We Are Overcomers!!!

" Everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."                                                                                                                          I John 5:4


     In the book of Revelation, Jesus addresses seven churches which represent believers on earth in the last days.  There are vast differences in these churches regarding purity of doctrine and the power of godliness.  Jesus makes it known to them that He knows everything about them and that He sees their challenges, their sins, and their victories.

     There are only two churches that Jesus did not instruct to repent- the Church in Smyrna and the Church in Philadelphia.  The Church in Smyrna was a persecuted church in extreme poverty. Despite the adverse physical conditions, they were rich spiritually. The Church in Philadelphia was a church that had perservered through many difficulties and yet remained true to God and His Word.

     To the Church in Philadelphia, Jesus gives an incredible promise: "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and 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 My new name."  (Revelation 3:12).

     The truth for us, as believers, is that Christ wins and that Christians must also win.  John 16:33
tells us to "Take heart! I [Jesus] have overcome the world."   This passage in Revelation expounds that point by Jesus telling His followers that they also must overcome the world.

     There are blessings and rewards for those who overcome.  The rewards for perserverance are astounding!  The promises of Jesus to overcomers include: paradise, never to be hurt by the second death, to eat the hidden manna, they will be given a white stone with a secret new name on it, authority to rule the nations, to sit with Jesus on His throne, to be dressed in white and made a pillar in God's temple, and the privelege of enjoying God's presence forever and ever!

     It is our faith that propels us forward in the midst of adversity. In Chuck Colson's last book entitled,  The Faith, he makes an excellent point regarding believers who live in this generation.  He says that it will take faith in all three Persons of the Godhead to have the ability to overcome.

     This means we must be intimately acquainted with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Within this tripartite being we find the keys to our victory. Every provision is available to us if we are willing to commit our time and hearts to truly seeking God and His purposes in our lives.

     Each Person in the Godhead has distinct characteristics and functionality. The overall vision of God the Father on which we need to meditate is that: God is holy; He is Almighty; He is Eternal ( He was, and is and forever will be); and He is the Creator of all things. Additionally, God is referred to in the Old Testament by many different names that also speak of His nature and characteristics. It is imperative that we ask God for a fresh revelation of who He is and what that means for our present circumstances.

     God appointed Jesus to be the Head of the Church. In Ephesians 1:18-22, Paul prays the following: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His  right hand
in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be Head over everything for the church."

     Christ loves the Church- we are His top priority! It is by His blood that we are redeemed. It is His Word that continually cleanses us. Jesus is our intercessor and prays continually for us. Ultimately, it is Jesus who will present us to God as holy and blameless, as we will be clothed in His robes of righteousness.

     We are Jesus' bride and we have already been invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb! Revelation 19:6-8 describes this glorious event: "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!' For the Wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear." ( Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints).

     Our response to Christ should be one of a cooperative heart to surrender to the sanctification process in our lives. Every trial, problem, challenge, and difficulty has been allowed in our lives with great purpose. When we speak of overcoming, it literally means that no matter what is happening in our lives, our lives are still pleasing to Him. Our top priority should be to always live a life that is pleasing in His sight.

     The Holy Spirit is probably the most overlooked Person in the Trinity, and yet He is essential to the body of Christ. Jesus sent us the Helper to assist us after He ascended into heaven. He is the One who has been given to us to empower us, equip us, and guide us.

     The prophet, Isaiah, describes the characteristics of the Holy Spirit for us: "The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also, righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist."
(Isaiah 11: 2-5).

     Isaiah later tells us that when Satan  opposes the purposes of God in our lives, it will be the Holy Spirit that overcomes our opposition. "So shall they fear the Name of the Lord from the West, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19).

     The Holy Spirit is the Standard Bearer of God's army. The standard of the Holy Spirit will never be an institution, denomination, or a doctrine. It is a Person. Hebrews 12:13 tells us it is "Jesus Christ [who is] the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

     This is our moment in history to 'Rise and Shine". God will release His power to those who are humble. In God's economy, the way up is to bow down.  In order to stand firm, we must first kneel.  2 Timothy 2:11-12 tells us, "there is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him."

                                 WE ARE CREATED TO BE OVERCOMERS!!!!!!!!

"I looked, and there before me was a white horse!  Its' rider held a bow, and he was given a crown,
and he rode out as a conqueror bent on a conquest."                                            (Revelation 6:2)



    

Do You Believe?

         "Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature."
                                                                                                                  Augustine, bishop of Hippo


     An amazing thing happened to our family this week. To explain, I have to backtrack in time a bit. About three and one half years ago, our son, Alex showed us a picture of a beautiful Siberian husky puppy. We had not planned on getting a pet, but one look into the ice blue eyes of this puppy was enough to melt each one of our hearts. We learned that it was possible to fall in love even through a picture on a cell phone!
     That night, Rush became a central part of our family. He was playful and adventurous and had the sweetest temperament any of us had ever seen. In one nanosecond, Rush had succeeded in completely taking over our hearts and our home.
     Rush was primarily an outdoor dog. There was nothing he loved more than running and chasing whatever small prey that had had the audacity to encroach upon his terrain. And yet, he was also cuddly and sweet and adored having his belly scratched.
     We got an electric fence in our backyard to give him more room to run and explore. Despite the fact that Rush had been trained to not get close to the boundary of the electric fence, he quickly learned how to get just close enough to wear the battery down in his collar without getting shocked. He knew the battery was dead when it did not beep and twice he had escaped by this method. The electric fence company informed us that Rush would have to have two collars if we wanted to avoid future exploits beyond the fence. Two it is.
     Approximately sixteen months ago, Alex and his sweet new wife, Ellen moved out to Phoenix. During this transition, not enough attention was paid to the two batteries in Rush's collars. Somehow, the batteries in both collars had died and Rush jumped at the opportunity to run again. It is said that male siberian huskies act as if they have attention deficit disorder, as they are easily distracted by the next flower or bunny or anything else they may see. Therefore, it is easy for them to get lost, and so he did.
     We looked and looked and looked. We went to the pound and called our Veternarian and posted signs. We searched and searched and searched. After several weeks had passed, we began to imagine the worst case scenarios. Rush had never been missing for more that a few hours.
     In the midst of our searching, we also prayed. We prayed for his safety and that God would take care of him. Every member of our family (from the youngest to the oldest) petitioned God to bring Rush home. 
     A few months later, I had a dream that Rush came home. And then, Brent had an identical dream. And yet, there was still no tangible sign that he was even alive.
     Then the phone rang. It was our veterinarian. Someone in Smyrna had found Rush as he was out walking his dog. One of his neighbors was a veterinarian and he asked him to scan Rush to see if he had had a microchip. He did! Our veterinarian gave us the phone number of the man who found him and he told us we could come pick him up.
     Nervously and excitedly, Brent drove to Smyrna. After sixteen months we had no idea in what kind of condition we might find Rush. Brent rang the doorbell and Rush was sitting right in front of him. He stuck out his right paw for Brent to shake. Then he stuck out his left paw. After a proper greeting, Rush promptly rolled onto his back for his belly to be scratched. These were all the things we had taught him to do! He remembered!
     It was quickly obvious that someone had been taking good care of him. He was well fed and groomed and had a harness on that was not ours. When he got home it was also obvious that he had been house-broken because he behaved like a perfect gentleman. It appeared that after sixteen months our dog had been returned to us in perfect condition. Coincidence? I think not!
     We believe that God answered every single prayer that was uttered on Rush's behalf. We also believe that God gave both Brent and I dreams to confirm that Rush would come home. (These dreams occurred months before his homecoming). We also believe that God must have orchestrated many events to facilitate his return.
     Would this be considered a miracle? We think so. A miracle is defined as "An unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God". Our faith and prayers are powerful because they are entrusted to the One who has the unique claim to all authority in heaven and earth. Matthew 17:20 tells us that if we "have faith as small as a mustard seed we can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move."
     God cares about the tiniest details of our lives. He is the God of reclamation, restoration, renewal, and recovery. There is nothing lost or broken in our lives in which God is not deeply concerned. He is a loving Father that hears and sees and deeply loves...
     Most believers would never dispute the fact that God is able to perform miracles. We know that Jesus' ministry showcased this phenomena. C.S. Lewis classified the miracles of Jesus as follows:
miracles of fertility, miracles of healing, miracles of destruction, miracles of dominion, miracles of reversal, and miracles of glorification.  He states that, "Each miracle writes for us in small letters something that God has already written, or will write, in letters almost too large to be noticed, across the whole canvas of nature."
     Since the Age of Enlightenment, many feel that miracles need to be rationalized. The twentieth century Christians that openly justified miracles are: C.S Lewis, Norman Geisler, and William Lane Craig.  Particular denominations, such as Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics have always maintained that God does still perform miracles today.
     I believe the Bible clearly outlines that miracles continue to exist in our world. After Jesus returned to heaven, the book of Acts records the disciples praying to God to grant miracles to be done in His Name for the purpose of convincing onlookers that He is alive. They also acknowledged the hostility of the times in which they were living. They prayed, "'Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your Word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the Name of  your holy servant Jesus.'  After they prayed, the place they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."
     The day that Jesus was resurrected was not the complete fulfillment of God's promises. That occurred at Pentecost (Acts 2: 1-4). This is when the Resurrected Christ became the Glorified Christ and God poured out His Holy Spirit on the earth.
     God also promised that He will pour out His Holy Spirit on the earth again. Acts 2:17-21 tells us,
"' In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in these days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.'"
     Seeing God move on our behalf is a glorious thing! The only negative thing about a miracle is the fact that you need one in the first place. Most of us are far more comfortable in not needing one. From our families' perspective, time and time again we have found ourselves in need of a miracle. Something that only God could accomplish. He has never failed us yet. We have seen God move in our lives in extraordinary ways on multiple occasions.
     I also believe we are living in a unique time and chronology of human history. I believe that God is yearning to make Himself known in the midst of a chaotic world. He is both willing and able to pull out all the stops with signs, wonders, and miracles in our lives. The only prerequisite is that God needs a people who will believe.... Do you believe?


"What if the half-truth of the desire for something beyond us could meet up with the half-truth of the desire for only what is really real and true, which we know and see and touch in this world too? What if those two halves could touch and become the one true truth we were both looking for?"
                                                                                                                      Eric Metaxas,  Miracles

The Tempest

"That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.'
Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him,
'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?'  He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him.'"                                                                            Mark 4:35-41



     Have you ever asked the question, "Jesus, don't you care?" I know I have. Things have to appear pretty bleak before this question enters my heart, but I can remember times when it has. Typically, it is fear that reigns in my heart before I allow myself to ponder what I know to be untrue. And yet, sometimes my emotions and the intensity of the moment trump the truth. It is those times in our lives when a furious squall arises that we seem to momentarily lose our equilibrium and any healthy perspective for what is taking place. These are the times we need to press inharder for a greater revelation of who God is.

     As we enter into this New Year, I believe God is doing a new thing in each of our lives (Isaiah 43:19). God is beckoning us to come 'over to the other side'. In other words, God has promised us things in our lives that He intends to accomplish. God's Word is always intended to produce faith in us (Romans 10:17) and faith must always be tested. One reason why trials come to us is for us to have the opportunity to practice what we believe and to honestly evaluate what lies within.

     Of course Jesus knew the storm was coming! He always does. We are the ones who need to understand that Jesus can be trusted in the storms of our lives. Many people erroneously believe that storms only come to us through our disobedience (like Jonah), but these disciples experienced a storm solely from their obedience to Christ.

     This storm had to be an extremely fierce one because these disciples were experienced fishermen. They knew the ropes and were not easily disturbed, let alone frightened. Besides, they had witnessed Jesus performing many miracles, but somehow still did not comprehend that He is the Master of every situation.

     Unbelief is what precipitates fear. There should never be any doubt of how much God loves us. All we have to do is remember Jesus' sacrifice. In this passage with the disciples, not only did Jesus calm the wind and the waves, He also rebuked them. Jesus knew the greatest danger was not the storm, but, rather, their unbelief. When we honestly come to terms with our unbelief, we will see God's power manifested in our lives.

