37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37 ESV)
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Romans 8:37 NLT)
Lie: “I am not strong enough for this life.”
The lie of today has some truth in it. Honestly, you are not strong enough for this life. I know I’m not. Most mornings it pains me to roll out of bed. It’s difficult to think I, in that moment, am a conquerer. We are the same people who struggle with our diets. We have yet to conquer ourselves let alone the world around us. The sooner you realize this, the sooner the grace of God is made practical and tangible.
I love the writings of Paul. It seems to me that he was a pretty intense guy. Yet, he had a strange mix of both confidence and humility. Every boast had something to do with the work of Christ. He never completely disregards himself, but he comes close. Paul’s main point in everything was to direct readers to the power of Christ, which he calls the ‘Gospel’. This is the power of God working through humanity. His power is true and undefeated, while ours is still trying to figure out where they left their keys.
The command is this: rely solely on the finished work of Christ. Take all your energy, motivation, strength, and weakness, and chase after our Lord. In this and this alone, you will find “overwhelming victory”. But as long as your life is yours and not His, you will remain intimate with failure. This world is too large for your shoulders. You have tremendous resources at your disposal but it needs to start with full and reckless surrender.
Lord, thank you for the victory you provide. May we walk in this with a holy courage.
Matt simon blog 