Walking In Victory

Walking In Victory

There is a story my husband tells about the church he grew up in. It was a story of insight and frustration. I believe he was frustrated that so many young people were choosing the wrong paths in life, walking down the wrong roads, and being led astray by the wiles of the world. He was frustrated because they did not understand the power they possessed. His passionate proclamtion from the pulpit was something to the effect of:  Look at their shoes! Don’t they know they’re literally walking in victory?! 

Just Do It

The very first time he told me the story many moons ago, I didn’t get it. I did not know that the shoes so many people our age spent hundreds of dollars on, fought over, and, tragically, sometimes even died for, were named after the goddess of history – Nike. It was this story and the sermon from Sunday that swirled about my head this morning: standing firm with the full armor of Christ and walking in victory.

My husband’s pastor didn’t believe in Greek gods or anything – he was trying to make a point. That point was that God has already won the battle. Satan has already been defeated. Since that is the case, we should be walking in His victory,  not falling for the devil’s lies and distractions. My pastor’s point was that if we plan for so many things in our lives, why are we failing to plan for our faith life? How can we stand firm in Christ if we have no plan to equip ourselves to do so? Instead of yapping about it – we need to just do it!

Floods and Footholds

Have you ever been caught in a flood? Perhaps you’ve seen one on TV. They always seem so dramatic! Several feet of water come rushing down, crashing, swirling, and toppling everything in its path, only to sweep away the main character who struggles to keep his or her head above water. That’s intense, right?! The reality doesn’t look as exciting, but it’s no less dangerous. A person can be swept away by a few inches of rapidly running floodwater. It’s almost embarrassing to be carried off by ankle-high water, but that happens far more often. The issue with floods is footholds.

We think we’re safe – we’ve got it covered. The danger isn’t deep. The temptation is light work. What’s a little stream going to do to me? We don’t realize how easy it is to lose our foothold – that standing firm is intentional and not reckless. We go in without the proper equipment and, sometimes, the world uses something that looks innocuous to sweep us off our feet, and hurtle us into much deeper water and more treacherous terrain before we’ve even realized what’s happened. God calls us to be intentional.

My Buddy James

My buddy James harps on intentionality. He admonishes us to think about everything we do, and say, and think. He tells us to take our thoughts captive and train them. The book of James is all about walking in victory and preparing ourselves to stand firm in Christ. Because the flood waters will come. They may start as a trickle or a stream; they might seem like an amusing distraction; you could be caught up in the kind of tsunami we only see in movies – whatever kind it is – God wants you to be prepared for it. He wants you to know the power you possess in Christ to walk in victory. God wants you to be prepared with the full armor of God so that even in the flood – you can stand firm.

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.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. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Ephesians 6:10-18