For we always seem to ourselves righteous and upright and wise and holy -this pride is innate in all of us- unless by clear proofs we stand convinced of our own unrighteousness, foulness, folly, and impurity. Moreover, we are not thus convinced if we look merely to ourselves and not also to the LORD, who is the sole standard by which this judgment must be measured. 

John Calvin

Dear Believer, 

In this series regarding spiritual warfare, we have examined knowing our enemy, as well as knowing our God. But there is yet a part of this conflict we must look at. And that is at ourselves. As Calvin put it in the above quote, we can only get an adequate understanding of ourselves in relation to what we know and understand about God himself. Once we know the purity of God in the entirety of his attributes, we can clearly see how far we fall from the standard ourselves. The Word of God can accurately describe humanity because scripture is, “alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” Heb.4:12 (NLT). It tells us:

• We are sinners. Romans 3:23 states, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Then again in 1 John 1:8, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We have missed the mark of God’s standard.
• We can do nothing apart from him. This means we are wholly dependent on him, whether we like it or not. 

“In him, we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28. 

“I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

• We are weak and untrustworthy. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt.26:41. 

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

The picture of humanity according to God seems very bleak to be sure. We are depraved, sinful, wishy-washy, and prone to failure. And if we do some serious, honest self-evaluation, we should concur. We see in the pages of Scripture that even the “heroes” of our faith were fallible. But this is why the next part is so great! This is why, as Christians, we should rejoice, have hope and have God-confidence! When we are in Christ, it makes ALL the difference. Which brings us to the fourth point…

• We are in Christ Jesus. This means something amazing. It means that we have the righteousness, power, and victory of Christ, because of Christ. When we are in IN Christ, abiding in Him,

WE HAVE A HERITAGE.

“…no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” Is. 54:17. 

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Rom. 8:17

WE HAVE GOD’S POWER TO OVERCOME.

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5 

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4. 

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” 2 Cor. 10:4

WE HAVE GOD’S STRENGTH AND PROTECTION.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thess. 3:3

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance…” Ephesians 6: 10-18

WE ARE ALREADY VICTORIOUS.

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

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:57

Dear Believer, all we need to have victory in our daily battles is in the Lord. Keep studying the Word. Meditate on it and believe it. It is God’s words to embolden us to persevere in every trial, and every hardship. Know your enemy. But most importantly, know our great God, and who you are in Him. Hallelujah! We are victorious!

The Lord be with you,

Bianca