“Who is he who 1OVERCOMES the world, but he who BELIEVES that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5) 1nikaō: to prevail, to overpower, to get the victory.
WOW, being a believer in Jesus Christ will make us OVERCOMERS! “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the BOOK OF LIFE; but I will CONFESS HIS NAME before My Father and before His angels.” (Rev. 3:5) For us to overcome we need to, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Eph. 4:31)
LOOK AT ALL WE CAN OVERCOME!
- BITTERNESS: A feeling of deep anger and resentment. Often people who are bitter appear to the world as just going around upset and angry at everyone and everything.
- RAGE: Violent, uncontrollable anger. An instance of aggressive behavior or violent anger caused by a stressful or frustrating situation.
- ANGER: A natural, though sometimes unwanted or irrational, emotion that everybody experiences from time to time.
- BRAWLING: To fight or quarrel in a rough or noisy way.
- SLANDER: The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.
- MALICE: The desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another.
Where does this all come from? “Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and KILLED HIM.” (Gen. 4:8) This first murder happened because of man turning away from God and serving the devil who, “…does not come except to STEAL, and to KILL, and to DESTROY.” (John 10:10a) Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ says, “I have come that they may have LIFE, and that they may have it more 1ABUNDANTLY.” (John 10:10a) 1perissos: something further, more, much more than all. This life Jesus brings is zōē: a noble word, expressing all of the HIGHEST AND BEST which Christ is and which He gives to the saints.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham