Overcomers and Conquerors

I was listening to the Book of Revelation this morning while I was running and as the narrator was reading through Revelation 2-3 something that is repeated time and again jumped out to me. As John addresses the churches each letter ends with a challenge to a certain group of people in each church. In the King James Version they are called overcomers in the English Standard Version we find the word conquerors. I like that one but they are for the most part interchangeable words. The idea to conquer something or to overcome it means that no matter what trial you face you have persevered and achieved a goal that others have attempted but failed to achieve. I could provide examples of many people who represent this concept and you can too.   They have overcome disability such as the South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius who was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics this past year. That is what I imagine it means to overcome and to conquer something. The scriptures tell us in Revelation 2-3 that too those that overcome the world and continue to walk in the faith of Jesus Christ as there Lord and Savior. That continue abiding by His teachings that God has promised certain things to those who overcome. Let me share these passages with you.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

 

Revelation 2:7 (ESV)

11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

Revelation 2:11 (ESV)

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Revelation 2:17 (ESV)

26  The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelation 2:26-29 (ESV)

5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Revelation 3:5 (ESV)

12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Revelation 3:12 (ESV)

21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 3:21 (ESV)

The question I had to ask myself and that I now put to you is; are you and overcomer and a conqueror, do you have what it takes to be victorious in your walk of faith? If so God has laid blessings up for you in heaven and one day when our time has passed we will be able to enjoy the blessings He has prepared. Until that day comes we must be moving forward for His glory and in His righteousness sharing the Gospel one life at a time as the pastor shared yesterday starting with your own relationship with God and those around you. We are all able to be overcomers and conquerors but it is our choice if we will move forward with it. I close with this simple prayer today; Lord empower me and those who desire to serve you to understand and realize we are already overcomers and conquerors because we have trusted in you Help us each day to walk in accordance with your word so that others will come to know you and experience this same outpouring of your presence in their lives. I thank God for every person who reads this today and I pray that God’s anointing fall on them wherever they might be so that they may be used of You today. Amen Be blessed as you walk in the light of God’s Word.

New Name, New Song, New Vision

New name, new song and new vision

You know I believe music is a way to bring us closer to God in our daily walk and I have a wide variety of it on my IPod. I actually have everything from Aaron Neville to ZOË girl. It ranges from Rap to classical techno and hard rock. I was letting it shuffle yesterday and it landed on a song by Jim Croce the title of it is, I Have a Name. Now I know Jim was not what you might call a Christian artist but something about that song made me think of three passages of scripture I have in my heart and some promises God has given each of us when we believe on Jesus.

Link to the song http://youtu.be/YcqauC49Xmc

The first line of the song that struck me was, “I've got a name, and I carry it with me like my daddy did,

but I'm living the dream that he kept hid.” We are given a name when we are born some people spend a lot of time tryingto select the perfect name for their children some just stick to family traditions but each name is special to that individual it makes us part of a family and tells others who we are.

 In Revelation 2:17, “17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” One day when this life is over we will be given a new name that only those who are also victorious will be able to know we will no longer be part of our earthly families with the divisions and feuds but members of the family of God.

The next verse that struck me was,” I've got a song, and I carry it with me and I sing it proudIf it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud.” In Proverbs 40:3, “3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their
trust in him.” God has placed a new song in our hearts that drives us to want to serve Him and be a witness to Him in everything we do. 

The third verse makes this statement, “I've got a dream, they can change their minds but they can't change me. 

We see this prophecy fulfilled in Acts 2:17, “¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” You know the in the chorus he explains that these things help to keep him moving on down the highway. Well on the day I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior all these; the new name, song and dreams were given to me and if you have trusted Jesus they were given to you also. The question is what you are doing with these three gifts. Are you still chasing what you want or are you following God’s vision for your life. May God bless everywhere your shadow falls today!