A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (September 21, 2017)
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 16:33)
What does it mean to overcome the world? What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? We have a Bible full of examples of great men and women of God who overcame (Hebrews 11). Were they just born like that or did they have to overcome? Were they just special?
One of the things that I have learned over the years is that people are people. Some of the greatest insights I have received from the scriptures is when I realize that these great men or women of God of the Bible were just regular humans like us. They faced the same fears and thoughts of inadequacy as we do. It is when you realize that, and put yourself in their shoes, that you can start thinking like they thought and start seeing how they overcame (subdued, got the victory over, conquered).
The main battlefield is our mind. The enemy is the accuser of the brethren and he is constantly trying to convince you that you are “not” something. You are not educated enough, not smart enough, not eloquent enough, not rich enough, not called or anointed enough, and on and on He goes with all his lies.
Jesus was not only the Son of God, He was the Son of Man. He had to face the same temptations and challenges that we face. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Do you remember when Jesus was in the desert being tempted by Satan. The first thing that Satan said to Jesus was, “If thou be the Son of God”. He knew who Jesus was but he tried anyway to get Jesus to doubt His own calling. He does the same thing to us. If he can get us to doubt our calling, and to doubt our position in Christ, then he is halfway there to getting us to back off whatever God calls us to do. We can overcome those mental attacks the same way Jesus did. He did it with the Word. He did it by “It is written”! We overcome by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11)!
God uses real people in the Bible to illustrate His message, not super humans. He used a shepherd boy to slay a giant. He used a murderer named Moses who was not eloquent in speech to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He used a reluctant Gideon and a man short in stature named Zacchaeus as examples of people that overcame. He takes the foolish and common things of the world to confound the wise.
You are automatically an overcomer if you believe in Jesus because you have defeated death! He has also put His Spirit in you to help you overcome the temptations you will face in this world. What you have to do is use your faith to take authority over all those demeaning accusations from the enemy and speak the Word to Satan. You are a child of God and as such you can cast down all those imaginations and take authority over everything that exalts itself over the truth of God’s Word. You are more than a conqueror which means you have the power and authority to conquer the ones that try to conquer you.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 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 5:3-5)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5)
