Jeremiah 33, 34; Psalm 74; 1 John 5

"Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:5

Overcoming the world. What a wonderful thought. We can be overcomers, but what in the 'world' are we talking about when we say overcoming the world? I believe John summed it up best. "For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the father but is of the world." 1 John 2:16

Back in the garden of eden our great grandparents failed to overcome the world. They came face to face with temptation in all three areas: "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:6 As a result we became sinners, subject to the world.

The 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ, was taken by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted. There He faced 'the world' head on as Satan attempted to get a repeat of what he had obtained in the garden, but much to his surprise... failed. Jesus Christ overcame the world by resisting the devil through the power of the Word and the Spirit. All three options the devil threw at Him encompassed everything that is in the world and Jesus was victorious in all three. He did not bow to the lust of the flesh, nor to the lust of the eyes, nor to the pride of life. In so doing, He made a way for us to be just as successful. As a result, we can become children of God, able to overcome the world.

Through faith, being born of God, we overcome the world. Don't believe any lie that tells you otherwise. If you are a child of the living God, live as who you are declared to be by God your father, an overcomer.

Following Jesus Christ,

Pastor Juan

Next Reading: Jeremiah 37-39; Psalm 79; 2 John