THE SECRET TO VICTORY
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
There will be ceaseless temptations and trials to the saints until the Lord’s Second Coming. It is because the Bible warns us that our enemy, Satan the devil, uses every chance to prowl around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The saints that God wants and accepts are the ones that endure the temptations and overcome them with the faith to trust in the Lord and return the glory of victory to God. Thus, today’s Scripture text, 1 Cor 15:58, urges us to “stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,” and it says on v57, “He gives us the victory.” If so, what is the way to overcome the temptation without being swayed? The Bible says that only way to overcome temptation is through prayer. Jesus prayed too when he came to this earth. Those who consume the Word daily as the Spiritual food, who are supplied with the wisdom, grace and strength from God, who always pray using prayers as the Shield so that the supply line will not be broken, and those who continue the path of faith are the ones who can uphold the fidelity of faith without falling into the waves of temptation and trial.
I. The types of temptation that Jesus was faced with.
The 1st temptation that Jesus was faced with started with 3 questions that the devil asked him (Mt 4:1-11, Lk 4:1-13). When Jesus was hungry and thirsty after 40 days of fasting, the devil used the authority and the sovereignty of the world as the item of negotiation to challenge Jesus. The 2nd temptation that Jesus was faced with came from his beloved disciples or empathy (Mt 16:21-24). The 3rd temptation that Jesus was faced with was his agony for the Will and the trial that came from within him for the path that he is about to walk on (Mt 26:36-46). This trial was the most fearful and dreadful trial that representx the classic example on how difficult and painful it is to overcome ourselves.
II. The trial of Satan, who was so determined that it never gave up.
When we are filled with abundant Holy Spirit, abundant Word, abundant prayers and grace, the devil will try to shake us. It tries to challenge us. Even if we defeat that trial and temptation, it is only temporary; and just because we defeated it once, it does not mean that Satan, the devil, will leave us alone for good. Satan withdraws itself and waits for another opportunity and hangs around. What is stated in Lk 4:13, “The devil left him until an opportune time” implies something peculiar. It contains the meaning of “I will not go away forever” and “I will definitely be back whenever there is a chance,” and “I will surely be back.” Hence, if you are not alert and sober, you will be the devil’s prey. Even if you have great faith to move the heaven and earth, it is finished when you are tempted and fall. If the devil always followed God the Creator, how easy would it be for it to follow us, His creation? We are destined to lose if we do not have strong faith. We must pray. If there are cracks in our hearts and the wind of agony, worry and despair try to come through them, we must kneel before God and plead. It is because only the prayer is the strongest weapon that saves us from all temptations.
III. Controlling our thoughts will guarantee victory.
The devil is a mystical creature and tries its best to come between our thoughts to obtain opportunity. Thus, controlling your thoughts is one of the ways to overcome Satan’s temptations and tricks. When we pursue the work of the flesh because we are immersed in the thoughts of the flesh, Satan will take that route to intrude easily. On the contrary, when we are focused on the work of the Spirit, we can safely guard our faith because there is no space that the devil can penetrate in. Because Jesus controlled his thoughts, he was finally able to successfully accomplish the great ministry of redemption for mankind. In the situation where the 3 disciples who were Jesus’ final support fell asleep and were not able to fulfill their role as Jesus’ shield, Jesus alone fought the final dual against the devil. Jesus was able to sing the anthem of victory by withdrawing his own thoughts and considering the Father first. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39, Mk 14:36) — this short outcry became the anthem of victory that saved mankind and fulfilled the Will of God.
Conclusion:
My beloved saints! Satan challenges us through the worldly objects, our parents, siblings, teachers and acquaintances, or sometimes through ourselves. The most important trial is the trial to overcome ourselves. The Bible warns us that when one trusts oneself, moves according to his own thoughts, and becomes his own idol, it is identical to bowing down before a living idol (Rev 16:1-2). It is likewise a sin not to consider the saddened heart of God, yet conduct the activities of daily living such as sitting, eating, drinking and indulging (1 Cor 10:7). We will live when we have the heart of Jesus in our hearts. The heart of Jesus is the heart to overcome oneself (Rev 12:17, 14:12, 13:7-10). I sincerely hope that we all have the heart of Jesus and serve the Lord wholeheartedly, so that we can overcome with our thoughts and our lives and return the glory of victory to the Lord.