman, God’s people on the earth. He comes against the church with great wrath, knowing he has but a short time. We are in a battle against Satan because he hates all who represent Christ. Because of what Christ has done for you and me; Satan’s anger is directed toward us.
The enemy delights in defiling Christians. He loves to get them to turn away; he loves to destroy their testimony and their faith. Satan’s objective is to totally defeat those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
Our Legal Inheritance
The Scriptures reveal, however, that we are not to be destroyed by the wicked one, instead we have the victory over him through our Lord Jesus. Christ defeated Satan at the cross, and His victory is legally ours. But to walk in that victory, we have to understand it and use our spiritual tools. If we do not, we will be as defeated as those in the world. Many Christians constantly come under Satan’s heel because they do not know how to war.
What does it mean to have the victory legally? Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross 2,000 years ago, mankind is legally saved. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He meant the price had been paid for all men to be restored and elevated back to the original position Adam had lost. But not all receive that salvation because they will not confess their sins and by faith accept Christ. Legally everyone is healed. Christ took our infirmities. But like everything else in Christ, we have to appropriate it.
If we receive an inheritance legally, it is ours to enjoy. But if the will is not executed, the inheritance will be worthless to us. We will not receive a dime unless we appropriate it. We Christians must appropriate our inheritance. It is legally available, but we must walk in it. It is not an automatic thing.
Because Christians have not understood or walked in their inheritance, and have not exercised their authority over Satan, the church as a whole has not been victorious. However, Christ is returning for a Bride without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:27). He is returning for a glorious, holy church, a church walking in power over sin.
Power over sin is where we need to start in our own lives. We will never lead others to victory until we have victory ourselves (Matthew 7:3-5). If we cannot rule and reign in our own personal lives, how are we ever going to rule and reign on earth with Him? Let us begin with the realization that sin no longer has power over us. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:12-13). We have been delivered from the power of darkness and sin. Now we are in the light.
Walking free from the power of sin is dependent, of course, upon our 100% commitment to God. Anything less and we can forget about full victory, because we will constantly be harassed by Satan. In fact, we can be Christians yet still be serving Satan at times. Romans 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Authority in Christ
Now that we are in God’s kingdom, the kingdom of light, we can walk free from that which entangles us in the world. God wants us to walk in this victory, not only for our own good, but also so that we can free others. God gives us authority so that we can see others saved, healed and delivered. Our authority is not so we can spout off that we are “King’s Kids” and act like spoiled brats. Such an attitude reflects a lack of commitment.
It is a humbling experience to understand and begin to walk in the authority that God has given to us: “Dear Lord, You mean You actually did this for us? That we can truly walk in this place?” To me, it is the most amazing thing! We need to be grateful that God has given us this place to walk.
Note Luke 10:17-19: “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” This power over the enemy was not restricted to the 70 disciples. It is available for any disciple of Christ; after all, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We have the power to tread on serpents and scorpions. Revelation 12:9 calls Satan “… that old serpent …” He is under our feet. We have authority over him and anything he produces. Nothing shall harm us by any means.
The problem in the church is deception. Because we have not known our position in Christ, the devil has been walking all over us – instead of the other way around! Many Christians say, “What a terrible week I have been having; the devil has really been after me.” The devil should be running from us! We should be giving him a terrible week! Every time he raises his ugly head, we should rise up in the name and power of Jesus and send him running.
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). We should not become prideful about our authority in Christ. It is a cause for gratitude, of course, but our chief cause for rejoicing is our salvation and eternal life.
Give the Enemy No Place
As long as we are walking in God’s will, the devil can’t hurt us. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19). On the other hand, if we get outside of His will, we lose our protection. We become easy prey for the enemy who delights in destroying God’s people. Satan is constantly looking for ways to get us out of God’s will. He tries to deceive us into agreeing with him.
