Overcome – to defeat, conquer,
successfully resist
Athletics
has never been a strength of mine, and my weakness showed up in all its glory during
Physical Education classes in my school years.
I did okay in some of the activities, but I wasn’t really good. Obviously, everybody else knew it too,
because I was usually one of the last ones chosen to be on a team. That continued until the day the teacher
announced that we would begin a segment on badminton. We played in teams of two, and I suddenly
found my niche in that class. A friend
of mine who was good at everything and later became a P.E. teacher, teamed up
with me and we won the championship for all the P.E. classes! We were unstoppable, and it felt great! You don’t forget moments like that when you
are used to being defeated and suddenly you are the conqueror. It was glorious! I am probably the only
person who remembers that, because it didn’t mean as much to anyone else. But it felt so good to change my status and
be a conqueror who was no longer beaten by my inadequacies.
How
about you? Are you being beaten and
defeated in your Christian life by the pull of the world? This world, this culture, can be a trap to
keep us down or it can be the challenge that causes us to rise up and
overcome. There is a way out of the trap,
if we are willing to follow that path.
Jesus
told His disciples, “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,
that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone.” That sounds like ominous news. They were all about to fail on a large scale. They were about to desert Jesus. But Jesus didn’t stop there with their
failure. He went on to clarify His
words. He said, “These things I have
spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John
16:32-33) Jesus was telling them that
even in their scattered, fearful and unbelieving state, they could find
redemption and peace. They did not have
to live in defeat. They could be
overcomers. What was the game
changer? Jesus won the victory. He has overcome the world, and because He did,
we can too.
Jesus came in
human flesh, and in that flesh, He lived a spotless, sinless, perfect life
fully in the kingdom of God even while He walked the dusty roads and faced the
devil in this world. He was the perfect
sacrifice Who took our sin on Himself, died and then rose again. His death is our death (we are crucified with
Christ). His victory is our victory (we
are risen with Christ). The enemy has
been conquered. God has prevailed! That
is where we get the power to conquer.
The Spirit of God in us will uproot the spirit of this world and the
spirit of antichrist (the spirit in the world that opposes Christ and works
through those who allow it). The Spirit
of God in us is unstoppable and will give us the power and strength to
overcome. We no longer have to be ruled
by the dictates of this world. We do not
have to live in defeat. We can be more
than conquerors through Jesus Christ Who loves us.
Those who are
not overcoming are the ones who don’t know they can be overcomers, or those who
have no desire to overcome the world. Those
who don’t want to overcome are comfortable in the world and have accepted sin
as a normal lifestyle. They really don’t
see any reason to overcome. Their lifestyle
looks pretty much like everyone else’s, and they don’t want to rock the boat,
even to be an overcomer and have eternal life.
Sadly, many believe it doesn’t matter because everyone goes to heaven,
but as we will see, that is not the case.
In order for you
to be an overcomer, there has to be something to overcome. What is in the world that we are to overcome?
Certainly our sin nature, but let’s be more specific. Galatians 5:19-21 gives us examples of the
outward behavior that stems from the nature of this world. “Now the practices of the sinful nature
are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality
(total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery,
hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions
[that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior,
and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did
previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of
God. ” (Amplified Bible) These
components of earth-living will keep us ensnared by the world, and will lead us
to destruction in hell for eternity. They will prevent us from entering into
the kingdom of God, because choosing to be friends of the world means we are
enemies of God. But we don’t have to remain
chained to that existence, because Jesus made a way for us.
Let’s
look at the next few verses in Galatians 5.
Like the words of Jesus we read previously, the good news will cancel
the bad news if we apply it. “But the fruit of the Spirit [the
result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy,
[inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while
waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such things there is no law.” (Amplified Bible) When we have been born again of the Spirit of
God, we exchange the spirit of this world for the Spirit of God.
With
the power of God working in us, not only can we overcome the practices of the
sin nature, but God will do more than we can ask or even think. He will do mighty works through us that we
could never think of, much less accomplish on our own. “Now unto him that is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout
all ages, world without end. Amen.”
(Ephesians 3:20-21) We will also overcome death, hell and the
grave just as Jesus did.
The ability to
conquer this world with its temptations and trials comes by faith in Jesus.
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world,
but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5) Through faith in Christ, we break free from
the spiritual gravity that holds us down, and we are lifted up into the kingdom
of God. We are like the space shuttles
that separate themselves from this world’s atmosphere and soar into a whole new
region.
We remain in
this world, but are no longer of it. We
are citizens of God’s kingdom. However, Satan
will continue to bring accusations against us, and try to make us believe we
have to be a servant of sin because we cannot possibly live up to God’s
rules. He indicts us every time we make
a mistake. He tries
to make us forget about the mighty power of God that works in us. But overcomers
will rise again when they fall. “Do not
rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah
7:8 NKJV) God gives us whatever we need
to overcome our enemies and even our own failures.
We
can be overcomers instead of being overcome if that is the life we choose. It is a battle, but it is not a battle we
fight on our own. Romans 12:21 says, “Be
not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Don’t allow evil to conquer you. You have the power of God’s Spirit within you
to conquer it. We conquer evil by doing what is right and good, by allowing the
Spirit of God to work in and through us.
James 4:7 puts it this way. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.” Be subject to God. Yield the control of your life to Him. The word ‘submit’ means to come under God’s
control allowing His Word and His Spirit to govern us. Study the Word of God so you can do what it
says. Let it change you. Listen to the voice of His Spirit so you can
follow Jesus. Let Him lead you. Then we are to resist the devil by setting
ourselves against him, not by coming into agreement with him. We oppose him. It is the direct opposite of what we are to
do with God. We oppose the control of
the enemy by allowing God’s Spirit to be in control. When we do that, Satan will have to run. The word ‘flee’ means to vanish, to avoid, to
escape or to seek safety by flight. An
overcomer submits to God and resists the devil.
Let me leave you with a few Scriptures to encourage you in
your life as an overcomer.
Galatians 1:4 is speaking of Jesus when it says, “Who gave
himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father.” (Galatians 1:4)
As
we submit, He delivers.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
The greatness of
His power is in us to conquer.
“Who is the one who is victorious and overcomes
the world? It is the one who believes and recognizes the fact
that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John
5:5 – Amplified Bible)
It is our choice.
“Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world. And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John
2:15-17
Now, go out and OVERCOME!
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