As most of you know, one of my deepest passions is to equip every believer to live as an overcomer, i.e., one who overcomes and rises above the opposition or oppression!
One of the essential components of being an overcomer is not to be caught off guard. But that can present a problem. If a person doesn’t have a specific faith and grace capacity, they become overwhelmed with fear instead of using a warning to prepare to win. Here’s what Jesus said:
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).
The two highlighted phrases are of great importance. First, when you know what to expect, you can prepare. You may ask, “How does one prepare when the things that are coming are so frightening?” Simple! Establish your heart!
It doesn’t matter if you face sickness, financial pressure, or even death; when you meditate using the scriptures to see and experience yourself being a bold overcomer, the grace (power) of God comes alive in you. Your capacity to perceive and believe what was out of reach changes.
In my new series about Overcoming Bad Decisions, I have a great message on Expanding Your Capacity. I already hear great feedback from those who are listening to it and putting it into practice. Be sure to check it out in our free CyberChurch ministry. If you want to go deeper into application, you can purchase the audio series that accompanies the broadcast and receive hours of teaching.
The second highlighted phrase says, pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape. Remember, when Jesus talks about prayer, He is not talking about our religious nonsense of begging God to do things for us. When Jesus was asked to explain His effectiveness in prayer, He taught binding and loosing (the keys of the kingdom)!
In this and nearly every place where Jesus refers to prayer, He is telling us to use our authority to establish what He accomplished through the cross in our lives. The person who does not know and is not willing to act authoritatively on what Jesus accomplished on the cross cannot overcome!
As translated in the King James and other translations, the second part of that phrase is not even close to the meaning in the original language. It should read something like this, Watch and pray so that you have the strength (grace) to overcome.
If you are in Jesus, you have been made worthy. The question is, are you watching and listening to the Spirit of God so you are not surprised, and are you praying in such a way that you become strong in God! Do you have a faith that recognizes who you are and what you have in Jesus, and will you use it instead of cowering in fear?
Every day we (you and I) are doing the one thing we can to hasten the return of the Lord and bring an end to this worldwide evil! We are preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
We just agreed to put our programs on a network that has a strong presence in Pakistan as well as the rest of the world. Millions of people around the world will have access to our CyberChurch ministry.
Very soon, we will begin training leaders through Impact International School of Ministry. This is all part of Operation One Billion. By training leaders, we will develop One Billion Disciples worldwide through churches and schools they will start.
Please stop and think of the importance of what we are accomplishing together! Very few believers in the entire world have ever heard the Gospel of peace, the one theological truth that Paul says will produce faith (trust). Even fewer believers know the New Covenant is the Covenant of Peace. They do not know and believe that God has made peace with us through Jesus. They still think God is angry!
We are not merely telling the world the bad things that are coming. We are giving them the only tools that can absolutely ensure they can be overcomers. Then, through their ministry to family and friends, we multiply ever farther into the world!
Be sure and check out my new series Overcoming Bad Decisions. It’s not too late to download a free copy of my e-book, The Wisdom of God for a Fair and Just World. Watch for three really unique messages I will be sharing in the last three weeks of 2020. These will be incredibly enlightening and encouraging.
Thank you for remaining faithful to taking this message to the world. When we cross over into eternity, we will meet millions who found Jesus, and billions who learned to live as overcomers because you gave, prayed, and ministered to others so that together
Blessings,
Jim