STEPS TO VICTORY PART 1

Steps to follow to victory in the war of this life includes these:

Ø Get Hold Of The Word

God has said something about that area of your life where you desire victory. But it is your responsibility to search it out. The Bible says:

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" Hosea 4:6

... “far be it from God that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.Surely it is met to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend anymore; that which I see not teach thou me; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more".  Job 34:10, 31-32

This implies that evil comes through two main ways into a believer’s life - sin and ignorance.

Of the two, ignorance is more serious and pathetic. The sinning believer, can easily be motivated to repent. Ignorance however, is a deadly enemy of victory. If you are ignorant of God’s word in a particular situation, the best you will likely do is to explain it away believing that it is God’s will.

Ø Release Your Faith

Faith is an important prerequisite to receiving your personal victory. Your faith in Him pleases Him the same way your confidence in the promises of your earthly father pleases and encourages him to strive to make himself worthy of such esteem. Unless every word is mixed with faith it cannot work.

"For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it" Hebrews 4:2

It needs meditation to get the word mixed with faith. Meditation is an exercise involving the heart. The heart must be open to receive the revelation of the word through the service of the Holy Spirit.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success"

Joshua 1:8

"Blessed is the man ... (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth, shall prosper" psalm 1:1-3

There are three things that make for effective meditation. I have mentioned the part played by the Holy Spirit as the divine teacher. The rest are time and right company.

An atmosphere of perverse talk, riotous living and other forms of immoral behaviour will not help you to meditate in the word of God. There is no way you can profitably engage in it. You need a quiet and sound atmosphere to motivate you into a life of profitable meditation in the word.

"Blessed is the man that sitteth not in the seat of the scornful" Psalms 1:1

Paul warned, "bad company ruins good morals." Christ gave a similar warning,

"Give not what is holy unto dogs neither cast ye your pearls before the swine lest they trample upon it and turn back and tear you" Matthew 7:6

Productive meditation is hindered in bad company. In fact, in that situation you are in danger of being influenced.

"He that walketh with the wise shall be wise and a companion of fools shall be destroyed" Proverbs 13:20

Definitely, wrong company has robbed many believers of God’s perfect plan for their lives. If you are a believer, avoid sitting in the wrong place else you are sure to operate a wrong counsel and walk in the wrong path.

Ø Present Your Case

If you want money from your bank, two basic conditions must be met. A fully-signed cheque in your hand, and an amount of money in the account enough to meet the amount stated on the cheque. If these two conditions are satisfied, you go to the bank, present your cheque and wait until your money is delivered to you. Several people may be at the bank waiting to withdraw money, but hardly does a situation arise whereby one customer’s money is given to the other.

In the presentation of your request as a believer, this is, in a way, the procedure you adopt. There is an account in heaven for you. Whether you are aware of such fact or not makes no difference; it is there. It is an account overflowing with the riches of God in Christ Jesus. The riches are inexhaustible, and the variety unlimited. But they are made available upon request.

The Word says, "he that asketh receiveth." This is a foremost rule to bear in mind. It is not he that believes that receives, but he that believes and translates his belief into action by asking. Remember it is not faith that heals the sick but the prayer of faith.

"The prayer of faith shall heal the sick" James 5:15

Therefore, it is belief or faith followed by asking that establishes the promise for you. Your prayer must first remind God of His promises concerning that need because He demands that you,

"put me (Him) in remembrance; let us plead together; declare thou, that thou mayest be justified" Isaiah 43:26

Then you give your tangible reasons for your request because, again, God says,

"produce your cause ...bring forth your strong reason, saith the King of Jacob"

Isaiah 41:21

Your prayer is not telling God what is happening. He knows it already. It is telling Him what you want Him to do for you, by reminding Him of His word concerning your situation. If you are troubled by sickness for instance, you have a case. The Word has made provisions for your healing. The Bible says healing is children’s bread. It is also written,

"Surely he has borne our grief (sickness) and carried our sorrows (pains), and by his stripes ye were healed". Isaiah 53:4-5

Remember, God does not need any healing; there is no sickness up there in heaven. It is you who need healing, money, a fertile womb etc. Go ahead, therefore, in firm assurance that whatever you ask, you receive of Him. That is a benefit of your sonship.

Therefore ,you need to give yourself to the study of the Word.

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" 2 Timothy 2:15

There is no short-cut to acquiring the knowledge. The scriptures are not to be read for excitement and vocabulary; they are spirit. You therefore require indepth study to acquire indepth knowledge of the mysteries.

Moreover, you need revelation knowledge of the Word through the ministration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher. It is written that when He (Holy Spirit) is come,

"He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance ..."

John 14:26

The Holy Spirit has two-fold ministry here. He teaches the Word by imparting revelation knowledge; He sheds light on it, turning it into a voice. That is why the Bible is the voice of God — "I know my sheep, they know my voice."

The Holy Spirit also brings to remembrance whatever He teaches when it is required for use. He reminds you of the counsel of God you have come across in the word. He knows the mind of God on every issue because,

"God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God" 1 Corinthians 2:10-24

For you to grasp the deep mysteries of God, you need the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

"I have ye many things to say unto you but you cannot bear (have no capacity for) them now, howbeit when he the Spirit of truth (the Holy Ghost) is come ..."

John 16:12-13

If you want to go to all the length in the knowledge of God’s will for you, you need the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, you should be involved in the fellowship of His children. We are told not to forsake the assembly of one another. It is during our gathering together that we,

" ... give attention to: reading, to exhortation, to doctrine ..."  1 Timothy 4:13

The sharing of God’s mysteries, in accordance with what each of His children has received, benefits the whole body. At such times, the operations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are most active. Prophecies and other revelation gifts shed more light on His will consoling, advising, exhorting and exposing the activities of the devil in the body. If you stand alone, you expose yourself to danger.

Be in fellowship with God’s precious people. It is there that God commands the blessing. Understand that you do not know enough. The Bible says,

"Let him that thinketh he knows anything know that he does not know it yet as he ought to"

1 Corinthians 8:2

You need others to teach and enlighten you. The diversities of the ministry gifts are not vested in one person; they are shared in the body. What you have cannot meet all your spiritual needs. Therefore, wherever you are, look out for a Holy Ghost fellowship and be part of what God is doing there. This is very important. Clear off from bad company and create a conducive atmosphere for productive meditation.

This act of meditation will produce faith in you. If you meditate on healing scriptures, you will be able to release your faith in that area. If it is in provisions, the fact that the word has gained entrance into you by the Holy Ghost puts you on to be able to release your faith in that direction. You will need to release your faith to get your victory.