Victory

Victory. It’s a deceptive word.

On the one hand, victory is success; triumph over difficulties.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

On the other hand, victory implies that there is war, struggle, hardship. Just look at the verse preceding verse 37:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “for your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” Romans 8:36

Cheery! While there are Christians who face these types of hardships in the world today, my guess is that few (if any) of you reading this have ever faced these levels of distress. As a Christian living in the Bible belt of the United States, the few difficulties I have are not a result of my faith.

I must admit that I named this blog ” The Victory Garden,” because I love the confidence, the faith, the hope, that in the end God wins. God has promised us victory over evil (1 John 4; 4), over Satan (Heb 2:14), over temptation (1 John 3:8), over our own sinful nature (Col. 2:14), over our past (2 Cor. 5:17).

But victory implies battle. and God has promised us that as well. We will face hatred (Matt 10:22), persecution (John 15:20), the forces of darkness (Eph. 6:12), trials (1 Peter 4:12), and refinement by fire (1 Peter 1:7).

Perhaps this is how God’s people felt when they thought about the Promised Land. There were already people living there. This ragtag bunch of nomads would have to fight against established strongholds and peoples, some of whom were giants. Just like us, God had promised victory, had promised them this land, but there were battles ahead.

God’s people, then and now, are in a battle for possession of the land, our souls, humanity’s soul. God has promised us victory, but we do not win every battle. We need to “put on the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:10) and listen to God’s instructions (Judges 7). Tactics will vary based on the enemy we face, the established sin in our lives, but the battle is real.

And there’s an uncomfortable truth hidden in the story of God’s people entering the Promised Land.

These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so He could use them to test Israel. Judges 4:1

Therefore, so I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me. 2 Corinthians 12:7

There are Canaanites living in the promise land; there are weeds in my garden, there are thorns in my flesh, there is evil in our midst.

When I started this blog, this adventure, I wrote the following:

A garden is an act of faith, just like the Christian life. You must battle internal demons that tell you, “you can’t do it;” “it’s too hard;” “you aren’t capable enough;” “the effort is not worth it;” “you will fail.” You must battle predators that devour your growth and steal your fruit. You must battle invaders that strangle your growth and divert your resources. You must endure weather that thwarts and threatens and damages what you can produce. But God has granted you a vision of ripe fruit where only barren ground now exists. God will give you the motivation, the ability, and the strength to be victorious in battle; victorious against inner demons, predators, invaders and inclement weather.

Welcome to the Victory Garden.

So don’t be discouraged by the Canaanites in the land, the sin that seems to never leave your side, the thorn in your flesh, the failings that keep you humble and dependant on God.

The Lord said to Gideon, “The troops are too many… Israel would only take the credit away from me saying, ‘my own hand has delivered me.'” Judges 7:2

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Keep fighting my friend. God will bring victory in His time.

Betsy