Being an Overcomer…

 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?—1 John 5:4-5

I don’t know about you but I rarely feel like an overcomer. But in Christ that is exactly what I am. John is pretty clear here…

Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

If that is you, than because of your union with Christ you also are an overcomer…You share in His victory. John MacArthur says that the word for “overcomer” comes from a Greek word meaning “to conquer,” “to have victory,” “to have superiority,” or “conquering power.” The word reflects a genuine superiority that leads to overwhelming success. The victory is demonstrable; it involves overthrowing an enemy so that the victory is seen by all. Jesus also used this word to describe Himself. 

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."—John 16:33

Beloved, Joshua fought the battle of Jericho not by fighting, but by by believing God and submitting to His leadership. (See Joshua 6). By faith, Hebrews 11:30 tells us, the walls of Jericho fell down. Like Joshua our job as we walk thru this vale of tears is to believe God. 

Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."—John 6:28-29

Father…Help me today to walk by faith…to submit to Your Holy Spirit moment by moment believing You…and as I do may I see Your victory not only in my own life but also in the lives of those around me.  'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,'

Says the LORD of hosts.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.—2 Corinthians 2:14

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

36 As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:31-39 (emphasis mine)

On Calling the Fountain of Living Waters an Unreliable Stream…

 Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla, 

  

Woe is me, my mother, That you have borne me, A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent for interest, Nor have men lent to me for interest. Every one of them curses me. --Jeremiah 15:10

Jeremiah was a persecuted outcast among His own people because of the destruction he foretold as God's prophet.  People avoided him like they would avoid calls from a collection agency today.  The Lord then encourages him by telling Him that it would be well with the remnant and that he himself would not be turned over to the enemy. He would not, however, relent from bringing judgment on His people nor would He shield Jeremiah  from the persecution that came and would come would from his own people.

In response Jeremiah says this:

Remember me and visit me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice;  I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,  As waters that fail?--Jeremiah 15:15-18

Remember God had just finished telling Jeremiah that destruction would come...He would not relent.  Jeremiah then tells God what is on his heart.   He asks God to remember him, protect him, and take vengeance on his enemies.  He tells Him that His word was like food to him and that it was the joy and rejoicing of His heart.  But in the next sentence he reminds God of how much His people are suffering and how much he is suffering and how difficult a job God had given him.  He even says that God is like an unreliable stream...as waters that fail.  Uh oh...Jeremiah called the fountain of living waters an unreliable stream.  Now I like how Jeremiah did not pretend and just speak the words that he knew he should...he truly did pour out his heart.  I was "with" Jeremiah at first...especially when he was talking about how difficult a job God had given him.  Jeremiah was, however, God's spokesperson and as such more was required...Here was God's reply...which I was a little shocked at...but God really spoke to my heart through it.  After all....we who name the name of Christ are all ambassadors of Christ...we need to represent Him truthfully.  Here is God's reply:  

Therefore thus says the LORD: “ If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to them.  And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And they will fight against you,  But they shall not prevail against you; For I am with you to save you  And deliver you,” says the LORD. “ I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,  And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”--Jeremiah 15:19-21

Did you notice what the Lord says in verse 19...I had to look three times...and then make sure I knew who He was talking to.  The Lord tells Jeremiah "if you return, then I will bring you back".  Wow..God is saying Jeremiah needed to repent!  Now in the reread I understood why.  Jeremiah was not speaking words of faith...and He was misrepresenting God's character.  (My guess is that the meditation of his heart had not been on what is right in the hours before he spoke those words either).   God told Jeremiah that He would restore him if he would stop uttering worthless words and begin to utter worthy ones...take out the precious from the vile. (15:19)

Girls, this is such an important lesson for us! What are we meditating on?  Do we speak words of faith to one another when we are discouraged...do we think or speak them to ourselves...do we remind ourselves when we get discouraged of who God is and what He has done??  Or do we whine, complain and doubt? Now if you are hearing from your lips words of doubt, whines and complaints, especially in your unguarded moments, the chances are very good that you are not meditating on the right things.  Your mind is on yourself rather than God. Look at what Jeremiah said and see where He went wrong. "I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice;  I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,  As waters that fail?"  His words are saying that he thinks he deserves better because of what he has done and what he has been through.  He questions God and even tells Him He is unreliable!

So many times I find myself thinking like Jeremiah here.  Focusing on what I am not getting instead of being thankful for what I have.  Meditating on doubt or whining and complaining against God. When we do that, we don't even have to call the Fountain of living water an unreliable stream because we are already telling Him by our complaining and whining that we can't trust Him. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, as a man thinks so he is and anything that is not from faith is sin.  

