How to be an Overcomer

Brethren, are you struggling with a problem, with a difficulty, with a sin that you're trying to overcome? But it keeps coming back. You keep struggling with it and it keeps coming back. You're trying to overcome. You think that you're making success. And then bang! You realize you slipped again. And so the question sometimes comes upon us is, am I a slave of sin? Is it like an addict, like a drug addict, that it just keeps going back into it? Turn with me, please, brethren, to Revelation 21, verse 7. Revelation 21, verse 7.

This is right at the end. After the new heavens and new earth, it's talking about those that will be in the kingdom of God. And it says, He who overcomes shall inherit all things. And I'll be his God and he shall be my son. He that overcomes. Brethren, we need to overcome, to inherit all things. You know, quite often people say, well, you're saved by grace, and therefore there's nothing I need to do. There's no requirements. Well, yeah, you can see that he who overcomes, there is a requirement we have to overcome. There's something we must do. Look at another scripture here in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 9. Hebrews chapter 5 verse 9.

It says, talking about Christ, and it says, Having been perfected, he, that's Christ, became the author of eternal salvation. He is the one, he's the author, he's the one that makes eternal salvation possible. To all that just believe, and just believe, because you're saved by belief alone. Is that what it says there? No, it says, is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. So, obedience is required. Obedience is required.

And so, that brings the point. The question that I want to leave with you today is, How can you and I be an overcomer? How can we be overcomers?

And I'm going to cover a few important points, by no means all important points.

But it does show that it's going to mean hard work.

It's going to mean hard work.

Sure, brethren, we are saved by God's grace.

There is nothing you and I can do to deserve eternal life. The wages of sin is death, and that is it. We all have sinned, and that's it. That's the wages. But Christ has paid those wages in our place, and therefore, we have been redeemed or bought back or taken away from that death penalty. Yes, we've taken away from that death penalty, which is eternal death. Eternal death. Because the wages of sin is death, eternal death.

Christ has bought that for us, bought us back with his own life.

There's nothing I and you can do to pay for that, because our payment, our salary, our wages, our payment for our sins, is as dying and finished.

But for us to have eternal life, we've got to be redeemed, bought, instead of us paying for that without death, eternal death. Christ paid for us, so we can be resurrected. But like the example that I quite often, when I do baptism counseling, refer to, imagine, imagine that you or a person is in jail. In jail for life. Or maybe he has even a death sentence on him. And he's in jail. It's gone through the court case and that's it, that's it. He's guilty, he's in jail for life.

And then the God comes into your jail. You probably think, what is it now? And opens the door and says, you can get out, you're free.

Say for instance, you were there because you had murdered somebody, because you were under the influence, or whatever it was, the reason.

And he says, the door is open, you can go out for free. What do you think would be the reaction of this person? Why? What's changed? And then the God says, well what is changed is this person here, and then he introduces this person next to the God, says, he's taking your place in jail and you can go out, scot-free.

And you are, that person in jail is going to be, wow! Thank you, because he's doing it for no reason at all. Now you are free. Can you now go back and kill people under the influence of drugs, or whatever it is? No! Now, because otherwise the sacrifice of that person paying for you would have been in vain.

So you are released from jail freely by grace of that person, but that does not give you a justification or a right now to continue breaking the law. Now it is even more incumbent upon you to obey. So you don't get back in there, so that sacrifice was not in vain. And that is exactly what Christ has done for us.

