July 11, 2024 HE WHO OVERCOMES
Revelation 3:21 “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
1 John 4:4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Let’s face it; there is something to overcome and we must overcome it. Throughout the New Testament we find the admonitions to overcome-to be over comers. We all are aware of some things that we need to overcome; perhaps the tendency to over eat; or spending to much time on television or social media-or whatever. Overcoming those types of issues are certainly worthwhile endeavors. But there are other greater issues that we must overcome in life. Just what does God have in mind when He tells us we must overcome-overcome what? Primarily, the things we must overcome are of a spiritual nature-but they impact the natural as well. Much could be said on this subject, but in a broad sense we must overcome the world-the world system or the ways of the world. The battle centers around this; as believers, we have been given a new nature, a nature that is in the image of God; but our old nature has not yet been eliminated; and thus there is a battle within us taking place. In the book of Romans, we see that the flesh (the old nature) resist the Spirit and the Spirit resist the flesh. However, the good news is that the power of sin has been broken and we have the power to say no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit. There is a common unscriptural viewpoint among many believers that because we still have an old nature, we cannot help but continue to sin-often. When Paul said in Romans 7 that ‘he did the things he did I not want to do,’ he was not giving his testimony but was describing life in the flesh. Paul made it clear that we are not subject to the flesh; he said if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desire of the flesh. In the big sense, overcoming is saying yes to the Spirit and no to the flesh. Overcoming is living according to the ways of God; it is experiencing God as our life; it is dying to ourselves. Here is a basic example of overcoming: I once had a widow leaving across the street; I would get ready to mow my grass, but every time I would hear a voice in my spirit saying that I should mow her grass first. I had to resist my desire to get my yard work done first. (I am not saying that you must mow your neighbors yard first! lol.) The major thing we must overcome is the tendency to live according to our own dictates and not according to ways of God. The good news is that living according to the ways of God is the best life possible. In other words, we are to live according to our new identity as sons and daughters of God. By the way, when I mowed the widows yard first, I had a peace and the day just went better for me. We have only hit the surface today; but may we actually listen to and be lead by the Spirit within us; if we do, we will be over comers in this life. When we confess that Christ is our life and we live according to His ways, we will overcome the world-just as Jesus did.
John 16:33 “In the world you have tribulation: but be of good courage; I have overcome the world.”
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Blessings, Buddy
Revelation 3:21 “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
1 John 4:4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Let’s face it; there is something to overcome and we must overcome it. Throughout the New Testament we find the admonitions to overcome-to be over comers. We all are aware of some things that we need to overcome; perhaps the tendency to over eat; or spending to much time on television or social media-or whatever. Overcoming those types of issues are certainly worthwhile endeavors. But there are other greater issues that we must overcome in life. Just what does God have in mind when He tells us we must overcome-overcome what? Primarily, the things we must overcome are of a spiritual nature-but they impact the natural as well. Much could be said on this subject, but in a broad sense we must overcome the world-the world system or the ways of the world. The battle centers around this; as believers, we have been given a new nature, a nature that is in the image of God; but our old nature has not yet been eliminated; and thus there is a battle within us taking place. In the book of Romans, we see that the flesh (the old nature) resist the Spirit and the Spirit resist the flesh. However, the good news is that the power of sin has been broken and we have the power to say no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit. There is a common unscriptural viewpoint among many believers that because we still have an old nature, we cannot help but continue to sin-often. When Paul said in Romans 7 that ‘he did the things he did I not want to do,’ he was not giving his testimony but was describing life in the flesh. Paul made it clear that we are not subject to the flesh; he said if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desire of the flesh. In the big sense, overcoming is saying yes to the Spirit and no to the flesh. Overcoming is living according to the ways of God; it is experiencing God as our life; it is dying to ourselves. Here is a basic example of overcoming: I once had a widow leaving across the street; I would get ready to mow my grass, but every time I would hear a voice in my spirit saying that I should mow her grass first. I had to resist my desire to get my yard work done first. (I am not saying that you must mow your neighbors yard first! lol.) The major thing we must overcome is the tendency to live according to our own dictates and not according to ways of God. The good news is that living according to the ways of God is the best life possible. In other words, we are to live according to our new identity as sons and daughters of God. By the way, when I mowed the widows yard first, I had a peace and the day just went better for me. We have only hit the surface today; but may we actually listen to and be lead by the Spirit within us; if we do, we will be over comers in this life. When we confess that Christ is our life and we live according to His ways, we will overcome the world-just as Jesus did.
John 16:33 “In the world you have tribulation: but be of good courage; I have overcome the world.”
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Blessings, Buddy
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