Overcome the World
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith
1 John 5:4
Christ said, I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33). Christ said he overcame the world and his Spirit gives us his power to overcome the world. What does it mean to overcome the world? Most importantly, we are freed from the power of sin that comes from the world because we have forgiveness through the blood of Christ. The power of Christ through the Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome the sinful temptations that this world puts in front of us every day.
How does the power of the Holy Spirit work in us to overcome these sinful temptations? The Lord is molding us to be closer to him and to love him more than anyone or anything in the world, so we can be in control through the Spirit and not be controlled by the world. This is what it means to be free in Christ. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) Christ sets us free by giving us control through the Spirit, and we are no longer a slave to the world.
What changes happen in our life as we begin to overcome the world and become free in Christ? The changes in us will continue all through our life as the Lord continues to mold us to be Christ-like. The change is grounded in our relationship with the Lord because this is the source of our faith. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) We overcome the world because through faith we go to the Lord in every situation in life and we let him guide our thoughts, words, and actions. We give God control and through the Spirit he gives us control as he guides us through life to overcome every mountain Satan puts in our path. Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) We seek more freedom from, we fight to keep this freedom, and we refuse to let the world take it from us. We put everything in the Lord’s hands as he guides with his power and strength to overcome the world. The more we overcome the world, the more freedom in Christ we experience, reaping peace, joy, confidence, and life to the full.
Today walk with the Lord knowing you have his power to overcome the world. Refuse to let the sinful world control you, but let the Lord guide your thoughts, words, and actions. Don’t let the world control your emotions, but through the power of the Lord, control the emotions. Satan normally tries to control us through our emotions hoping we will respond with our sinful nature. Know Satan’s tactics and refuse to yield to them, because he is trying to steal your freedom and your eternal life. A verse that helped me to get control of emotional response is; My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19) Take a short time before speaking, it helps to develop the habit of going to the Spirit for a Godly response.
Prayer: Lord, help to overcome the world and experience more freedom in Christ. Guide me to be in control through the Spirit and refuse to yield to Satan’s attacks. Help me to celebrate victory in Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen