Victory Comes Through The Finished Work of Christ

Most of us love the "overcomer" narrative. We love the story of the self-made individual who, through sheer grit and determination, conquers the odds. This thirst for heroics often spills over into our spiritual lives; we view our faith as a series of battles where we are the primary soldiers, and God is simply the supplier of our ammunition.
But there is a profound, almost jarring truth that stops this "hero" narrative in its tracks: We have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all.

The Death of the Spiritual Hero
At first glance, the idea that we have "nothing to overcome" feels wrong. We look at our bank accounts, our health, or our fractured relationships and see plenty of things that need overcoming. However, the spiritual reality is that the definitive victory has already been won. When Christ declared, "It is finished," He wasn't just ending His earthly suffering; He was finalizing the defeat of every power that could possibly separate us from the love of God.
The difficulty we face isn't a lack of victory, but a lack of recognition. We are often like soldiers who continue to hide in trenches long after the peace treaty has been signed. We are so addicted to the "sense of heroics"—the feeling that our effort and our struggle are what save the day—that we find it difficult to accept a peace we didn't earn.

More Than Conquerors
The phrase "more than conquerors" is a fascinating one. To be a conqueror, you must fight a battle and win. To be more than a conqueror means you receive the spoils of a victory you didn't have to fight for yourself.
When we operate from the truth that He is "all in all," our perspective shifts. We no longer look at life’s challenges as obstacles that might defeat us. Instead, we see them as environments where the pre-existing victory of Christ can be manifested. We aren't fighting for victory; we are fighting from victory.

Glorifying the Work, Not the Worker
This perspective is, as the saying goes, "not flattering to the worker." Our ego wants to be the protagonist. We want to be able to look back at our lives and say, "I overcame that through my incredible faith and discipline."
But true spiritual maturity is the process of the "hero" in us dying so that the "Christ" in us can be seen. When we stop trying to be the hero, we allow the work of Christ to be "amazingly glorifying." The focus shifts from the strength of the follower to the sufficiency of the Leader.

Living in the "All in All"
Living this out doesn't mean we become passive. Rather, it means our activity is fueled by rest rather than anxiety. We work, we serve, and we love—not to gain a victory, but because the victory is already ours.
Today, if you feel exhausted by the need to be "strong enough," give yourself permission to quit the heroics. Acknowledge that He is everything. In that surrender, you won't find defeat; you will find the indomitable peace of someone who knows the battle is already over.