Victory over the Devil

The Christian life is about victory. Victory implies struggle, battles, and warfare. Without an enemy there is no victory. We have an enemy, and he has troops. We also have a commander and allies. The wonderful truth about this war is that the outcome has already been determined and the gift of victory is already the personal possession of every child of God. If you are going to fight a war, that is the kind to fight! Because victory is our subject, there are certain areas, which necessarily come under consideration. Our enemy is a prime consideration, but we must not become preoccupied with him. The demons must not escape our notice, but we cannot become sidetracked into total demon-consciousness. The angels have been terribly overlooked, but we must not overcompensate to the point of worshipping them. Our study must begin with Jesus, end with Jesus, and be pervaded with Jesus. He is the VICTOR and has vanquished the foe! The announcement has already been made and has become reality in heaven. We are set in the world to be the means by which the Holy Spirit produces in terms of reality in the earth that which is. Already true in heaven. There is not even room for a shadow of a doubt as to our VICTORY. IT IS OURS NOW! In that pre-incarnate announcement in Isaiah 61, the Messiah declared, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME; BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH TIDINGS UNTO THE MEEK; HE HATH SENT ME TO BIND UP THE BROKEN HEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES.” He PROCLAIMS liberty because he has already PROCURED liberty!

When I was a lad, many of the sophisticated toys of today were not at my disposal. I found a favorite toy in a little piece of metal shaped in the form of a “V.” It was a magnet and attracted anything that corresponded to its likeness. One day Dad assigned me the task of picking up nails and other pieces of metal which would cause punctures and flatten tires on the automobile and farm equipment. I found that when I tied a string to the magnet and drugged it through the dirt, it would pick up the nails and metal. This is a crude way of illustrating a simple spiritual tool like VICTORY.

Victory in Christ is like a magnet. It attracts its likeness. As I think back over volumes of reading, hours of interviews, hundreds of tracts, days of deliberation, occasions of counseling, mountains of magazines, and manuscripts, and letters of testimonies, I am overwhelmed. I cannot know in my own mind which information is necessary and which is superfluous or spurious. Thus, my prayer has been and is that the Spirit of God will inspire me to drag the magnet of VICTORY THROUGH JESUS across the mountain of material which faces me. It has been delightfully workable. Frustration has lied! Joy has arisen! The magnet of VICTORY has been exposed to every piece of material. That which did not respond to the magnetism was left alone. That which did respond, stands as the final result…the volume which faces you. “THIS IS THE VICTORY WHICH OVERCOMES THE WORLD, EVEN OUR FAITH” (1 John 5:4)

Continuing victory will involve knowing and applying the truth about our adversary, the devil, his agents, the demons, our allies the angels, and our authority, Jesus Christ, the Lord!

JRT (From the Introduction to Victory Over the Devil)