Looking Through the Window of Victory

A glimpse through the window of rest reveals the life already given in Jesus

Devotional Credit:
By T. Austin-Sparks, from Christ the Power of God, Open Windows

Photo Credit:
Photo by Unsplash

T. Austin-Sparks invites us to shift our gaze away from the exhausting struggle of trying to live for God, and instead to look through a “window” that reveals what it means to live from God. He contrasts two approaches to the Christian life. The first is a burdensome cycle of striving and failing, marked by rules, regret, and recurring guilt. This is a life powered by conscience and effort, a treadmill existence where any joy is short-lived and fragile.

But there is a better way, not rooted in achieving something for God, but in receiving something already finished in Jesus. Victory in the Christian life is not a prize for the disciplined few, it is a Person freely given to all. Instead of chasing after spiritual highs or fearing spiritual lows, believers are called to enter a finished work and abide in a risen Lord. The difference between trying to reach a standard and walking with the Source of life is not a matter of degrees, but a total transformation in how we live.

When believers begin to understand that Jesus is the life, and not just the goal, they can cease striving and begin abiding. His power is not given in bursts to those who qualify, but is present as the indwelling Life of every believer. Sparks calls us to open our spiritual eyes and behold the vast difference between struggling for victory and resting in the Victor.

So this "window" that opens before us today reveals not a distant possibility, but a present reality. The power of God is not found in our ability to live for Him, but in Jesus who lives in us. In Him we don’t aim to meet a standard, we walk with the One who has already met it fully on our behalf.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

You were never asked to carry what I have already borne. I did not invite you to climb a ladder of righteousness, but to abide in the Vine who is your righteousness. I am not calling you to improve the self, I am calling you to lose it, so that My Son may be seen through you. The old way led only to weariness and fear, because it relied on you. But I have placed you in Christ, and in Him is every provision you need.

There is no striving in love, only rest. No fear in abiding, only peace. When you rely on yourself, you remain in the shadow. But when you turn your heart toward Me, you walk in the light. Jesus did not come to make you stronger, He came to be your life. You were crucified with Him, and now it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.

You are not waiting for power to arrive, the Power of God is already within you. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, and He is your sufficiency. Let Me live through you. Cease from your labors, and let the joy of your salvation spring forth again, not from effort, but from presence. I am the One who began this good work in you. I am the One who completes it.

You are My beloved child. You are not a project, you are a vessel. Let the treasure within you be seen today, not through your willpower, but through your willing heart. Rest in My Son, and you will find that the life you long for has already been given.

Scripture References:
Romans 5:18, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6, Romans 8:9–11, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:6–7, Philippians 1:6, John 15:5, Matthew 11:28–30, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 7:18, Colossians 3:3–4, 2 Peter 1:3

Real-Life Analogy

Trying to live the Christian life through self-effort is like pushing a car uphill with the engine turned off. You might move an inch or two with great strain, but you’ll wear yourself out long before you ever reach the top. Yet the key has been in the ignition the whole time. The moment you stop pushing and start trusting the engine to do what it was designed to do, everything changes.

The Christian life was never meant to be humanly powered. It was designed to be Christ-powered. When you yield the key to Him, He moves through you with ease. So when that old drive to perform creeps in today, pause. Look again at the One who lives in you. You can say, “Lord, I trust You to move through me right now. I no longer push forward on my own. I yield to Your life in me.” Maybe that means answering a harsh email with gentle words, or sitting still without guilt when you’re tempted to measure your worth by your productivity.

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, I no longer live under the shadow of my own performance. You have opened my eyes to see that I don’t need to achieve what You’ve already accomplished. I don’t have to carry a standard that You already fulfilled. Thank You for placing me in Your Son, where righteousness, power, and joy are no longer things to chase, but realities to receive.

Today, I rest in You. I walk with You. I say yes to the life You live in me. I trust You to be the power behind my words, the peace in my reactions, and the grace in my weaknesses. You are not far off. You are within me. This is the life I was made for. And in You, it is already mine.