Our passage today may not at first glance seem to be about spiritual victory, but indeed it is: Matthew 18:
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
One of the enemy's greatest tactics is to divide us and isolate us, convincing us that we are in this battle all by ourselves; we often give in and give up to his devices. We either become so shamed by our sin, or so proud in our own strength, that we try to go it alone. We also quickly abandon one another when we see a brother or sister struggling in sin, because we are afraid that he/she will either pull us down with them, or turn on us as seeming self-righteous. Jesus says: "look, you are in this together; you need each other; you need to hold each other accountable. be submissive to the spiritual leaders over you, and pray together - come together to me to make a plan." To see spiritual victory, we need to include Him and one another. Let's not let Satan convince us otherwise.
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