Our access to His grace is by our faith....when we speak or meditate on words of doubt  or when we question God we quench the Spirit and do not walk by faith. Listen to your words and thoughts, girls, in unguarded moments...they will reveal much about your heart.  If you are complaining against God...feeling dissatisfaction or perhaps even anger for where He has you and what He has you doing and/or  facing, then you need to repent.  I know God does not want us to ignore what we are feeling...that would be self-deceit and He Himself tells us the keep our hearts with all diligence.  So what do we do...exactly what Jeremiah did...pour our heart out to God...He is not surprised at what we are going to tell Him.  Repent, ask God to align our will with His and increase our faith.  When we falter, we are to renew our minds with Scripture and remember what He has done for us in the past and the hope we have for the future.  God promises us tribulation, but He also tells us that He will be with us and that we are more than conquerors...the battle has already been won and the battle is not ours anyway.  His grace is sufficient.  His love is perfect.  We are to trust Him through it all. I end with some verses in Philippians.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing,  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.  For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.--Philippians 2:12-18

Love

Mom 

Never Alone…

 20 My son, keep your father’s command,

And do not forsake the law of your mother.

21 Bind them continually upon your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

22 When you roam, they will lead you;

When you sleep, they will keep you;

And when you awake, they will speak with you.

23 For the commandment is a lamp,

And the law a light;

Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,—Proverbs 6:20-23

The sin spoken of here in Proverbs 6 is specifically adultery, but the word of God bound to our hearts is effective against any sin. When we roam, it will lead us; when we sleep, it will keep us; and when we are awake, it will speak to us.  Oh my goodness, just reading those words lightens my heart. I am not alone.  God goes with me on my journey....keeping me, leading me and speaking to me.  

Beloved, receive the implanted word with meekness...which means without argument.  Allow it to penetrate and keep your heart. The word of God sanctifies.

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). 

Sanctification is the process by which those of us who believe are transformed into the likeness of Christ. The means God uses to do this is His word. 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.—Hebrews 4:12

Beloved, we are never alone. God’s Holy Spirit lives in us and is with us wherever we go.  He is our Helper, our Comforter, our Advocate, our Counselor and our Strengthener.  The truth He brings to our hearts will be as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  The Word of God is our weapon against the sin that so easily ensnares us and against the deceit of the world.  

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.—1 John 1:5-7

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:14-18

For Surely There is a Hereafter…

 Do not let your heart envy sinners,

But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;

For surely there is a hereafter,

And your hope will not be cut off.—Prov 23:17-18

If you are anything like me, you might find yourself as you go about your day focusing on and caring about things that have no eternal value.  All the world is truly a stage and very often we can get caught up and entrapped in its trappings. We forget truth and begin to live as the non believers around us...for ourselves and not for God. 

Beloved...don’t envy sinners...sin brings nothing but despair and death.  Instead, be zealous for the Lord all the day long. For surely there is a hereafter and our hope will not be cut off. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.  Lay aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. Desire instead, the pure milk of the word and grow in His grace and knowledge as you meditate on those things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.  

Oh Father! Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your good and right way.  Oh, that I would be wise!   May my soul follow hard after You and may Your right hand uphold me.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.—Colossians 3:2-4

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.—Psalm 37:1-4

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

Who delights greatly in His commandments.—Psalm 112:1

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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.—1 Corinthians 9:24-27

A Stilled and Quieted Heart…

 He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). 

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul . . . my soul is with me like a weaned child” (Psalm 31:2).

Beloved believer…this blessedness is yours daily as you trust Him through the darkness of this life and glory in His good and acceptable and perfect will.  God has promised that He WILL complete that good work He began in us. He is in the process even right now of conforming each of us who believe into the image of His Son.  Some day we will awake both in His presence and in His likeness. In the meantime…

Tried faith is precious faith. 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,—1 Peter 1:6-7

Father…no matter what it takes this is what I want. When you have tried me, I want to come forth as gold.  Still and quiet my soul!  Make me as a weaned child before You. I want to come up out of this wilderness leaning on You, my Beloved. 

Oh Lord, thank you for the trials you bring us because it is in them that we learn to live by feeding on Your faithfulness. It is in our trouble that our own insufficiency is laid bare.   It is in our griefs that we learn to trust You. It is here that we truly see that You and You alone do this good work in us.  By Your Spirit today help us not to waver at Your precious promises through unbelief. Strengthen us in faith that we might give You glory even in the midst of our darkness and heartbreak.  Give us steadfast hearts.  Remind us in all that we read, see and hear that You are good and do good. Your paths for us are righteous and truth. Teach us to say with Eli, it is the Lord, let Him do as seems good to Him. 

