More Than Conquerors
© 2006 Stuart Pattico. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from the author.
The purpose of this article is to empower you to overcome and live a victorious Chritian life. Let us begin by reading from the book of Leviticus...
Lev 9:22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.
Lev 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
Lev 9:24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Lev 10:4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
Lev 10:5 So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.
Lev 10:6 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.
Lev 10:7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
Lev 10:8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,
Lev 10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
Lev 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
Lev 10:11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
Nadab and Abihu
Nadab and Abihu were chosen by God to be priests and to serve Him in the tabernacle. They had been consecrated and anointed with oil. Before they received their anointing, they had the privilege of seeing with their eyes the Lord God of Israel:
Exo 24:9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
Exo 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Exo 24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
Nadab and Abihu had the honour of eating and drinking with the Almighty God. I point this out, so as to indicate that they were by no means unfamiliar with God. They had seen Him, which is an experience to be envied. Few of us could boast of such an encounter with God.
Exodus 28v1, shows us that God selected Aaron, and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithama to minister to Him in the office of priest. This was indeed a weighty call, for they were to be the first Israeli priests in Israel’s religious history. The fact that God selected them suggests that God saw in them that which was required to be a faithful minister. We do not read about Nadab and Abihu again until Leviticus 10, a scene where the glory of the Lord has just appeared to all the people, where we learn of their death and judgement by the Almighty God.
The Glory Realm and Divine Acceleration
Upon analysing the events surrounding their death, we learn that they were killed by God because they offered ‘strange fire’ before the Lord. Evidently the Lord had not commanded this kind of fire to be offered. God had commanded Moses that a sanctuary was to be built, so that God could dwell amongst the people. God gave the blueprint to Moses, with specific instruction on how it was to be built, detailing the materials, measurements and also the offerings. The sanctuary, which was a tabernacle reflecting the one in heaven, had now been built; and the priests had been consecrated according to the command of God. The people of Israel had been gathered outside the door of the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appears to them. At first, Nadab and Abihu’s swift judgement may appear to be a little harsh. However, if there is ever a time not to sin, it is when God’s glory is present. Of course, we should never sin, as the judgement for that sin will soon catch up with us. However, in the presence of the Glory, that judgement is accelerated. In fact, in the glory realm, both blessing and judgement are accelerated. In the glory, we are in the immediacy of who God is. His glory is the weight of His majesty, the magnificence of His splendour; it speaks of all His goodness.
The Moral Lesson
There are many thoughts and suggestions amongst various commentators, as to what exactly this ‘strange fire’ was. The passage does specifically mention the nature of the ‘strange fire’; however, the moral lesson to be learned is abundantly clear:
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
The New King James Version brings out the sense a little more clearly:
And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I will be glorified.’” So Aaron held his peace.
There are two things to be brought out here. Firstly, God commands all who come near to hallow Him, or regard Him as holy (set apart, above all else). Secondly, God commands His representatives (priests) to glorify Him before all people. It is clear then that the offering of Nadab and Abihu was an irreverent one. Whatever the precise nature of the ‘strange fire’ was, it is clear that it was not offered in the knowledge of God’s Holiness, or in the fear of the Lord. Also, as priests, they should have set the example for the people. However, in this they failed and did not glorify God before all the people.
Under the New Covenant, all who believe in Jesus Christ are priests, as it is written:
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
As priests, we must make sure of at least two things.
Firstly, when we come before God with our offering, whether it is prayer, worship, thanksgiving, or anything that we do, we must reverence God. We must regard Him as holy. In other words, we must acknowledge within our self that He is eternally set apart from us as far as His glory, honour, majesty, and power are concerned. He is not on our level; He is the highest level of Royalty. We must regard Him above all else.
Secondly, as priests, we must be aware that in all we do we must be an example to those who are around us. God must be glorified in our life, and this must be demonstrated before all people. As Jesus said,
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The Opposing Pressure
Indeed, in the context of our every day lives (whether that be at school, college, university, or the work place), the pressure that often opposes or intimidates us, rendering us unable to glorify God before man is called peer-pressure. Those of us who have experienced peer-pressure will certainly know that despite all good moral intention, and despite the genuine desire to do that which is right, we find ourselves weakened by a force that opposes our faith, and generates within us the fear of man. However, we have seen that failure to be an example of righteousness, when God has placed upon us the responsibility of priesthood, will lead to death and judgement. We therefore need to discover the means by which we can overcome this enemy.
First of all, we must recognise God’s declaration about us:
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
In this verse, ‘all these things’ refers to the many obstacles or pressures that we will face in this world.
