AN OVERCOMER!

 

Believers in Christ have been given different names since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At first, they were called “Christians,” which means “Christ-like” And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year, they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:26. 

 

The name that was known before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was Jesus’s disciples which means learners. In Paul’s epistle, he addressed believers as saints, those set apart for God. 

 

Believers in Christ are also called beloved, or children of God. Each of these names portrays a unique virtue in the lives of believers. In our text, the Bible called Christians overcomers. 

 

The Greek word for an overcomer is to be victorious; prevailing; conquering; overcoming. An overcomer acknowledges the challenges and addresses them accordingly. 

 

Satan and his demons, sin and its pressure, and suffering and its pain have been overcome by believers in Christ. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

 

As overcomers we must be sensitive to the strategy of the enemy, trying to mess up the minds of Christians to believe lies concerning themselves. The world tries to confuse the children of God to forget who they are in Christ Jesus and tries to make us live beneath the life God has given to us.

 

Overcomers act and call themselves the way God calls them. Irrespective of the challenges you are going through right now, the word of God says you are an overcomer! Arise today and walk in the light of it. You are not trying to be an overcomer but you have been given every authority to function as an overcomer. Enforce your true identity in Christ.

 

The God who rescue Joseph from the dungeon, The Hebrews from slavery, Daniel from the lion’s den, Jonah from the belly of the fish and Jesus from the tomb lives in you and has also declared you an overcomer over this world; the devil and its activities. 

 

An overcomer walk with the mindset of God! No matter how great the challenges are, an overcomer knows that the challenges will fade away as long as they don’t give up on what God can do.

 

The weapon of an overcomer is faith! Accepting how God sees you and calls you even when there is no physical evidence to that effect at that moment. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it, the elders obtained a good testimony.” Hebrew 11:1-2

 

Our text gave more emphasis on this weapon of overcomers: “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Our text explains further by saying; Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

We are believers in Christ, so our faith must be in Christ. He is the source of our lives and the giver of every good thing that has ever come to us. Faith in Jesus gives us the benefits of believing in Him, talking with Him, walking with Him and abiding in Him. All these benefits of faith in Christ are the keys to living the life of an overcomer.

 

I will like to make my conclusion from this testimony about David Livingston, the great missionary to Africa. At a point in his missionary work, he was called back to London for an award before a great crowd of well-wishers. Somebody was inquisitive to know how he had been able to succeed, despite the opposition by the natives and the power of darkness that always exhibited a readiness to overwhelm him. 

 

He opened his worn-out New Testament and said, “Let me share with you the verse that helped me make it through: ‘Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Because of our faith, we know that God is always with us every step of the way, and His presence with us always assures us that we are overcomers.