Who can be an overcomer?

There is the story of Gideon in the Old Testament. Here was a man who was a judge or leader in Israel when there were no kings. Israel was bereft of leadership. Gideon arose to the occasion – an overcomer. He took the challenge to lead a nation. He felt weak and ill equipped. But God.

Yet, Gideon knew that he could not do this alone. One alone does not make an army. He needed fellow overcomers. How could he identify them? So he called out to all the twelve tribes to send men for battle and over 32,000 came. Gideon was overwhelmed at the response and he was not sure who would really fight for the cause. So, he set in motion a plan to determine the true overcomers, although 32,000 (Judges 7) was a small representation of over a million people.

Many of them probably were conscripted into service and came out of duty to Israel. He announced to the 32,000 that they were free to go back home. 22,000 people returned home. An overcomer has to have a vision of what is taking place. 22,000 people did not have the vision. That is fine. There is no condemnation to those who do not see (although some might self-righteously think there is). If God has not given the vision to the person, it is not counted against himm. So, 22,000 did not have the vision, although they wanted to be faithful to God. What an honorable action they took, and God through Gideon recognized their love, but sent them home because a vision was required to accomplish this battle, a vision of an overcomer. We must remember that these 22,000 and others supported the overcomers with food, weapons, clothing etc. They were involved.

But there is more involved than just vision. You must know what to do. So Gideon provided another test with the drinking of water. In those days a person traveled with a backpack, if they were on foot. It would carry their necessities and any valuables. A good soldier too would have a knapsack on his back with his essentials and weapons. When the 10,000 men that remained came to the water, Gideon watched how they drank the water. For if they took off their knapsack and laid down their weapon and lapped up the water with the mouth while laying prostrate, they were not fit for the battle. But if they squatted down, with their knapsack on and their weapon by their side, and drew the water up to their mouth with their hands, Gideon wanted them in the army.

There is always time to drink God’s word, the very water of Life into us, but the overcomer always has a sense of battle coming and is prepared at all times to move out. The overcomer knows that being alert and eating is important and relaxation is not an option in a spiritual walk. Being in shape, and ready to go, the overcomer is prepared for the march. Gideon needed a people with vision and a people prepared – people who had already had some things wrought into their life. Spiritually speaking these had certain sure foundations – holiness, dedication, etc.

Out of the 10,000 that remained from the first sifting only 300 qualified. Less than one-percent of those who had initially been called. Only 300 were chosen (Matthew 22:14). Does this mean the others were not worthy? Does this mean that the 9,700 were useless? Of course not. Does this mean that the 300 were better than the others? Of course not. What this means is that the 300 had more things worked out in them than the others at the present time. The 9,700 were in the processing yet, but the 300 had reached the next stage and were able to go on and learn new things.

To be an overcomer, you must be chosen. You must have the vision. Certain things must be worked out in you. The last qualification is the most strenuous requirement.

An overcomer knows that he is nothing and God is everything. Back in the 1970’s the preaching of the prosperity message came forth and many began commanding God for financial and natural blessings. This comes from an uncrucified life. This action comes from failing to rightly discern the Scriptures which state: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."(Matthew 6:33) Jesus, our pattern to follow, never did command anything from the Father and neither should we, because we know that He has provided. A humble and contrite heart is required to be an overcomer.

An overcomer seeks not his own welfare but the welfare of others. Paul laid down his life for the sake of the brethren and even cried out to God to be a castaway if it could bring in another. That is a manifestation of an overcoming life. The overcomer is outward focused, that is, focused on others rather than on himself and the benefits to himself. The overcomer knows that he cannot seek the welfare of others, but that his life hid in Christ can seek the welfare of others. The overcomer realizes that it is Christ in Him who is doing His own good will and pleasure through him. The overcomer rejoices that it is Christ manifested, Christ doing the work, Christ getting the results and God the Father getting the glory. The overcomer realizes he does not have a ‘ministry’ but that it is Christ who He ministers to.

Gideon’s selection of 300 was not the elimination of any. Gideon’s selection was of those prepared for the call at the time. The bride had made herself ready for the husband! Let us humble ourselves before the Lord and make ourselves ready by yielding to His every whim and desire. Let us prepare ourselves by putting on the armor of light (Romans 13:12).

