EVERY BATTLE A VICTOR

God promised that you would come out of every battle a victor, crowned by his strength. “Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power” (Psalm 21:13).

How does the Lord “prevent” us with these blessing of goodness and lovingkindness? The Holy Spirit drives out all fear from us—fear of falling, of being cut off from God, of losing the presence of the Holy Spirit—by implanting in us his joy. We are to go forth rejoicing, as David did, because God has assured us we will prevail.

Yet so few Christians have this joy and exceeding gladness. Multitudes never know rest of soul or the peace of Christ’s presence. They walk around as if in mourning, picturing themselves under the thumb of God’s wrath rather than under his protective wings. They see him as a harsh taskmaster, always ready to bring a whip down on their backs. And so they live unhappily, with no hope, more dead than alive.

But in God’s eyes, our problem isn’t sin; it is trust. Jesus settled our sin problem once and for all at Calvary. He doesn’t harp on us, “This time you’ve crossed the line.” No, never! His attitude toward us is just the opposite. His Spirit is constantly wooing us, reminding us of the Father’s lovingkindness even in the midst of our failures.

When we become focused on our sin, we lose all sight of what God wants most: “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). This verse says it all. Our God is a rewarder, and he’s so anxious to shower us with his lovingkindness that he blesses us way ahead of schedule.

This is the concept our heavenly Father longs for us to have of him. He knows when we’ll repent over our failures and sins. He knows when our contriteness is coming. But he can’t wait for the due date. So he jumps in, saying, “I want to assure my child he won’t be judged, because I’ve already forgiven him through my Son’s cleansing blood.”