Luke 10:17-20…
It can be quite thrilling to see God’s power manifest in our lives and ministry. We all long to see the Devil defeated in personal battle, and to see souls saved into the kingdom of God. Yet it is always less about what He has given us to do and more about who He has given us to be. No matter the scope of our personal victory, or the magnitude of our calling, the primary call is to Christ Himself.
Certainly we should be thankful and rejoice in the good seasons. But mark this fact: there will not always be uninterrupted success. We feel as if we have been lifted up into the heavenly realms when we see such awesome displays. Yet we must be on guard, because the higher the climb rises, the greater the potential for a prideful fall. We need to continuously cultivate humility, because our hearts have the tendency to be over excited when the street is smooth and therefore overly depressed when the road is rough.
This is especially true for unseasoned believers, as they can let the success go to their head. It is not enough to have success; we must learn to handle it properly. We can exhibit power over the enemy and still fall right into his trap (1 Timothy 3:6). Satan was as lofty as you can get yet he fell like lightning (Isaiah 14:12-15). Our ministry victories and spiritual successes are only markers along the way, but they are not the guarantee.
It is the sinless life and atoning death, the resurrection, ascension and return of King Jesus that is the supreme focus for our joy. The guarantee of success is the promise that Jesus Christ will deliver us all the way to heaven, whether we’re winning the war today or not (1 Corinthians 15:58 / 2 Timothy 4:8).
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