THERE IS WAR YOU MUST WIN

The first thing you must understand is that, you are engaged in a spiritual warfare. If you do not know this, you have no right to victory. There is need for a battle, fight or competition before there can be a winner or a loser. A winner does not emerge from a no-duel situation. This is important for your victory.

It will be ridiculous for you to claim to be victorious over nobody. It means, when you talk of being a winner or victor, that you are talking of a battle that is being fought. There are many indications of this in the Bible.

It is sad to see many believers live and walk without a sense of war. They are at "ease" and that is why they are constantly down. If an enemy is fighting you, and you do not seem to know it, you make his victory certain and easy. But the Bible has given a clear understanding that the christian life is a life of constant war. It is war in itself. We get clear indications from the Pauline epistles about the fight.

Now thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14

The fact that God causes us to triumph means there is something to triumph over. A triumph comes after a period of hard fighting and one of the contenders eventually emerges victorious. You must know that you are engaged in a fight. Christianity is not playing around. It takes two to fight. Whether you are ready to fight or not, the fight is on.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand (withstand) in the evil day, and having done all to stand.

Ephesians 6:12-13

You will never need an armour in a peaceful setting. We are engaged in some serious battle. This is repeated over and over again in the entire Bible. We are in a battle. You, in particular, are engaged in this war. The devil has aimed at destroying your life. Thank God, we are in war against the devil.

The Bible has made it clear and obvious that your enemy is the devil. Many people find it difficult to believe this. Their minds have been so programmed to believing that some people are responsible for their problems.

The point is that, the devil will want to keep you from identifying him as your enemy, because he knows, the moment you identify your enemy, the battle is almost as good as won. He keeps blinding people to this fact. But know assuredly that the devil is your adversary.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the DEVIL, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

DEVIL is your enemy. It is not the herbalist or the witch. He is the source of every fight you are fighting. It does not matter what fight it is. God is not your enemy. If you are born again, God is your Father.

The devil is the enemy. He is your accuser before God. He has sworn that nothing will go well with you. This is where the fight is. He does not want to see you progress. He wants to ruin your business. He is always mounting pressure on you, to keep you away from God. He is not interested in any good thing coming your way. His thoughts towards you are completely evil. Just as God is light, so is the devil darkness. Just as there is no darkness in God, so there is no light in the devil. He is complete and absolute darkness. This is the fight. He is determined against you. That is why Paul said, "We wrestle..."

It takes determination to wrestle. Nobody ever goes into the wrestling ring lightly. He must go with some ruthless determination to win. He must be victory hungry to go into the ring else, he will be carried out unconscious. I want you to realize the level of hatred the devil has for you. He has no bit of love for you. He is your archenemy. He is waging war against you.

The battle you are engaged in is not physical. The devil is a spirit. You cannot fight him physically. It is a spiritual battle that is fought spiritually. A physical problem has physical solution and a spiritual problem can only be solved spiritually.

Stop looking at human beings as your problem. God has not called you into a physical fight. It is a fight of faith. Please get hold of this truth. It will change your whole outlook and you will be able to channel your spiritual energy in the right direction.

Check the scriptures. He has always been at variance with God’s plan. He went into the garden, tempted Adam and caused him to rebel against God. He corrupted the world till it became so evil that God had to destroy it (Genesis 6).

He smote Job with sickness and caused all his belongings to perish. When Daniel prayed, he sent one of his fallen angels to withhold the result. He is traditionally anti-God. And he has not left you out in this fight. He is constantly on duty to ensure that he does not lose the battle. If you look around you - the circumstances and situations around you, you will notice that this is true.

Look at the world today. Many terrible things are happening. New deadly diseases are being injected into the world by the devil. He wants to destroy God’s crown of creation -  man. Every evil in the world today is the devil’s handiwork.

This fight can come in any way. It may be in the area of health. It could be in other areas like: need, spiritual growth, Family problems, academic frustrations - in fact all areas of life. When these things come against you, recognize that it is the enemy, the devil, that is shooting his fiery darts at you.

