The Concept of Victory

Today, we must have a deeper understanding of victory. If you think that getting well from an illness is victory, and not getting well is not victory, then you have a wrong understanding of spiritual warfare itself. It is critical for a Christian to have a correct understanding of victory.

Only seeing what is happening before your eyes: I am sick now, I don’t care about anything else, if I get well, I will believe; if I don’t get well, I won’t believe. This is a wrong understanding of victory. When a person has a deviation in the concept of victory, it is difficult for this person to become a person of faith. God wants to resolve this person's misconceptions about victory today. For example, a sister said that she is inefficient in doing things, and the things that can be done in one day have not been completed in two days; this inefficiency is also a misconception.

What is Sustainable Victory

In this chapter, God is talking about a very important concept called: Sustainable Victory. Many people don’t care about anything else, they just want to be healed of their illness; they seek healing wherever there is illness, regardless of other things. Why do some people kill and rob? It is because of a deviation in the understanding of the concept of victory. For example, the instinct of living itself is a big problem; they don't care about anything, they just want to live. There are many people who don’t care how, as long as they can live, anything is acceptable.

This explains why some people both heal the sick and cast out demons, but in the end, the Lord Jesus says He does not know them. It is not because healing the sick and casting out demons is wrong, but because they did not understand the faith in Jesus Christ. Healing the sick and casting out demons is not the problem, but if healing the sick and casting out demons is regarded as the whole of faith, that is a big problem. It is not a problem that you desire to be healed, but if you say that you come to seek Jesus only for healing, that is a big problem; it is a foolishness. Including the knowledge of victory, including the knowledge of a person living, must be understood.

God’s will is not to let these Israelites merely gain victory. If it were only for them to gain victory, then since they have already won, why kill all the men in the city? Why did He set so many rules about trees? Why, in the New Testament, were many people healed, but these people were never mentioned again? It is highly probable that these people’s diseases returned. Why did the disease return? Because these people didn't understand it, because they only thought about being healed, and since they were healed, they thought everything was fine. There are also some people who are in another extreme state; they are always in a state of battle: Will my illness get better? When will it get better? Both of these types of people do not have a clear understanding of faith itself and victory itself.

If you carefully observe the things that God has arranged in this chapter, God has arranged them very clearly. Whether it is fighting, spiritual warfare, building churches, healing and deliverance, or you living as a person, don’t think that receiving a little blessing is called victory. Don't think that not receiving a blessing is not victory. Don't think that being healed is called victory, and not being healed is not victory. These things are not like this. God is revealing a direction here: I will let you win, so win. Why did God arrange this and that here? Through these things, God wants to reveal to the people of Israel: What I have arranged for you is by no means as simple as winning a battle, and the faith of Jesus Christ is by no means as simple as healing an illness.

The faith of Jesus Christ is a faith of winning to the end of life. It is by no means as simple as winning a battle or healing a disease. A company or an enterprise is talking about these two things: Replicability and sustainability. Why does God remember so many details in the Bible, what can be done and what cannot be done? Because the Bible is a book with extremely strong replicability; you can do it directly according to it. If you live according to what God has revealed, you will definitely live well, and the effect of living can last forever. God's will is for us to be blessed forever, and the victory He gives us is a sustainable victory.

Be Anxious for Nothing, Be Strong and Courageous

Be anxious for nothing, be strong and courageous, which is the prerequisite for victory:

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. (2 Timothy 2:4-6)

Why did God say these things to the Israelites? Let those who have built houses and vineyards, newly married, and those who are timid, can go home first. This fear is not the fear of the officials, but the fear of those who have wives, houses, and vineyards, because those who come with these worries cannot fight unless they are willing to let go.

In the early days of building a team, we often said this: Victory in battle does not depend on the number of people, but on whether these people have let go of their worries and whether they are strong and courageous. When we carry worries in ourselves and begin to be timid, God cannot work in us. The key to spiritual warfare is in faith, and the biggest influence on faith is worry. Those who carry worries and are timid should simply not participate in spiritual warfare. Because without the prerequisite of being strong and courageous, there is no way to win this spiritual battle. Encourage brothers and sisters to be strong and courageous.

Fighting Battles Without Bloodshed

This is a matter of return on investment and sustainability. If a project requires an investment of ninety-nine million nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand to achieve a return of one hundred million, it is not a victory; the return on investment is too low. Victory is a myth; it is not a one-time achievement that results in a complete and final triumph. We must learn to be particularly astute, making victory sustainable.

When we minister healing and deliverance to someone, and their illness is cured, but they subsequently turn away from God, this is not a victory. As we pray for them, we must also teach them the Word of God, for what is in the mind has a more profound impact on people than physical ailments. Fighting battles without bloodshed is a critical aspect of sustainable victory. Therefore, in conflict, we should avoid bloodshed as much as possible.

Our God is an almighty God, and everything is in His control:

When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you with peace and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be tributaries to you and shall serve you. (Deuteronomy 20:10-11)

Indeed, God's ideal strategy is to subdue the enemy without a fight. We must strive to fight battles without bloodshed, constantly improving. Victory should be sustainable, not ending in loss. Learn to be more astute and avoid foolish actions.

Solving the Problem of Sin

Our God is not cruel. We must have God's perspective. Read the Word of God more and delve into God's heart. Have a lofty vision and avoid shortsightedness. Immediate gains are not important; that is shortsightedness. Our vision must reach the realm that God sees!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:2-3)

Act according to God's commands: God's thoughts are higher than man's thoughts, and God's ways are higher than man's ways. Meditate on God's revelation day and night, and act according to His revelation. God's definition of victory differs from that of man! A wise man does as God says. That is true victory! Never think that being healed is victory; that is not victory.

In Mark chapter 8, after the Lord Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish, He taught His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, but the disciples thought He was talking about their lack of bread. The Lord Jesus lamented that the disciples heard but as though they did not hear, and saw but as though they did not see. The problem was in their minds! We must re-evaluate our conception of victory. It is serving brothers and sisters in need, paying the price to serve, with a very high return.

Those who have faith in God never doubt His actions. Our God is a good God. Do not think that God is cruel simply because He removes the Gentiles. God is also a healer! Ultimate victory and sustainable victory are entirely within the faith of man. Always have faith in God. God removes those who are spiritually corrupt to prevent them from causing God's people to sin and offend God.

God will surely remove the Gentiles who would cause God's people to sin, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were cities of sin and had to be destroyed. It is not enough for people to simply be healed; they must also remove the old ideas within. We must have another level of understanding of victory. Victory can also be reflected in the improvement of work ability. Do not covet money; keep your eyes on faith in God. Do not view victory and defeat with a single perspective. God tells us to look at everything with a fresh perspective. Regardless of whether a person lives well or not, the most important thing is to learn to have faith in God.

Leaving Behind Those Who Bear Good Fruit

Leaving behind those who bear good fruit is also a concept of sustainability. Do not be complacent about everything. Do not think that being healed, having financial turnaround, or being blessed is great. People must learn to be astute throughout their lives and to have faith in God throughout their lives. Do not let external influences affect your inner self. Do not think that being blessed today is victory, and not being blessed today is defeat. God wants to shape and train people's character. Do not be shortsighted, for the ultimate victory is in the hands of our God. If you encounter problems and challenges today, do not think it is a defeat; it is God preparing us for future victory. God's forty years of training for the Israelites in the wilderness was also a preparation for today's victory.

What is true victory? Meditating on the Word of God day and night and doing according to the Word of God is called sustainable victory, which is a Christian who can sustain victory.