September 20

In Christ there are no losers. Our victorious Savior has made each of us part of His victory parade. He who has conquered sin and death has endued us with the power that raised Him from the grave and admonished us to use it to pull down strongholds in the behalf of His Kingdom’s purposes.

Will we always feel like conquerors? Probably not. Does a soldier feel like a conqueror in the throes of battle? Oh, yes, there is an adrenalin rush unlike any other when one is engaged in combat; there is a sense of power that comes with confronting an enemy and overtaking him. But the ability to savor the victory comes after the battle is concluded.

To anticipate victory prior to the delivery of the final blow is to court defeat. Whether in literal warfare or in athletic contests or in spiritual conflict, even though victory might be so close that its sweet taste is upon the warrior’s tongue, the soldier must battle on until the opponent is totally vanquished.

In Philippians 3:14, the great Apostle Paul states it thusly, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling me upward.” Our victory in Jesus is assured but our day-to-day struggle to overcome the enemy of our souls is a continual ‘mop-up’ operation; it requires our continual ‘pressing on.’