The Strength of Your Position
I once worked for a man who was a skilled negotiator. I watched him several times come out of difficult negotiations with a favorable outcome for the company. He told me, “Don’t be in a hurry. The one who is in a rush will give up more to get a deal than the one who is not. If you are not in a hurry you are in a position of strength.” Over the years I’ve found this to be wise advice.
There are different reasons why one might be in a position of strength over others. This includes having greater authority or having more knowledge or having more resources than others. A commander of an army with more troops and weapons and a more favorable location versus a small, less well-equipped and situated enemy is in a position of strength.
This last example is not very different from the position we hold as Christians. We wish that it were not so, but we are in a spiritual battle. We have three enemies that are continually trying to get us to stray from God, all with the ultimate intention of destroying us. The good news is we’re in a position of strength. Yesterday we talked about the fact that we are in Christ. God the Father views us as being in Jesus. We’re identified with Him. This puts us in a unique position of strength over the flesh, the world and Satan.
The Strength In Our Position in Christ Over Our Enemies
- Since we’re identified with Christ, the flesh has been rendered powerless Romans 6:6. The flesh will continue to attack us as long as we’re in these earthly bodies, but we don’t have to pay attention to the desires of the flesh. It no longer has power over us.
- Jesus sent the Spirit to be our Helper and He’s greater than the world 1 John 4:4. The result is that all who are in Christ are able to overcome the world 1 John 5:4.
- When we believed in Jesus we were transferred from the domain of darkness, Satan’s domain, to Jesus’ kingdom Colossians 1:13. Not only that, Jesus destroyed Satan by His death on the cross Hebrews 2:14. As a result, we’re able to resist all the schemes of the devil and stand firm Ephesians 6:11, 13.
If this is true, then why would we ever fail? The answer to that is the difference between our position and our condition. Our position is what we are in God’s eyes, freed from sin, forgiven and victorious. Our condition is how we act and, uh, well, we know it doesn’t always match our condition. We know from experience it’s not only possible for you to act in a way that is inconsistent with your position, it happens all the time.
Here’s how we fix it. Remember who you are. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”wardcushman”]You are a beloved child of the Father with access to His strength to face every challenge.[/inlinetweet] Colossians 3:1-3 tells us to reflectively think about who we are. Do that, even for a moment, before you do anything. You’ll find strength you didn’t know you had!
What have you learned about how to tap into God’s strength to face your challenges? Please share a comment or question below.
