We Are To Overcome …… To Become Overcomers.

But just how do we accomplish that?

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his (or her) God, and He shall be My son (or daughter).” Revelation 21:7

The Lord is clearly saying here that if we overcome (become an overcomer) we will inherit all things, be adopted into the family of God, and we shall become His son or daughter. What a promise! But just what is an overcomer and what do we need to do to overcome in this life? Most importantly, how do we know we have become overcomers?

First of all, the Lord promised blessings to those that overcome so it must be possible for us to attain to it. As far as what we are to overcome, we are told throughout the New Testament that we are to overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil.

The World – 1 John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever (or whosoever) is born of God overcomes the world.” The world system is at enmity with God. We as Christians battle against a system that believes it doesn’t need God or His will for us in life and that everything can be accomplished without Him. Pride and self-will define the system and philosophies of the world.

The Flesh – Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh (in this case evil desires) lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to one another: so that you cannot do the things that you would.” Paul talks about this in Romans Chapter 7. After becoming a Christian he experienced a war within himself. His desire was to live for God, but he found that he could not do that with willpower or in his own strength. There were things in his flesh that were opposed to God. We have weaknesses within and enemies without that war against us.

The Devil – The Bible makes it clear that this enemy is real, powerful and cannot be defeated in our own power. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.” Clearly, we have an adversary who is out to destroy us by any means. James 4:7 says, ” Submit yourself to God, resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” We are told to be sober, vigilant, submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil; but how do we do this?

It becomes increasingly obvious as we read God’s Word that we, in ourselves, cannot overcome the world, the flesh or the Devil. So the Lord has shown us that it is possible to become an overcomer, but we are unable to accomplish this in our own strength. Paul, when realizing this cried out in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am (he realized there was no victory in himself).” Once he realized his weakness and inability to live a life pleasing to the Lord in His own strength, he was on the right track! He then continues “who will deliver me from the body of this death?” His path to victory is opening up to him when he cries “who”. Finally, Paul says in verse 25, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Victory is now assured.

We become overcomers and know it only as we place our faith in Jesus and what He accomplished at the Cross and leave our faith there. Romans Chapter 6 says that, at conversion, we were “…baptized into His death (spiritually, we died with Him)“, “buried with Him (buried with Him with our past sins)”, and “that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life.” So we are to realize that spiritually, we have died with Christ, have been buried with Him and been raised in newness of life.

The source of all blessings from God comes through Jesus. The object of our faith must be Jesus and His finished work on the Cross. This allows the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, which is the only way to victory. We overcome by placing our faith in the Lord and His great work. Roman’s 8:2 makes this very clear for it says, “For the Law (Law of God) of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of Life in Christ Jesus (Newness of Life from Christ due to what He accomplished on the Cross) has made me free (the only way to victory) from the Law of Sin and Death.” The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is the most powerful spiritual law of God, and the only way to overcome the Law of Sin and Death.

Jesus said in His message to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation Chapter 3 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock (door of our heart), if any man (whosoever will) hear my voice, and open the door (Christ is the door to all God has for us), I will sup with him, and he with Me (the only way to victory).” It should be noted here that this message from Jesus was given to those already in the church. No wonder the Apostle Paul when admonishing the church at Corinth said “Examine yourself, whether you be in the Faith (faith in Christ and Him Crucified), prove your own selves (make sure). Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you (possible only with proper faith), except you be reprobates (rejected)” (2 Corinth 13:5). We see by this verse and the message to the Church of Laodicea how important properly placed faith is to us.

“They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb (victory in Christ crucified exclusively) and by the word of their testimony (our testimony that our faith is in Christ and Him crucified)… (Revelation 12:11)

We overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil in the same way. In Revelation 12:11 we see that the saints of the Tribulation overcame by the “Blood of the Lamb” and “by the word of their testimony.” It is the same for us. Just before He dies, Jesus cried out “It is finished.” He has provided us everything for “life and godliness” by His great work on the cross. The sin debt was paid and we can live in newness of life by what He accomplished. If our faith is in Christ and Him crucified and not in anything else, then we can know that we are overcomers. What a Savior! We can exclaim along with Peter that this is “Joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

Rock Of Ages

Composed by Augustus Toplady in 1763

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee; let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flow, be of sin the double cure*; save from wrath and make pure. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the Cross I cling.

*Christ Crucified is the double cure. Save from wrath (salvation) and make pure (sanctification).

See The Victorious Christian Living page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/211

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Tom Quinn Ministries –tqministries.com 2020