"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV)
This verse encapsulates what God wants to do in us and through us in times like these. According to the Apostle Paul, God "always leads us in triumph in Christ." If I'm reading this correctly, our routine is supposed to be "Victory in Jesus, our Savior forever" as the old hymn proclaims. Our "normal" is supposed to be God diffusing the fragrance of His knowledge and love to us and everyone we encounter, anywhere. That's what this verse says, Right?
Now I'll admit I tend to be a pretty positive and optimistic person, but this does seem extremely plain to me. Does it to you?
Now let's examine how Christians, the disciples of Jesus Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ, are called to be during a pandemic type situation and always.
When this pandemic first hit, the first questions that surged through many Christian's minds were:
- How is this going to affect my immediate and extended family?
- How will it affect my close friends?
- How will it affect me physically and financially?
- How will it affect my job?
Then as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we came to our senses and started praying triumphantly! We started remembering the times our God had gotten us through difficult times. Mentally we replayed the great stories of deliverance we'd recently read in the Bible. Those very same historic and heavenly headlines flashed through our minds like a Times Square billboard in the dark of night!
- "Moses Parts Red Sea, Israelites Walk Through!"
- "Walls of Jericho Shattered with Shouts of Praise!"
- "David Topples Giant Goliath With Slingshot!"
- "Jesus Prays, Lazarus Raised!"
- "With Mud Salve, Jesus Makes Blind Man See!"
- "Tomb's Empty, Body's Missing, Jesus Rises from the Dead!"
and the list goes on and on and on!
Then, possibly demonic doubts chased us down like a master thief focused on stealing our triumph, courage, boldness, and Godly confidence. Those fiery demonic darts come at us with the fury of a phantom. That spirit of fear, whether satanic or our own thoughts, said with the assertiveness of a sinister salesman:
- "But it's different this time."
- "This is affecting the whole world!"
- "There's no way this won't affect you in terrible ways!"
- "What can your God do to help you now?"
- "How are you going to triumph in this?"
Possibly, a spiritual microbe of fear and anxiety wiggled its way into our minds, through our hearing, and suddenly, we were infected with the vicious virus of defeatism. But then, the answer arrived like a wave of lightning flashes, and God arose on the scene like the champion He is! Along with Him came faith and its faithful partner, the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit! Valiantly the Word of faith rose up inside us like a God-sized geyser getting ready to blow! Then with the anointing of God and the recollection power of the Holy Spirit, we proclaimed the Word of God to that fear, doubt, and unbelief! Then suddenly but very expectantly, it vanished away like a vapor. Right?
I know my description sounds overly dramatic, but to be honest, that's how it's supposed to be. Precisely, maybe that's what happened to some of God's people! According to Romans 8:37, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." That's our spiritual heritage through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. That's our heritage as children of God.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:17 NIV, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Victory even in suffering times, that's the promise, so "we may also share in His glory"! Amen!
Unfortunately, many fall prey to the pessimistic vultures of fear and calamity, instead of mounting up with wings like eagles as described in Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
"But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."
We can never forget that despite the circumstances around us, we're walking behind the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Revelation 5:5 says, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
Jesus is the victor, and we are with Him!
Now, let's go back to the word triumph in 2 Corinthians 2:14. Triumph is translated from the Greek Word θριαμβεύω thriambeuō.
- It also means to celebrate the triumph.
- It means celebrating the victory already won.
- It means He causes and leads us into triumph.
The Holy Spirit leads us into a fuller understanding of what Jesus triumph on the cross means to every disciple. 2 Corinthians 2:14 is a powerful promise that needs to become our spiritual reality, but how can that happen?
An Exhortation
How can that happen? The solution is simple enough for a child to understand. God made it that way, so any of us can receive it. Jesus said this in Luke 18:17 (ESV), "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
So regardless of the spiritual level of your life at this time, Paul writes:
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV). God wants you to grow in the knowledge and understanding of His Word.
The question is:
- Do you want to walk in the triumph we read about today?
- Do you want to walk in the victory Jesus already paid for on the cross at Calvary?
If you do, take time to study God's Word. Take time to meditate on God's Word.
- You'll need to go beyond a five minutes a day Bible reading plan.
- You'll need to go deeper than a ten minute prayer time, and sending half-hearted requests to the throne of grace.
God is looking for prayers of faith! He is looking for men and women of faith. He can transform us into one if we ask Him and dedicate ourselves to that purpose. There is so much more for us all to discover! Believe it, and seek it out! God rewards seekers! He promises they will find!
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7 NKJV)
In closing, if you truly want God's spiritual power flowing through you like a dynamo? You'll need to plug into God's Holy Spirit power source and sit in His presence. If you distract easily, you may need to take the clock off the wall, take the watch off and turn the phone off.
In times like these, we have to train as soldiers of Jesus Christ to walk in the triumph! If we don't, we won't experience the kind of victory we've talked about today. That my brothers and sisters would be a terrible waste of an already provided promise from God. Right? It would be a shame to have victory in our grasp and not take it, all because of some minor and unimportant distractions! Right?
If you haven't done so today, get up now, go to your quiet place and meet with God. He's been patiently waiting for you! He loves you and wants to bless you with His triumphant power!
May God bless you triumphantly, Brian Mark Weller