Victory in Christ

I've been meditating a lot lately on this story from 1 Samuel 5:1-5 (here). In this passage we see what happens to the Philistine god, Dagon in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. Leading up to this encounter, Israel has wrongfully decided to go into battle with the ark at the forefront as it usually was. The ark was captured and taken as spoils by their enemies.

Now we see a showdown between God and an idol. The first day after the ark had been with Dagon, the idle was found face down on the ground. The next day, he was shattered into pieces. Severed at the hands, the neck, and the torso. There was nothing left of him besides his trunk, scripture tells us.

What does that mean for us? It means we have reason to settle for nothing less than victory. When God is put toe to toe with powerful idols, He wins. And He doesn't just squeeze it out in overtime, He destroys them - quite literally. We serve a God of total victory. Why then would we settle for lives of passive captivity to our flesh and our disbelief?

1 John 5:4 says that everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. More than that, we have been declared more than conquers because of our co-heirship to the throne with Christ Jesus. Our greatest example of a conqueror is Jesus himself, who laid death in his grave and triumphed over him forever. Jesus wasn't okay with doing most of what God called Him to and taking in some sinful comforts because "its not really that bad" or because "it's just something I'll always struggle with."

We all have our struggles. What separates us from the world and simultaneously connects us to Christ is that we continue to fight. There is no such thing as a sin that you have to be captive to all the days of your life. Some of us might continue to struggle with particular things all our lives, but that is our choice. To walk in obedience to Christ is to claim His promises that we can live life abundantly. Jesus won victory for us forever on the cross. In light of that truth, what do we need to change about the way we're living?

We need to believe in Christ for victory. We mustn't settle for a life of captivity to the flesh, for we are a people of power. Our God will break every chain, but first we must run to Him. It's a process, but it isn't impossible. 

Be a slave to Christ, not a slave to sin. Fight.

-matt