How to Overcome
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Revelation 12:11
God has an answer to every situation we could face in life. The book of Revelation tells believers how they can have victory over the devil, the “him” to which this passage refers. Jesus died on the cross and shed His innocent blood for the forgiveness of sins. The devil came to steal, kill, and destroy, but it was Jesus who came that we might have life abundantly (John 10:10).
If we fail or fall, God’s grace is greater, and He made provisions for every sin that has been or could ever be committed. We can come close to God because Jesus died on Calvary to give us that right. We must remember that our victory in life does not come from anything we did so well, so we can take the pressure of trying to be perfect off ourselves because we will never be perfect, but we are being perfected every day by the Word of God.
The second essential we have to overcome the devil is the “word of their testimony.” The very reason God gives us a testimony is to share with others what Christ has done in our lives. The devil will try to keep us quiet by making us feel embarrassed by what we have done in the past or what has been done to us. He doesn’t want others to know that there is power in the blood of the Lamb. Many times, we share news about a good restaurant or movie, or gossip disguised as a prayer request, rather than share what the Lord has delivered us from or how He made a way for us. I am not advising anyone to share without restraint, but never be afraid to follow the nudging of the Holy Spirit when He tells you to share parts of your testimony with others. It will bring glory to God.
Lastly, we see that, “They loved not their lives to death.” Over centuries, many believers have paid the price with their lives for following Christ. We cannot become so consumed with what we want out of life that we ignore the reason we are still on the planet—to fulfill our purpose and design by God. He is the One who provides breath in our bodies. When we do things our way, we sometimes choose the path of least resistance because doing things God’s way may cause us to face persecution.
Jesus said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’s sake” (Matthew 5:10). As the world gets darker, the light that shines from the life of a fully surrendered believer should become brighter.
As a part of the body of Christ, we have already overcome the world because Jesus overcame the world. Our victory rests in His victory. We cannot be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. We need to share our testimony so that we can plant or water the seed of the Word, that God may gain a harvest of souls.
Reflection: As you are led this week, share any part of your testimony with someone else and commit to praying for the person with whom you shared.
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the victory we have through the blood of Jesus. Thank You for taking away the stain of sin and its power over us. Help us be fishers of men and lights in this darkening world so that lost souls may be won to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Upcoming Connect 21 Events
- Saturday Morning Prayer (Jan 27th @ 9 am at The Way Woodstock 109 Towne Lake Pkwy, Woodstock GA)
- Sunday Morning Service (Jan 28th @ 10 am at River Ridge High School. 400 Arnold Mill Road, Woodstock GA)