The problems will come. Your own fight must come. You cannot escape it. Every believer is involved in it. You cannot say I am not fighting any battle. Your own battle must come and you will fight it. My battles will come too and you cannot fight it for me. I cannot fight yours. Every individual will fight his battle.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not over flow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flames kindle upon thee”.Isaiah 43:2

This confirms that the time for you to pass through the waters and the rivers will come. He said, "when thou passest ..." not "If." "If" makes it conditional but, "when" makes it certain. "That ye may be able to stand in the evil day ..." (Ephesians 6:13).

The evil will come. You cannot dodge it. It is part of the things you will need to go through to get your victory. You cannot live in victory if there is no problem. If you do not go to war, you cannot bring laurels home. It is basic that hard times will come but you know you can have your victory always.

One thing is certain about your fight. It is a decided issue. You are already a winner. God has done everything that is necessary for your victory. The devil has lost the battle. You are the winner. The problems will come because, "many are the afflictions of the righteous..." but you have been guaranteed victory already because, "...the Lord delivereth him out of them all."

The devil is not the winner, you are! He is not a conqueror, you are more than a conqueror. Your lot with God is victory always. He causes you to triumph always on the basis of the finished work of Christ on the cross. That is your touchstone for victory. It was there that Jesus did it all.

The enemy’s mission is three fold. They form his ministry towards you. This ministry is clearly stated out in John 10:10 by Jesus himself.

The thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy... John 10:10

The devil, your enemy, is the thief. He is not coming physically to break your house or to snatch your car (he can do this however through his agents), but he has ways of stealing your money, time, health and even your property. He will do all he can to fulfil this ministry.

You have to know that each time you have a fight in any area, the devil is behind it. He is the unseen hand behind every evil thing. Any time you are attacked by sickness, it is an attempt of the devil to steal your health, joy and money and even your life.

The devil is desperate about this. He can throw anything at anybody, his ultimate aim is to destroy. He is the enemy. If you know this, you will stop finding reasons and excuses for your problems, and you will be able to tackle them properly.

As the devil is totally committed to doing evil to you, Jesus is absolutely eager to give you an overcoming life. The enemy’s evils cannot overpower the winning life Jesus has come to give to you. Jesus has given you that life - eternal life by which you can win all the time.

There is no excuse for any believer to be defeated. God has perfected your victory programme in Christ Jesus. You can boast of constant victory. He causes you to triumph always over every situation. If it is sin, the Bible says he that is born of God does not sin. He has planted His seed in you and you cannot sin if you abide in Him.

Your victory is guaranteed in every sphere of life. Name it. God has provided victory for you in every battle in the comprehensive finished work of Christ at calvary.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common (moderate) to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There is, clearly, no battle that is beyond you. If it was beyond you, God would not allow it to come your way. Do not think that God is unaware of your situation in battle. He knows your capacity as a winner. He knows what situations come your way. So before He allows any of them, He has assessed your strength.

You have divine ability to win in all and every battle that comes your way. You are born of God and whatsoever is born of God simply overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

By virtue of your birth you are a world overcomer. That is the Bible. The greater one is in you and you are more than a conqueror. The problems may look stern. The seas may rage and the storm may be tempestuous but in all these you are more than a conqueror.

Every one of the troubles seeks to separate you from the love of Christ. But the word says they cannot. They are not designed to draw you away. They are supposed to be stepping stones to victory. Each time you win a battle in faith, you are promoted. Your faith gets stronger; ready for another round. That is why the Bible says, having done all, to stand.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35,37-39

This catalogue of things cannot separate you from the love of Christ. They cannot defeat you. Look at those issues again. They are the toughest battles you can ever fight. But they are not sufficient to defeat you. There is something too strong for the devil to break in you - the God kind of life. This life was made available when Jesus died on the cross.