Believing God by Rocky FlemingSample

DAY TWO

Believing God by Rocky Fleming

Scripture:

“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:5 NIV)

Thought: Overcome (defined) – to get the better of, prevail over, control, get/bring under control, master, conquer, defeat, beat; get over, get a grip on, curb, subdue.

I put this definition of overcome in because I think it is important to understand how thorough the work of Jesus is in our life to overcome the world that battles with us every day. In the passage above, we read that it is only “the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” who is able to overcome. What do we overcome? The answer is all the things that Jesus overcame.

In this life we will be tested. The question is, how will we respond? Will we seek to overcome the challenges we face by our own intellect, our own abilities, or for our own benefit? Or will we seek to bring honor to Jesus and use His power? I ask this because, if our mission is to bring honor to Christ, then more than half the battle has been won. It also allows His power to be exerted on the problem. As you can see in the passage, our overcoming is tied directly to our belief in Jesus. This is where our faith and trust and abiding in Him deals directly with our everyday life. It is this intimate connection with Him that overcomes those challenges we face.

Application: So, how are you doing with overcoming? Are you tapping into the power and authority of Jesus to prevail over your troubles, or are you trying to prevail over them yourself? Can you look at your life and the way you process through it and say for sure that your trust in Jesus and His strategy for living as your compass for life?

As you interact with the truth of the scripture above, and then apply it to your life in answering my question to you, evaluate how you typically process a challenge to your pride, your sense of fairness, or your sense of duty. Do you feel that you are seeking and finding God’s wisdom to meet these challenges and others like them head on? Is there something missing in your seeking? Take some time to pray about this and ask the Holy Spirit what He thinks the answer is.

Q: What do you think the Holy Spirit said to you?

Q: What adjustments do you need to make to become an overcomer of the things that keep you down?

Response: Make a commitment now to follow through with any changes that you need to make. Like all of us, you are a creature of habit. Create a good habit now by seeking God’s wisdom first when a challenge confronts you, not later.