13-10-2024 For A Victorious Life

For A Victorious Life

1. What Kind of Person Succeeds?

Hippocrates, a Greek philosopher and physician, classified people into four humours to better understand them. As I briefly explain these temperaments, think about which one you might relate to.

1. Choleric: Energetic, active, and with a strong will, choleric individuals make practical decisions and excel as leasers. However, they struggle with compromise, prefer to work alone if things don’t go their way, lack empathy, and tend to blame others when problem arise.
2. Melancholic: Artistic, creative, cautious, and analytical, melancholics are often idealistic and willing to sacrifice for the group. However, they are prone to depression, anxiety, and can hold grudges, making lifelong enemies.
3. Sanguine: Optimistic and warm-hearted, sanguine people are social, lively and outgoing. Yet, they are easily swayed by their emotions, making them unstable and often unable to finish what they start.
4. Phlegmatic: Calm, composed, and emotionally stable, phlegmatic are reliable but also prone to laziness, indecisive and hesitant.

Hippocrates concluded that since each humour has its strengths and weaknesses, no single temperament is the best. Likewise, no humour guarantees success at all times. Then, what does the Bible say about this? What kind of people can succeed and emerge victorious?

In Eph 3:16, the Bible teaches that our inner nature must be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. No matter how good our natural temperament or personality may be, or how much we may have developed them, human nature alone cannot fulfil the will of God (Rom 8:6-7).

• What Attributes Must We Let Go Of?

In 1 Kings 18, we read about a confrontation between the prophet Elijah and 850 false prophets who worshiped foreign gods, which took place on Mount Carmel.

The challenge was simple: each side would build an altar place a sacrifice on it, and pray to their respective god. The true God would be the one who answered by sending fire from heaven.

The 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah cried out to their gods from morning until evening, even cutting themselves in desperation. As time passed, the people began mocking them, and King Ahad, who oversaw the entire event, grew pale with anxiety.

Finally, the time came for Elijah to pray. Unlike the pagan prophets who shouted wildly, Elijah quietly and earnestly prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And at that moment, God answered by sending fire from heaven (1 Kgs 18:36-38).

When God responded with fire, He consumed five things, and some theologians suggested understanding as below:

1. Offering of sacrifices – represents human passion/anger
2. Wood – represents pride
3. Stones – symbolize stubbornness
4. Dust – represents human nature, especially our sinful tendencies
5. Water – symbolize a person’s position, ideology, or thoughts

In the New Testament, the work of the Holy Spirit is often described as fire (Acts 2:3-4).

• The Teachings of the Bible

Many believers consider Apostle Paul to be the most influential person after Jesus. Given that most of the New Testament consists of Paul’s letters, this isn’t far from the truth. But was Paul, whom God greatly used, a perfect person?

Paul confessed that within him, there was both a desire to do good and an inclination to do evil (Rom 7:21-24). This internal conflict troubled Paul so deeply that he made similar confessions about it seven times. But by Romans 8, Paul finally finds the answer. He realizes that he cannot overcome his sinful nature by his own strength. It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus that his inner self can be transformed, freeing him from the desire to do evil (Rom 8:1-2).

Therefore, Paul concludes in Rom 8:9 that only those who have indwelling of the Holy Spirit truly belong to Christ. In the end, it’s not about becoming a perfect person. Rather, when Christ’s perfection covers our imperfections, we can fulfil the mission of the Word. This is the posture of one who fully depends on God.

Let’s conclude by looking at the case of Peter. Peter was a man with a naturally decisive and courageous personality (Mat 16:16). However, when Peter relied on his own nature, he was destined to fail.

In Luke 22, Jesus warns Peter that Satan has asked to sift him like wheat. Peter should have responded humbly, asking, “Lord, why has Satan asked for me? What should I do?” Instead, Peter stubbornly declared, “Don’t worry, Lord. I’ll go with You to prison or even to death.”

Jesus, seeing Peter’s overconfidence, had to tell him again, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Yet, Peter didn’t plead with the Lord or ask for help and as we know, Peter ended up denying Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, just as Jesus predicted.

Mrk 14:72 tells us that Peter wept when he remembered Jesus’ words, but it does not mention that he repented. Our founding pastor once pointed out that Peter believed in Jesus with his natural humour, not his spiritual humour. It wasn’t that Peter didn’t believe in Jesus. But his faith was based on his human nature, not the Holy Spirit.

As long as Peter relied on his own strength, he was bound to fail, just as he did when he denied Jesus.

Beloved church, how do you believe in Jesus and God the Father? If you believe with your fleshly nature, you will fail. We must be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Only then can we, like Paul, be freed from the law of sin, and like Peter, willingly face any trial, even death.

The way to victory is to receive the Holy Spirit and be transformed by Him. I pray that from today, you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit, burning away all your fleshly nature and becoming people reborn in the Spirit. In the name of the Lord, I bless you with this prayer. Amen.