The verse goes on to inform us that in every obstacle or pressure, we are more than conquerors. The phrase ‘more than conquerors’ is translated from one Greek word, namely hupernikao. A usual meaning of the preposition huper in composition is “above all measure”. Therefore, God is communicating to us through this verse that the extent to which we are able to conquer all obstacles is immeasurable. But notice, the emphasis of this verse is not what we are able to do, but rather what we are. We are conquerors above all measure. Imagine that, above all measure! That means you cannot be defined by any measurement. No man can define you or set your boundaries… for you are a conqueror above all measure! This is why you cannot let anybody put you down. The only One who truly knows and understands you is God, for He Himself is boundless and knows no limitation. You are whatever God says you are. Often, what gets in the way of us being what God says we are is our own finite mind. Therefore, the Holy Spirit says,
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This verse clearly shows us that overcoming peer-pressure (not being conformed to this world) is accomplished through the renewing of our mind. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. In other words, we are to change the way we think. We must think in agreement with what God says about us. We must reckon to be true whatever He says is true. As we do this, we will experience its reality in our lives. God sees you as more than a conqueror, a conqueror above all measure, but how do you see yourself? It is time that we begin to see ourselves the way God sees us. Insecurity is at the centre of why people yield to peer-pressure. When you truly see yourself the way God sees you, insecurity will vanish, for you are complete in Christ.
This brings us to the last part of Romans 8v37 – ‘through him that loved us’. ‘Him’ refers to Jesus Christ. ‘That loved us’ refers to a completed act occurring in the past. Of course it is true the Jesus presently loves us. However, the emphasis here is that He ‘loved us’. This speaks of the Cross, where Jesus willingly died for us, receiving the punishment that we deserved, so that we might be forgiven by God. This was the perfect demonstration of Love. Seeing as our identity as more than conquerors is released ‘through him that loved us’, we need to fully identify ourselves with the Cross of Jesus Christ.
What is the Cross?
The Greek word used for “cross” refers to the upright beam used by the Romans as an instrument for execution. Only slaves and the lowest forms of criminals were crucified (executed) in this manner.
After a criminal was condemned, they would normally be scourged. The Roman scourge consisted of a handle of about twelve leather cords, having jagged pieces of metal at each end in order to make each blow more painful. The victim was tied to a post and was scourged. The blows were applied to the bare back and waist area, and sometimes to the face and bowels. Sometimes, the victim would faint or even die under the scourging. If the same part of the body was hit more than once, each blow would cut deeper into the body, going beyond the muscles, even to the organs. Up to 40 stripes were permitted by law. The Jews reduced this to 39 stripes. If a scourge had 12 thongs, and was used 39 times, this would result in total of 468 stripes. We can see that this was severe punishment. In fact, we can say that the punishment of the cross began before the victim even got to the cross.
After receiving scourging, the victim was then made to carry the cross-beam like a slave to the venue of his death, whilst a herald carried in front of him a written accusation. This venue was always outside the city. The condemned man was then stripped naked, thrown on the ground with the cross-beam under his shoulders, and his arms or his hands nailed to it. This crossbar was then lifted and secured to the upright post. The victim’s feet were nailed to the upright post, just clear of the ground. Often, the main weight of the body was supported by a projecting peg, upon which the victim sat. The condemned man was there left to die of hunger and exhaustion. The suffering of death by crucifixion was intense, especially in hot climates. Some of the suffering can be shown by the following details:
The process of death was often quickened by soldiers breaking the victim’s legs. However, this did not happen to Jesus, as when the soldiers came to Him, He was already dead.
It is important to understand what was happening when Jesus endured all of this. The Scripture tell us
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus was innocent, and had never committed any sin. However, He voluntarily allowed all of our sin to be laid upon His body. However, the word translated ‘iniquity’ in the Hebrew does not only mean sin, but also the punishment or evil consequences associated with that sin. So on the Cross, Jesus took upon Himself our sin, and also the negative results of that sin. The negative results of sin are innumerable, and include such things as failure, insecurity, poverty, death, family breakdown, sickness, identity crisis, depression, anxiety, sorrow, pain, and every bad thing that exists. Jesus took all of this upon Himself, and endured the grief of it.
What Died on the Cross?
Now, Jesus did not endure this just for the sake of it. When the scripture says that God laid our iniquity on Jesus, it implies that He first took it from us, and then placed it upon Him. That is what happened on the Cross; our sin, and all the evil associated with it was taken from us, and placed upon Jesus. Seeing as this is the case, there is no reason why we need to endure them any longer!
Jesus was then killed on the Cross. That means that our sin and all its evil consequences were killed and destroyed on the Cross!
Foolishness was destroyed on the Cross!
Sickness was destroyed on the Cross!
Sin was destroyed on the Cross!
Shame was destroyed on the Cross!
Poverty was destroyed on the Cross!
Death was destroyed on the Cross!