The Need for Overcomers

Every day provides a myriad of opportunities to overcome obstacles, circumstances, family, friends, and occupational situations. Yet, the very ability to overcome is not within mankind. It is a God-given gift. If anyone has overcome, it is because God has given to them the ability to conquer the obstacle. We see many fighting the rampages of cancer. Some overcome and live physically and others overcome by faith not having received the physical life victory. Regardless, the individuals overcome because the grace of God has moved in their lives, whether they perceive it or not.

Man, spiritual descendants of Adam, inherited a fallen, adamic nature, that sinful nature because of sin (Romans 3:23, 5:17). Mankind has no ability to overcome and conquer any desires for fleshly things. Adam could not overcome any of his weaknesses whether he tried to do it by his own efforts or sought spiritual help. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50), that is to say, no carnality, no corruption no fallen nature can overcome. Any effort attempted by man is a self-effort and that is not pleasing to God. So, if anyone really overcomes, it is because of the grace of God.

God looks for us to overcome in His Son and through His Son and not through our efforts because He then would not receive the glory. It is strange how we struggle with self-effort and the desire to be holy and do the right thing. For in our struggle to be holy and god-like, we fail with the first step because it is our effort, and that sets us up as the captain of our own soul, which we are not.

Man likes to have control of circumstances and thereby sets in place certain systems, methods as may be necessary to create a sense of control. The serenity of familiarity to mundane and routine tasks creates a false sense of control. These legalistic methods used even in church situations via liturgies, traditions, etc. all give a false sense of acceptance to the divine. When things go well, God is blessing; and when things go wrong, the question is "Why is God mad at me." When in reality neither is relevant. It is the deep-seated desire of man to be like God. So in his own efforts man creates the circumstances to set himself in place as the supreme source of his own destiny. God places the obstacles to change man’s focus.

A Christian cannot be a ‘passive’ saint. There is no such thing. I’ll just sit back and let God work on me. God will not. He requires joint work. Fatalism is passive – it is going to happen and I cannot do anything about it. Passivity is carnal and fleshly. This is the opposite of trying to ‘pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.’ Both come from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and anything from that tree is death. That tree has no life in it at all.

But a pro-active saint is one who in joint calling, joint heir with Christ, identifies with the Lord. In every effort the saint seeks to flow with the life that God is working within him. Perhaps Henry Drummond who wrote in 1885 in Natural Law in the Spiritual World says some things that should be considered.

"The argument here could not be summed up better than in the words of Jesus. The lilies grow, He says, of themselves; they toil not, neither do they spin. They grow, that is, automatically, spontaneously, without trying, without fretting, without thinking. Applied in any direction, to plant, animal, to the body or the soul, this law holds. A boy grows, for example without trying. He thinks probably as little about the condition as about the result; he fulfils the conditions by habit, the result follows by nature. Both processes go steadily on from year to year apart from himself and all but in spite of himself….A physician may prescribe more earnestness, more prayer, more self-denial, more Christian work. These are prescriptions for something, but not for growth. Not that they may not encourage growth; but the soul grows as the lily grows, without trying, without fretting, without even thinking… A boy not only grows without trying, but he cannot grow if he tries. No man taking thought has added one cubit… Morality is on the way to this perfection; it may go a considerable distance towards it, but it can never reach it. Only Life can do that. For the Life must develop out according to its type; and being a germ of the Christ Life, it must unfold into Christ." Pages 126-128. End quote

A saint must be proactive. This means the saint realizes that the man-child of Revelation 12 is growing within. This child, the new creation in Christ which you are, is using your body’s chemicals, sustenance, to support its growth. The seed lives off the carcass, the old life. The seed grows, this Christ in you. Ask any mother how she is proactive when pregnant and she will tell you. She doesn’t partake of those things that will harm a child – drugs, medicines, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. just to name a few. She is proactively doing those things which will enhance the child coming.

An overcomer, then is a saint who is proactive. An overcomer accomplishes this by yielding to that which is within and identifying with the process. A mother early on gets what is called ‘morning sickness’ which is at least a nauseous feeling if not more. The body struggles with this new seed within. It is foreign to it in many ways and causes changes. No woman is the same physically after childbirth because a change has occurred. The mother cannot stop this period of ‘morning sickness’ even if she wanted to, and she does! No, this is a process with an end result. Nothing can stop the process, unless God sees fit to do so. So, the mother yields to that which is being worked out in her.

She watches her body gain weight, reposition the weight. She sees stretch marks come and seeming weight loss in the upper body. Her breasts change forever - never to be the breasts of a young puerile female again. But she is overwhelmed with what is going on and considers it a joy because of what is going to come. She is no longer identifying with her girlishness but with her womanhood, her new identity. Such is an overcomer. For the overcomer identifies proactively, that is, with what is to be, and not with what was or with what is passing.

Perhaps you have read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. It is filled with many saints that were killed for their testimony of Christ in their life. It is written of Montrose when he was killed in Scotland: "It is absolutely certain that he overcame more men in his death than he would have done if he had lived." That statement is probably true of everyone in Foxe’s book. But is it true of you? Surely, the book was written about these saints’ physical deaths, but they had to be dead to the world before they were killed literally. They had to overcome the world in their life in order to accomplish what they did. They were dead a long time before they were killed by the world! They were walking in Christ a long time, and that is what caused their death! The world does not like seeing someone taking a stand and manifesting a nature that they do not have but desire, because it brings condemnation.

Christianity Today, January 1999 issue, discusses the issue: "Are you tolerant and should you be?" Do you remain silent about sins such as homosexuality, abortion etc. or do you speak out? Are you tolerant of another’s actions, not condemning, or do you speak out against the sin and not the sinner? Serious issues in a pagan, secular world and some say "post-Christian era." The Most famous valley in the Old Testament was the valley of Hinnon, just south of the city of Jerusalem’s walls. Moloch was worshipped there. Moloch worship was the offering up of children for sin. Each female, once in her life was to be a temple prostitute and conceive. The child would be offered up and appease the sin of the adult. The male was to be a prostitute also in the temple. Josiah destroyed (2 Kings 23) Moloch worship (but not the people, just the temple and its customs). Is not abortion the same thing? Should we overcome the same way? Is it right to take a life in abortion? Is it right to bomb a clinic and even kill people because of abortion? Is that overcoming? Should we be tolerant of the sin that goes on? How do you overcome?

One overcomes by his life. I have two children. The minute they came home from the hospital birth, we began daily Bible studies with them. We tried to fulfill Deuteronomy 6:7-10. Obviously it was God’s grace bestowed on our house, lest we would boast. But glory to God! We taught Sarah she had self-worth, which is a struggle for every woman, even adult women. We taught her she had honor and was called of God. We let her know we were there for her. When she turned sixteen and could date, we had a special day of it. Gave her a ring with two hearts and placed in on her wedding finger. We told her she was married to God until she was married to her husband. We emphasized to her again of her purity before God, as we had since her birth and the importance of purity before her husband. If any man sought to defile her, he was not worthy of her because she was bought with a price. Her prince came. She did not get a pauper. But then she had been praying since about age ten for her future husband as she was led of the Spirit, and that God would prepare him, and He did. We did the same with our son, albeit a little different.

One overcomes by being in Him, day and night, recognizing no other for it is a deception. As I overcome, it provides hope and encouragement for others. 1 John 2:14 in the Amplified Bible reads: "I write to you, fathers, because you have come to know (recognize, be conscious of and understand) Him Who [has existed] from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the Word of God is (always in your hearts) abiding in you, and you have been victorious over the wicked one." Note there is victory, total victory, over the evil one in this life. The overcomer is one who has entered into a union with God, much as Paul states in Galatians 2:20. It is no longer you that lives, but Christ that lives in you. The victory is not a battle against the devil, as is done in many Penetecostal/Charismatic circles, but the battle is to remain in the spiritual place you always were in but were deceived into thinking that you were not! The overcomer remains in the Holy of Holies. We do not overcome by fighting against something – we beat against the air (1 Corinthians 9:26-7) but buffet our body. How? By setting our eyes on Him, the Finisher of our faith. The overcomer is proactively focusing on Christ with total yielding to Christ so that He can bring us into His nature. That is the victory that overcomes the world.

It is said of Gad, one of the twelve sons of Israel (Jacob), that a troop shall overcome him but in the end he shall overcome (Genesis 49). Stumbling only occurs when you go forward! A man shall stumble (be overcome) but shall stand the seventh time (Proverbs 24:16). Gad conquered, even though it appeared that a troop conquered him. Many are the obstacles (troop) that appear to conquer each of us, but the overcomer marches to a different drummer than the world.

In the 70’s and 80’s there was a series of movies called ‘Rocky.’ They were quite successful because of the meaning in the movies, not because of the gore. Here was a man who rose up and overcame every obstacle even when his body rebelled. There was a driving force within that caused him to succeed. Now, it was a fictitious story but the point was well taken by the audiences. Rocky boxed his way to success. We overcome by laying our life down so that Christ can take over. Thus, we are overcomers. But how is it done? John 16:33 is the answer. It states:

"These things have I spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Jesus is trying to teach His disciples certain basic truths in this statement. It is not a statement to gloss over quickly. The tendency is to flippantly recognize you have victory because of Jesus. But the depth of teaching here requires more of you, even as it required more of the disciples.

First, the disciples were to be ‘in Me’ which means that no overcoming could occur within themselves. There can be no victory, that is, no conquering any fleshly desire without being in Christ. Many may seem to get the victory in their own efforts, but the truth is they do not. I once knew a minister that preached very hard against the old nature. It seemed he had the victory. But when he was old, he had not crucified the flesh, even though he had preached about it. He had held it in check by his own efforts. But when he was old, it was quite evident. His preaching so hard against the old nature was because of his internal struggle. Some ministers recently in the 1980’s and ‘90’s preached hard against lust, sins of sex, etc, only to be caught in the same. Why did they preach against such things? Because they struggled with the issues themselves. The only victory that can be had is in Christ.

The overcomer attains victory by focusing on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of his/her faith. By looking at Christ and not on the old nature, the Life of Christ grows within and conquers that death which is decreasing as Christ Jesus ascends within the believer. The mature saint is the one who has come to the realization that God is the God of the house of God, which you are (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Only as we yield to Him can we conquer.

The ministry of reconciliation, given to Paul and to us (2 Corinthians 5:18), is to empower us to overcome every obstacle presented to us by others. The actual Greek for reconciliation means that the state of enmity between persons has been changed to one of friendship. An overcomer is one who can restore and keep relationships. Estranged from your spouse? Estranged from your friends? Your Christian faith requires that you stand and work through the situation in Christ, setting aside the emotions that cloud the reasoning of the Spirit. For if you are in Him, all things are reconcilable. Are you a reconciler?

The second part of this verse which provides enlightenment to us is ‘peace.’ When one resides in Him, when one’s mind is staid on Him, then there is peace, regardless of any situation or obstacle. The Greek here means ‘peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous).’ What a peace is available to the overcomer when the person resides in Him. Whether we believe it or not, we are a new creation in Him and the new creation man is never a sinner. One cannot overcome a circumstance if one is emotionally involved with it, because the involvement causes an influence of how you see the situation. It is only when you are in Him that He arises above an emotion that seeks to control your decision. This is the victory – that your life is hid in God in Christ.

Contrary to the rapture theology, there is no escape from worldly tribulation. In the world you have tribulation Jesus states in 16:33 of John. But He tells us to ‘take courage.’ This ‘taking courage’ or King James Version ‘be of good cheer’ is in the imperative mood, present tense, active voice. What does that mean? It is an imperative – BE OF GOOD CHEER. Don’t even think otherwise. It is an order. It is present tense. Don’t do it tomorrow. DO IT NOW IN THE SITUATION. But Jesus even speaks to the action. It is active voice, not passive. This is not something done to you but rather IS SOMETHING YOU DO TO THE SITUATION. The overcomer causes change.

When a minister declares the word of the Lord to the congregation, it resounds throughout the universe with the Life of God, not just to the local congregation. His Word never returns void, but full of life (Isaiah 55:11). Life begets Life. If the word of a minister causes such change in the spirit, how much more so the life of an overcomer lived before the world. There may be tribulation in the world, but we are not of the world (John 15:19) and we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) in Christ.

Do you eat bread for sustenance? If it be true in the natural, then feed the inner man with Him Who is the bread of life. Read the Bible daily. When I was a child my parents taught me how to tie the shoelaces in my shoe. Now, I do not have to think about it anymore but it is an automatic action. The shoelace tying became part of me. So it is with the verses in the Bible. Let them become Life and not doctrine. This then gives you the beginning of an overcoming nature. When trials come do you think of God because you day is so filled with Him? I, like many work over forty hours a week, and then there is the thirty hours or more of ministry a week. It seems like there is so little time but I start the day with Him, end the day with Him, talk to Him in my wife, see Him in my business associates (who do not even know they know Him). I find Him everywhere as I look to see Him. That is the way of an overcomer. The overcomer is in harmony with Christ, safe and secure.

How can we not have peace if we are in Him? How can there be disruption in our life if our life is hid with God in Christ? How can we be depressed if He has overcome the world? Because He, Jesus, the savior of the world, conquered, so can you and I. Overcoming is not a struggle to do because He does it in you. Be proactive and yield to the Reconciler in you. Then as the overcomer, manifest the life of God and let the world beat a path to your door. For the hungry are crying out to be released. They need a leader who can encourage and inspire.

Caleb of old, demanded that he get the toughest people to conquer as he entered the Promised Land. He was the oldest man to enter the Promised Land (Joshua 14:6-14). He overcame the death his own generation embraced in the Wilderness, and now in the Promised Land he overcame the obstacle of the most stubborn people. He pressed his way into the Land. He forced the issue. Caleb was the same man in his old age as he was in his youth when he proclaimed to Moses in Numbers 13:30 "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.’"

Paul writes that he pressed towards the mark of the high prize in Christ (Philippians 3:14). An overcomer forces the issue, even as the sons of thunder said "we can." And they did. The overcomer presses for the life of the kingdom in a world that has a different kingdom. 1 John 4:4 states "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." The meaning is present tense, in this life, regardless of circumstance. Paul knew this and walked in it. John who wrote it overcame being boiled alive in oil and left in a prison colony on Patmos. Overcoming does not get you out of the circumstances necessarily but gives you the victory in the circumstance. Because Paul and Silas were in the right place spiritually, they were blessed of God in the jail. The earth quaked and the jailer got saved because Paul and Silas remained in jail. They did not seek to leave but stayed and helped the jailer! They didn’t use their liberty for personal relief, but stayed and sought to help others in the same circumstances. Now that is overcoming!

The overcomer is the one who enters into a realm of the Spirit, similar to Christ’s. For the overcomer does not see the obstacle, rather he sees the opportunity to bless His Lord, even as Jesus saw every opportunity as a means to glorify His Father. The overcomer sees every situation as a field of harvest. He is not looking for someone, something or somewhere in particular. The overcomer sees everything as the means to manifest Life and this is because there has come a union between the overcomer and God. The overcomer resides in the relationship and experiences everything as Christ did. The empowerment in Christ enhances and embellishes the life manifested in this world, making you other-worldly to people.

Where the feast of Passover experience in Christ saves us from our old nature, and the feast of Pentecost experience in Christ fills us with the gifts of the Spirit, the feast of Tabernacles in Christ brings us into a knowing of union with Him. As was stated by James Reilly in 1843: " Again the increase and nourishment of the body is by union with the head, ‘from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and knit together increases with the increase of God’ (Col.2:19). The head first receives the food, relishes and prepares it for the whole body: so also is Christ; as the head, He first received grace, it being given us, in Him before the world began." It is union identity with Christ that provides the victory and the ability to overcome.

The center of God’s truth is founded in the revelation of Christ. The centrality of the cross covers time before Christ, during His life and all time following His life. The message of the cross is God’s love found in Christ, the offering of His Son manifesting it. We, as overcomers, are the secondary message, a mysterious message, Christ in you reconciling the world. Christ has the pre-eminence in the plan of God, and He has called those to follow Him to give themselves as overcomers to the pre-eminence of Himself in them.

"For the love of Christ constrains us;…that they shall no longer live unto themselves…" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). It is the love of Christ, the deep down love of Christ, that compels, forces, empowers the person to do everything possible (not in their own self-effort but by residing in nature of Jesus) to be godly. What person would sacrifice his own life for another? Only the love of Christ can do such. Consider Paul who laid it all down for the sake of the brethren. This is a true overcomer. It must be said that the true overcomer is not one who brow beats another with his correct doctrine nor uses his doctrine for license in any way. But the true overcomer is of a contrite heart, humble before God, strong in Life but always considerate in teaching recognizing another might need help in overcoming.

Watchman Nee listed 5 ways that a Christian thinks they are overcomers. Perhaps, you have identified with some of them: (1) If you can deal with your temper and are able to be freed from sundry sins, you have the victory and are holy. (2) Some imagine if they are patient, humble and gentle they are victorious and holy. (3) Some believe that by reading the Bible and praying more, by being careful in continuing in the Lord and thus being strengthened, they will have the victory and such conduct will result in holiness. (4) Some conceive the idea of putting self and the flesh to death as the means to victory and holiness. (5) Some people, recognizing the power is in Christ and that our flesh has been crucified, therefore believe that they must by faith draw on His power to overcome and to be holy.

All these five assumptions are wrong. The fifth may seem to be right, yet it is wrong also. For (6) Christ is our life (Col. 3:4). This alone is the victory! This way alone is holiness! Victorious life, holy life, perfect life is Christ Himself. From start to finish, it is Christ. Outside of Him, we have nothing at all. …victorious life which God has given us is not a thing, neither is it patience or gentleness, but it is the living Christ. Christ never comes to supplement our deficiency." End quote

The victory of the overcomer is found in not appropriating the life of Christ to empower yourself to live victoriously, but rather letting Him live in you. As many of you know, our ministry title is founded upon the premise of Galatians 2:20. When we picked that verse over 27 years ago in 1972, Joyce and I did not realize the depth of the working of the verse into us nor what it would accomplish in us. And I might say that we have no idea how our loving God will continue to work it in us, except for His glory. But this we do know and not only believe but experientially walk in – that it is Him and not us.

The KJV states in Galatians 2:20 that Paul lived by the faith of the Son of God. The Amplified Bible states it this way: "…I live by faith – by adherence to and reliance on and (complete) trust – in the Son of God." The Knox translation reads in this manner: "True, I am living, here and now, this mortal life; but my real life is the faith I have in the Son of God." The Bible in Basic English states: "…life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God." Each translation is emphasizing that victorious life, an overcoming life is accomplished by living in the life of Christ and in no other fashion.

This life in Christ forces a recognition that some have and do live in that spiritual realm. Who? Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, George Sweeting, just to name a few. It is possible in this life to realize your life in Christ is Christ and there is no other life than Christ, our ascended Lord Jesus (lest some think I am new age – for there is only one Christ, one anointing, the only begotten of the Father).

is the first step to overcoming.

What God created was good (Genesis 1:31). You were created by God. You are good. But sin entered in and corrupted your personality, made your personality reveal the fallen nature. Your soul sinned (Ezekiel 18:4). But blessed be God, His Son was made an offering for sin, for your soul (Isaiah 53:10). Now you are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The true overcomer knows this experientially and thereby lives by the faith of the Son of God. There is no other faith. Many, Christians included, live by their own faith, which for the Christians is not real faith.

God lovingly gives us obstacles to prove to us who we are living in. Whether we be living in His faith or our own faith. The purpose of the lifetime test, is to see if we remain until the end to receive eternal life (Matthew 10:22).

Knowing that there is nothing in your nature that is redeemable…means that you understand and comprehend that God is not redeeming anything in you. There is nothing He wants to save except your personality type, which is an essence of His nature. If you like me in the past, tried to save this for God or do this for God or thought that what you were doing was godly, it is not redeemable. The fallen nature is very subtle. It wants to be like God and therefore sets certain things into motion to ‘find God.’ But the crux of the problem is this: the carnal nature will never let you really find God because then it would lose its position as God within you; it would lose its religious activities that make you feel holy; it would lose its traditions and rituals, etc.

Perhaps John the Baptist said it best. He was the last of the prophets, the last of the ones under the Law and the Old Testament concepts. He stated in John 3:30 that he must decrease and Christ must increase. John knew that with Christ on the scene, his ministry of Judgment for sin was being removed and that the ministry of Grace through Jesus was on the ascent. Our legalistic religious faith must decrease in order to be an overcomer. You know what I mean, that judgmental, self-righteous attitude, that says our denomination is better than yours, or that we have the "word of the hour" and you don’t or if you don’t do it the way I do it in church you are wrong…and on it goes. Speak Grace to it (Zechariah 4:7) and the mountain is removed, the mountain of flesh. The first step of the overcomer is to no longer identify with a religious nature and to see others in Christ and not in their religious ways! This is life.

In every generation, if the church, that true body of believers – not a physical building nor denomination- fails to manifest Christ sufficiently, God chooses a remnant, a seed, to be His people that He can build the next generation with. For within the church in every generation, there is a people who desire the life of God in the fullness and press towards the mark of the high calling in Christ. God chooses these overcomers to be the seed, if you will,that will encourage the church in the next generation to have many overcomers, not just a few like the previous generation. These saints are found in every denomination as well as outside the church system.