Remember, there are three ways Satan takes advantage of people: ignorance, deception and rebellion. Ignorance of God’s Word means that people are not aware of their inheritance and authority, deception causes people to think that they are doing God’s will when they are not, and rebellion finds people willfully walking the opposite direction from God. All three lead to defeat. 1 John 3:8 tells us, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
Christ came to do away with Satan’s works. He came to do away with man’s sin problem. When we sin, the works of Satan come forth. Sin produces the devil’s works, whereas obedience to God brings blessing. We are either doing the works of God by obeying Him, or we are doing the works of the devil.
As Christians drift away from God’s will, the works of the devil show up in their marriages, their children, their finances, and their whole lives. We have all experienced battles in these areas. Satan tries the same old things with all Christians. He is out to destroy churches, marriages, families, health – everything. But overcoming Christians maintain their victory because they know their rights in Christ Jesus. Those who have not discovered the way to victory in Jesus, fall prey to the enemy and can lose everything, but through spiritual warfare we can overcome!
Overcoming in Trials
Some Christians go through a trial, whereas others are under a trial. Those going through have peace and victory in the midst of it all. They will say, “We are experiencing some problems but, praise God, we have got peace. God is on the throne, and He is working things out.” Such Christians continue to walk in love and joy and faith no matter what kind of trial they are experiencing. But Christians who are under a trial, those who let the trial get them down, will become fearful. They are worried, anxious, without hope, not knowing what to do next. They are heading for defeat because they have never put on the whole armor of God. They have not fought for His victory; nor asked for His faith, peace and joy in the midst of the trial. Those who are walking in joy and faith during their trials will end up victorious; and those who are walking without hope will end up defeated.
All things do not work together for good for everyone. They work for good for “… them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28b). Those who are totally surrendered to God can claim this promise of everything working for good in their lives. No matter what the enemy brings against us, God will turn it to good, if we are completely His. But if we do not love Him; if we are not surrendered, then the enemy’s assault will work harm in our lives. Some become angry at God when things go wrong; but God does not bring bad things into our lives – the devil does.
In the great commission, Christ said, “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:15b-18).
This commission was given to all believers; not just to the first – century disciples. Christ said to go into all the world, so obviously His words are yet for the church today. As some go forth, however, they are only preaching a portion of the gospel. They are sharing the message of salvation but stopping there. The full gospel message includes casting out devils, speaking in tongues, healing the sick, walking in authority over Satan and his powers and being immune from harm.
That certainly does not sound like an inadequate church! It is a church full of the power of God. It is a church with the power to cast out devils, speak in tongues and heal the sick. “They shall take up serpents …” (Mark 16:18a). Who are the serpents? Satan and his demons, of course! The church has power over these foes.
The Apostle Paul had an encounter with an actual serpent. On the island of Melita, a viper latched onto his hand, but Paul simply shook off the beast into the fire (Acts 28:5). Those observing were astonished when Paul suffered no harm from the venom. They thought that he was a god, but Paul knew it was the power of Jesus’ name that gave him authority over serpents, even in the natural realm. This does not mean we should be handling vipers as proof of our faith. “Take up serpents” has a spiritual emphasis. It refers to our power over the wicked one.
Exercising Our Authority
“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:19-20).
The true church of God is going to have signs following; signs that confirm the word and prove that God’s power dwells within. Note that it is the “Lord working with them.” He is not working outside of us. We have a part to play in what God is doing in the earth. We are to do our part, and God will do His. Our part is obedience, and as we obey Him, He supplies the power, the signs and wonders, the miracles; all the things we cannot do. We do the possible and He does the impossible. That is what faith is all about: we move in obedience to His Word and, as we do, God’s power is made manifest and signs follow.
Christ said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As we have pointed out earlier, we are going to encounter battles. But we are to be of good cheer since Christ has overcome them and through Him, we also can overcome. When we see the enemy trying to come against us, it should be a cause for rejoicing because it is an opportunity for the Lord to show Himself as mighty! For instance, if the enemy should try to disrupt a church service, we should be of good cheer as we take authority over the enemy: “We bind you, Satan, in Jesus’ name. We take authority over your disturbance. You will not speak here today. God is in charge of this service.” As we move in our authority, we will see God accomplish His work, rather than the enemy. We can do this ahead of time in intercessory prayer, so we rarely have a public service disturbed.