     George Muller describes faith as follows: "Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends."

     If you are currently experiencing a violent storm in your life, remember not to shift your focus to the challenges and disturbances. It is only the Prince of Peace that will bring a good outcome to you.
If there is a tempest rising to heights that tempts you to be afraid, remember that faith is your anecdote. If you glance out at the horizon and see a perfect storm coalescing, make no room for terror. Instead, place your trust in the One, true Savior.

   Both the forces of good and evil swirl throughout the earth. The good news is that Jesus has already attained our victory. He has not only forgiven us, but He has also cancelled our debts and overcome all hostile accusations toward us by nailing them to the Cross. We are told in Colossians 2:15 that "When He [Jesus] had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."

     If we intend to see God's power at work in our lives, we must realize that we have been given both defensive and offensive weapons to fight against the enemy who intends to thwart the manifestation of God's power. The sixth chapter of Ephesians clearly delineates our defensive weapons. These alone, however, are insufficient to obtain victory. Our warfare is spiritual and yet many refuse to acknowledge that there is a war. In the early part of the twentieth century, someone asked a well-known French General, "In a war, which army wins?" The general replied, "The one that advances."

     This may sound like an oversimplification of a complex issue, but the overall precept is true.
When God is the Commander of our lives, He uses Jesus to navigate us through the storms that are intent on sinking us. 2 Corinthians 2:14 tells us to give "thanks to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

     The truth is that the spirit of the antichrist is rising in our world today. Lawlessness and chaos are the order of the day. And yet, God has given us four offensive weapons to use in "such a time as this".  They are: prayer, praise, preaching of the Word, and the power of our testimony. These are the weapons and strategies that allow us to advance in this season.

     These are exciting days! It is thrilling to contemplate having more of God's power on planet earth. He is all-powerful! Luke tells us that "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:27).  I, for one, would love to see God accomplishing miraculous feats for His Names' sake. I would also love to see a third great awakening that rocked this world for God's glory!

     Prudence tells us, however, that when we see God's release of His holy power on this earth, we will also see a counterfeit emerge. In Matthew 24, Jesus warns us that many will come in His Name, claiming to be the Messiah and that many people will be deceived. In the gospel of John, Jesus tells us that He is "the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ( John 14:6).

     These false christs will also possess unholy power. Just as "Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith." ( 2 Timothy 3:8). Diligence is required, as we live during deceptive times. Occultism is always destructive and should never be tolerated in any form, even if it has the appearance of innocence.

     No matter how big the storms in our lives may be or how hard they try to intimidate us, there is still One who can calm them by His mere Words. All Jesus had to say was, "Peace! Be still!" and the winds stopped and the waves were calm. He still speaks those words over our lives today!

( I have included the lyrics from an old hymn entitled, "Peace, Be Still!" Praying they are a blessing!):

                                               Master, the tempest is raging
                                               The billows are tossing high
                                               The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness
                                               No shelter or help is nigh

                                               Carest though not that we perish?
                                               How canst thou lie asleep?
                                               When each moment so madly is threatening
                                              A grave in the angry deep?

                                             Master, with anguish of spirit
                                             I bow in my grief today
                                            The depths of my sad heart are troubled
                                            Oh, waken and save, I pray
                                 
                                            Torrents of sin and anguish
                                            Sweep o'er my sinking soul
                                           And I perish, I perish, dear Master
                                           Oh hasten, and take control

                                           Master, the terror is over
                                           The elements sweetly rest
                                           Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored
                                           And heaven's within my breast

                                          Linger, O blessed Redeemer
                                          Leave me alone no more
                                         And with joy I shall make the blest harbor
                                         And rest on the blissful shore


                                           Chorus:
                                          The winds and the waves shall obey thy will,
                                          peace.....be still.....
                                          Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
                                          Or demons or men or whatever it be
                                          No water can swallow the ship where lies
                                         The Master of ocean and earth and skies
\                                        They shall sweetly obey thy will
                                         Peace be still, peace be still
                                         They all shall sweetly obey thy will, peace, peace, be still