Christ has died for us. And he says, George, and put your name there, you're out, you're free, you can live again. You just before God. You reconciled before God, provided you now go out and don't keep doing it the same thing, because then it's all in vain. That's what Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10 says. If you do that, you're stepping on top of Christ's blood in vain. You're dishonoring. So, indeed, you and I are saved by grace, by God's gracious deeds of love and kindness and goodness towards you and I. That's it. We're saved by grace. But that does not justify us to now go back to the older way of life. Because that, in the end, is really the commitment we made at baptism. We make a commitment. We're not going to go back to the same way. That's why we were being symbolically put in the watery grave, that all the way of living is dead. And now we resurrect symbolically out of the watery grave and live a new life. And we make a commitment to God, all right, I'm going to be a new man or a new woman, a new person. And so now we've got an opportunity to become a new man, a new person. Along the goal that God has given us that says, be you perfect as I am perfect. In other words, we've got to aim towards that perfection. Now, obviously, you know, we're going to try and yes, maybe at times we trip and then we stand up and keep trying. But our intent and our desire is to actually be doing what's right. Our intent and our desire is to be different than the world. And what does that mean? That means we're separate. We are separated. We're not to be with the world, which is unclean, but we are to be clean. And that's the symbolism of clean and unclean foods. Have you thought about that? Clean and unclean foods teach us to all the time that we go somewhere to think, is this clean or unclean? Can I eat or can't I eat? Do you know what's teaching us? The habit of always being aware of what to do or not to do. And spiritually, that's what you and I have to do in our daily lives. We have to continuously be aware. Do I allow this thought in or not? We have to continuously have clean food into our brain. Do I allow myself to watch this TV or not? Do I allow myself to watch these voices on radio or on TV that are saying things that are unclean? No, I switch it off. Why? Because I don't want to eat unclean food in the sense of seeing, allowing you to come into the eyes or coming to the ears. Why? To make us unclean. In other words, we are to become sanctified. Sanctified means we are to become separate. We are to become different. We are to become a new man and a new woman. We are to be saints. In other words, we are not going to follow the old way.

And that, as we read in the scripture, says it's the sanctification of the Spirit. Why? Because it's God's only Spirit that helps us, gives us the strength, gives us God's power to help us to overcome, to fight these temptations and these things. Put it in other ways. We must live a life which is filled with God's Spirit.

In other words, we've got to live a life which is Spirit-led. And therefore, we are living a life that is in the practice, a daily practice, just like you are in the daily practice of separating clean and unclean foods. We need to live in a life in the daily practice of cleansing whatever comes into our minds and whatever we allow in our minds, whatever our thoughts, whatever we say, whatever we do to be godly.

To be the way God wants it to be. And that's why at the end of the second epistle of Peter in chapter 3 verse 18, the very last verse of 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 18, I'll give you time to get there, 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 18, it says, well, in fact, starting in verse 17, You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, don't fall into these wrong things, whatever they are, being led away into the era of the wicked.

Don't go back to the way of sinning. But, verse 18, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You know, brethren, our target, our goal, who we are to compare ourselves with, it's not with me, it's not with you, quite often we tend, oh, well, I'm comparing myself with that person.

That's the wrong comparison. Our comparison is Christ. Who we are to compare ourselves with is Christ. And so, for us to compare ourselves to Him, we have to know what He is like. That's why it says we're going to grow in the knowledge of Christ. And so, when we know what Christ is, we know what sort of person He is, we know what sort of being He is, we know how He behaves, how He conducts Himself in gracious, in kindness, etc.

Therefore, we've got to grow in the same sort of attitudes, of loving-kindness, of gracefulness, of gentleness, of weirdness, of mnest, in those sort of attitudes that exemplify Christ. That's why it says, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's our goal. Because, as we strive more and more to become like Him, we actually remember that He is in the image of God. Right? So, we are becoming like God. And as we become like God, well, we're becoming the sons of God.

Just because we're becoming like God is. Like Father, like Son type of thing, you know, like Son, like Father, you know. We're becoming of that same mold, and that is the goal that God has for us. And brethren, a lot of people think, oh, how can I do God's work? We thought about that. How can I do God's work? I must go and preach the gospel. To do God's work, I must preach the gospel. I must go in the corners of the city and go out and start preaching the gospel. Yes, preaching the gospel is one of our jobs. But you know, the best way for you to preach is by being a light.

By being a light. But do you know that our job of doing God's work has two sets of responsibilities? Quite often we just think, well, we've got to preach the gospel. Yes, indeed, by your example and by your support to the team that is doing that through the Beyond Today, through the programs, through all that. Supporting that by being an example. Yes. But you know, there is a secondary part that you and I need to do, as far as doing God's work.