It is the same in our homes. As Christians, we have authority there. If our children are unruly and disobedient, we can take spiritual authority over that rebellion, as well as exercise our authority in the natural realm. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” (Proverbs 13:24). Scriptural discipline teaches children to obey. Of course, we are not talking about child abuse. We are not talking about striking children with injurious objects! We are not to discipline them in anger, or in an out-of-control manner. But a proper paddling to their little bottoms works. Spanking may be in order but let us also be sure that we are taking authority in our prayer closets. Tormenting, demonic powers may be coming against our children. We have to pray against any spirits the enemy would use against them.
What about a child who erupts into a rage and beats his head against the floor? He is suffering under demonic assault. If we cast out the demon, the child will be free from such behavior. There are children who scream at night because a tormenting spirit assaults them. If we take authority over such spirits, the children will sleep in peace. Too often, parents are not aware of the spiritual causes behind their children’s problems. They may think, “Well, it is just part of life,” and thereby allow the enemy to get away with his evil works. It may be a part of this life, but what happens in the natural world has spiritual causes. Proverbs 26:2b says, “… the curse causeless shall not come.” Whatever torments a child is from the devil, and we need to exercise our authority over him.
Discernment is Needed
How can we tell whether our children’s problems need to be dealt with primarily in the spirit or in the natural? God has given us spiritual discernment. As we pray, He will show us what may be causing the problems. Then, we will know what to do, whether it is praying against demonic assault or administering discipline in the natural. As sons of God, we live on a higher level, a spiritual level, so we are to discern how to properly deal with problems.
Entrepreneurs may experience business problems because of demonic assault. If so, they should deal with it on a spiritual level and bind up the powers of darkness. For example, a spirit of division could hit their employees. In that case, they should pray against that attack. On the other hand, they may have a business problem that calls for an answer in the natural. Through prayer, they can know what is behind any problem and how to deal with it.
We all need to pray to find God’s leading. We have to walk in the Spirit; otherwise, we will not know what to do. People stay in confusion, uncertain of the direction they are to take, until they pray, “Lord, show me what is wrong. Show me what I need to do to make corrections in my life, my marriage, my business.” God will then lead with the answers that are sometimes spiritual answers, or sometimes natural answers, or sometimes, both.
When the problems are spiritual, involving powers of darkness, the only way to deal with them is on a spiritual level, taking authority over them and casting evil spirits out. We cannot reason or plead with those under demonic influence. That will not change them. Instead, we have to deal with the underlying spirits. Too often, as Christians we have failed to understand this, so the enemy’s work has gone undetected and unhindered.
People will avoid dealing with evil spirits. They may say, “Do not talk about the devil – that gives him glory.” Nonsense! We are not giving him glory; we are exposing him so he can be dealt with! Only then can we walk in victory.
There are two extremes to avoid when talking about Satan. The first is not to mention him at all. But the Bible does not tell us to ignore the enemy, and he will go away; rather, it says to resist him and he will flee (James 4:7). To resist him, we have got to know where he is hiding and how to deal with him. Yet, some Christians refuse to deal with him. Their attitude is, “Praise God; I love God, so everything is going to be all right.” They might love God, but everything is not all right; the enemy is defeating them in situation after situation.
The other extreme is that of seeing a demon behind every rock, bush and tree in sight. Christians can become so “demon conscious” that they lose their awareness of the Lord. Their minds are on a constant devil hunt, rather than on Jesus. Sure, there are plenty of demons around, but our task is not always to be discerning them. For instance, when I am grocery shopping, I am not spending that time discerning spirits in the other shoppers; I am simply buying groceries. On the other hand, I am available if God wants to use me. If He prompts me to discern something or pray for someone, I am ready for that.
