Overcomer Or Overcome?
by Rita Langeland
© 2002 Hidden With Christ Ministries
Are you living in the camp of the OVERCOMER or in the camp of the OVERCOME? Many Christians live their lives constantly in a state of being overcome by circumstances, temptations, fears, emotions and even their own thoughts. It was never in the heart of God to leave His children in a helpless state where they could never have any victory in their lives on this earth. Instead, He made provision for us to be overcomers in this life regardless of the gravity of the circumstances that we may face. Romans 12:21 in the Amplified translation reads: Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good. In First John 5:4 we read: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Then in Revelation 12:11 we find these words: They overcame him (referring to Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
These three scriptures give us insight into God’s intention for our lives as believers on this earth. God intends for us to have victory over evil. This means victory over temptation to sin in our own lives as well as evil in the world today which threatens to overwhelm us with its pressures and fears.
God intends for us to overcome worldly influences that permeate our culture. This means being able to live lives that demonstrate that a person does not have to be molded by the world’s way of thinking and doing things regardless of how pervasive such pressure may be. Romans 12:2 tells us: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
God does not expect us to be overcomers in our own strength. We overcome the world and all its influence and pressures by FAITH (unshakable confidence in God and His Word) and by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB and the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY. It is by your reliance on God’s strength and Christ’s sacrifice for you on the cross as well as your willingness to say what God says (the word of your testimony) that will cause you to be an overcomer in this life.
The word “overcome” means to subdue, to conquer, to prevail or to have the victory over another. It is clearly God’s will for you and I to overcome Satan, the flesh and every natural circumstance or pressure that may come our way. Let us contrast the characteristics of the “overcomer” and the “overcome” by how they deal with the circumstances that they face in life.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OVERCOMER VERSUS THE “OVERCOME”
1) The overcomer assesses every circumstance he or she faces by what God is able to do in and with that situation. John 16:33 reveals what Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” This scripture clarifies the position of the believer - in Jesus we can have peace because in Him we are able to overcome the world! The opposite is true for the overcome individual because he assesses every circumstance he faces by the size of the problem and his own ability and resources (or lack of ability and resources) to handle it.
2) The overcomer’s speech always reflects what he/she believes to be true about God’s Word and all that Jesus won for them on the cross. For example, when faced with difficult circumstances he will say: In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us…(Romans 8:37) or I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13) or Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. (I John 4:4) The overcomer’s speech is guided by the Biblical principle in 2 Cor. 4:13: ….we believe and therefore we speak. This scripture was written by the apostle Paul and he was quoting from Psalm 116:10. Paul said he had the same spirit of faith that was demonstrated by King David in choosing to speak what he believed rather than what he saw in front of his eyes. This is walking (and talking) by faith instead of by sight. The overcome individual also says what he believes to be true. Only in his case, he believes only what he sees. So if a circumstance looks impossible or overwhelming, that is exactly what the overcome person will speak out of his mouth. “I can’t handle this” or “I am not going to make it” or “my marriage looks like it is going to fail” or “my kids will never behave” or “whatever can go wrong will go wrong” are the types of speech you will observe in this person’s life.
Even secular psychologists note that such speech is self-defeating and that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in the person’s life. The Bible clearly teaches that such speech is dangerous. Proverbs 18:21 says Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat the fruit of it. Proverbs 6:2 says: You are snared with the words of your mouth...People who say that your words have nothing to do with life’s outcomes are saying that the Bible is a lie. But the truth of the matter is that God’s Word is FULL of instruction about our words and speech and every part of it is true. Satan wants you to acquiesce to a non-victorious lifestyle by surrendering to a spirit of hopelessness in your speech.
3) When faced with overwhelming circumstances the overcomer follows King David’s pattern as found in Psalm 143. David would intentionally recount the great things God had done for him in the past. He would remember the ways God had delivered him from dangers, difficulties and enemies he had faced previously. This is a DISCIPLINE of the mind and thoughtlife. The overcome person when faced with an overwhelming situation immediately fantasizes of the inevitable impending disaster and remembers every similar defeat he has ever faced before and even those of others that he has witnessed. Such thoughts overtake him and plunge him into despair over the future.
4) The overcomer refuses to dwell on the past and is fully confident that the blood of Jesus was sufficient to wash away his past sins and sorrows. The overcomer takes to heart Isaiah 43:18-19 which says: Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The overcomer also refuses to dwell on past hurts and disappointments in life. The “overcome” person is consumed with passed hurts inflicted by others and won’t forgive or let it rest. He/she meditates on all the disappointments and missed opportunities of his/her life to the point that the past dictates the present and suffocates the future under a cloud of bitter sorrow. This individual has no understanding or faith in God as the “restorer of the years the locust has eaten…” as declared in Joel 2:25.
5) The overcomer has a very disciplined thoughtlife in which he takes every thought captive to the obedience of Christ as outlined in 2 Corinthians 10:5. He keeps his thoughtlife free from fears and full of faith by constantly renewing his mind with the Word of God and avoiding ungodly input. The overcome person offers no resistance to fearful or ungodly thought patterns as it never crosses his mind that he could have any control over what passes through it. His thoughtlife is an open highway where any truck carrying garbage can find a lane in which to drive!
6) The overcomer is acutely aware of the spiritual battle that is constantly raging around him. He relies on God’s Word, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus and the weapons of our warfare as described in 2 Cor. 10:4 and Ephesians 6:11-17 to deal with it. The overcome person is oblivious to the battle, so he never fights and is easily subdued by the enemy. Or if he has some awareness of this spiritual principle, he rarely applies it to his daily life, compartmentalizing “church stuff” and “the rest of my life” separately.
TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD... HE WANTS YOU TO BE AN OVERCOMER, NOT OVERCOME!
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