Do you know what it is? It actually is encapsulated in the seal of the United. One is preaching the gospel and the other one is preparing the people. That is part of doing God's work, preparing the people. How can you prepare the people? Oh, yeah, as a minister, maybe you can help others, brethren, and we, as brethren in the Church, can help those that are by encouraging others when they go through struggles and difficulties. We help in preparing the people. But you know, you and I cannot change anybody.

I mean, you can tell a person, don't do that. And you can tell that as much as you want. And you know what? They'll keep doing it. Only God's Spirit, of course, and God's Word can change a person. But who, who can you change? Who is it that you have the power to change? Yourself, myself. And so, you and I have a job to do God's work to prepare ourselves to be kings and priests in the world tomorrow.

So one of the important parts of doing God's work that you and I have to do is to work on ourselves to be a new man and a new woman, to be overcoming, to be changing. Why? Remember when we read Revelation 21 verse 7? They said, He that overcomes, He will reign with me. I'll give all things to reign with me. Remember? Why do we need to prepare ourselves so that we can reign with Christ? What do we have in this world?

Well, I'll tell you what we have in this world. We have leaders, rulers, governors, mayors. They are corrupt! Corrupt! Now we have one which is actually even married with somebody of the same sex. And you know what the Bible says about that? You read it yourself. Brethren, what we have in this world is people that are corrupt, that are leading the nations. All nations! It's not just the US, but Brazil, got to every other nation, whatever it is.

There is corruption, and that's why the nations are in deep trouble. That will not be so in the world tomorrow. In God's worldwide government, that will be established under Christ, of which hopefully you and I will be kings and priests under Christ to rule the... Why? Because we would have qualified to prove ourselves that we will not be corrupt. How? By in this life proving in little things that we're not corrupt.

By in this life being godly and just and fair. And if it needs being, lose so that others can get there. You know, it's just be prepared to sacrifice for the good of others. Because Christ, that's what He did. He sacrificed. He lost His life for us. He suffered for us.

And that is the example that we need to follow. Look at Revelation 3 verse 21. Supports exactly that. Revelation 3 verse 21. Revelation 3 verse 21. To He that overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne. In other words, for you and I to be able to govern, to lead, to have a position of leadership in the world tomorrow, you have to overcome now. Brethren, that's why you and I are called now. Because God is preparing a team of a few people to be the leaders of the world tomorrow.

God is not now converting the world. Yes, God will convert the world in His own time when He's got a government which is sound and clean and perfect and serving mankind for the right purpose. Then people will say, aha, this is the way. Walk you in it. But today He's only calling a few. And that calling is very precious. Very precious. Don't neglect it. Because that calling is for you to be a king or a priest or a teacher or an educator under Christ.

And God obviously has planned for you the ideal job for you. Whether you're a man or a woman, He's got the job that when you get it, you'll say, wow, this is exactly for me. And you know what? You'll never be voted out. It'll be eternal and you'll grow. So, we need to be training now. We need to be preparing now. We need to be developing Godly, Holy, Spiritual character now to grow, to be like Christ, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. And that is part of this mission that says, prepare the people.

That's our job. Prepare the people. When? Now. And for His mothers, you have the most important job of them all. They think, oh well, I'm just a woman and I'm just a homekeeper and what can I do? You have the most important job of them all. Why? Because you're preparing sons and daughters of God in the form of your children to be receptable, to be the leaders and the pioneers in the world tomorrow.

And those people God wants there. And God is entrusting that to you as mothers in the Church. There is no little task.

We all have our different responsibilities, but your task, as God has given you in the vigil, is important. Don't underestimate it. Don't say, oh well, I'm nobody. Well, of course, we all nobody. Yes, we all nobody. But with God's help, you are somebody. Yes, we're nobody. But if God's help, God wants you to be somebody. And so, work, overcome, strive to make out of yourself what God has planned for you.

Look at Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19. And you all have seen this parable, parable of the meanest. And in Luke chapter 19, starting in verse 11, it says, now he called the servants. Let's get to it. Yeah, in verse 11. And he says, he spoke to them a parable, as he was coming near Jerusalem. And because they thought the kingdom of God was nearly appearing. So he's saying, wait, that's it. So, as you say it in South Africa, which means just wait a bit. Just wait a bit.

Before the kingdom comes, there has to be people trained and prepared to rule.

And so he gives us parable. Because this parable is telling us there has to be a time of training that you and I can qualify to rule. And therefore he says, a certain nobleman went into a far country. And it was that Christ himself went into a far country. Where? He went to heaven.

To receive to himself a kingdom and return. Yes, Christ is going to receive the kingdom of God, He's going to return at His second coming to rule, establish that kingdom on earth. To be the world government governing on earth.

Verse 13, now is the point of preparing those people to be in the kingdom. He called ten of His servants. Hey, it's around hundreds of people. It's only a few. In this parable 10. And He gave to them ten minas. So He asked ten people. He asked one mina for you, one mina for you, one mina for you, one mina for you. In other words, each one gave them a specific portion of talents and abilities. So you've got these talents and abilities, you've got these talents and abilities, and you've got these talents and abilities, and you've got these talents and abilities. Each one had a portion of their own individual talents and abilities.

And so He said, do business till I come. In other words, use those talents and make them grow. Bear fruit with those talents and abilities that I've given you. Each one of you has different talents. I don't know what your talents are, but God's given them to you. Don't say, oh well, I'm a woman, therefore I don't have the same talents as this man has. Of course not, but you know God's given you talents as a woman, and therefore look at what you have, and use it, and bear fruit with what you have, because that's what God's looking at. God's looking at what you have, and you to bear fruit with what He has given to you. Don't worry about the other person. God will work with the other person, that's between God and that other person. But in my case, it's between God and me. Put yourself there. That's what it is. And obviously the citizens, that means the world, they didn't care, and he says, these citizens hated Christ and they killed Him, and we'll now have this man rule over Him, and they killed Him. So that's what happened. But, verse 15, the sage was, we nearly turned. At the time of Christ's return, and having received the kingdom and time to actually establish the kingdom on earth, He then commanded those servants. How? Because they resurrected. The gift of eternal life is a gift. He is a gift. But now He's going to reward them according to their works. So there's two things. There's a gift of eternal life, and then there's a reward according to your works.

He called them to Him that He might know how much each one had gained by trading. It was, how much did you multiply the talents that you received? Then came the first, verse 16, saying, Master, your mina, your set of talents that you've given me, this portion of talents you gave me, as multiplied, as earned, ten minas. Now, do you know what that means in percentage?

That's not 100%. That's not 200%. That is 1000%. 1000%. That means you and I are supposed to be much fruit. Not just a little bit. Not just double it. Much fruit. That's 1000% growth. Do the maps. It is. And the other one says, well done, because you're faithful in a little, and you've multiplied what you have, have authority over a large group of a larger reward, compared inapparable to ten cities. Then the second time, saying, Master, your mina, your set of talents you've given me, has earned five minas. In other words, has grown by 500%. Wow! So you really bought a lot of fruit. Then another one says, Master, your mina, take back exactly the talents you've given me, because it was too stressful for me to work with them. I was under a lot of stress, and therefore I had to stay at home. I was just stressful. Going to church was too much stress. I just, no, I just, no, it was too much. And I just, I just stayed at home. I just listened to the webcast, whatever it is. I just took it easy. And you know, and it says, because I kept it away in an handkerchief, you know, look, I'm giving you back what you gave me. You only gave me a little bit. You only gave me these little talents. Yeah, it is. You can have them back, because I feared you. That's the wrong type of fear, brethren.

We should have respect for God, but not fear that He is going to be punishing us. But if you have that, it's going to come upon us. Because it is a fear, because you are an austere man. You collect what you do not deposit and reap what you do not sow. Brethren, it's a bad attitude. It's a wrong fear of God.

And He said to him, out of your mouth, that's Christ saying, I'll judge you.

Because you knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow, because you said I'll be there. So I'll be exactly as you put me. Therefore, why don't you not put the money where it would at least earn some interest?

Why don't you give it to somebody else to help somebody else to do something with it?

You see, brethren, we have to multiply the talents we received. Our Christian life is one of overcoming. We have challenges. Yes, each one of us has challenges. Don't say, oh well, my challenges are bigger than him. You don't know the challenges that he goes through or she goes through. We all have our individual challenges in life. We all do. But we'll have to overcome. Like somebody said, you'll win, you'll win until you'll be tired of winning. Well, we have to be winning and winning, but never get tired of winning. We have to win. In other words, we have to be overcoming and be victorious against our own flaws, against our own fleshly weakness. We have to overcome. Now, why do we fall? Why is it that if you and I are trying so hard, if we are praying, you and I are praying for help, we're praying for victory, we're praying to overcome a habit, but we're still stumbling forward. Why? Part of the answer is in Romans chapter 10. In Romans chapter 10, read in verse 1 through 4. Romans chapter 10, 1 through 4. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel, my heart's desire and prayer for the American people, for instance, or the people of this country, or of that country, whichever country it is that you're in. Or people are in. My desire for these people and that everybody may be saved. Yes, you wish that everybody you come across that would be saved.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God. I bear witness, said Paul, that these people, they're Christians, they're trying to be good Christians. You know, was they have a zeal for God? But not according to knowledge.

For they be ignorant of God's righteousness. And here's the lack of knowledge. People don't understand what is God's righteousness. And therefore, they seek to establish their own self-righteousness.

They seek to establish their own righteousness, and they have not submitted to the righteousness of God. And there is the key, brethren, we have to submit to the righteousness of God, because when we submit to the righteousness of God, we look to our leader, which is our person, being, that we have to follow, that we have to be disciples, the disciples of Christ, we look to him and we recognize that Christ is the ultimate fulfillment and achievement, completing, obeying, and doing God's righteousness, in other words, the true purpose of the law. That's why it says, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. What people do? Oh, well, they're for Christ, then away with the law, therefore we can go out and kill. No, obviously they don't say that, but they say, well Christ, then away with the law, therefore I can break to Sabbath. Well, it's the only one they say you can break. The others know you can't, which just shows something else. But anyway, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Christ is the purpose, is the ultimate goal, is the ultimate fulfillment, the one that has completely executed the law perfectly, which is the example, which is the end, the ultimate end of the law.

Showing us what is God's righteousness. To everyone who believes, if you believe, you're going to have living life. And living life, as you're reading James, is life that is not dead. It's life that is proven by works that you are following the example of Christ.

So, Christ is who we emulate. So, it is not our righteousness. It's not our self-righteousness. It's God's righteousness. And so, we've got to look for Christ for us to emulate and copy Him. Look at Philippians chapter 3 verse 9. Philippians chapter 3 verse 9.

Philippians chapter 3 verse 9.

And it's talking about, you know, account all these things that are lost. It's account all things lost, verse 8. Because of the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord, says in verse 8. So, when we know Christ, this is our standard. This is who we need to compare ourselves to. This is the image of God. This is what we're going to strive for. This is the end of the law that we want to achieve. This is it. So, and when we do that, verse 9, we need to be found in Him not having our own righteousness.

Not having our own righteousness, which is from the law. You see, people take the law and start adding, oh, for instance, like you know, the Jews have added whatever, 130 odd, whatever these little Jews, they dance around the Sabbath. They add weights. Matthew 23, it says, you know, these people, they've added weights.

And in the end, the weight of matters of the law is judgment, mercy, and faith. That is what it is. Justice, mercy, and faith. So, we need to really look at God's righteousness and apply the law with that spirit of love, of that spirit of gentleness and kindness, because God's law is righteousness.

