Topic: Overcoming the world
Bible Reading: Daniel 7-8; 1 John 5.
Memory Verse: “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5 (KJV)
Overcoming means defeating or being victorious over someone or something. The world on the other hand does not mean the physical earth but its systems that entice human beings. This is well captured in 1 John 2:16 (KJV), “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.“
For you to overcome the world, you must be victorious over the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. This enticement has been going on for a long time. In Luke 4: 5-8; the devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and asked Him to worship him so that he can give the entire kingdom to Him! But the Lord said to him “ …for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” Luke 4:8 (KJV).
Whatever allurement of the world that Satan brings your way in exchange for your submission to him, you should be able to defeat him by the word of God. He will always try to lure you from the kingdom of God by his offerings as he did initially with Eve and Adam in the garden of Eden! When you are hungry or you need to pay a bill for someone dear to you and you do not have any money on you; then someone offers you to debase your flesh or disobey God in any form like Jesus was asked to use his power to turn stone to bread for his feeding, you should know it’s time to yield to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within you. On the other hand it could be your ego has been bruised and you have opportunity to revenge; someone cheated you and ran away with it and suddenly, he ran into you and you have the opportunity of taking vengeance. The devil will be urging you on while the still small voice will be reminding you of the word of God in Romans 12:19 (KJV) that says, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Who do you listen to at that point?
Whatever the situation, what is critical is your relationship with your flesh. Are you dead to it such that it can no longer appeal to you? Romans 8:13 (KJV) says, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” You can only mortify the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit and you need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour to have the Holy Spirit as your helper! To overcome the world therefore, you need to surrender your life to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. Thus 1 John 5:5 (KJV) says, “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” So you overcome the world by your faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Action Point:
Examine yourself whether you have truly overcome the world. If not, pray that God should increase and establish your faith in Jesus Christ.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero