Trust Meنموونە

The Victory Is Sure

Read: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you" (Romans 16:20).

Think: The year 2018 was wonderful for many reasons: my wife and I bought a house, our son was born, and the Eagles won the Super Bowl. I remember how the last was particularly a rollercoaster. The Eagles were winning most of the game, but you can never doubt a Tom Brady comeback. At one point in the fourth quarter, Brady orchestrated just that, as the Patriots pulled ahead of the Eagles after Tom threw a touchdown to his favorite target, Rob Gronkowski. Anxiety suddenly filled the hearts of Eagles fans everywhere. "Oh no, we're doomed," was surely our collective thought. But, the very next drive, legendary Nick Foles drove us down the field for a touchdown of our own. We took the lead and never looked back! We became champions! A few days later, I watched the game again. But, this second viewing was much different than the first. I was calm. I was collected. I was not sweating or clenching the arm of the chair. I sat back and was confident in my team. After all, I had no reason to doubt; I knew the end result. I knew we were going to win! The Christian life is an Eagles game. Just kidding. But, there is a parallel here. We exist in a battle of good against evil. However, we know the score from beginning to end! We know how this turns out. The enemy's head will be crushed under God's foot of judgement, just as it is promised in Genesis 3:15. Our greatest enemy, Satan, and his powers of sin and death, are defeated with the death and resurrection of Christ. The victory has been made sure. We do not play the game, then, from a position of weakness, but from one of strength, knowing that the Lord wins. And since we are in Christ, those who believe in Him, we win too. As we fight sin, and its effects in daily life, remember that you fight from a position of victory. Though the battle may be hard, the ending is sure. We will win.

Apply: Are there times in life when you feel like you are losing the battle? Maybe nothing is going right. Maybe there is that one sin that constantly traps you. Remember this promise from Romans 16. Take comfort in knowing that Christ is with you. Ask Him for help. Ask others for help. Make sure you are part of a group that can encourage you when the going gets tough. And consider, today, how you might reach out to someone else to encourage them in their journey.

Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for securing the victory long before I ever stepped onto the field. I pray that I would rest assured of its certainty. Give me confidence in the midst of my own wavering. Amen.

(Joe Lab is the pastor at Hershey Mennonite Church  in Kinzers. He has been married to Kate since 2013. They live in Intercourse, PA with their two wonderful kids.)