For we
do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts
of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
I
am away this week so I chose to repost a study I shared with you a few years
ago. I hope you enjoy it.
I
remember back when running track in college that there were always some
spirited joking about which brand of shoes were the best to run in; Adidas or
Nike. Of course, those two brands were just about the only thing we had to
choose from back then, so it made for some fun times between us. But I bet many
have no idea what the name "Nike"
means, because as I recall, not too many then knew it either except for the few
who may have had a passing knowledge of Greek. You see, Nike is the Greek word for victory, and it it also the root word
for "Nikao" which means
"overcomer". It makes sense
that these two words are related, because I'm sure most would agree that in
order to achieve victory, one must overcome, but when looking at this idea in a
biblical light exactly what does it mean to overcome?
In
the New Testament, the word overcome is used almost exclusively by only two
people; Jesus and Paul. In fact, both use this word solely in the context of
letters to the churches. Paul, when writing to the churches, is concerned with
addressing the problems they are experiencing and giving practical advice for
"overcoming". Jesus, when writing His letters to the churches in
Revelation, is giving a warning concerning their performance and revealing the
rewards that will be received only by those who "overcome". Obviously
this concept is a very important one, so I want to explore it a little in this
study to see what insights we might find concerning God's expectations from us.
First
of all, the idea of overcoming something gives us a clue that it might be a
struggle, or something not easily achieved. Paul tells us that as Christians,
we do have a struggle to endure. In the passage above from his letter to the
Ephesians he tells us plainly where our struggles originate. If you look at the
context of this letter, we find Paul is comparing the difference between an
immature and mature believer. Here he tells us that mature Christians
understand that the true nature of our struggles in this life are not from
people, but the powers of darkness authored by Satan himself.
How
often in this life do we look at the troubles we face and personalize them?
It's all because so and so did this to me, or said this about me, etc? The
problem is the people I have to deal with! Paul says that is an immature view of life and
we need to understand that these people and situations are authored by the
forces of darkness that surround us. The mature Christian who has learned to
overcome knows where the struggle is; in our minds! Our attitude towards our
struggles determines our success or failure.
Understanding
our fight is against this world and the temptations we find in it is the key to
achieving victory in our walk with God. So how do we overcome these
temptations? Well, Paul also says this;
Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 NKJV
What
does it mean to be "strong in the Lord"? It simply means that the
mature Christian knows he cannot rely on his own power but must walk in the
spirit of God through fellowship with Him. You see, many Christians today may
appear to be mature because they go through the motions of going to church and
getting involved in some aspect of service, but this is
"spirituality", not maturity. You see, you can do these things
without ever walking in fellowship with God and growing in your relationship
with Him. In several of the letters to the churches in Revelation Jesus says He
knows what they are doing, but what they are doing is not enough. He
specifically says in every letter that the rewards only go to those who
"overcome".
So
how do we become mature and overcome? Look closely at what we are told by John;
I write
to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write
to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you,
little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to
you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have
written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides
in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world
or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the
world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he
who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:13-17 NKJV
Simply
put, the mature Christian who overcomes knows to turn his back to the things of
this world. He knows that victory comes from making his focus growing in his
relationship with God, rather than spending his time pursuing the
"lusts" of this world. To my way of thinking, I am personally being told to put on my Nike's and run away from the world, and rather run towards God. In a sermon about this struggle, Ray Stedman,
late pastor of Peninsula Bible Church had this to say;
The key to growth is
fellowship with the Son of God, spiritual health. You want to be a mature
Christian, able to take whatever comes, able to keep your head when all about
you are losing theirs and blaming it on you? Then, give yourself to the
conditions that make for health: Eat Christ, eat his Word, grow in the
knowledge of him, think, talk, communicate with him. And sleep, i.e., rest in
Christ. Learn how to rely on his strength, not yours, and live in constant
expectation that he is working in you to do his good pleasure. And exercise!
Serve him, obey him, move out, take on things to do, open your eyes and step
out to meet the needs that call out all around you, the cries of suffering and
anguished hearts, the lonely and discouraged. When you do, you will discover
that you have overcome the evil one, he cannot get at you. And bit by bit you
become like Christ, the most attractive, the most fascinating, the most
compelling personality that ever lived.
Do
you really want the victory you can have in Christ? Do you want to be an
overcomer? Make your relationship with God the thing you work at the most, and
you will achieve the victory. Got Nike(s)?
Keep
watching.
