The Victories of Others

As I learn to love, with every new trial and every opportunity for God’s power to be manifested in my life, I gain experience in personal victories and defeats. From within, I know how God’s love acts in me and how difficult—and sometimes simply impossible—it is to be an overcomer without it. The most difficult stage of spiritual victory is complete reliance upon God’s power, when you have to release your opponent, humble yourself, and wait to see what will result. My human nature thirsts for justice, but God’s love desires to teach me mercy and humility.

Choosing Love, I accept the consequences and take the position of a loving person, sometimes not knowing how the next trial will end. But a miracle takes place, and instead of disappointment I receive the blessing of an overcomer. People call me names, trample upon me, insult me, and walk away with their heads held high, considering themselves victorious, while I remain silent and choose love. After all this, I rejoice that instead of anger and revenge I manifested the Spirit of Christ and did not stoop to putting my opponent in his place. This is an interesting experience that brings many deep emotions, but everyone must pass through it.

But I have also noticed this particular feature: in my own life I am ready to endure every deprivation and insult, every injustice and every trial, entrusting all the consequences to God and understanding that God does not always intervene to make things pleasant for me and punish the guilty person. But when it concerns another person to whom I am explaining the characteristics of spiritual victory, I very often have to listen to the most unpleasant details of someone else’s trials.

As a rule, a believer describes his struggle from the position of one upon whom satanic wrath and other attacks are unjustly falling. I hear how my friends are humiliated, knowingly deceived, slandered, and presented in an unfavorable light before other people. I very much want the Lord to intervene and defend His children, showing wicked people how dangerous it is to mistreat God’s children.

And saddest of all, I notice righteous indignation arising in my heart against every injustice done to my friends. Evaluating the situation as a third party, I see the evident actions of Satan in the opponents of truth and how ingenious he is in inflicting spiritual, emotional, and physical wounds. How can one help in such a case? I want to be useful.

My experience tells me that people’s minds must be directed toward true victory and that love must be chosen instead of carnal solutions to immediate problems. This is precisely how I act in my own life. But when it concerns my friend, I want the Lord to intervene, perform a miracle, punish the guilty, and teach the wicked a lesson. At the same time, I understand that such an experience will teach nothing good, and the next time the person will expect the same intervention from God, which may not come.

Understanding all the arguments for and against, I offer my friends the same thing I choose in my own life: love, a happy and grateful spirit, friendliness, and joy. I invite them to find in this very love the joy of victory and the special beauty of God’s plan for the overcomer.

Not every friend of mine agrees with such a turn of events. As a rule, everyone expects sympathy and participation in condemning the opponent’s injustice. But I begin to propose unthinkable things: to love when you are being beaten; to choose happiness when you are being robbed and humiliated; to remain a friend when you are being betrayed. Yet this is exactly how the Lord overcame the enemy, and this is exactly how He won complete victory over sin, this world, and all demonic powers.

While suffering, Jesus did not murmur. He voluntarily surrendered Himself to humiliation in order to show how such things are overcome through love. When He was beaten unjustly, the only response of which love was capable was to ask: ‘If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?’ But such words only provoked further mockery and an even greater desire to humiliate and trample Him.

The Lord endured all this injustice with a meek and silent spirit, allowing His enemies to manifest their satanic traits of character. When Christ was being crucified without cause, He could have appealed to God’s justice and asked the Father for protection so that the guilty might be punished. But He prayed for these people because they did not understand what they were doing.

When Jesus hung upon the cross, heard the mockery directed at Him, and saw the satisfaction of His enemies, He did not manifest the same spirit in response and did not give the enemy even the slightest reason to anticipate His revenge.

On the cross, Jesus manifested absolute love—in His thoughts, feelings, and silence. He cursed no one, but thought about the salvation of these wicked people and believed that through His death He would be able to redeem and free from Satan’s slavery many deceived souls. Christ’s victory was complete and absolute. His example is the most convincing and faithful proof that love overcomes every sin.

As I practice such love in my life, I notice how it overcomes and makes me an overcomer. Having tasted the joy of such victories, I no longer want to live in any other way, and I know how to conduct myself in the next trial. But my friends are a special trial for me. How I wish all their problems could be resolved very quickly and justly! Yet at the same time I understand that they would then learn nothing.

Only love, the manifestation of a humble spirit, sincere friendliness, and the desire to be happy—only these qualities of soul constitute the warrior spirit of an overcomer. Knowing this, I counsel my friends to choose love, happiness, and a friendly spirit. It is very difficult for me to surrender them to the crucifixion of self. But from personal experience I know that there is no other path to victory. And any human justice can become a trap for their souls and spiritual safety.

And I say, ‘Love, forgive, release, and give, as Jesus did.’ Then I wait to be accused of fanaticism and for people no longer to want to share such problems with me because I solve them in a very strange way. But I cannot offer anything else, because I know that human justice is not the path of overcomers, but merely the standard solution to problems. Not everyone wants to overcome as Christ overcame. Not everyone agrees that such a victory is better. Not everyone wants to continue winning such victories. And some, after trying the power of love, leave this path and return to the works of the flesh.

But how joyful it is to hear that my friends have acted in love and then share their blessings, revealing the power and value of such victories. I want to declare in detail and with delight: ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth’ (3 John 4).

And afterward, how interesting it is to discuss all the details and blessings of the victory! How joyful it is to hear someone else’s testimony of victory in Christ! I think that all Heaven rejoices with me. The Heavenly witnesses of our battles know better than anyone what true victory looks like, and they are very glad to see it in the sons of men.

How joyful it is to hear about another person’s experience of victory, understanding that he is expressing your own experience as an overcomer, but now in his own life.

1. Please read 1 Peter 2:21–23; 3:9; Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 5:39, 44; Luke 6:27–29; 23:34; Romans 12:17–21; Ephesians 4:31–32; Proverbs 20:22; 24:29; 1 John 4:14.

2. What other Bible verses came to your mind?

3. What did you understand?

4. Have you experienced the victory of love? If so, please share it.

5. What is true victory for us: proving that we are right or preserving love?

6. Why is it sometimes so difficult to renounce the desire to restore justice by our own efforts?

7. How often do I ask the Lord to change my opponent instead of changing me?

8. Why does the Lord sometimes not intervene in my trials as I would like Him to?

9. Why do we sometimes want the Lord to punish those who hurt our family and loved ones?

10. What happens within me when I choose love instead of conflict?

11. Why does love sometimes appear to be weakness in the eyes of those around us?

12. What does the expression ‘overcome evil with good’ mean to me in practice?

13. What do people see in me during a conflict: my character or the character of Christ?

14. Why does the Lord permit His children to suffer instead of immediately delivering them from suffering?