The key to victory today, tomorrow and forever

So many voices today promise to give the “keys to victory,” “the recipe for success,” or “the way to live an overcoming life!” However, there is one way that is completely Scriptural, with no hype, which will give every believer victory both in this life and the next. Read on…..

The invitations of Jesus

Have you ever considered the invitations of Jesus? 

Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.

This is an invitation from Jesus to the throne of grace, the throne of heaven. Jesus is our source for guidance and revelation.

And here is a second invitation from Jesus, as written by the apostle Paul.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Since you have been raised with Christ [emphasis added]…. This is stated in the past tense, which means it has already happened. And here is the invitation: set your hearts on things above.

And in yet another passage in another letter, Paul explains further regarding being raised up with Christ:

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Again, past tense. God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms [emphasis added]. The Holy Spirit is saying, “Hey believer, this already happened!” He then tells us why it happened: In order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

How this relates to the end-times

Why does this matter as we consider the end-times and Jesus’ return? You see, God’s end-time plan is to have a bride with a heart and mind fixed on His glorious throne.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

We are transformed into what we behold. If our hearts and minds heed the call (the invitation from Jesus!) to come up here, to fix our minds on things above, we are fulfilling our purpose, which is God’s ‘Great Command’ to love the Lord our God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength.  Some call it having a prayer life. Some call it pure simple devotion to Christ.  David called it his one great desire, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord all the days of his life. 

By setting our hearts and minds on things above and not earthly things, we are in the process of cooperating with the Holy Spirit. In theological language it is called sanctification. In this process of gazing on the Lord (setting our minds on things above), we become true disciples of Jesus.  As we love Him more, the Holy Spirit then sets our heart on a journey of enjoying the constant love that God has for us. 

The key to victory

Here it is: we already died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Paul says “for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ, in God,”  just what does he mean? To help understand this for you died, think back to your baptism. Imagine that, when you were plunged under water, instead of coming right back up, you actually died. Imagine now, but don’t get morbid, that you really died and stayed under water for three days.  All your plans were cancelled, relationships with family stopped, and all your possessions were washed away in the river of cleansing. 

Jesus’ death was real. He was in the grave three days. So we died when we were baptized into His death and raised with Him into our new life as believers. We need to only accept, believe, and thank Jesus for these words that are past tense—they have already happened. We then determine to press our way into setting, fixing, and gazing.

Accept our death as past tense. God raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms.... God raised us up!  It is finished. Accept that as fact. God raised us up.

In God’s mind, your old self died. There is a stench when you go back to it. I know this smell of my old self very well. But God has an answer to that old self, and it is in His invitation.

Put off your old self and put on your new life which is being transformed into the very image of God. Now set your new heart on things above, where Christ is.  Fix your new mind on things above, not earthly things, for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [emphasis added]

Oh, how the Holy Spirit wants to help us in this process.  Just thank Him for what He has already shown you and ask for more. 

I deliberately left out Scriptural chapters and numbers. Why? With the hope of getting you into the Word of God. Search out these mysteries for yourself. Know the victory that comes from accepting our death as past tense and setting our minds on the things above. There is no other way to be victorious. Then when Jesus comes you will be so prepared that Jesus will be proud to come for you.

While we are waiting for Jesus, let’s get lost in the gazing.