Do you know the life that wins? Are you ashamed of the kind of Christian life you live? Have you failed so terribly in your striving for victory that you cry out, "Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me . . . ?" (Rom. 7.24) Be assured that your salvation is at hand: "thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (v.25). For the life that wins is not attained, but obtained. It is not a life changed, but rather a life exchanged. It is not suppression, only expression. It is frankly not in you yourself, because it is in Christ who lives in you. The life which God gives and you receive at the time you believe in His Son Jesus Christ is such a life. It is a life that overcomes sin, provides intimate communion with God, and is full of satisfaction and power. It is already in you, waiting to be explored by you. The secret towards experiencing its power is to let go of yourself and let Christ live instead of you. This requires a childlike faith. Then shall you more than conquer through Him who loves you.
In order to help believers into enjoying this Life That Wins, Watchman Nee delivered a series of messages on this subject at a conference held in Shanghai, China, in the months of September and October, 1935. He dealt with the full range of this important subject in his usual thoroughness yet simplicity and directness. At that conference, the author began with the believer's personal experience which, shamefully, is much less than desired. Then, by contrast, he described the kind of Christian life as ordained by God. Next, he dealt with the nature of this life that wins before he showed the way of entering into it. In more detail, he treated the matters of yielding and believing, which are the conditions for crossing the threshold of victory. But the author of these messages then warned his audience of the testing of faith which must follow. He exhorted believers to grow in the grace of Jesus Christ. He stressed also the need for having the note of triumph, which is praise. And finally, he concluded with the first and last act after victory, which is consecration.
May the Lord of glory be glorified through His life being lived out in His own.
