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We Christians are generally quite aware of what God wants from us. And yet, we often fail to put this knowledge into practice. Many problems in our spiritual lives truly require a strategic and thoughtful approach. In the following, we will consider some points that can help us become overcomers.
Overcoming out of love for Jesus
Many Christians struggle for years, even decades, with the same "favorite sins"—bad habits they can't seem to shake. They fail to cultivate good habits. The Bible calls us to be overcomers. This implies that we must take the initiative to overcome spiritual obstacles through exertion and self-denial. If we wish to walk blamelessly on this sinful earth, we must overcome many challenges. Furthermore, we are bound to a perishable body that we must continually tame. In John 14:15, Jesus himself says, " If you love me, keep my commandments. "
Our relationship with God's commandments is a crucial indicator of the true extent of our love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. The same is true for our relationship with sin, pleasure, and leisure activities. Therefore, if we claim to love Jesus but do not faithfully follow His commandments, we are deceiving ourselves. This can be compared to a marriage in which one partner professes love, but this is not reflected in their actions.
We love one another when we consider each other's needs important, regardless of their content. Love is therefore not only characterized by an emotional bond or dependence, but above all, it must be demonstrated through practical action. We love Jesus when we keep His commandments and they hold a central place in our lives. Our entire lives should be oriented toward doing the Lord's will.
The greater the faith, the stronger the overcomer.
The strength of our faith plays a crucial role in overcoming adversity. And it is precisely here that we often fail to understand what is actually meant when we read in the First Epistle of John: “ For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith ” (1 John 5:4).
As a practical example, we can consider a situation from the life of David Wilkerson, which he describes in his book "The Cross and the Knife Heroes." According to Wilkerson, he spent at least two hours every evening watching television for a period of time. It was a comfortable pastime that required no effort.
But one day he pondered what might happen if he spent that time in prayer instead. God led him to actually put this plan into action, molded him, and used him miraculously in His kingdom. Now, when we examine what motivated Wilkerson to replace a carnal habit with a spiritual one, we come back to his faith. The measure of our faith has a tremendous influence on our behavior.
If we truly believe in God's work, His power, and His promises in our personal lives, without doubt, then God can work in us in a completely different way. Often, we limit God's work in us through weak faith. When Jesus taught in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, the inhabitants doubted Him. As a result, Jesus didn't perform many miracles there because of their unbelief. We must believe that Jesus has the power to completely transform our lives. Jesus can free you today from persistent sins, bad habits, character flaws, and much more, provided your faith allows it.
The power of habit
In the Letter to the Ephesians, we Christians are called to put off our old self and become a new creation in Christ. Especially when bad behavior has already become ingrained as a habit, putting it off is no easy task, and it often requires considerable effort and perseverance to break these habits. All the better, then, if we manage to establish good habits in our daily lives. In this way, we too can succeed, like David Wilkerson, in replacing bad habits with good ones.
It's truly worthwhile to examine your life and set goals you want to achieve. For example, the goal of establishing a prayer time at a set time each day. When Daniel served at King Darius's court in Babylon, he had the habit of praying to God three times a day alone in his room. And even when hardship came and he was actually forbidden to pray, he didn't abandon his habit.
To cultivate such a good habit, aids can be helpful, such as setting an alarm or making a list of prayer requests. Initially, it is often difficult for us to stand alone in prayer for extended periods, but we get used to it and experience great blessings through overcoming this hurdle. We are also called to become more and more like Jesus in our character. God continually shows us, through various means such as sermons or songs, where we still need to work on ourselves.
An example of overcoming this obstacle: A sister noticed that, unfortunately, there was a lot of gossip and backbiting about other people in her Christian community. She also realized that she often participated in these conversations. So she resolved to no longer talk about other people in social situations. Whenever she was with a group and someone started gossiping, she pointed out that she didn't want to talk about other people. This also had a positive influence on those around her, and many became aware for the first time of what they were doing in that moment.
All beginnings are difficult
There is a simple biblical principle we can rely on. In James it is written: “ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you ” (James 4:7-8). Often, Christians face a problem in their spiritual lives and doubt whether they will ever be able to overcome it.
But every journey begins with the first step, and God assures us that He will meet us at our very first step. Likewise, the tempter flees when we begin to resist him. However, in both cases, the change begins with us. Even though God assists us immensely, no change can occur within us unless we desire it. We can only be helped if we are aware of our situation and accept the help offered.
The central message is God's call to humble ourselves under His gracious hand. Our sinful nature prevents us from resisting the devil on our own. Only when we understand that we are completely dependent on God in this battle and cannot win without Him, does God equip us to fight the battle victoriously.
There are many methods that can help us become overcomers. But every method and every effort will only succeed if Jesus is at the center of our endeavors. We must be aware that victory over hell, death, and the devil has already been won. In 1 Corinthians 15:57, we read: “ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! ” In the battle against sin and bad habits, it helps to tell ourselves that Jesus has already won. He has freed us from the bondage of sin, and we no longer need to sin; instead, we can move forward with His victory. Many people subconsciously believe that the Kingdom of Heaven shouldn't require any effort on their part. And this thinking even creeps into Christian circles. But especially when it comes to overcoming the world, your initiative is required. You must believe that Jesus can and wants to give you victory. You must strive with all your heart, with your mind, and with all your strength to reach the heavenly goal.
Simon Döring
Municipality of Ilsede