Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37 NKJV
As described in part 1 of this message, being more than a conqueror means that we come out of the battle with more than what we went in with. We come out with spoil.
Herewith part 1 – should you wish to revisit the message: What it means to be “more than a conqueror” – Part 1 – Preparing the bride of Christ
And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock (cattle), with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”
Joshua 22:7-8 NKJV
In part 2 of this message, I will be discussing how we can come out of the battle with gold (a Godly nature), as well as clothing (the garment of praise).
- Coming out of the battle with gold = a Godly nature
One way we can come out of spiritual battles with the spoil of a ‘Godly nature’, is battles where we really need to cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I know that there have been many times in my walk with the Lord where I have come out of spiritual battles with more patience, more love and compassion for others, more faithfulness in the work the Lord has given me, and more peace. The Lord is good, and we can call on Him to help us when we are struggling to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. Thank You Jesus!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
I’d like to share with you another way the Lord taught me how to come out of a battle with a nature more like His. There was a time a few years ago when the spiritual attacks against me seemed to have compounded. It felt like the enemy had come against me with a flood of spiritual attacks.
“When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”
Isaiah 59:19 NKJV
This standard is always Jesus Christ. There may be times in our walk where the enemy does come in like a flood, but that’s when the Holy Spirit lifts up a standard against the enemy. The Lord may use this opportunity to teach us something more about His character and nature, so that we can follow His example.
In my case, the Holy Spirit led me into the understanding of what it meant to lay down my life as a living sacrifice for the good of others. He taught me what it meant to be poured out as a drink offering (Philippians 2:17) and cultivate the same lamb nature as our beloved Jesus. The lamb nature is one of meekness, purity, and a life laid down in sacrifice. Some of the things the Lord taught me were relevant for only a season, and some of them I am still growing in.
This is just one example of how we can come out of the battle with spoil. We come out of the battle with the same nature as Jesus – sacrificially laying down our lives for the good of others. For us, this does not mean physical death, but rather living sacrificially for others. This could look somewhat different for each of us, based upon the will of God for our lives. But if we choose to give of ourselves willingly, the Lord will teach us and guide us into what He has for us.
- Coming out of the battle with clothing = the garment of praise.
Praise is a powerful spiritual weapon which we can use to fight against the enemy. I didn’t know that until the Lord taught me. When I was struggling to overcome a spirit of heaviness, I heard the Holy Spirit encouraging me to offer praise to the Lord. As I attempted to do so, I quickly realized that I didn’t actually know how to praise Him. I realized that the Lord highlighted this to me, because He wanted to teach me. I quickly responded to the Lord by asking the Holy Spirit to teach me how to praise the Lord. He then led me to memorize Scriptures of praise from the Book of Psalms (which is also called the Book of Praise). I proceeded to memorize many Scriptures from the book of Psalms, so that when I needed to use praise as a weapon, I already had Scriptures in my mind and in my heart which I could use to fight with.
When we battle against a spirit of heaviness, Isaiah 61:3 tells us to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. This ‘spirit of heaviness’ could either be a demonic spirit of depression, or if we have allowed our spirit to become heavy due to pressures, trials and hardships we may go through. Either way, the answer is the same – we must fight using joy and praise as a weapon, which would secure our victory in Christ.
In this instance you can see that I came out of the battle with more than what I went in with. I went into this battle not knowing how to praise God, but I came out of the battle with the garment of praise. Thank You Jesus!
I pray that this message encourages you to know that the Lord sees every battle you are facing, and He has a plan for you. He will strengthen your faith and bring you into the victory He has promised in Christ. He will teach you new warfare strategies to help you overcome the enemy, and He will bring you out of the battle with spoil. You will come out with more than you went in with, just keep going.
Part 3 of this message will include the following:
Coming out of the battle with cattle, bronze and iron.
Blessings in Jesus’ mighty name. Goodbye.