If we keep our focus on the Lord, it is not unusual to encounter situations that call for our prayers. Once as my late husband Bud and I stepped out of a taxi, we heard two men nearby shouting at each other. Moments later they were exchanging blows. Bud and I quickly prayed against the devil and the anger. We loosed God’s peace into the situation. Immediately the men calmed down. We need to use our authority when we come upon an out-of-control situation.
Led by the Spirit
I have come upon accident scenes and prayed for the injured as God has led. Once at an auto crash scene, I went into deep travail. God especially wanted prayer for that situation as I felt compelled to pray and pray, even though I knew none of the involved parties. Other times God has not led me into such deep involvement, either physically or spiritually. I always add my prayer, but my level of involvement is determined by the leading of the Lord and what help has already been provided.
As we are attentive to the Spirit of the Lord, God will use us to somehow help in battles we come across. We are not where we are by luck or fate. We do not walk by fate; we walk by faith in the living God. We walk, believing that each day we will be productive in Christ, and do His will. Luck has nothing to do with our walk. It is God who protects and blesses us. Because we are a covenant people, we have His divine protection, and we are able to reach out and help others as well.
Note 1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thanks be to God who does give us victory, not through ourselves but through Christ Jesus. Continuing with verse 58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Let us be steadfast, immovable, standing solid in faith every day. Let us not be wishy-washy. That double-minded attitude is the surest route to defeat. Believing God one moment and doubting Him the next will never bring us to victory. Saying one moment that God has told us to do “such-and-such,” and changing our minds the next moment will never produce growth.
Some Christians will approach a ministry and declare, “God has led me to be a part of your church, to support you and to learn from you.” Two months later they leave. Did God really lead them or not? Typically, they run into a dedication problem. They refuse to discipline their flesh and grow in God. They state that God has told them to come, but then they leave. They are definitely missing God someplace, either in coming or going.
Some Christians will say God has shown them to pray daily with their family, or stop overspending, or start fasting. But they never do it. That is disobedience. And then they wonder why there is no victory in their lives.
We Must Conform to the Word of God
Problems arise when we do not conform to the Word of God. In marriage counseling, the best advice we can give is for both individuals to conform to the Word. Typically, there is something wrong on both sides. We do not take sides. The only side is the Word of God. If the parties in strife conform to what the Word teaches, peace will reign in their marriage. Conforming to the Word brings love and unity. It is the only source of true unity.
There is plenty of false unity in the world. For example, the World Council of Churches has compromised much in their efforts to unite various religious groups. We cannot be in unity with everyone and everything. That has been a problem in America. In the name of freedom, we have allowed ungodly abominations to run unchecked, be it abortion or pornography or idolatrous eastern religions. According to God’s Word, freedom carries responsibilities. Without responsibilities and an adherence to His standards, there is no true freedom. Only God’s Word will set us free. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). No wonder America is experiencing great difficulties. The founding fathers’ idea of freedom of religion meant freedom to serve the God of the Bible, not false gods. Freedom meant liberty to obey the Bible, not to flaunt behavior totally contrary to the Word such as homosexuality and witchcraft.
Confusion reigns when we stray from the standard of God’s Word. But adherence to His Word will bring stability and true unity. God is the referee. He has the final say in all matters. We should be solving all of our problems, whether they are at home, in the church, or on the national level, through the Word of God. If we did this, it would bring peace and harmony, rather than the mess that the whole world is in. I praise God that with the soon return of Jesus, this world will be set in order. He will rule with a rod of iron. Under His authority, there will be peace and harmony. What a wonderful day that will be!
The truth is, we can walk in that day now on a personal level. We can rule and reign now in our personal lives. Today we can have peace and harmony. Note Romans 8:35-37, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” More than conquerors! Through Christ we have victory over anything and everything that the enemy would try to bring against us. We only need to keep our eyes on Jesus and have full faith in Him.
God’s Blessings Belong to Us
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). When God gave His Son for us, He gave that which was dearest to Him. The Word says that if He gave that which was most important to Him, “His Son,” will He not also give us all things?
