INTRODUCTION:

Victory simply means the conquest of gaining a decisive advantage over an enemy. The gospel proclaims the victory of God in Christ over the forces of evil in the world. It cannot be overemphasised that victory is an act of God. God is the source of all victory; any “victory” outside of God is a fake or at best a hollow victory. God will only grant victory to those who obey His commands and put their confidence in Him. This principle holds true in all believers conflicts whether physical or spiritual. Victory is achieved by God and never by people and so it should be ascribed to Him alone.

1 Chron. 29:11, 1 Cor15:57, Deut. 20: 1-4, Ps. 20: 7-8, 118:15, 147:10, 33: 16-17, Prov. 21: 30-31, 2 Chron. 20:15, Ps. 18:35, 2 Cor. 2:14, 1 Sam. 17: 45-47, Ps 44: 3-7, Ps. 60: 11-12.

In our study today we want to consider those things that can hinder the victory our God has prepared for us. May the Holy Spirit help us to comprehend in Jesus Name.

1.      A LIFE OF SIN

A life of continuous repeated and consistent sin will inevitably rob us of any victory God has prepared for us. Each time we compromise with sin, we make the devil happy and the Bible says that his 3 fold ministry is to kill, steal and destroy.

Failure to abide in God and His Word is to swim and drink sin. It is not enough to be hearers but doers of the Word. Many of us live in continuous defeat in an area or some areas of life because we continue to disobey God and compromise with the devil in those areas.

Ps. 58: 3-5, Ps  78: 57-62, Jere. 2: 19, Jere 3: 22 – 25, Jere. 15:6, Jn. 15:6, 2 Pet. 3:17, 2 Kings 17: 14-20, Mt. 14:31, 16:8, 17: 17-20, 10:38, 2 Tim. 2: 12-13, Heb. 10: 35-39

2.      FAILURE TO SEEK GOD

Your source will determine your resources. Do you seek God for counsel? Do you seek Him in prayers? He is the one that has the right strategies for victory. Victory is gained through the application of right strategies and principles. Wrong counsel and ungodly associations are recipes for defeat. Faithlessness is one reason many don’t seek God for victory. Faithlessness is the lack or absence of faith or turning away from a professed commitment to God, many do this when confronted by difficult situations. Such people soon abandon their commitment to God, some even disown Him while others simply wander from the truth and become entangled with the world.

Some out of impatience refuse to seek God; they think He is too slow. Some others out of pride refuse to seek God for victory – they want to do things their own way (self government) forgetting that much of life is spiritual. Failure to seek God for any reason will make victory in that venture or thing go further away. Not seeking God for victory is clearly lack of wisdom, and you cannot win in life without wisdom.

2 Chro. 12:14, Ps 14: 2-3, Ps 119:67, 155, 9: 13, Zeph. 1 : 6, Mala. 2:2, Num. 20:12, 1 Sam. 2: 29-30, Dan. 5: 22-23, Rom. 2: 23, Gen. 2o:1, Exo. 9: 30, Deut. 25:18, Job 6:14, Lk. 23: 40