I Will Give You the Victory

As the Lord counseled Joseph about the debts of the Church, He said this: “And inasmuch as ye are humble and faithful and call upon my name, behold, I will give you the victory” (Doctrine and Covenants 104:82). I believe that formula is applicable to us in whatever struggles we face: as we are humble, faithful to the commandments of the Lord, and pray to Him, He will give us victory over our challenges. This powerful statement is similar to a verse in the preceding revelation: “All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 103:36). As we do all that we can through diligence and fervent prayers of faith, humbly recognizing that the victory is always His, He will enable us to overcome our mortal challenges.

                While we strive for earthly victories over our struggles, seeking to conquer the natural man and find the “victory that overcometh the world” and “victory over the devil” through our faith, the most important victory spoken of in the scriptures is that of Christ conquering death (1 John 5:4, Alma 16:21). Paul famously declared, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Christ has gained the victory over death through His infinite atonement and resurrection. Aaron expounded on this truth to the king of the Lamanites, teaching that “the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory” (Alma 22:14). The converted Lamanites taught by Aaron and his brethren “never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it” (Alma 27:28). Mormon also declared that Jesus Christ “is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up” (Mormon 7:5). Abinadi similarly testified, “And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men” (Mosiah 15:8). I love Isaiah’s witness of the Lord: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8). The Savior was victorious over death as He offered an infinite sacrifice to overcome sin and death for us all. All of our victories we seek in mortality pale in comparison to this the greatest victory of all time.

                So whatever our struggles, whatever sins or trials or troubles we are trying to overcome, we can trust that He who was victorious over death can give us the victory over our challenges. As we are humble and faithful and call on His name we can indeed heed the call of the Prophet Joseph: “Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:22)