I hope that by now everyone of us has realised that our victory in Christ lies not in running away from our problems but in confronting them head-on in faith. The Christian who makes the decision (a) to walk the way of the wilderness, and (b) to keep on going no matter what will eventually come to this conclusion. Of that I promise you. We must learn to make something out of the good as well as the bad, and accept that God has ordained these for our salvation and sanctification.
One thing we must never do is become blinkered or blinded by what life throws at us, whether it is materialism, subtle distortions of Christian doctrine, marriage problems, problems with self-acceptance, or anything else. We must learn to rise above problems and keep the spiritual goal in focus always. By keeping our eye on the goal and accepting difficulties as part of our spiritual growth, we avoid the escapist mentality that allows us to side-step the difficult issues that face us.
Those who try to be spiritual by ignoring the real issues of life end up with pseudo-spirituality. I know so many people who, refusing to face serious personal problems, immerse themselves in the Scriptures, prayer, and missionary work to such an extent that they become so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.
So what are you trying to hide away from? Compulsive smoking? Compulsive sex? Compulsive drinking? Compulsive anger? Compulsive fear? Are you trying to deny a problem by becoming "super-spiritual" instead? Don't, because it's a big lie! Confront reality!
Paul, in Romans 8:38-29, identifies ten things that cannot separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's look them up together ..... Who can tell me what these ten things are? [Death, life, angels, demons, the present, the future, powers, height, depth, or anything else in creation]. That's right. When God calls the roll of these ten things He is not intending to limit the Christian victory to just these possibilities. In reality He is saying: "Nothing can break you if you do not break with Him." Someone has called these the "Ten Horses of Evil" that try to ride us down and trample us under their feet. And I believe that, because the other day in a vision I saw a horse rearing up above me about to trample me down when I was praying about a particular problem!
We must learn, however, that we need not let them ride us down. Instead, we should grasp their bridles, swing into their saddles, and ride them to our own destination. When we learn how to do that we are learning not just to live, but to live victoriously. Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, my Saviour and my God, help me never forget that any victory I achieve is not mine, but ours. When You are in me then Your victorious life works through me. May I never say about any victory, "I did it," but "We did it!". Amen.

This page was created on 16 May 1998 Updated on 16 May 1998

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