Yes, God's law is righteousness. Where do we get that? We get that in Psalm 119, verse 172. The righteousness is God's law. But it's not this picky, self-righteous approach of looking at the law and putting weights onto it, because God's law is love towards God and love towards fellow man. God's law is love, and God is love. And therefore, God's law is showing us that we have to have an expression of outgoing concern and love towards others.

That's why, for instance, we don't steal, because we have love towards others. That's why we don't love, because we love others. That's why we don't lust things that belong to others. Why? Because we love others. It's a law of love. So, brethren, we need to keep the law, but not in our own self-righteousness, but in God's righteousness. And how does God's love, because God is love and God's law is love, how does the love of God get poured inside us?

Because we need God's love, not my own self-righteousness. We need the righteousness from God, which is God's love. And how do we get that? Romans 5 verse 5. Now, hope does not disappoint, because the love of God...

How do we get God's love? It says the love of God has been poured into our hearts, into us, by the Holy Spirit that is given us. And so, for us to have more of the love of God, we need to humble ourselves, to pour ourselves to God, to be asking God to change us with the power of His Holy Spirit, so that we get closer to God, so God gets closer to us, and we are changing, because in the end this law is spiritual. You know, Romans 7, 14, the law is spiritual. It is God's Holy Spirit working in us.

It's God's love. And how do we receive the love of God? By faith, by trusting Him. We've got to have absolute trust in Him. Look at Philippians 3, 9. As we read a little earlier, and we found in Him not having our own righteousness, which is from the law. In other words, we must not have our own righteousness by taking the law and being materialistic about the law and creating things. Now, we've got to look from a spiritual principle with God's Holy Spirit, because it's a law of love and take the intent and purpose of love from there.

In other words, God's, but that, which is through faith. We've got to receive that understanding through faith. And as it puts it in the Old King James Version, the faith of Christ. This is an important point for us to understand. It's the faith of Christ. The righteousness which is from God by faith. It's not that I or you have worked out enough faith. Oh, I need to have more faith! I don't have enough faith.

Well, none of us has enough faith. But Christ has, and it's the faith of Christ. And if Christ gives us because of His faith, and because faith is a gift from God through His Holy Spirit, we now get close to God and therefore we, therefore, get more of God's love, more of faith. Brethren, it's not our righteousness.

Really, to God, what is our righteousness? To God, our righteousness is like filthy rats. It's like filthy rats. Isaiah 64 verse 6. Our righteousness to God is like a filthy rat.

So, but we have to have God's righteousness, which comes through the faith of Jesus, as we said, as we showed in Philippians 3 verse 9. And look back at a few pages, Ephesians 2 verse 8. Ephesians 2 verse 8. He says, For by grace you have been saved through faith.

By the grace of God, you have been saved through faith. Who's faith? The faith of Christ. Otherwise, it will be of ourselves, our own faith. But it says it is the gift of God. And that's not of ourselves. It's God's faith that is given to us. Christ had faith to come and give up his life for us and die for us. Why? Because he had faith. He had trust that the Father would resurrect him.

He trusted, wholeheartedly, completely, 100%, that the Father would resurrect him. If he did not have that trust, that faith, that the Father would resurrect him, he would have not come and given up his life. But yet, and because of that faith of Christ, you and I can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You and I can be reconciled. You and I can be redeemed. He died and his blood paid for our sins. And all that fits together. It's a gift. And therefore, it says, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 8 and 9, it says there's one Spirit. And by that one Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 8 and 9, it says of the Spirit, for to one is given the word of wisdom, through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge, through the same Spirit, and to another, faith, by the same Spirit.

It is a gift. My faith and your faith is junk. It's not enough. Now, obviously, we have to believe and trust in God. I'm not saying that we don't have to do our part, but what I'm saying, if it was our faith, it would be our own works. It's God gives us the faith.

Even God gives us the faith. Even God gives us the willingness to repent. Even God gives us the love that we need to have. So, it's the righteousness of God in the works through His law of love. Now, how do we get more faith? How do we get more faith? By yielding, by submitting our desires to Him, by serving Him, by praying, by asking in earnest prayer, by seeking Him for intervening, by going over and beyond the minimum requirement. What I mean by that? Look at Luke 17, verse 1 through 10.