God is looking for a spiritual remnant of 144,000 as the book of Revelation in chapter 14 states. This is not a literal number but a spiritually symbolical number. It speaks of God’s divine government and completeness within a number of individuals. Most scriptural numeric study books agree with that interpretation. But more importantly these 144,000 have the name of the Father on their foreheads, which is to say that they have overcome and received the nature of the Father (Revelation 3:12). These overcomers have walked in the fullness of their understanding that God has given them – one can not progress any further in God than what He reveals to you individually. The overcomer is one who walks in the fullness of understanding and fruitfulness of it where he/she is at spiritually.

As an example, there is the story told by Jesus of the 30, 60 and 100 fold. Some would equate these to the three experiences – Passover (salvation), Pentecost (Baptism of the Spirit) and Tabernacles (union). The thirty fold realm starts out at 1% and grows to a fullness of 30%. There is maturation in the realm. Unless God intervenes, the saint remains a testimony, an overcomer, to others in the same realm because that saint has overcome to perfection in that realm. Now it may not be perfection as seen by the 60 or 100 fold realm, but one cannot judge that way. One is judged on what one sees, not what could be. The saints who have received more light need to be gracious. For if one receives a penny for a day’s wage and another comes in at the end of the day and the Lord gives him a penny for the day, what is that to you who have more responsibility? (Matthew 20) Rejoice that you have been chosen and that the other person has been too.

These overcomers of Revelation 14 have conquered the flesh, that old fallen nature and have been redeemed from among men (14:4) and from out of the earth (14:3). That is to say, they have been lifted out of carnality (from spiritual depravity – among men) and from earthly desires (from lust of the fleshly life – out of the earth). Now they are heavenly creations in contrast to the earthly that they were and now they are spiritually mature in contrast to carnally motivated. These have not defiled themselves with women (14:4), that is to say that they have not sought to produce after the carnal way of thinking, but rather have kept themselves pure for the right relationship with a godly production through Christ.

Joshua was an overcomer. He was one of two, Caleb being the other, who overcame in his generation. He was elevated to lead the next generation into the Promised Land. He lived the life in the midst of the death of his own generation. The younger generation saw that life manifested and followed it rather than the way of their parents. God is looking for a people who have chosen life, even as Joshua challenged the next generation after they had entered into the Promised Land with the following words: "…choose for yourselves this day, whom you will serve…but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." He set the pattern. He pointed the way. He lived the life before the people. They knew that if he did it, they could also! Their response was based upon his life: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods." The overcomer has an impact. So set your light upon a hill.

Peter states that we have been called as a royal priesthood. The ministry of the Melchizedek priesthood is one of death. The ministry stands in the gap for the sins of others, even as Jesus, who was after the order of Melchzedek, did also. This ministry lays down its life for the sake of the others, the brethren. This ministry becomes the bridge that others walk on in order to arrive on the other side. Think about that. May they not use spiked shoes! For there must be a repairer of the breach caused by the fallen nature. Christ is the original repairer and He is the head of the body, which also has a part as the repairer of the breach. The church, as a whole, is to be an overcomer, a victorious light for the sake of the world. But first there must be those within the church who overcome so that the church can arise to its destiny. Find the overcomers in every realm and join hands for they are part of you!

Summary

Overcoming is not something we do, but rather is the grace of God working in us to bring about the manifestation of His life in us. The requirements of the overcomer are few. First, we must humble ourselves before the Lord God Almighty realizing that it is He in us working His good pleasure and not we ourselves lest we would boast and He not get the glory. He saved us; we not save ourselves (Romans 10:13, John 6:44), nor did we seek His salvation.

Overcoming is yielding ourselves willingly to the demonstrative work of God within us to conform us to the image of His Son. Having been persuaded that nothing can separate us from the love of God, we yield to His dealings so that the glory of God might be seen in a people (2 Thessalonians 1:10,12).

Overcoming requires vision, and the ability to be prepared to move in the Spirit at a moment’s notice in order to do battle with the enemy. Overcoming requires for you to know beyond a shadow of doubt that you are in Christ’s army, you have no old nature, and that your life is hid with God in Christ.