“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony…” Revelation 12:11 (KJV)
The disciple’s victory is consequent upon the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Christ, Who gave Himself in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, and the sacrifices we make because of our faith in Him. When facing the enemy, we should not exercise fear or try to escape from him, but we should loyally serve Christ, who alone brings victory (Romans 8:34-39). We overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony; he becomes powerless, and his defeat is inevitable.
Beloved, if we lose our testimony by being wooed into the same sin that once held us captive, we cannot defeat the enemy since our testimony is destroyed. The entrapment devices of the devil have not changed because it has been an effective strategy from the creation of mankind to today. They include the lust of the flesh (sexual gratification, gluttony, a hunger to acquire power and position by any means necessary, etc.), the lust of the eyes (the love of money, pornography, sexual cravings), the pride of life (being boastful of the academic qualifications, position, wealth, and political and other societal connections acquired, etc.).
To overcome is to conquer, subdue, or pre-cut some sort of battle or contest. In the biblical context, overcomers are those of us who resist the entrapment devices of the enemy by engaging in spiritual warfare to destroy every stronghold over our lives. We do so by using the blood of Jesus to cancel every demonic covenant made by our fore-parents and destroy every altar that gave demonic spirits access to our family bloodline. It is only Jesus’ blood that has the requisite quality for our atonement and redemption (Hebrews 9:13-14).
As disciples of Christ, we need to be wary of the fact that our three enemies are:
- The devil, whose intention is ultimately to destroy our souls.
- The flesh – if allowed to prevail, would cause us to live carnal lives, resulting in us being an enemy of God. (Those who live in the flesh cannot please God – Romans 8:7-8).
- Worldliness, i.e., friendship with the world, including immorality, occultism, pornography, negative aspects of technological devices, gambling, betting, pride, etc.
Friends and disciples of Christ, Matthew 5:16 (NIV) reminds us to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our testimonies are not just words but also actions. The way we live our lives should reflect God’s transformative power and point others to Him. Let us guard our testimonies with all diligence today!
Read: Leviticus 17:11; Revelation 6:9
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 31:9-18; Mark 14:17-42; Leviticus 17; Leviticus 18