Of course, these things would only be those that are good for us. God wants to fulfill our righteous desires, in His way and in His time (Psalm 37:4). Sometimes we want things ahead of God’s timing, before we are ready for them. A premature blessing would only hurt us. In His wisdom, God blesses us when we are ready to handle them. If we have unrighteous desires, God wants to remove them from our hearts. All we have to do is pray, “Lord, remove every unrighteous desire from my heart. Fill me with Your desires. Give me only those things that are of You. Thank You for the blessings that You have given to me. Thank You for what Jesus has done for me.”
God has done so much for us. He has given us salvation, healing, love, joy, peace, prosperity and on and on. Some Christians want to play the martyr role, refusing to enjoy any of God’s blessings. They say they want to do without everything. Apart from God’s leading, such an attitude can be carried to an extreme. Of course, there is a time for sacrifice. We need to be willing to sacrifice whenever the occasion demands. In fact, many Christians need to do more of that. Christians can become extremist either way, always enjoying their blessings in Christ, but never sacrificing anything, or never enjoying any of His blessings because they are acting like martyrs by refusing His blessings.
We are to enjoy His blessings. Christ died that they might be ours. Our God is a loving Father who wants to bless us with good things, just as long as those things are not the focus of our hearts. Those things cannot come between our Father and us. God can give us good things as long as we hold them loosely, willing to give them up at a moment’s notice. But if we are clutching things to our hearts, they will end up being a hindrance to us. We must learn to surrender all at the altar.
Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” What a victory promise! No matter what weapon the enemy would form against us, we are assured of victory. Upon the enemy’s assault, our immediate thoughts should be, “Hallelujah, another opportunity for the Lord’s victory.” We should be “victory conscious.” There is no need for us to be beaten down by the devil.
In the Amplified Version of the Bible, it says “… every tongue that rises against us to condemn us we shall prove to be wrong.”How shall we “prove wrong” the lying tongues? By our lives! As we walk in obedience to Christ, we will prove the accusations wrong. Our lives will be the proof that we were hearing the Lord and obeying His Word.
Receiving Our Inheritance
Another victory promise is found in Revelation 21:7: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” This verse speaks both of our inheritance and of our relationship. Our relationship to Him is of primary importance: He is to be our God, and we are to be His sons or daughters. Anything that comes between that relationship, even good things, will cause us to live beneath the place God would have us to be. No matter how good something is that God has given us, whether it is our marriage, family, home, or anything else, we cannot allow it to come between us and our relationship with the Lord.
God wants to give us good things. He has promised as much. Legally, the blessings belong to us. However, even though we might legally own something, there is the possibility that we might never use or enjoy it. A person may have a legal title to a car, but if he never drives it, he will not enjoy the benefits of ownership. If the car is stolen from him, he will still own it, but he will not be able to use it. The car owner not only needs a legal piece of paper proving ownership, but he also needs to get in the car and drive it, otherwise his ownership is useless.
So many Christians are like a car owner who never drives. We already have the legal piece of paper. We have inherited all things in Christ. But too many of us are not enjoying our inheritance. We are struggling along the freeway on foot when we could be driving. In fact, many have not even learned how to drive. They do not know how to appropriate their inheritance in Christ. They do not know how to appropriate His healing for their bodies or emotions; His joy for their marriages; His abundance in their finances; His final victory over recurring sins and bondages; and His power to bring deliverance to others and see souls saved.
Christ died that we might walk in these things. He died that we might have power in all these areas, including the power to witness to others of salvation in Him. He died that we might be able to walk away from earthly things; counting them as nothing, as we go forth in His service.
Without His love motivating us, we could never go forth in His service. When I was young in the Lord, I never wanted to serve in the mission field. But when I served in India, God gave me such a love for the people that I loved every minute of being there because the life of Christ within me came forth. He gave me love and strength and endurance. In my own strength, I never could have slept in a mud hut with a hungry rat in the same room. I prayed, “Father, I confess my weakness here. Give me the power to sleep here in peace.” And He did. The next night, a cat showed up in the hut, and no one knew where it came from. Our loving Father had sent that cat to solve the rat and mice problem. That may seem minor to some, but when we face any situation, major or minor, God will give us power to overcome.