These people came and said, increase our faith. And what did Christ say? Well, if you come home and your servant is there, and what do you ask for your servant? He says, your servant must give you the food, must do this, must do that. And He's teaching us a lesson that we're going to do the same thing as servants. We're going to do our minimum requirement and go over and beyond. How does our faith increase?

By going over and beyond the minimum requirement. By doing that, we learn to have confidence in God. We learn to trust Him more. In other words, we grow in faith. Because God is faithful. And because God is faithful, we see Him being faithful, and that increases our faith. Why? Because God doesn't lie. He does what He said He would do, and therefore we see that, and therefore we're increasing our faith.

God is faithful, as it says in 1 Corinthians 10. God is not going to tempt you beyond what you're capable of supporting, but He'll provide a way of escape. God is faithful. Don't doubt. Don't doubt. I mentioned earlier on about people struggling for use of the Sabbath. They've got to do in faith what they've got to do. And then, when God miraculously opens a door, what does that do?

It increases their faith. And now they can have a bigger trial. Yeah, that's a fact of life, because we're growing. We've got to multiply that a thousandfold. We've got to work through that, and we're going to struggle. Reverend, we need to be dead to sin. We need to be dead to sin. We need to repent. And it says, sin will not have dominion over you.

How? By being overcomeer. By being overcomeer. That's why in James 4 verse 7 it says, submit to God. And so I'm going to give you very briefly a couple of simple steps that can help you in being an overcomeer. First, humble and submit to God humility. You know, one of Satan's biggest problems is that he lost humility. You read that in Isaiah 14 verse 13 and 14, it says, I will be like this and I will be like the Most High and I will do that and I...

Man, that's not being humble. That's not being humble. He thought of himself as great as God. And once you and I lose humility, you and I are in Satan's wavelength. And he's the spirit of the power of the air, so it's like you tune into his frequency. People do never, never lose humility. And this is a danger for ministers of God, because, you know, people always look up to you, look up to you as a minister, look up to you, and it's easy to kind of get a big head.

So it's a thing that we all have to watch to always be humble. Look at 1 Peter 5, verse 6 and 9. 1 Peter 5, verse 6 and 9. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

Casting your care upon him that cares for you, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like roaring lions seeking whom may devour. And you know what? Those that are on his wavelength, on his frequency of not being humble, those are like sending a big message saying, aha! They will fall prey of Satan. You've got to be careful. Second step, we've got to resist Satan because it says, yeah, be vigilant. So we've got to resist him. Beware lest you fall.

If you think you stand, beware lest you fall. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 12 and 13. If you think you stand, beware lest you fall. Which means, you're not humble. If you think you stand, you're not humble.

Look at Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16. You know, Proverbs is an amazing but a wisdom literature that is good for us to read through it a number of times. Proverbs 16, verse 18 and 19. Pride goes before destruction. In other words, lack of humility. It says, your next thing is going to happen to you. You're going to fall. And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoiled with the proud.

Look at the same chapter, verse 5. Proverbs 16, verse 5. Everyone proud in heart is what? Everyone proud in heart is what to God?

An abomination. An abomination. Lack of humility is abomination to God.

So, resist any temptation from Satan, particularly any temptation that you may have to think that, I'm okay, Jack. I'm standing. I'm good. Submit to God. Resist Satan's pulse and thoughts. Look at the James chapter 4, verse 7 through 10.

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands. In other words, come to repent and realize that you need to repent. You need to change your hands. You sinners, purify your hearts. You double-minded. Lament and mourn. In other words, repent. Mourning is repenting and weep.

And that's the third step, repent or mourn. You think about the Beatitudes. The first Beatitude is Humidity. The second Beatitude, in Matthew 5, verse 4, is blessed are those that mourn. Mourn means you repent. You repent of what's happening in the world.

