Victory Over the Darkness, Neil T. Anderson

Review by Julie Kang

Freedom in Christ. What does it mean to you? Until only recently in my spiritual walk, it was more of a high-sounding aspiration than a reality. I knew that there was more to be experienced, from the actions and testimony of a handful of people whom I looked up to, who seemed genuinely "freed up" in Christ. However, if you asked me to describe my life, victory and freedom may not have made it on the list, crowded out by anxiety and a survival mentality, even apathy. Sure, there were some moments of joy, and I felt better off than someone who had never known of Christ's love, but why, I wondered, was I not experiencing a joyously victorious life on a daily basis? Neil T. Anderson asks and seeks to answer this question for all Christians in his book Victory Over the Darkness.

Anderson believes that to find answers about what drives our daily existence, we must begin by examining our beliefs about who we are and what is true. He asks us to revisit the essentials of who we are, once we are in Christ. I am a child of God, a new creation, and I died to the power of sin's rule over my life when I accepted Christ into my life! I realized that if we truly cling to these promises, we can only become freer and freer by His Spirit, by His Word. The examples Anderson presents from his experiences in counselling are enlightening for those who struggle with poor self-image and do not know the source or solution to the resulting insecurities and issues.

Rather than focus on the many issues that can frustrate our experiences of freedom in Christ, Anderson asks us to assess for ourselves whether our beliefs and trust are focused on His truth. He writes that we cannot "expect people to behave as Christians before they have matured as Christians... however, as believers affirm their identity in Christ and grow in maturity, we can further disciple them by challenging them to consistent Christ-like behaviour in their daily walk" (Anderson, 237). Walking in faith is not a regimen, but a relationship; it is not sitting, but walking; not running but being led by the Spirit. His guidelines are a wake-up call for those of us who have been passively motionless, and a reminder of humbling rest for those of us who have tried to run ahead of Him.

Something I realized in reading this book is that in many ways, the way we live shows us what we believe. As Christians, we need to know His Word, be aware of whether we truly believe it, and claim the victory that Christ proclaims for us - all action words set in motion by faith. Christ's victory means healing and release from self-deprecation, depression and demonic strongholds that are too-often diagnosed from a worldly perspective. Anderson tells a familiar story of a young man he tried to minister to, who did not seem to bear any fruit from Anderson's well-intentioned efforts to foster his spiritual growth. Later on he realized that the man was struggling with strongholds and needed to experience healing in particular situations before he could mature in his faith.

True to God's relational model, we also flourish better together with other believers, as Anderson reminds us. As we grow up in the security of identity in Christ, and begin to walk in victory, we can also meet people where they are and lead them to a walk of victory. This is the encouraging vision of this book.

As I continue on this journey to not just survive, but thrive, I can walk confidently knowing that He has already given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-10). Anderson simply implores our attention to Biblical truth in his book. For this reason, I believe this book can be a relevant companion to joyful spiritual growth for a lifetime.