Perhaps we fear approaching a fellow Christian to remedy a wrong. If we ask Him, God will give us the power to do it. Maybe we need to confess something to our employer. God will give us the strength. He will enable us to face any situation, no matter how much we might dread it.
We have seen from God’s Word that we are called to walk in victory; not defeat. We especially need that overcoming spirit in this hour of pessimism. We are surrounded by pessimism and tribulation. We do not need to wait for the great tribulation; we already have tribulation in our individual lives with extreme pressure from the enemy! But once again, remember Christ’s words, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
We are overcomers. May that truth be so real to our hearts. May we not receive it in pride, but in humility. Some would strut about in pride, declaring that they are just like Jesus. That is not the correct attitude for overcomers. We should be humbly thanking God for our overcoming position and then, walking in it, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be effective in changing this world. God wants to use us to see people saved, healed and delivered; and walking in victory rather than defeat.
Author Bio:
Betty Miller-Haddix serves the Lord as an author, speaker and minister and is wife to Earl Haddix, her new husband; as Bud Miller went to be with the Lord in 2020. As a senior and a widow for a number of years, she continued to write and manage the large website, BibleResources.org. This world-wide outreach offers free online Christian literature to the masses. In the fall of 2023, the Lord brought Earl into her life. They have an amazing testimony of how the Lord led them in dreams, and by His anointing, confirming that it was His will that they were to be married. They now continue the work of Christ Unlimited Ministries together.
The BibleResources.org website offers a Bible search feature, Bible answers, Bible studies, audio Bible readings, “365” daily Bible-based online devotionals, numerous online Bibles, Bible translations, along with the Bible in various languages; plus, many other Bible resources that have been developed over the last 40 years. Betty and her former husband, Bud, were pioneers in ministry on the Internet. They founded a number of websites in the nineties including Bible.com, (which they later sold). Currently Betty and Earl, together, manage BibleResources.org and Christ Unlimited Ministries.
Betty acknowledges that her anointed gift as a teacher and writer, comes from God. She is a seasoned author of 21 books and a multitude of anointed articles that are posted online on the website and in her Bible Teaching Blog. Betty’s most popular and well-known book, that people have read online and in print, is God’s Wisdom for Daily Living. It is a daily devotional book based on the entire book of Proverbs and is a 365-day, five-minute read. God has anointed and used it to bless millions around the world for years. Since it can be read on cell phones, the Lord is using it to impart the wisdom of the Bible to the world.
Christ Unlimited Ministries, Inc. is a non-profit outreach ministry and is supported by gifts from the body of Christ. Betty and Earl appreciate your prayers, encouragement and support. Your donations and book purchases make it possible for them to share free online teaching literature worldwide, including people in impoverished countries, prisons, and those who otherwise would not be able to obtain them.
Although all literature and books are copyrighted. Many of them have now been digitized and are offered as free downloads at the BibleResources.org bookstore. Earl contributes his IT talents to help with the online digitized versions of new writings. Betty and Earl offer them to those who are seeking truth and pray the books will bless all who read them. Their desire is for all saints to become great warriors for God!
You Can DONATE to This Work:
If the Lord speaks to you about helping in this work of God, you can click the link below:
Donate to the Work of BibleResources.org
You can also mail an offering to Christ Unlimited Ministries, P.O. Box 850, Dewey, AZ 86327. Checks should be made out to “Christ Unlimited Ministries,” as this non-profit ministry maintains the BibleResources.org website. Thank you in advance for your offerings and donations.
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it” (Psalm 68:11).
Special Note:
The above article is from the fifth chapter of Betty Miller-Haddix’s book, Personal Spiritual Warfare. You can purchase the complete Personal Spiritual Warfare book at Amazon.com as a Paperback Edition with a 5-star rating at the link below:
Obtain “Personal Spiritual Warfare” by Betty Miller-Haddix at Amazon.com