Paul describes this victory that we have in the following manner:
Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6v6-7)
This verse speaks of our ‘old man’. The old man refers to the man who is a slave to sin, and all of its evil consequences. It refers to the man that is spiritually dead, unable to fulfil the commandments of God, and unable to bring glory to His Name. The verse tells us that this old man was crucified ‘WITH Him’. Remember what I said earlier: we must begin to see ourselves the way God sees us. God says that our old man – the man that doesn’t know God, that struggles with sin, that cannot resist temptation, that backslides, that yields to peer-pressure, that has outbursts of anger, that yields to sexual immorality, that struggles with his sexuality, that is rude, that can’t show love, that doesn’t know how to worship, that feels uncomfortable when the Holy Spirit is moving, that is unable to be filled with the Spirit, that is jealous and envious, that doesn’t enjoy praying or reading the Word – that man was crucified with Jesus on the Cross. How? All of these negative things were laid upon Jesus on the Cross. That old man will not be crucified in the future; he was crucified on the Cross with Jesus.
Seeing as our old man has already died, the rightful thing to do to him, is to bury him. This is accomplished through baptism:
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
We see then that baptism is a burial. It is acting out the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through it we bury our old man who has already died. Water baptism is thus the acknowledgement of our unity with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Water baptism is foreshadowed in the Old Testament, by the children of Israel passing through the Red Sea, out of the land of Egypt. The Egyptians had been afflicting the Israelites for 400 years with cruel bondage. In this sense, Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) represents Satan. His taskmasters and armies represent Satan’s demons. In order to escape from their torment, bondage and affliction, the children of Israel needed to pass through the Red Sea. When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, the waters divided, insomuch that there was enough dry ground for the children on Israel to pass through. When Pharaoh and his armies tried to follow them, the waters returned and destroyed Pharaoh, along with his armies.
The important point is this: when you pass through the Red Sea, i.e. when you pass through what the waters of baptism represent (that is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ), the devil and his demons can’t follow you!
The same Death that saved you is the same Death that has destroyed the devil! As it is written,
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
It is abundantly clear then, that we are not fighting for victory over the evil one. Rather, we are fighting from victory over him. He has already been defeated! When he rears his ugly head, like Jesus, you just need to tell him ‘Get BEHIND me!’ That is what we need to say to peer-pressure, that spirit of timidity. As it is written,
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
We must remember that when we come up out of the water of baptism, it represents our resurrection with Jesus. This is what it means to be born again. Where as our old man inherited its behaviour from Adam, we now put on the new man, which is the likeness of Jesus Christ. Our spirits have been made new, and we have inherited the DNA of Christ. As it is written,
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
The quoted scripture declares that even our race has been changed – we are neither black or white, Greek or Jew, we now belong to the Christ race - ‘Christ is all’. Our culture no longer defines who we are, or what we do. We have inherited a new behaviour pattern from Jesus our Lord.
We are Kings
The good news does not stop at our resurrection. We know that we died, were buried, and have been resurrected with Him. However, the Scriptures also teach us that when Jesus returned to heaven, we ascended with Him!
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Right now, you are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Where are these heavenly places?
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
You are seated in heavenly places, far above all the powers of darkness. Jesus is seated upon His throne, and you are seated with Him. That means you are seated upon a throne. But… thrones are only for kings!!!! That means you are royalty, and have been given the authority of a king! You have authority to reign in life, as it is written,
Rom 5:17 …much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
However, it is pointless us knowing these truths if we do not experience them in our lives. We need to appropriate and activate these truths, and as I said earlier, this begins with changing the way we think. The devil is afraid of you finding out your true identity. As kings, we need to realise that the law proceeds from our mouths! The devil does not dictate to you what you do or how you act. Nor does he dictate your circumstances. Because of your new position in Christ, trough His death, resurrection and Ascension, your authority is far above that of the devils. As a king it is in the power of your mouth to determine the outcome. Although the devil and his demons have been rendered powerless against you trough the death of Jesus Christ, the devil still roams about trying to seduce you though his temptations. Therefore, the apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesians to,
Eph 6:17 … take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The Power of Proclamation
When the Israelites came out of Egypt they still had to possess the land God had promised them. In order to do this, they not only had to be obedient to God, they also had to take out their swords! As it is written on a certain occasion,
Num 21:24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
Furthermore, God exhorted Israel that even when they have possessed their land, they would still have to use the sword. As it is written,
Lev 26:7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
The sword is therefore necessary both obtain and to maintain our possession of the promises of God. We need to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. However, it is not the word of God on our bookshelf. Nor is it the word of God in our heads. Rather, it is the word of God in our mouths!
