Well, my dear friend, I do appreciate your question very much. The truth is that it is quite impossible for us to do this in and of our own strength, no matter how hard we try. We can only enjoy victory in this world through the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 15:5 (NKJV) we read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” It is only because of the finished work of Christ on Calvary’s cross, and by faith in Him, that we enjoy victory. Some other NT verses speaking of victory in Christ Jesus will follow. In John 16:33 (NKJV)we read, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” We read also in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Finally, in 1 John 5:4 we read, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.” Thus, Christ Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary has defeated Satan and his power, and has given us victory over sin, death and hell through faith in Him.

Now, there is a wonderful benefit for those who have placed their full trust and hope in the finished work of redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the fact that in the very moment when we believe, the Holy Spirit enters our heart, and we receive a new nature—we are changed (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are thus born again. We do still have the old nature within us, but this is only until we are promoted to glory when at last, we are made perfect in Him in heaven. This new nature cannot sin, but as I have said, while on earth we yet have that old man. Now, if we feed that old nature by going after the things that most appeal to the old man, those carnal pleasures and activities which so characterize this fallen world, we may certainly stumble. Thankfully, at such times, we have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). But as I have indicated, once we believe, we are changed, and this through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are sanctified when we are saved, but as we go on with the Lord over time, there is a practical sanctification by the Spirit and the washing through the Word which occurs in us, and thus we become more and more Christ-like in our walk. Through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and the prayerful reading of God’s Word, we are being transformed into the very image of Christ Jesus, day by day. Thus, the power to live a victorious life is to be found in the work of the Spirit and in our devotion to prayer, and by the cleansing effect of the Word of God.

To sum up, being born again means that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, giving us a new perspective on life, and the power to live according to the will of God. A very good verse to speak of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives through the Word can be found in Titus 3:5 where we read, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” (One can read all about being born again in John 3:3-5 and 1 Peter 1:23). That we are transformed to the image of Christ Jesus day by day can be seen in Romans 12:1-2 where we read: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The Bible “beseeches” us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, and this requires obedience on our part, but the power to enjoy the victory in this world is from Christ (Philippians 4:13). And, note that we are to be “conformed”, but not to this world; rather we are to be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:29 speaks of being conformed, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Since the power to live a victorious life is found in the work of the Holy Spirit and the cleansing of the Word of God in our hearts, we do not give up hope. In 2 Corinthians 4:16 we read: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

My dear friend, are you born again? If so, you have the power to live a victorious life, even in this fallen world. The world is full of snares and temptations, but if we ask God to help us to avoid the temptations and snares of this life, and to present our lives as a living sacrifice to Him, He certainly will because this is His desire for us all who are true believers. And, it is His promise that we do in fact have the power. Feed your soul with the Word of God and be constant in prayer. I’ll be praying for you!  (SF)  (659.5)