Warfare is an inevitable fact of life. Our adversary is a formidable foe, but God enables us to be victorious. The Apostle John recorded a glimpse into the warfare taking place in the heavenly realm:

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:9-10)

God is all powerful and Satan and his minions are subservient to God and His commands. People will find themselves in the bondage of Satan unless they find salvation through Jesus Christ. John revealed how God’s people were able to overcome the forces of wickedness:

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Revelation 12:11)

The concept of overcoming is a recurring theme in John’s writings. The word overcome carries the connotation to subdue, conquer, or gain the victory. John is reminding Christians that we can be victorious in our lives. His first epistle indicates that our belief in Christ is what enables us to be an overcomer:

Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:5)

John then described the strategy that enables us to be an overcomer. First, we must recognize and rely upon the blood of the Lamb. Satan is the accuser of the brethren and we must rest in God’s grace in our lives and not spiral downward by the accusations of the enemy. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice who paid the price in full for all of our sins – past, present, and future. Satan has no ground of accusation against a believer.

Next, we see that they spoke the word of their testimony. They unashamedly testified of God’s work in their lives. This is reminiscent of Peter’s testimony before the Sanhedrin:

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Finally, we see that they were able to overcome because they had transcended their fear of death, knowing that their destiny was secure. Jesus had taught this principle to His disciples:

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mark 8:35)

We can live with abandonment knowing that our destiny is secure and that God has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rick Higgins

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark