The Overcomer

Who is an overcomer? And whom does Heaven consider a victor? This word is repeated many times by Jesus as a characteristic of those people who will receive a specific reward for their achievements in war.

I always considered myself a victor simply because I believe in Christ. After all, in 1 John 5:4-5 it is written: "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" And it was enough for me that the Bible calls me such. I automatically considered all the promises given to overcomers as mine, without even thinking about what and whom I was overcoming. But the Lord drew my attention to this concept when I actually began to win some victories in my heart by the power of Jesus.

If I bear the Lord's name but allow the carnal man to lead me into temptation and manifest his influence through me, then calling myself a victor in the light of the Bible becomes very difficult for me. Resolving conflicts or problems through the flesh can be very quick and effective. For example, if a relative bothers me with his nitpicking and insults, by sharply responding to him, shouting at him, threatening physical retaliation, grabbing him by the collar, or even hitting him, I would probably instantly resolve the conflict. And it would not repeat. The relative would lose all desire to bother me with his claims, and perhaps he would begin to respect me. But if I begin to endure his attacks and respond with love, not allowing myself even an evil thought about him, his nitpicking may grow into constant mockery and abuse towards me. And they may last for years without any prospect of improvement.

Which path would you choose? Of course, I have exaggerated, but unfortunately, there are very strange people who well understand the language of rudeness and can calmly live under tyranny and dictatorship, going about their usual business and not encroaching on anyone's power. But if they are shown tenderness and love, they turn into monsters who will not calm down until I am alive and love them. A paradox. But this is often what happens to those who are not open to the influence of the Holy Spirit. The enemy of the human soul knows how to use such people and through them spoil the lives of God's children. It often happens that a similarly carnal person, seeing injustice towards a loving Christian, stands up and threatens physical retaliation to those who are ready to cause harm to God's children. In this case, everything calms down. I have often heard such experiences from army stories of my friends.

And yet, all these examples are not the rule regarding a loving heart. There are life situations we may encounter, and then we need to know what to do.

If a mother punishes her child and beats him with a belt for disobedience, is this good or bad? It is difficult to say unequivocally. There is a big difference between a 3-year-old and a 33-year-old. But it is also very important to understand with what spirit the punishment is carried out and how wise the approach was.

Who, then, is an overcomer in the light of the Bible? An overcomer is one who has a victor's mind and overcomes every temptation, every enticement, every pride coming from outside and inside, guided by love and obedience to the truth. Only one who knows the Word of God, who studies God's law and has submitted to its requirements can be an overcomer. An overcomer sees the danger of violating the Lord's principles and does everything within his power to remain faithful to them. If he lacks wisdom and strength, he asks for them from above and receives them. An overcomer is one who has known Christ, met Him personally, given Him his life, and is in constant communion with God, continuing to study His will, knowing Jesus' character more deeply, asking for guidance from the Holy Spirit, and living in love for God and people.

An overcomer is a conscious state of mind understanding what war he is participating in, on whose side he is, what rules exist in this war, what laws operate in it, who his opponent is, what strategy Satan has, how to resist the forces of spiritual wickedness in high places, how to tread on serpents and scorpions while not exposing his soul to mortal danger.

An overcomer has a victor's mind. He cannot imagine defeat, though he allows the possibility of falling. But if he falls, he immediately begins to seek a way to rise and move forward to new victories. In his thoughts and feelings, such a person has completely merged with Jesus. He does not understand how it is possible to lose.

In essence, Christ is the true Victor. And I am only entering into His merits and following Him, in His footsteps, growing from glory to glory.

Without Him, I can do nothing, for my enemy is stronger than me and will quickly overcome me. But Jesus Himself, together with His Angels, wages war and teaches me to be a victor. Without my participation and consent, He will not fight for my soul and endow me with His successes. I must want this and ask for it. All living on Earth use common divine protection. It is called love and care for creation. Many people wage war unconsciously and overcome something by God's mercy. But for the enemy of the soul, they do not pose a danger, and he does not greatly disturb them. But when a person consciously takes Christ's side and becomes God's warrior, then Satan pours out all his fury, trying to find a way to separate him from Jesus. The enemy understands that such people will save themselves, and then will boldly invade his territory and attract deceived neighbors to Jesus, convincing them to accept Christ as their personal Savior. And they will have absolute success in this because Jesus Himself will fight for them and go where the saved can do their work for God's glory.

And what does a victor's victory look like? It rests on faithfulness to God, on understanding His will, and on constant connection with Him through prayer. My victory begins every morning from the moment when in prayer I give my life into God's hands and ask for His blessing and guidance for the new day. I ask Him for love, protection, and wisdom to endure all trials. When temptation comes, then my mind, trained by habit to determine temptations, recognizes it. And I must decide what to do. I choose love, obedience, faithfulness, modesty, purity, tenderness depending on the situation. God immediately responds to my choice of His weapon and stands on my side, granting His influence. Sometimes the Lord allows me to make a decision and conduct a battle myself so that I see my weak points and learn complete trust in God's power.

From the outside, my victory sometimes looks like a modest smile, lowered eyes, apologies for causing inconvenience, confession of love, assurance of friendship, showing help, prayer support, kind and gentle words of approval, friendly attitude despite undeserved insults, leaving disputes, avoiding disagreements, and much more depending on the situation. I cannot imagine acting according to the flesh when there are so many opportunities for love and goodness to defeat Satan's evil designs. And God establishes me in this victory.

Reflection Questions for this Chapter

1. What new did you learn for yourself from this chapter?

2. What does an overcomer overcome?

3. Can one be an overcomer while being a simple church member?

4. Why is it important to be an overcomer in the last time?

5. Do you know people among your close ones whom you would call overcomers?

6. Do you wish to be an overcomer? Do you consider yourself to be one?

7. Please read Romans 12:21; 2 Peter 2:19; Revelation 21:7; 2 Corinthians 11:19-20; Hebrews 11:32-34 in light of this chapter.