The Victory That Comes Only From Him
Victory is not achieved by holding down the struggle, but by releasing it to the One who has already overcome.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling – compiled by Nick Harrison
Photo Credit: Unsplash
In today’s devotional, Nick Harrison compiles the writings of Charles G. Trumbull and F. J. Huegel to highlight a sobering truth: there is such a thing as counterfeit victory. When we try to conquer sin by our own determination, effort, or willpower, the result is not the victory God promises but a man-made substitute. Real victory is not earned by working harder or chipping away at sin piece by piece; it is given in a moment by Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Trumbull warns that if our “victory” comes from striving to suppress wrong desires or to gradually improve ourselves, we have missed the heart of the gospel. True victory is not self-managed growth; it is entering into the reality of what God has already done for us. Once we have stepped into that victory, growth happens naturally, not as the cause of victory, but as its result.
He explains that this kind of victory is miraculous every single time because it is the life of Jesus Himself overcoming through us. The moment we begin to help Him with our own efforts, the victory turns into struggle. God’s design is that we rest in His finished work, trusting His Spirit to deal with what we could never defeat on our own.
Huegel then reminds us that this victory is not over other people but over ourselves. The way of Jesus is upside down to the world’s thinking. We win by losing, live by trusting, and triumph by surrendering. The crown is a crown of thorns, and the throne is a cross. In God’s kingdom, strength is expressed through weakness, and the victory belongs entirely to Him.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have already given you the victory. It is not the result of your striving but the gift of My grace. When you try to conquer sin in your own strength, you carry a burden you were never meant to bear. Lay it down. I have disarmed the powers that once held you captive and nailed your debt to My cross.
The life you now live is My life in you. Your part is to abide, to trust, and to yield to Me in each moment. As you do, you will see that victory is not a gradual climb to holiness but a present reality you walk in because you are in Me.
You are not called to defeat others, but to let Me reign over your own heart. My way is the way of the cross, where you lose to gain, die to live, and surrender to overcome. Trust Me to do what only I can do, for in Me you are already more than a conqueror.
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 15:57, Colossians 2:13–15, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:37, 2 Corinthians 12:9–10, John 15:4–5, Philippians 3:10, Matthew 16:24–25
Real-Life Analogy
Picture trying to hold a beach ball under water. No matter how hard you press, it keeps fighting to surface. You can use all your strength to keep it submerged, but the moment you release it, the ball pops up effortlessly. Your striving was never the solution; the release was.
In the same way, holding down sinful desires by sheer willpower only exhausts you. But when you release control and trust the Lord to live through you, His life rises in you without strain. Today, if you face a temptation or habit that has worn you down, you can say, “Lord, I trust You to be my victory in this moment and to overcome in me.”
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that my victory is not the product of my effort but the result of Your life in me. I rejoice that You have already overcome and that I share in that victory through faith. I rest in the truth that I do not need to suppress, fight, or manage sin in my own strength. You have triumphed at the cross, and I live in the reality of that triumph today.