You Must Overcome

YOU MUST OVERCOME

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21). We all have to love peace. War is a great evil. Battles are bloody and distressing events. All men ought to love peace. All of us have to pray for a peaceful life. All this is very true, and yet there is one particular war which must not come to an end. There is one battle which we ought to be always fighting. The battle I speak of is the battle against the WORLD, the FLESH, and the DEVIL. With these enemies we do not have to be at peace; from this warfare, no Christian must exempt himself or herself while he or she is alive.

My dearest Reader, kindly give me your attention for a few minutes, and I will tell you something about this great battle for eternal life. Every man who calls himself a Christian becomes a soldier of Christ. He is bound by his baptism to fight Christ's battles against SIN, the WORLD, and the DEVIL. The Christian man that does not do this, breaks his vow - he is a spiritual traitor; he does not fulfill the terms of engagement he accepted at his baptism. The man that does not constantly engage in warfare against the enemy of souls is practically renouncing his faith in Christ. The very fact that he belongs to a Church and attends church service every Sabbath, and calls himself a Christian, is a public declaration that he desires to be called a soldier of Jesus Christ.

Armor is provided for every Christian man or woman to overcome. "Take unto you," says Paul to the Ephesians, "the whole armor of God." "Stand, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness." "Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." "Above all, take the shield of faith" (Ephesians 6:13-17). Moreover, every Christian man or woman has been given the best incentive to overcome in Christ; the best of provisions such as the bread and water of life; and an eternal weight of glory is promised every soldier of Christ. My dear Brother or Sister in Christ, there are several things that can be said about these things that I have just mentioned but the only point I want to impress on your soul now is that if you want to be saved, you must not only be a soldier, but a VICTORIOUS soldier. You must not only profess to fight on Christ's side against sin, the world, and the devil, but you must actually fight and OVERCOME. This is one grand distinguishing mark of true Christians. Other men perhaps like to be numbered in the ranks of Christ's army; other men may have lazy wishes, and no desire after the crown of glory - but it is the true Christian alone, who does the work of a soldier. He alone fairly meets the enemies of his soul, really fights with them, and in that fight overcomes them.

My beloved Reader, one great lesson I wish you to learn this day after reading this article is that if you would prove you are born again and and heaven bound, you must be a victorious soldier of Christ. If you would make it clear that you have any title to Christ's precious promises, then you must fight the good fight in Christ's cause, and in that fight you must conquer. Victory over sin is the only satisfactory evidence that your you are growing in Christ. Probably you like good sermons, perhaps; you respect the Bible, and read it on regular basis; probably you pray every morning and every evening; probably you have morning and evening devotions with your family members, and probably you donate to support God's work. If indeed you do any of these things, I thank God that you do them. They are all very good. But the questions I want to ask you are these: are you overcoming the love of the world and the fear of man? Are you overcoming the passions, tempers, and lusts of your own heart? Are you resisting the devil, and making him flee from you? How is it in this matter? My dearest Brother or Sister, you must either rule over sin, and the devil, and the world or serve them. There is NO middle ground. You must either CONQUER or be lost. I know very well it is a hard battle that you have to fight, and I want you to know it too. You must fight the good fight of faith, and endure hardships, if only you would lay hold of eternal life; you must make up your mind to a daily struggle, if you would reach heaven. There may be shortcuts to heaven invented by man; but ancient Christianity — the good old way — is the way of the Cross - the way of conflict. Sin, the world, and the devil must actually be resisted, and overcome.

My beloved Brother or Sister in the Lord, this is the road that saints of old have trodden on, and left their record on high. When Moses refused the pleasures of sin in Egypt, and chose affliction with the people of God — this was overcoming: he overcame the love of pleasure. When Micaiah refused to prophesy smooth things to king Ahab, though he knew he would be persecuted if he spoke the truth — this was overcoming: He overcame the love of ease. When Daniel refused to give up praying, though he knew the den of lions was prepared for him — this was overcoming: he overcame the fear of death. When Matthew the tax collector rose from the receipt of custom at our Lord's bidding, left all and followed Him — this was overcoming: he overcame the love of money. When Peter and John stood up boldly before the Council and said, "We cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard" — this was overcoming: they overcame the fear of man. When Saul the Pharisee gave up all his prospects of worldly greatness among the Jews, and preached that Jesus whom he had once persecuted — this was overcoming: he overcame the love of man's praise.

My beloved Reader in Christ, the same kind of thing which these men did you MUST also do, if you would be saved. They were men of like passions like yourself, and yet they overcame; they had as many trials as any person can possibly have, and yet they overcame. They fought, they wrestled, they struggled: and overcame. So MUST we also overcome. My beloved Brother or Sister in the Lord, are you asking yourself about the secret of their victory? The answer is very simple. The secret of their victory was their FAITH! They believed on Jesus, and believing were made strong. They believed on Jesus, and believing were held up. In all their battles they kept their eyes on Jesus, and He never left them nor forsook them. They overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11).

My dear Brother or Sister, as I bring this article to an end, I want us to contemplate on the message that has been set before us. I pray that we lay them to heart and make up our minds that by the grace of God, we are going to be OVERCOMERS in Christ Jesus. Amen!

Paul Fonsi