Be An OVERCOMER!!!

[WISDOM]

As followers of JESUS CHRIST, YOU and I are called by many different names in our FATHER's Word. We are called "Disciples", "Christians", "Children of GOD", etc. However, each of these names describes a distinctive characteristic of us. Personally, I like what the Apostle John suggests....."OVERCOMERS"!!

But....if we are "overcomers", WHY are many Christians so depressing??? I mean just a casual, "How are you?" can be discouraging when the answer is, "Oh, pretty good UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES."

Or, you can enthusiastically ask, "How are things going?" and they sadly reply, "Oh, they're going."

Listen to me....more than ANYTHING else Christians ARE "overcomers", and it ought to be obvious in what we say and how we look. As someone has said, "If YOU have CHRIST in YOUR heart, NOTIFY YOUR FACE!"

Take a moment to read 1 John 5:1. (Jeopardy music playing...) To believe that JESUS is the CHRIST is to believe that JESUS is the divine ANOINTED ONE, or MESSIAH, promised in the Old Testament (NOT "Neo" from "The Matrix"). The verb translated "believes" (PISTEUO) means to be persuaded of something to the extent that it changes YOUR life. It is NOT mere credence or believing something is credible. Intellectually believing in JESUS doesn't make you a Christian anymore than believing in Adolph Hitler makes you a Nazi!

Those who are truly born of GOD believe BEYOND the shadow of a doubt that JESUS is the CHRIST to the degree that it changs their lives! Love for GOD and love for HIS people are inseparable. "AGAPE" love reveals itself in BEHAVIOR not belief. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) The end result is this BEHAVIOR will become more and more a part of YOUR life. If we are truly Christians we will have a loving desire to obey our FATHER's Word (even stubbornly). We don't obey our FATHER's commandments as a matter of duty/fear, neither do we do so grudgingly.

In the Old Testament times the commands were obeyed out of a sense of duty and fear. In the New Testament the Pharisees kept the "cold" letter of the law with little or no compassion for those to whom it applied. However, our FATHER's commands to each of us cannot accomplish their intended purpose WITHOUT Love. Apart from an understanding of HIS love, HIS commands become a burden that makes us miserable. Think for a moment....a Father says to his son, "Do not play in the street," out of love, NOT because he wants to make the son miserable. The same is true of all GOD's commands. They are an expression of HIS love for us, because ALL SIN is harmful and DANGEROUS to the people our FATHER loves....YOU and I!! HE gave HIS commandments throughout HIS Word to protect us. (1 John 5:3)

HIS commands are given to us so that we can be happy, healthy, and holy. I believe every command is intended to make one of these three things a reality in our lives.

The word "overcomes" translates the Greek word NIKE that is the name of a very popular athletic shoe. It means "VICTORY". So, to overcome the world is to gain victory over our former sinful pattern of life (1 John 5:4). The Bible says everyone of us Christians overcome the world, NOT some, NOT most, but EVERYONE! Hey, in this world system there are MANY FORCES trying to drag us away from GOD and seeking to occupy us with what is SENSUAL and SINFUL. You cannot even look at a simple commercial any longer without gettting caught offguard with expletives, or sexual overtones. In this world there are really only two kinds of people....VICTIMS and VICTORS. The promise of the Bible is that those who are "born of GOD" are not the victims but the victors who overcome the world.

The "world" works overtime trying to discourage us when we try to live for GOD. Political changes having a heavy impact on our Christian faith.....filth on television as early as the school hours of the morning....New Age religious thinking out of control.....2 Timothy Chapter 3 exploding right before our very eyes! As a result many Christians live defeated lives INSTEAD of victorious ones because they have not accepted our FATHER's promise....."EVERYONE born of GOD OVERCOMES the world" (1 John 5:4).

We need to be like the little boy in the baseball dugout when a man asked him about the score. The little boy said, "We're behind 18 to nothing." "Wow," said the man, "I bet you are discouraged." "Why should I be discouraged?" replied the boy. "We haven't even gotten up to bat yet!!"

