Love Conquers

By Norm Wakefield, December 1, 2019

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us (Romans 8:35-37).

…. God’s eternal purposes employ, outflank, and overcome Satan’s temporal evil purposes. Not only do we see this truth played out in Job’s life, but also in the greatest example of God’s glorious sovereign love as it is displayed in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Our loving Father authorized the use of Satan’s evil forces against His own Son in order to conquer those very forces forever. That’s how Love conquers!

Now let’s bring this closer to home. Has Satan been allowed to strike you with tribulation, distress, persecution, peril, rejection, pain, and affliction? Have these things caused you to doubt God’s love and sovereign administration of your story? Do you really think there’s a single part of your story of which God isn’t the author? If you do, then the words of Romans 8:35-37 can provide no comfort for you, because you are believing that those things have “separated you from His love.” You have no confidence that God has rendered them powerless, because you are not overwhelmingly conquering through love. On the contrary, in fact, you may proudly think of yourself as “a survivor.” Are you compelled to rewrite the narrative of your life, with your enemies and antagonists daily occupying your thoughts, time, and activities? If so, then evil forces have separated you from the love of a holy, omnipotent, and loving Father. You’re not living to love with Jesus. Instead, you’re still trying to make sense of your life apart from Him. Love has yet to conquer the evil in your heart and life. But there’s hope!

Here’s what not to do. Don’t look for the answers to your questions by trying to understand yourself, your enemies, or what has happened to you. That pursuit cannot bring healing. Rather, it will only weaponize your afflictions, giving them power to rule over and destroy you. If this becomes your consistent state of being, it will take very little pressure… to ... annihilate the peace, joy, and love that God intends to characterize and fill your life.

Here’s what to do. Set your mind on Jesus’ death and resurrection and the power of His love for you. … Romans 8 [:36]... indicate[s] that as a believer you have suffered because you have been identified with Jesus. There’s no benefit to you if you blame God, Satan, or man (although each have their roles in your suffering). The Spirit says, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long.” That’s why Satan attacks you and considers you like a sheep to be slaughtered. He hates Jesus and everything He stands for. He wants God’s love to get a bad name! He can’t get at Jesus any longer, but he can strike you. Just as in Job’s case, Satan thinks that if he can afflict you, the affliction and your negative response to it will reflect poorly on Jesus.

If you’re an unbeliever, he will tempt you to reject the true God and to create a different god that will give you control of your life…. Satan will persistently turn your mind and heart to think of God as unfair, unloving, unwise, and in other ways unqualified to rule your life. He’ll appoint you as the prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner of those who mess up the story you feel you deserve. Before you know it, you will be overwhelmed by trying to get everyone to see things the way you see them. This path will steal your time, energy, and peace, as well as the grace to trust and love God and others, and eventually your mental, emotional, and spiritual health...

But if you’re a child of God... You know you are in Christ, and you understand God’s purposes and power in your storms. Like your Savior and Lord, you overwhelmingly conquer sin, suffering, and death—all that Satan can throw at you—through faith in Him who loves you. You are free to faithfully and joyfully embrace tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and the sword (and whatever else God authorizes), knowing that none of those can separate you from God’s love in Christ. (I’m not saying you think suffering is fun or that you don’t grieve over evil and its effects). But instead of making you bitter and consumed with your story, you are better because you are more consumed with His story as it is being written in your life. You count it a privilege to love (even your enemies) through Him, because you know Romans 8:35-37 by experience. His Love has overwhelmingly conquered all sin and evil in your life. Please celebrate His love today!