Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10
We all like the idea of winning. Some of us may be more competitive than others but the concept of victory is celebrated from an early age. Our boys like to race to the vehicle as they leave the building following services and they intend to win the race! For the Christian, it is faithfulness that brings our ultimate victory. Those in Revelation 2 did not have an easy path. The text plainly indicates they are suffering heavy persecution. Thankfully, we suffer nowhere near the level of mistreatment they did but notice how Christ implores them to not be intimidated and to look beyond.
Always remember that anyone who persecutes us or does anything to be a trial of our faith has no real power over us. That is to say that they can’t take away anything from us that God won’t or can’t restore far more. The scripture plainly teaches not to allow the ungodly, by actions, to instill fear. Matthew 10:28 reads, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”. Not only that but the very next statements from the Lord show God’s love and care for his children (Matt 10:29-31). In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Messhach and Abed-nego, for example, would not submit to fear and God preserved their lives. And another, Stephen, in Acts 7, was not saved physically but the text is clear God cared for him in the way He saw best. Great examples of faithful victories for you and I.
Also, it is taught that to obtain the faithful victory of Revelation 2 is to remember these trials of our faith are only temporary. The scripture is plain. We’ll only be victorious if we focus on eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:18 states, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”. Satan is the master of distraction and intimidation. He has proven that from the beginning of time. Let us be found having the focus and courage to defeat him.
By Jason Barger