How can we be overcomers when the world seems to be controlled by "the other side"? The secret of being an overcomer is FAITH in JESUS CHRIST (1 John 5:5). This is the "switch" that turns on spiritual power in our lives (John 16:33). Our LORD/SAVIOUR overcame the MAXIMUM OPPOSITION the world could muster, including sin and death.

If HE has overcome the ULTIMATE enemies, (and HE has!) why should we HIS followers be intimidated by lesser forces of the world (system)???? No force in this world can overpower the person who believes JESUS is the SON of GOD (Romans 8:37). We are "MORE than CONQUERORS"! I've been taught that a conqueror defeats his enemy.

To be MORE than a conqueror is to make YOUR enemy YOUR friend and win him/her over to YOUR cause through AGAPE Love.

[Guest shadow2b]

---. As someone has said, "If YOU have CHRIST in YOUR heart, NOTIFY YOUR FACE!"

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I didn't know what a wild sense of "hugh--more" you had ya LiLL dickens you-- :LOL: :LOL:

[traveller]

Many times I have wondered why I am here, in this place, at this time. Why did God not place me in the 1400's or the 1800's or even when Jesus walked the earth? Why now when it is so hard to live in the world? Because now is when I would be at my optimum. As we go through the 40 Days of Purpose, we discover that we are not an accident and nothing about our lives is a mistake. Since my FATHER knew me before He laid the foundations of the earth He knew ME and what I could and could not do. All my life I've heard the saying that He will not give us more than we can bear, and though I believe it is taken out of context usually, I do know what is meant. He knows us and what we can and cannot do. Simple. It's really hard sometimes, to be happy and confident. However, as we draw closer to Christ and learn to depend on Him, we can tackle the toughest mountains.

And something that I have never understood is why some believers act as though it is a duty, and a painful one at that, to serve Christ. It is called the Good News for a reason!

[traveller]

Gary, put your teeth back in.

[Guest Teri]

Wisdom thanks that was great, and Gary that was just too funny. I would much rather be a victor than a victim. People who percieve themselves as victims and refuse to even look at overcoming diversity or using it to strengthen themselves are really hard to be around. A victim is absorbed with self and talks endlessly of the unfairness of life. I actually have Christians that get mad at me because I have this thing when someone is talking to me about their personal problems a story in the Bible pops into my mind that relates to what they are saying. So instead of talking about their person I get going on the story and how it relates and how the outcome was so great. I only do this with people who know the Bible because they can't get away from the truth of it. I had a freind say to me the other day in frustration, "Do you always have to bring God into it?" I had to laugh and said God was already in it. God is fun, and understanding the test that I am going through gives me the motivation to get through to the otherside of it to the Glory of God.

In Yeshua's love

Teri

[WISDOM]

Trav & Teri:

I do believe Pastor Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" has opened the spiritual eyes of Christiandom, and awakened a passion for life for any and all who've asked our FATHER for guidance in HIS will for their life.

The book lines up PERFECTLY with the Word, and makes no apologies. Trav, you hit on a valid point...this is OUR "hour". By no means is it a mistake that we're in this generation of Believers, and are being used by our FATHER as an outreach to those in need of the LIGHT.

I must admit....I am no "Super-Christian". I have learned to lift up (and live with) my shortcomings onto Heaven's altar and depend totally on GOD's grace and mercy. Without it I would ALWAYS be looking at myself as a "victim". Satan hates mankind, but he REALLY hates Christians because he knows what is in store for us on the other side of the veil, which separates time from eternity. Trav, your post will help many of us out here because until we look at things such as you mentioned through our FATHER's eye we miss the boat.

I like what you wrote Teri about using a Biblical character to silence a Christian's doubts/complaints, etc. I wish more Christians would do that. We need to understand that it isn't any accident that many of the characters in the Bible (especially the OT) are there for us! Our FATHER did not just throw them in there to complete the manuscript. We are walking in their footsteps! How many times have we lied, cheated, cursed out someone, stole, commited adultery, got drunk, thought we were "ALL THAT", commited incest, got beat up, robbed, thought we were out-smarting GOD, thought we were sexy, been in prestigious positions, been failures, hoarded money, longed for fame, betrayed friends/family, put on "fronts", slandered/murdered the character of others, had pity parties, LIED SOME MORE, led double lives, hated, portrayed jealousy, been very sarcastic and the beat goes on-and-on-and-on-and.......yet GOD brought us through it ALL!

