Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of
God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world. 1
John 4:1-4 NKJV
All too often we as believers struggle with the feeling that we are failing in
our attempts to live the life that God expects from us. When life presents us with problems or
struggles or persecution and we fail to react or perform in the manner we feel
would be acceptable to God we often despair that we will ever get it
right. Those feelings come because we
make the mistake of focusing on the problem facing us rather than the victory
we already have by the grace given to us when we first believed. You see, we have already won because our
faith is in Jesus, and He has already overcome the world.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the
world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he
who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 NKJV
I know I have mentioned before
that I participated in track and field for most of my early years. My main event was hurdling and I was
fortunate enough to run at a college where a coach from the US Olympic team
coached. One of the corrections he made
to my technique which helped more than any other was to teach me to focus on
the finish line instead of focusing my attention on the hurdle in front of
me. As soon as I began to do that, my
times dropped dramatically. I believe
that this is exactly what God is telling us when He tells us we are overcomers.
Our final victory is already
assured by the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and all who have accepted that gift
are overcomers. The word overcome, used
to describe those who have made this choice, is found throughout the New
Testament but primarily in the letters to the seven churches found in the Book
of Revelation. In these seven letters we
find seven spiritual sins the churches are guilty of, and the overcomers are
those who stay true to the gospel. It is
here where Jesus reveals the rewards overcomers will receive when the race is
finally over and we join our Father in Heaven.
….“He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of
the Paradise of God.” ’ Revelation 2:7 NKJV
He
who overcomes will meet Him at the Tree of life in Heaven. We will be free to eat of the fruit just as
Adam and Eve did in the Garden before their sin.
….“He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who
overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’ Revelation 2:11 NKJV
He
who overcomes dies in faith and receives life.
The second death refers to spending eternity in Hell, something all who
believe in Jesus will be spared from.
….“He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a
white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him
who receives it.” ’
Revelation 2:17 NKJV
Overcomers
are promised the gift of eating the Bread of Life, and the present of a new
name given specifically by God.
….“And
he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power
over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of
iron; They shall
be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have
received from My Father; “and I will give him the morning star. “He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ Revelation 2:26-29 NKJV
This
refers to the Millenium, where Jesus will again rule on the earth for one
thousand years. Overcomers will be given
the right to rule with Him during that time.
….“He
who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his
name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and
before His angels. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.” ’ Revelation 3:5-6 NKJV
Here
we find our promise of eternal salvation.
White garments are a symbol of our redemption by being washed in the
Blood of the Lamb.
….“He
who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall
go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city
of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write
on him My new name. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.” ’ Revelation 3:12-13 NKJV
A
pillar is the strongest part of any structure.
It supports everything else and is meant to be a permanent part of the
structure. Overcomers are promised the
permanence of being the foundation of what is to come.
….“To
him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame
and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”
Revelation 3:21-22 NKJV
What
better picture could we imagine than sitting with Jesus on His throne? This is
the finish line, the victory we already have in Jesus. As overcomers we are promised all these
things as a reward for making the choice to accept the gift of eternal life
given to us by the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you have never accepted that gift, I
encourage you to do that today. Simply confess
to Jesus you are a sinner in need of salvation, and ask Him to forgive you of
your sins. Tell Him you believe that He
died for your sins and that He has the power to give you eternal life because
you believe.
If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. 1 John
1:9 NKJV
Keep
watching.
