How To Overcome

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called How To Overcome. Let’s turn to Php 3:1-21, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: (this is the Apostle Paul writing),  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;   concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, (the word citizenship there is community) our community is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 

Verse 10: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. In order to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, we must count everything we have attained in the flesh as nothing. What things were gain to us, we must count them all as loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. We must suffer the loss of all things of this life, and count them as dung, that we may be found in Christ; righteous through His gift of Himself on the cross for our sins; the righteousness which is from God by faith. Then we can know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, and through the fellowship of His sufferings, be conformed to His death, that we may attain to the resurrection from the dead. This is a whole other revelation from the old religious way of self righteousness and keeping of religious rules, or of the way of false grace, false justification; hoping that we make it to heaven. In order to move onward with Jesus we must forget the things of the past and reach forward to that which is before us. How do we do that? Satan, or our own guilty conscience, or both, are always trying to cause us to dwell on past sins, past mistakes; sometimes using not-so-well-meaning people to remind us thereof; to keep us in a false sense of guilt or shame, and totally distract us from the truth of God’s Word, trying to seduce our faith, especially while we are reading or studying God’s Word and praying, to seek to overcome in Jesus. What can we do? How do we overcome? We must truly follow the Apostle Paul’s example as he lays out in all these scriptures. In verses 17 through 21 also; we cannot set our minds on earthly things, for our community is in Heaven, from which we must eagerly be waiting for our Savior Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it will be conformed to His glorious body. Hallelujah! If we have this hope in us, and we must have this hope!, we must be about purifying ourselves as He is pure. In 1 John 3:3: He that has this hope in himself purifies himself, even as He is pure, by obeying the truth through the Spirit, as is written in 1 Peter 1:22, the Holy Ghost revealing the Word of God to us and leading us to continue in it, putting to death the deeds of the body, Rom 8:13, through the Spirit. You cannot do that unless you count all the things of the flesh, including your not-so-great accomplishments as dung, rubbish, nothing, and repent of all your self righteousness and pride and your religious works, and receive the righteousness of God, which is only by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins. We must count all things loss that we may know Him. Jesus said, This is eternal life: that they may know you, Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. We must forget what lays behind. If God brings something up from our past, then we deal with it, repenting, forgiving, and being forgiven, and move on with Him. The Blood of Jesus is real! It washes you white as snow! It blots it out of the Book! If you have repented to someone and they won’t forgive you, or they keep reminding you, just bless them and commit them to God and move on. Don’t let the Devil cause you to always be distracted with false guilt and emotions about the past. If you have truly repented to God and man, you are forgiven! Move on with God! Overcome in continuing in the Word of God and praying in the Holy Ghost.

This is how we reach forward to those things which are ahead; by praying in the Holy Spirit. Let’s turn to Jude, the Book of Jude, Hallelujah!, right before Revelation, verse 20&21, But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Do you realize that Jesus said, in John 17, that the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus? Do we believe that? Do we believe the love that God has toward us? In the love of God we will be forgiving every offense, overcoming every snare, only doing what we see our Father doing; what the Spirit is leading us to do in Jesus, walking in the Spirit. People, you cannot possibly do this without the gift of the Holy Spirit, manifesting His power and His presence in your life, leading you to pray through in the Spirit, in tongues, and in your native language, pouring out your heart to God, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. You can do this! You can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you! He strengthens you with might by His Spirit in your inner man. If the Holy Spirit is not manifesting His power in your life, then seek Him, and cry out to the Father to give you the fulness of His Spirit, and don’t stop seeking Him until He blesses you! Amen! Remember how Jacob wrestled with that Angel, and he said, I won’t let you go until you bless me! Make no mistake, God knows if you are serious, and He loves it! He loves that! He loves it when you hang on to Him and you won’t let go until He blesses you! That’s faith! Press on in the Word of God and prayer in the Holy Spirit, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.

Remember, it is the Word of God spoken by the Holy Spirit that is the sword of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will also lead you in the warfare against powers of darkness that have had you and your loved ones bound. He will reveal to you that you are seated in Jesus at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places, far above all principality, power, and might, as Jesus overcame them all when He rose from the dead, and you are risen with Him, if you are crucified with Him. Hallelujah! The Holy Spirit knows what you need to say, what you need to confront, and He will lead you to victory in Jesus’ name, if you will believe and trust Him. As He leads you, you have authority in God in Jesus’ name. If He is not leading you, you don’t.  Just keep praying and obeying and being faithful in what He has given you until He does. Be thankful and praise Him for what He has given you, for all that He has done in your life, and for what He is leading you into. Hallelujah!  Hallelujah! In Rev 12:10&11 it is written: They overcame him, who?, the Devil; the Devil comes to kill, steal and destroy, Jesus said, but he said, I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly! They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. Lay down your life! Stop loving your life in this world, and the things of this world, and lay it down before the Living God, and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength! Hallelujah! In 1 John 5:11 we read: This is the witness; that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life. He that has not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Hallelujah! Glory to God! 

Let’s turn to Eph 1:15-23, Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. We are crucified in Jesus Christ! We are buried with Him, through water baptism; we are raised with Him; we are seated with Him at the right hand of the Father, far above principality, power, might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come! Hallelujah! Praise God, Amen!

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. My people, look unto Me, your Savior. Look unto Me. Draw nigh unto Me in these evil days, says the Lord, and I will draw nigh unto you. Look up, for your redemption draws nigh, says the Lord. I am coming! I am coming in all the Glory of my Father, with all the heavenly angels, and all the saints that have gone before, to receive you to myself, if you will remain faithful unto me, even unto death, says the Lord. Look up! Be of good cheer! Do not let the Devil depress you or oppress you any more! Have faith in Me and in my death, burial, and resurrection, says the Lord, for I love you with an everlasting love, and you are mine. I’ve saved you with my Blood, says the Lord. Come to Me! Draw near to Me, and I will help you in this dark hour, says the Lord.