Victory over spiritual failure

Ever wonder why every time you experience a victory in your spiritual life, you are almost guaranteed to fail in some way soon afterward? Usually you end up feeling so poorly, that the failure totally eclipses the joy you experienced a short time before.

It is because we sometimes are not willing to completely remove the sinful traits from our lives. Sinful, hating, lustful and corrupt tendencies fill our thoughts continually. We seem to enjoy bathing in the murky waters of our sinful character. But until your last breath, every decision you make will serve to be more of an impact in the outcome of your life than will the devil’s abominable and deceitful influences.

You see, the devil cannot make you sin, that is not one of his powers, though he is armed with a vast array of them. In order for the devil to be victorious over you, you must make the decision to sin. Without your full cooperation, his dark influences fall helplessly away. When you fall victim to his snares, if he is to remain victorious in your life, he has to convince you to continue in sin. And there is no more fertile a ground for planting sin than in the mind of a person who feels they can rise no higher than the sinful state they find themselves. The devil, knowing this will make it his aim to remind you of all the wrong you have done and how far from God you have fallen.

Not only does he seek to pester you with your mistakes, but he and his dark spirits take to heavenly angels, the record of your wrong doing, insisting that you are not worthy to be saved.

“Satan and his angels mark all the mean and covetous acts of these persons and present them to Jesus and His holy angels, saying reproachfully, These are Christ’s followers! They are preparing to be translated! Satan compares their course with passages of Scripture in which it is plainly rebuked and then taunts the heavenly angels, saying, These are following Christ and His Word! These are the fruit of Christ’s sacrifice and redemption! Angels turn in disgust from the scene.”
Early Writings, Ellen White. P. 268

Even with these records in view, downcast though they may be, these angels sent by God himself to bear you up in times of trouble, never give up on you. This should be a great encouragement to all. For if heavenly messengers see fit to stay by your side even at your worst, why then should we give up hope. Our hope is in Christ Jesus, and we know the devil is no match for the Son of God.

If we give over to the Holy Spirit, our sinful nature and corrupt will, and receive in return the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, then shall we begin an experience where we have a new nature – Christ’s own nature.

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20

The seclusion from our old habits is a source of great distress for the devil and his evil spirits. They are reminded daily of their fate, the final death of sin and punishment for the pushers of this most life threatening drug.

Make it a point to remind them of their fate daily. They have no power over anyone who chooses Christ Jesus.