The idea of being victorious appeals to everyone, but the world’s way to achieve victory requires us to rely on our own strength. The typical strategies for winning teach us to focus on ourselves and compete with others to come out on top. War movies, TV shows, and televised sporting events give us a skewed vision of winning, but that kind of victory is hollow. Less is said about winning in spiritual warfare.

There’s a battle raging on the spiritual level, but most people aren’t even aware of it. This invisible fight is a conflict over our hearts and minds. Jesus has already beaten the devil on this front; however, the enemy is still trying to prevent us from knowing it. We share in Christ’s victory when we believe in what He did. “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:18, 19).

God is aware that there will be days when we just don’t feel strong. It’s during those times that the devil tries to drag us down. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). However, relying on God’s power and strength gives us the advantage. The devil can’t stand against us when we let God fight our battles.

During His ministry on earth and despite all the miracles He worked, Jesus remained humble. Humility is a godly trait we learn from the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides us and teaches us to be increasingly like Christ. When we humbly submit every area of our lives to God’s authority, His power can work in us and strengthen us for the fight. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

When Jesus died on the cross, He didn’t stay down for long. Three days later, He was resurrected; that’s the ultimate victory. We receive the benefits of Jesus’ finished works when we trust Him and turn over all our struggles and battles to Him. “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall” (Psalm 55:22, NLT). When the enemy brings the fight to us, he knows he’s already a defeated foe.

God makes us strong when we offer Him our faults and flaws. He turns those weaknesses into strengths so that we—and others—can see His power at work. “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:8, 9, NLT). When we try to force our way through a tough situation without God’s help, we can end up making a mess of it. But when we acknowledge that His will is for us to win in life, miracles happen.

Because of the finished works of Jesus, we’re not fighting for victory, but from victory. When the enemy shows up, all we need to do is stand firm and trust in God’s favor toward us. Faith like this separates us from the world.

For more on winning in spiritual warfare, click on the link below for the minibook, The Art of Spiritual War.