#83 FAITH IS THE VICTORY 9-4-26
“Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” (1 John 5:4)
Faith is more than believing that God exists. Faith is trusting Him when we cannot see the way forward. Faith looks at circumstances and then looks beyond those circumstances to the God who rules over them. Faith does not deny the storm. Faith simply knows that the One who is with us in the storm is greater than the storm.
FAITH IS THE VICTORY OVER FEAR.
Fear says, “What if everything goes wrong?” Faith says, “God is still in control?” Fear magnifies the problem. Faith magnifies God. Fear tells us to run away. Faith teaches us to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3) We may feel fear, but we do not have to be ruled by fear. Faith gives us courage to take the next step when we cannot see the whole road.
FAITH IS THE VICTORY OVER FAILURE.
We have all failed. We have made wrong decisions, spoken wrong words, taken wrong turns, and sometimes disappointed ourselves and others. But failure does not have to be the final chapter of our story. Peter failed Jesus, but Jesus was not finished with Peter. The righteous person may fall repeatedly, but he gets back up. (Proverbs 24:16) Faith believes that God’s grace is greater than yesterday’s failure. We may have fallen, but by faith we can rise again.
FAITH IS THE VICTORY OVER THE FLESH.
The flesh wants its own way. The flesh wants comfort, pleasure, recognition, revenge, and control. But faith teaches us to surrender our desires to God’s will. “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Faith says, “Not what I want, but what God wants.” Faith gives us the strength to say no to ourselves when saying yes to God is harder.
Faith does not mean that we never struggle. Faith means that our struggles do not win. Fear does not win. Failure does not win. The flesh does not win. Jesus has won. And when our faith is resting in Him, we can face tomorrow with confidence because the victory does not ultimately depend upon our strength. It depends upon His.
So keep believing. Keep praying. Keep walking. Keep trusting. When fear rises, believe God. When failure hurts, believe God. When the flesh fights against you, believe God. Faith is the victory because faith takes our eyes off ourselves and puts them upon Christ. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
_______________
Father, strengthen our faith. Give us victory over fear when we are afraid, victory over failure when we have fallen, and victory over the flesh when our desires fight against Your will. Teach us to trust You when we cannot see, to rise when we have fallen, and to keep walking when the road is difficult. Let our faith become stronger, our hearts become steadier, and our eyes become fixed upon Jesus. In His name, Amen.
BDD