None of us are exempt, and our FATHER wants us to know this, so HE provided us with examples of Saints from times past, who endured because with their pinky nail of FAITH they entrusted themselves to HIM. HE wants you and I to not only do the same, but like you've been doing share those examples with others. In doing so we allow HIS HOLY SPIRIT to reach out (like AT&T) and touch someone!

[Guest dove2]

Teri, I will certainly remember to use your tactics and remember Bible stories that goes with personal stories. That helped bunches. I have a friend who is always doing that to me. She even comes to the office and tries to do this.

Trav: Your post was right on. It really is the Good News.

Wisdom all I can say to you is Amen Brother, you are right as usual. Awesome post.

Gary you're a nut but my most lovable one.

[Guest shadow2b]

--And something that I have never understood is why some believers act as though it is a duty, and a painful one at that, to serve Christ. It is called the Good News for a reason!

A "PAINFUL-DUTY" to "serve" OUR LORD & SAVIOUR?????-what an idiotic "ACT thought-idea"-HOW

in the great BIGG wide-blue-eyed world "could" anyone "think that"?????? most especially a

supposedly {saved-born-again-"BLOOD-BOUGHT"}professing christian?????sheeeeessssshhhhhh

how "STUPID"!!!!!!--HIS yoke is "EASY"--HIS burden is "LIGHT'-------YET it IS our "duty" to serve our

LORD--WE are "bought" with a price we know NOT of---but "serving" our LORD even tho it is our

"DUTY" should be & IS A JOY------sorry---i'll stop "ranting" now---thank you sis i don't understand

how anyone could think "that" either------

----Gary, put your teeth back in

----TRAV. sis---watch it there's lotsa unthrown pies left ya know????---

[WISDOM]

Gary...(Wis throws up hands in the air)....you're a mess bruh! *lol*

[Guest Teri]

Hi Wisdom thanks, but to be perfectly honest I don't believe it is I doing it. Sometimes even I am amazed with how the story from the OT comes out and perfectly relates to what someone is whining about. I think we all have different gifts and I just have this one that puts the OT into story form. I say the strangest things sometimes, like wow, your wrestling the angel by the Jordan. The other person goes "What?" giving me the opening to launch into the story and tell why it's happening, how it comes out and how it relates to what they are going through. If they come back the next day with the same complaint I'll say something like "still on that river bank are ya?" I think about what I said after the fact and look up and say "Now where did that come from?" It's not me I'm just open to letting it flow like I don't get in the way or something. See I can't even explain it.

I have to tell you the best time that happened. I was listening to teenagers and the conversation was about peer pressure and all the stuff kids are up to now a days. Anyway the story that popped out was about Shadrach, Meshesh, and Abednego and how out of the whole house of Israel they were the only ones who didn't follow the crowd and bow down to the statue. Well you how the rest of the story goes. I just loved it, and told the Holy Spirit wow your really good at this.

Shadow I love you, you are the funniest thing on the net and you make me laugh everyday. But I have to regretably disagree with you. The burden is light but sometimes it is a rock that weighs a thousand pounds. And for the baby christians out there it seems insurmountable at times. It is quite difficult for young people to go against the crowd, or to put aside wanting all the material things out there. And as older ones there are so many things that can weigh us down. An example of this is a woman I know who is in a very bad marriage. Her husband is an alcoholic, not physically abusive but all the rest. She wants more than anything to be pleasing to the Lord, but at times when she see's her children going astray following after his example or spends another sleepless night wondering if he has finally killed himself or someone else, or if he is with another woman she wants to give up the marriage and end the nightmare. Do you see what I mean? The reason I wanted to point this out is because we all go through some pretty big trials and they feel nothing like light and I don't want anyone to be discouraged while they are in that place. The joy comes when we get to the other side and know we walked through the fire and passed the test. Even Jesus in doing the Will of the Father sweated drops of blood before He was finished. So we must always understand and tell others that at all times following in His footsteps won't be easy, but man is it worth it.

In Yeshua's love

Teri