Jesus came to this earth and overcame. He overcame the temptations of the devil who wanted Him to fall down and worship Him (Matthew 4:1-11). He overcame those who were opposed to His teaching. He overcame the religious leaders who wanted to destroy Him. He overcame all the physical and spiritual temptations He experienced as a man. He overcame the power of sin and death through His sacrificial death and resurrection. There were many tribulations that He went through, but He overcame them all. He overcame the world. Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Our lives on the earth are not easy. We can be overcome by our fleshly desires, our desires for pleasures, our desires for possessions, and our desires to be important. We can be overcome by sin. Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Peter taught in 2 Peter 2:19 “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” Not only is this true for people in the world who have never believed, but it can happen to us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior. Peter continues in 2 Peter 2:20 “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” I encourage you not to be entangled with the pollutions of the world and overcome by them.
Just as Jesus experienced many trials and yet overcame the world, we also will experience many trials in our lives but we must overcome through the help of God. I encourage you to see yourself as one who overcomes with the help of God. 1 John 4:4 “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.”
The apostle Paul understood this struggle. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” Paul knew that he had to discipline himself and overcome or he would be disqualified. Near the end of Paul’s life, he wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” The apostle Paul overcame.
Jesus sent messages to the seven churches in Asia in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. To each of the churches, the message was to overcome. The one who overcomes will receive a blessing. Following are the collection of the blessings promised to him who overcomes. Revelation 2:7 “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 2:11 “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 2:17 “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 2:26-28 “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.” Revelation 3:5 “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.” Revelation 3:12 “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.” Revelation 3:21 “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.”
I encourage you to see yourself as one who overcomes with the help of God and receives the blessings of God.