Your grace, Father, is sufficient. We have no reason to doubt. You are able to make us stand despite the powers of darkness or the misjudgments of people. Today we commit ourselves to You who judges righteously. May Your beauty be revealed in our brokenness. 

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;—Psalm 37:3-7

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.—Psalm 94:16-19

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'—Isaiah 41:10

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!—Psalm 84:11-12

Learning to Lean…

"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.—Deuteronomy 8:1-3

Beloved…The ultimate purpose of all that God does in the lives of us, as believers, is to teach us to continually depend on and place our trust in Him. Why?  Because His goal is to conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus, who, during His sojourn here on earth, depended completely on His Father in heaven. My Jesus always did the will of Him who sent Him.  I don’t know about you, but I learn this lesson way too slowly. I am so grateful that despite my failings and thickheadedness, He has promised that someday I WILL see His face in righteousness and I SHALL be satisfied when I awake in His likeness.

I love the Spirit’s words here:

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna 

He brings each of us upon whom He has placed His seal into the wilderness.  I like to think of it as the wilderness of the Son of His love, because despite how things might look or feel to us, our God goes before us and is with us in each and every one of our wanderings.  He never leaves any of His children alone…EVER.  He keeps the tears we shed in His bottle. It is here in the desert experiences that He humbles us and tests us so that WE can know what is in our hearts. 

Beloved…It is in the variegated trials and difficulties of this life that He gets our attention. It is in trouble that we begin to crave the Bread of His Word.  It is in the difficulties that we begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness.  It is in the storms that He speaks to us and teaches us to live by faith and not by sight. It is here that He breaks us down so He can heal us.  It is here that we learn to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of our God.  

First Peter tells us that tried and tested faith is precious.  We know it is real! 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,—1 Peter 1:4-6

We are changed as we learn to look to Him in and for all things. 

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:18

I will close with this question asked by the daughters of Jerusalem…

Who is this coming up from the wilderness,

Leaning upon her beloved?—Song of Songs 8:5

Jon Courson says it best….Who is it that comes out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved?  It’s us. We are delivered from the wilderness of this world by leaning upon our beloved—Jesus Christ.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.—Psalm 34:5

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

"God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble."

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.—1 Peter 5:5-6

The Father’s Heart - Jeremiah 36

 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, thatthis word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”--Jeremiah 36:1-3

Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him.  And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.  Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words.  Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.--Jeremiah 22-26

Do you hear the Father's heart for His children in the first three verses of Jeremiah 36.  His heart so wants them to turn from their sin and come to Him.  This brings tears to my eyes.  The Lord is so ever ready to forgive.  He just wants to hear you say, "I am sorry," and turn so your sin does not destroy you and put you into an eternity without Him.  God had Jeremiah write all that He had spoken to His people over the last 22 years in the hopes that Judah would hear and repent.  God truly gives us every opportunity to turn and come to Him. .  He does everything and anything He can short of violating our free will to bring us into a relationship with Him.  He gives us warning after warning and even put stumbling blocks in our paths to prevent us from sinning more egregiously.

Hebrews 10 warns us:  

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Reading on in Jeremiah 36, we see an example of someone who thinks he knows better than God.  Who truly as it says in Hebrews trampled the Son of God underfoot, the Spirit of God underfoot and burned the Word of God. Fighting against God is so stupid.  The king reviled God's word  as evidenced by his cutting it with a knife and then burning it in the hearth by his feet.  Some people just decide based on no reading nor any evidence to despise the word of God and spend their life doing just that.  Maybe the king thought by destroying the word he could keep it from coming to pass.  There is no escape from His word.  God's word will come to pass.  Check out all the prophecies that already have.  Check out especially the prophecies about Jesus...the Bible was written by someone outside of time...it is a supernatural book.  What He has said He is going to do.  You may not believe it...you may ignore it or even trample it underfoot but you will not win...The king tried...but God's word still came to pass. It is now too late for the King to turn...but it is not too late for you. 

Jesus spoke about hell more than He spoke of heaven.  Most of us know the truth...we know the Gospel.  We, however, continue despite that knowledge in our own stubborn, sin filled ways...fighting against God all the way.  I know I did it for years until God in His graciousness and kindness to me in Christ Jesus brought me to a point where I could literally not go on without Him.  Pride once picked up is a very hard thing to put down.  Our Lord brought mine crashing down on my head.  It got my attention like nothing else did...and you know...I will be eternallygrateful to Him. Don't be eternally sorry...put down your pride...go to Him NOW...no matter what condition you are in...God doesn't care...confess your sin and need...He is looking for an excuse to be gracious to you. 

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” --John 3:14-21