A group of men quietly crept through the overgrown jungle, hearing only the sound of their own breathing. Their eyes scanned everything around them. Their ears strained to pick up any sound. They knew the enemy was there, somewhere.
Suddenly there was a crack, and everything changed. The jungle erupted with shouting and gunfire. The group of soldiers had identified their enemy and began to attack. They pushed forward, fighting with everything they had. They had trained long and hard for this moment. Now it was real… life, and death.
Then it was quiet; everything was still. They had won the battle; they had overcome the enemy.
When we think of a war, we think of men pursuing one another, fighting for victory. The apostle Paul compares his Christian walk to fighting a battle. He says, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith –2 Timothy 4:7.
The Bible has much to say about this. In fact, overcoming is mentioned twenty-eight times in the New Testament. There are many promises given to those who overcome. I will list several:
- He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels –Revelation 3:5.
- He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son –Revelation 21:7.
Those who find themselves on the front lines in the middle of a gruesome battle know exactly where they are. They wouldn’t think of taking a break or relaxing. They certainly would never lay down their weapons and enjoy the scenery. They know that this kind of behavior would mean certain death. It is the same for us in the spiritual battle that we are in.
There is a difference between overcoming and maintaining. To overcome, we will need to press into the battle and fight; we need to be active in the battle. However, to maintain, we just stay put; we stay where we are. Only when the enemy approaches do we become active as we try to defend ourselves.
In one of the many battles of the Civil War, the northern troops had defeated the southern army and were pursuing them as they retreated. After several days, the Union forces decided to take a break, hunker down, and recuperate. The soldiers from the South soon realized they were no longer being chased, so they turned around and headed back to see where their pursuers were. They found the army from the North resting—they were relaxed; some were gambling and drinking, while others played games and told stories. They did not know they were being surrounded, until just at the right moment, the confederates attacked, killing thousands.
Throughout the Bible we see examples of godly men spending all their life engaging the enemy. These men were on the offense, not just the defense. When we get into the mode of simply maintaining the position that we have achieved, the devil is satisfied as he slowly picks us apart.
There is also a difference between winning and not losing. When we see something that we want, we go after it; we fight for it. It is hard to obtain victory by simply trying to not fall.
Freedom and victory are two closely related words, which are both promised to the born-again believer. The problem is that people are confused about what true freedom really is. I recently saw a man wearing a sweatshirt that said, ‘freedom isn’t free’. Doesn’t that apply to us today as Christians? It seems that people throw off all forms of structure and discipline to obtain freedom. But remember, freedom isn’t free.
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer –2 Thessalonians 1:5. If God wants to give us freedom, then why do so many choose bondage? Remember how the serpent ‘beguiled’ (or tricked) Eve into trading all her freedom and victory for a life of bondage. He did it with cunning speech and trickery. Also remember that that same serpent is doing the same thing today with God’s people. Listed below are some reasons that I feel explain why so many have said “No” to the freedom that God promises and in turn have given themselves to a life of bondage.
1. We don’t understand what freedom is
We believe freedom is doing whatever we want, sitting back and living life to the fullest. But the freedom that God promises is freedom from the bondage of sin. We are also free from the law because we want to do all that the Bible says. We want to live for, and please God, with our entire being. You don’t have to tell someone “Thou shalt not kill” when he already loves his enemies. The law is for the lawless. If you are not willing to obey and follow all of the New Testament teachings, then the law is for you. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster –Galatians 3:23-25.
It’s easy to see this attitude in rebellious children. They complain about all the rules and structure that mom and dad put on them. They might say they can’t wait until their eighteenth birthday so they can move away from home, but in reality, it’s the rebellion of their heart that is speaking. The structure that mom and dad put in place is actually to help the young person obtain freedom—a freedom within. Unfortunately, there are many adults today in the church who struggle with this same thing.
2. We don’t think we need freedom
The devil wants us to think we are fine. Once there was a man who had a pet snake, which he played with every day. A few years passed and the snake had become very large, over 20 feet in length. His friends often came to watch him handle the large serpent. One day he decided to build an arena and invited the public to come and watch him handle the snake on stage for a small admittance fee. Each night people would pack the place and watch the show. When the show was nearly over each night, he would have the snake wrap itself around him as if it was going to kill him. Then when he had all their attention, he would command the snake to release and the snake would unravel. The crowd would go crazy with cheers and shouts.
Then one evening it was different. The show was going well as usual, at the end the snake coiled around him. The man gave the command to release, but nothing happened. He again commanded the snake to release, but it’s grip only grew tighter. Finally, some men seated near the front said that someone needed to intercede and kill the snake. The man, half strangled, quickly spoke up and rebuked the men for such talk. “But if we don’t kill the snake, it will kill you!” they protested.
“No, you don’t understand! If you kill my snake, you kill my business. I’ll have no more money! I’ll have no more friends and people will once more ignore me! Don’t kill the snake!”
