Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

If you are like me, you heard the original version of this song before you were old enough to know what the words truly meant. I remember going to church on Sunday morning and singing this song with one vocalist, one drummer, and one random tambourine from the crowd of our small, 20-person, white-walled, maroon-carpeted church with a gravel parking lot outside and a trailer parsonage that we used as a fellowship hall. If you’re not like me and you grew up in a family that wasn’t involved in church or in a church that sounds unlike the one from my childhood, you may be hearing this song’s words for the first time today. Wherever you find yourself today and wherever you come from, I’m glad you’re here.

I love stories. Whether they are in the form of a book or a movie, I love them all the same. When I hear the word “victory,” I think about some of my favorite movie scenes. After an entire movie of struggle, the good guys finally end up defeating the evil that they have been trying to overcome. Think of any of the "Rocky" movies, "Avenger’s Endgame", or any romantic comedy with a happy ending (so, all of them). Those good guys or protagonists often deal with what seems to be an insurmountable, undefeatable enemy, but, in the end, they usually end up pulling through and achieving this thing that we call victory.

I’ve heard it said that there are two things that are certain in this life - death and taxes. I think a more accurate way to say that is this, “There are two things that are certain in this life - sin and the death that it causes.” If you’re a follower of Jesus, you know too well what it is like to wrestle with sin. You know what it’s like to fight. Whether it’s a pornography addiction, alcohol or substance abuse, a huge pile of debt from the result of unhealthy spending habits, overcoming generational dysfunction in your family tree, or something else completely, we as followers of Jesus all know what it is like to stare down sin in our lives, the spiritual death that it causes, and know that we need to fight if we are going to have any hope, joy, love, peace, and victory in our lives. We know what it’s like to fight and win, and we all know what it feels like to be defeated.

Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, the Son of God Himself, defeated both sin and death through three things; His sinless life, His death on the cross that He did not deserve, and His resurrection from the dead three days later that sealed His victory once and for all. 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 says, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. ‘Where O death, is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And we might be able to see this victory more clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:21; “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

God, through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, has given us victory over death and sin. This means that you and I can experience victory over sin in our lives and death is no longer a loss but a gain because it unites us with our Heavenly Father. That is worth celebrating every day for the rest of our lives. I hope that this encourages you today and that it gives you a little more fuel to fight - not for victory, but from it.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Listen to "Victory in Jesus" by Venture Worship on Spotify!
  
• Through Jesus, God has given us victory over sin and death, but we still must live that out in our own lives. What do you think it looks like to live out the victory that God has given us?
  
• In the areas where you are still wrestling with sin, consider finding someone who you trust and respect to share your struggles with. Allow them to carry your burden with you and to pray for you so that you can experience healing (Galatians 6:1-2, James 5:16-17).
  
• Prayer: In your own words, spend a few minutes praising God for the victory that He has given you. Ask Him to never let you forget the victory that you have in Jesus. Whatever sins you are wrestling with today, ask for God’s help in your fight today. And finally, ask Him to show you how you can help others experience victory over sin and death through Jesus.