We triumph in Christ when we follow His lead

Did you know that as Christians, we do not have it in ourselves to win spiritual battles?  We are no match for the devil.

Now this should not scare you because when we are in Christ, He has the power to beat the foe.  Every Time.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:14 that Christ always leads us in triumph.  

Always.  That means always!

So why, then, do we still fail in our attempts to live a godly life?

Simple.  At that moment, we are not following Jesus.

We call ourselves followers of Christ.  And overall, we are.

But in the heat of the battle, when we are suffering, when others are upsetting us, or whatever the case may be, are we following Christ then?

He always leads us in triumph.  So that tells me that triumph, or victory, is not a given.  We must do something.  And that something is not what we think!  It is not to fight back in our own strength.  We lose when we do this because our battles our spiritual, remember?

Christ leads us.  We are to follow.

How exactly does He lead us out of our troubles and woes in the moment they are happening?  This is where the rubber meets the road - in the thick of things.

First, we must be listening to Him.  This may mean setting our reactionary emotions aside for the moment.  Ignore them, in other words!

Second, focus on Him.  This is hard when others are "in your face."  This takes great mental focus, to "look at" Jesus, because He is not physically present.

Third, we must obey whatever He tells us to do in that moment.  It might be, "Step away."  It might be, "Say nothing."  It might be, "Let it go.  I will handle it."  Or He might give us words to say to quench the fiery darts around us.

Whatever the issue, problem, or anxiety, Jesus has the perfect answer if we follow Him!  Remember, He leads us into triumph!  Leads us!

But if we are too caught up in the moment, get our focus off of Him, we're sunk (like Peter when he walked on water but then sunk when he took his focus off of Christ).  

I believe this takes practice, this listening and obeying and following.  And if you are used to "leading" yourself, this is one of the times when that won't work!  

So stop and listen.  Focus on Christ and what He is saying to you in the moment.  Then trust that He will lead you in triumph!  It may not be instant, but a promise is a promise. And Christ promises us that He will lead us to victory!  Let Him!

Lord Jesus, it is so hard to discern what You want of me in the thick of the battle.  My emotions cloud my viewpoint so that I cannot see clearly what is happening in the spiritual realm.  I pray that You calm me, speak to my spirit, and lead me out of or through the problem or test or trial so that I can triumph in You, Lord!  In Jesus' Name.  Amen