You repent of what you're doing, being part of it. And you mourn because of your sins and what we've done. Therefore, we cleanse our hands. Look at 2 Corinthians 7, verse 9-11. 2 Corinthians 7, verse 9-11. And this is in the context of that man that had sinned and was put out of the Church in 1 Corinthians. And then in 2 Corinthians, he's brought him back.

And the people then see that they have genuinely godly repentance. In other words, that they've really repented. And he says, in verse 9, Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry when I say that man had to be put out of the Church, but that your sorrow led you to true repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner. Why? Because it made you change.

That you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow, which is a sorrow that means change, leading to, produces repentance, which leads to salvation, means change, really change. Not to be regretted. For the sorrow of the world produces death. Why? Because you say, well, I repent. And you keep doing the same thing. Oh, I repent. And you keep doing the same thing. Oh, I repent. And you keep doing the same thing. Well, our repentance must be godly. That means I repent. I don't want to do that again. I have to fight it. I know there's a weakness of the flesh, but I've got to fight it. And I need to be close to God.

I need to be praying and asking for God's Holy Spirit to give me the strength to fight it. Verse 11, For I have reserved this very thing, that you're sorrowed in a godly manner. In other words, you're sorrowed to repent. What diligence it produced in you. In other words, what carefulness or spiritual alertness to remove evil that produced in you. What clearing of yourselves. In other words, what seeking to have a good name, a good reputation of those in and out of the church. You've got to clear yourselves to remove evil from your life. And what indignation? In other words, what hatred of sin do you have?

What sin is horrible, is despicable before God. So he had that indignation against sin. And what fear? What fear to do wrong? What fear to say that you don't sin again? At the true fear of God. To make sure that you're not locked out of the kingdom of God. And what vehement desire? In other words, what deeply desire to want to change, to want to please God. To remove the sin. And what vindication? In other words, what zeal to be zealous. To be changing. And therefore, this is what we need to have to be truly repentant.

That is true repentance. That is true mourning. And then you think about the Beatitudes. And the Beatitudes, the next one is meek, as we heard in the sermon, that we must seek God's desire. We must be gentle.

We must be malleable like the clay in the potter's hand. We need to be prepared to change. Gently, gentle, malleable, teachable. And then we get down to another point, which is another Beatitude. It used to be hungry and thirsting for God's righteousness. We need to seek God's righteousness as I started that at first. We need to seek God's righteousness. We need to, therefore, work on ourselves, work on these points, change ourselves, so that we bring to captivity all the negative thoughts. Why? Because we are in a war, not in a war against flesh and blood. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Starting to read in verse 3. For thou we walk in the flesh.

Yes, indeed brethren, we walk in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 10 verse 3. We do not war according to the flesh. Our war is not against this brethren, or against that sister, against that brother in the fight, or against our families, or our friends that said things that they shouldn't have said, granted. But our war is against spirit beings.

That's why it says, For the weapons of our war are not carnal, but mighty in God, for pulling down strongholds, costing down arguments, and every eye think, how hard it is to cost down these ideas and these thoughts, or that people person hates me, and that people person is against me, and that people person again did this, and that person again did this, and again is that, and again he did this, or again she did this, or she did that. We have to cost down those arguments, those high things in our minds, that exalt itself against the knowledge of God, of love, and bring every thought into the captivity of the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Brethren, we are called to be overcomers. I have mentioned but a few points about to be overcomers. Remember, we are in a vicious, spiritual warfare, because Satan hates you and hates me, and he does not want us in the kingdom of God. So he's going to pull all stops to destroy you and me, to discourage you and me. So therefore we've got to be humble towards God. We've got to resist and exercise self-control against Satan the devil, and our weakness is in our flesh. We need to mourn and weep and repent. We need to be meek and gentle and teachable to be close to God and seek God's will and desire.

And we need to seek God's righteousness so that you and I will be prepared, will be a people prepared, so that you and I will be qualified to rule, using obviously God's righteousness, for the ultimate end purpose of joy, peace and happiness of the whole world in the kingdom of God.