The people pleaded with the man, but to no avail. Moments later his head fell, the snake had killed its victim.
The devil wants us to think that if we give up our sin, we will lose out. But in reality, this is a lie, and the truth is exactly the opposite. If we remain in our sin, we will die. Remember, the wages of sin is death. Let’s not allow the devil to blind us into thinking we are free, when clearly, we are not.
Many people think money brings freedom, but actually, the love of money brings certain bondage. This sin has bound many folks and will continue to do so until we can figure out true freedom in Christ.
3. We are not willing to forsake all, to obtain freedom
Jesus tells the parable of the man who found a treasure in a field. He wanted that treasure more than anything else. He knew that to obtain the treasure, he would need to buy the field. He didn’t have enough money to buy the field, so he had to have a sale. He sold all that he had. He bought the field. He possessed the treasure. Do you think he struggled with selling his possessions? No! He knew what he wanted and was very willing to give all that he had for it. I’m sure he was super excited as he sold his stuff. Why? Because he was anticipating something far greater than anything he had ever seen or ever possessed; he would never regret what he was doing. He wasn’t thinking about his things; he was only thinking about the treasure. What if the man had only sold part of his possessions? The answer is simple. He would not have obtained the treasure.
Jesus says, So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple –Luke 14:33. We must also forsake all to receive the treasure, the Kingdom of God. It isn’t something that we are required to do, but something we want to do, so we do it with joy! I have sat down with many people who say they are ready to give their life to Christ. I carefully ask them if they have counted the cost. Unfortunately, most of them change their mind before we are done talking. They thought being a Christian was this fun thing of ‘having a good time’. When you start talking about crucifying the flesh, denying yourself, forsaking all that you have… only the ones that really want it will smile and accept.
I often share in Haiti about having a large box full of $100 bills, I ask them who wouldn’t go home and sell all that they have for this box? One young, unconverted man said, “Well that’s easy! There may be a million dollars in that box and my measly possessions are worth very little. I will gladly trade you!”
Do we look at possessing the Kingdom like that? Or does the devil convince us that the true valuables in life are our possessions, our opinions, and our own will. So, we hang on to them, never obtaining the Kingdom. That is choosing bondage rather than freedom, defeat rather than victory.
4. We love our sin
We need a great hatred for our sin before we will ever gain victory over it. Too often the devil tempts us with sin that seems enjoyable, if only for a season. Once we start enjoying the sin, we fall in love with it and bondage follows. We must fervently pray for a deep hatred for sin, knowing that its wages are death. When we hate our sin, we will hate ourselves when we are in sin, and we will plead with God to forgive us. If we do not hate our sin, then we will not be sorry for it. If we are not sorry for our sin, then we will never truly repent.
Imagine looking out the window of your house and seeing the neighbor boy throw a rock through your car’s windshield. You run outside and ask the boy what he’s thinking. He smiles and walks away. You go to his house and ask to speak with the boy’s parents. You tell them what happened, and they holler for the boy. He comes and gets a severe scolding and they tell him to apologize to you. Rolling his eyes, he muffles an apology… Do you accept? No! He’s not sorry. He is only apologizing because he must! Is that how it is with us at times? We sin and we know that God knows. We know the Bible says we can’t do that, so we repent, and say we’re sorry. Are we? I believe if we really hated sin the way we ought, we would stay far away from it. And if we would fall into sin, we would immediately fall on our faces and plead with the God of our salvation for forgiveness.
5. We think we can obtain freedom another way
Think of a person living in a third world country. They have no toilet, no running water, and no electricity. They eat the same thing almost every day. There is filth everywhere. It smells. The bugs, especially mosquitoes, are always there, biting. There’s no relief. This is their life.
Now, if you can, imagine yourself as this person. Are you free? Do you have freedom?
Maybe we would think we were in bondage? Sometimes we believe we are bound or free, simply by observing our circumstances. When this is the case, then we also believe that if the circumstances were better, we would be more free. We then try to obtain as much as we physically can. We believe that the better the job, and the bigger or nicer the house, the more free we will be. Most poor people believe that money would end their misery and make them free. We all know that this is not true. Money does not bring freedom. Only the Lord Jesus can. There are numerous stories about rich people turning to drugs or even suicide in an attempt to solve their problems.
I have known some very rich people and some of the world’s poorest inhabitants. I can honestly say that the poor people are more free and more happy. Could it be that the simpler our life, the more content we are with Christ?
When we realize that Jesus Christ is the only way to true freedom, then we will pursue Him as hard as many people pursue money. And we can quickly have that freedom that every soul desires.
When we are ready to put our all on the altar, when we are done with what this world offers, when the glamour of vanity fair no longer excites us, and when we can say with Paul “to live is Christ, to die is gain”, then, and only then, can we obtain victory and enjoy true freedom—Freedom in Christ.
