The Daily Word of Righteousness

Israel—God's Conqueror, #4

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14)

We must wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb. We must keep ourselves spiritually clean and holy, free from sin. How do we do this?

By walking carefully in the light of God's will, praying and seeking His will at all times, presenting our physical body a living sacrifice to Him.

By confessing our sins and repenting of them, as they are revealed to us by the light of God. When we confess our sins and repent of them, the blood of the Lamb forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Then the Holy Spirit adds to us the Life of Christ, of God's Conqueror, so we can resist those sins the next time we are tempted (I John 1:7-9).

This is how we wash our robes, keeping them white in the blood of the Lamb. We overcome with God in the area of sin. We become "Israel," the struggler, in the area of sin. We overcome with God and prevail against Satan, against the adversary of God and man.

Overcoming by the Word of Our Testimony

Overcoming the problems and pressures of life, the tribulations, difficulties, and temptations experienced by sinner and saint alike, is accomplished by faith in God's Word. The Holy Spirit of God is the One who gives us the power and wisdom that enable us to overcome Satan as he strives continually to cause us to fail in our struggle toward God's rest.

Our testimony is that Jesus is Lord, that He died for our sins, that He arose bodily from the dead, that He keeps us by His power, and that He is coming again to raise us to glory. Our testimony is the unrelenting declaration of our faith and trust in God's Character, in what He has declared to be true.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (I John 5:4)

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is a record of men and women who overcame the problems and temptations of life through faith in God's Character. Because of their faith in God they were able to stand true in spite of Satan's unceasing efforts to persuade them to disobey God, to give up in discouragement and despair, or else to turn to other gods to protect their animal existence, to fulfill their desire for joy and worship, and to enable them to express themselves and to exercise authority and power.

Overcoming the accusations and devices of Satan can be extraordinarily difficult, as anyone knows who is attempting to serve God in these days. There are numerous problems that face each individual. There are problems in the home, problems of finance, problems in finding the Lord's will, problems of health, problems in keeping our courage and confidence strong enough to persevere throughout these trying circumstances. Then there are the imprisonments and deaths the Lord brings upon us for our perfecting and so that life and truth may flow from us to other people.

To be continued.