In order to appreciate this truth, let us reconsider the journey of Israel. After they passed through the Read Sea, they were in the wilderness for 40 years. Then they possessed the land by God’s power and by the edge of the sword. Even so, Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan, which corresponds to Israel passing through the Red Sea. He then spent 40 days in the wilderness, which corresponds to Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. Even so, after His wilderness, Jesus too had to take out His sword! Matthew 4 shows us that after the 40 days, the tempter came to Him. Jesus overcame him by opening His mouth and declaring the Word of God, and was able to enter the land of His God given mission. This is the sword of the Spirit; it is the speaking forth of God’s Word.
Hebrews 11v3 sheds light on this principle:
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
This verse reveals that God framed the worlds by speaking forth His Word. By doing this, He made that which was invisible become visible! There are many truths in the Bible that need to become visible in our lives. I believe that one of the reasons we are not experiencing the fullness of what God has promised us is because of our failure to open our mouth, and to speak forth His Word on a consistent basis. In this world there are many voices, suggesting many things. We must counter those voices with the positive confession of God’s Word.
In the context of war, the sword can be used both to do great exploits, and also as a weapon to fight off the enemy when he attacks. We too must use the sword in both scenarios. We do not need to wait until we are attacked to use the sword, rather we can take the initiative and use the sword to move forward in our walk with God.
If I wish to speak forth a declaration about what God has done for me, I prefer to speak it in the first person, in order to personally apply it. Here are some examples of such confessions that can be used in either case:
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given me the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against me in judgment I shalt condemn.
Mat 8:17…Isa 53:5 Jesus Himself took my infirmities, and bore my sicknesses… by His stripes, I am healed.
2Co 8:9 for my sake Jesus became poor, that I through his poverty might be rich.
Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, my old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth I should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
There are many more possible examples. There are so many verses that can be used for different situations. I really recommend that you take if upon yourself to speak forth the word of God on a regular basis. Find the scriptures that are relevant to your situation, or that are relevant to the area in which you desire to grow and speak them forth. I remember a time in my life when I quoted Romans 6v6-7 several times everyday. The effect was so dramatic that one day when I received a phone call, the first words out of my mouth we ‘I feel so clean!’ I must stress however, that speaking forth God’s Word is not a substitute for obedience. We will not enter the blessings of God without obeying Him.
How often then should one speak forth our confession of God’s Word? The following account gives us good instruction:
2Ki 13:14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
2Ki 13:15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
2Ki 13:16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.
2Ki 13:17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
2Ki 13:18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
2Ki 13:19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
Elisha made it clear to king Joash that his arrows were the arrows of the Lord’s deliverance. Knowing this, Joash should have shot the arrows with all his might, and as much as possible. However he didn’t, and so did not receive the full benefit of the prophetic action. From this passage, it is clear that one can be obedient, but not obedient enough. We need to adopt a ‘break down the door’ mentality when it comes to speaking forth the Word. We must keep banging, until the door breaks. As Jesus said,
Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
For this reason, the writer of Hebrews exhorts:
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession [Gk. = confession].
We must hold fast to our confession (i.e. speaking forth) of what we believe. We will thus find ourselves to be more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Nothing will be able to hinder us from bringing God glory.
Taking our mind back to the offering of Nadab and Abihu, a reasonable question to explore is what caused them to offer foreign fire? After all, these were the priests and had seen the Lord. Within moments of their death, the Lord gave the following command to Aaron:
Lev 10:8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,
Lev 10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
Lev 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
Lev 10:11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
The sudden, and apparently unfounded commandment, that Aaron and his sons were not to drink wine or strong drink when going in the tabernacle, may suggest that Nadab and Abihu were in fact drunk, or at least tipsy, when they offered the ‘strange fire’. For this reason, the apostle Paul exhorts us:
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Paul compares the influence of alcohol to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Drunkenness results in ‘excess’, which speaks of behaviour exhibiting no godly boundaries. When one is in such a condition, they are powerless to resist the devil, and so open themselves up to all kinds to demons. One of the foundational requirements of resisting the devil is to be ‘sober’. As Peter says,
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
The devil is seeking those whom he may devour. This implies that there are those whom he cannot devour. The devil cannot devour those who are sober and vigilant. Those who are sober are those who think in accordance with God’s Word. Alcohol however, opens up our minds to all kinds of nonsense, including the wiles of the devil.
Why is it then, that man turns to alcohol? One reason is that man wants this ‘excess’. Man wants to feel boundless and free, liberated from reality into a state of merriness. As it is written,
Pro 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Pro 31:5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Pro 31:6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Pro 31:7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Wine and strong drink is not necessary for those who know they are kings! We have another ‘influence’, even the Spirit of God. Through Him we can experience joy unspeakable and full of glory. The Holy Spirit inspires us to sing new songs, and create fresh melodies and rhythms. Through His fullness we don’t run from reality, we overcome and change reality!
What then is the conclusion of the matter? Through speaking forth God’s Words, and by walking in the fullness of the Spirit, we will experience that we are more than conquerors!!!
God bless you all,
Stuart Pattico
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