G12 Victorious Life Series 14

“VICTORIOUS LIVING”
LESSON 7 : VICTORIOUS LIFE SERIES

In Jesus’ message to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, the word “overcome” is constantly
repeated (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21). God said that whoever overcomes will not be hurt by the
second death (Revelations 2:11). “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority
over the nations.” The one who overcomes will be dressed in white and his name will not be blotted out from
the book of life (Revelations 3:5). Heaven is for the victorious people.

There are three enemies that God’s people must defeat:

1. Our “Sinful Nature”

21 22
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being
23
I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against
24
the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a
25
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus
Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave
to the law of sin.
Romans 7:21-25a

□ The human or sinful nature is what we inherit from the sin of Adam (Romans 5:12; 1 Peter 1:18).
This is the “fallen nature” that drives us to sin.

How to Defeat the Sinful Nature?

Live in the Victory of Jesus.

If we make Jesus Christ our Lord, then the sinful nature cannot control us. There is complete victory in
Him! (Romans 7:24-25a)

Live Under the Control of the Holy Spirit.

Once we have surrendered our life to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us (Ephesians 1:13-14).
This is why God commands us to walk in the Holy Spirit and not in the desires of the sinful nature of
man (Galatians 5:16-17). Jesus Christ did not only redeem us from our sins but also from our sinful
nature. If we continue to live out our sinful nature, we will reap death, but if we destroy it through the
power of the Holy Spirit, we will gain life (Galatians 6:7-8; Romans 8:13).
1 2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through
Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

Live in the New Man.

We must deny and kill the desires of the old nature everyday (Luke 9:23) for those who are in Christ
now crucifies their sinful nature (Galatians 2:20; 5:24). We must accept that Jesus Christ already
redeemed us from our sins and from our sinful nature. Moreover, we must accept what Christ did on
the Cross and live in the “new man” that we received from Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christianity is
not merely a “changed life”, but a “new life”.
15
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
Galatians 6:15

2. THE EVIL ONE

12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12
 G12 Victorious Life Series 15

The three most dangerous weapons of the enemy:

1. Temptation (Matthew 4:1-10)- The reason of temptation is to drive us away from God’s will in
exchange for desirable things.

2. Accusation (Revelation 12:10) - Satan is called in the Bible as the Accuser. He has four ways of
accusing:

a. Self-accusation- The devil bombards our minds with lies about ourselves. He repeatedly
condemns us with our sins, faults and weaknesses already forgiven by God in order to
discourage us.

b. People Accusing Us- The devil also uses other people to accuse and destroy us.

c. We Accusing Others- If we are not mindful, the enemy can also use us to accuse others

d. Accusing God- Many times the devil accuses God to destroy our faith in Him

3. Deception (1 Timothy 4:1) - The devil attacks us with false beliefs leading us to wrong decisions in
life. This is what he did to Eve (1 Timothy 2:14). We can be deceived through wrong decisions, wrong
beliefs, wrong doctrines, and wrong visions. A deceived person cannot recognize that he or she is in
the wrong.

How to defeat the devil?

8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to
9
devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world
are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:8-9a
7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

To defeat temptation, accusation and deception of the enemy, we must 1) “watch and pray in the
Spirit,” 2) “submit to God”, and 3) resist with faith until he flees.” When we fight the devil, we
must use the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17) and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God
(Ephesians 6:17; Matthew 4:1-10).

3. THE WORLD
15
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
16
in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting
of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:15-16

The world here does not mean the physical environment created by God (Roman 8:22) or the
peoples of the world loved by God (John 3:16) but the systems of the world that defy the principles
of God. The above verse talks about three worldly values:

i. Lust of the Flesh - This refers to a life yielded to sensual pleasures and vices (2 Timothy 3:4)
to meet the desires of the sinful nature. Living in worldly vices is already the accepted norm
that from the world’s viewpoint, living a holy life on earth puts us on the wrong side.

ii. Lust of the Eyes - Lust of the eyes means the bondage of materialism. Many people value
material possessions more than they value God. Money is the god they love and worship
(Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10).
 G12 Victorious Life Series 16

iii. Pride of Life - This refers to living in self-arrogance. Some people always strive to become
great and famous in the eyes of others. They are always boasting of their identity,
possessions and accomplishments.

How to defeat the spirit of the world?

The Bible says, “Do not conform any longer to the patters of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will”
(Romans 12:2). The true followers of God are cautious not to take part in the wickedness of the world.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their
distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). We must be filled with the Holy
Spirit of God and His word, so the worldly spirit cannot influence us. (Ephesians 5:15-18, Psalm 119:1)

The Three Enemies are Related to Each Other

The three enemies of the Christian are directly connected with each other. The “devil” tempts us through
the “systems of the world” so we will walk in the “sinful nature.”

Our Victory Is Assured in Christ

No matter how many and how powerful our enemies are, we will still be victorious if God is in us. In the
Cross, Jesus Christ defeated all our enemies, and we that are in Him must live in that victory (Colossians
2:15; 1 Corinthians 15:57).

APPLICATION:
1. What are the rewards of a victorious Christian in this world?
2. Why don’t some people live consistently victorious spiritual lives?