Living Victoriously
by Annalene Holtzhausen
Are you living victoriously? Or are you overwhelmed by guilt, fear, despair and uncertainty? Today’s scripture tells us that Jesus longs for us to enjoy life in abundance; that’s why He came and why He suffered for us on the cross. He knows so well that the enemy’s agenda is to see us defeated. The enemy steals from us by filling our minds with lies and twisted truths; he destroys our hope and freedom in the Lord. But the Word says: ‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us’ (Romans 8:37).
Even though Jesus longs for us to live a life that overflows, we often battle to experience this victorious life. Sometimes guilt and shame become a heavy yoke upon our shoulders and we often feel condemned, and wrongly believe that God sees us as not good enough. The truth is found in Psalm 34:22, ‘But the Lord will redeem those who serve Him. No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned’..
The Lord is never the one who condemns you and will never tell you that you’re not good enough. If this is what you’re believing about yourself, it isn’t the voice of your heavenly Father speaking these words. The Lord will convict us of sin or wrongdoing in our lives, but He won’t condemn us. There’s a significant difference between condemnation and conviction. Condemnation is always accompanied by guilt, shame and feeling lost. It also offers no solution – this isn’t the way of our loving Father.
When the Holy Spirit points out sin in our lives (convicting us), His purpose is always to lead us to acknowledge and confess it. Once we realise that there’s an area of sin in our lives and bring it before the Lord, He can change us. He will always provide a way forward. When the Lord speaks to you, His words will carry continued hope of intimacy, friendship and a reconciled relationship. But the enemy wants to cloud our vision with feelings of guilt, shame, fear and confusion. In this way, he can twist the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word says, ‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ’ (Romans 8:1).
To live in victory, we need to start by believing the Lord’s truth over us. He says we’re righteous (completely acceptable) in Jesus and that He delights is us. Nothing we do or don’t do, can make Him love us less. ‘Therefore, since we are justified ( acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)’ (Romans 5:1). Also Psalm 37:23, ‘The Lord direct the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives’. ‘So let’s come boldly to the throne of our gracious God’ (Hebrews 4:16) and receive His mercy and truth over our lives.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I long to enjoy the abundant life You came to give me. Please show me where I’m believing lies from the enemy about myself and reveal Your godly truth to me in every situation. I need Your discernment to recognise the voice of the enemy and to stand against his lies, in Your strength and truth. Thank You for Your grace in my life and for loving me just as I am. Amen.
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
