To Him Who Overcomes…

"To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter..."  Revelation 2:26-29 

  

This "overcoming" theme has come around many times in my journey to know God… and in my blogs! Recently it has come about yet again in a different way through a couple of different circumstances and people that God has tied together so neatly. I guess God really wants me to get this! LOL!

"...To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7   

We have a tendency as humans, and as a body of believers, to think of negative, painful and difficult things as "bad" and something to avoid at all cost. But I continue to understand more and more how that is not true or truth! I am learning to redefine “good and bad” and see these circumstances as "refining fires" and "tools" that the Lord uses to shape and mold us into the people that He desires for His glory and His Kingdom purposes. While Satan may be involved, God uses him as a tool as well as other people and circumstances... We can take what happened to Jesus as a perfect example. God was in control the whole time, but Satan thought he had the upper hand... But, as we now know, he did not. God is MUCH bigger and MORE powerful than Satan, and since he was created by God, there is nothing he can do that can best God. Nothing.

"...He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:11  

A few weeks ago Tom and I redeemed a massage gift card that a friend gave us for Christmas. During the massage the therapist and I conversed on a few different topics. At one point he mentioned how we, as kids, don't really "know" our parents... he said "They try to put their best face forward and don't really share the "dark side" of themselves so we, as their children, don't really know them like we think we do". I thought about that for a minute and said, "The dark side is all I really saw in my parents! They were very broken and used alcohol and drugs to medicate their pain because they were really hurting people." He was surprised and asked me how that affected me as a kid and as an adult now. After a short pause I said "While my childhood and teenage life were really hard and difficult, I wouldn't change a thing because those are the very things that God used to shape, mold and form me into who I am today!" And I like who I am now and who I am becoming. Overcoming childhood pain and trauma brings wisdom, compassion, and grace for others.

"...To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17   

Another thread to this topic was during a recent conversation with Tom's dad on Father's Day. Tom and his siblings decided to interview their parents last year, while they were still of sound mind and able, and asked them a bunch of questions about their childhood and growing up and life in general. It gave his parents an opportunity to talk about some things that they may not have otherwise had a reason or opportunity to share. Tom's brother did some editing of that interview, reducing it to 4 hours long, and sent it out to the family so we could all listen to it. During the Fathers' day conversation, Dad had mentioned that he took the time to listen to it so I asked him what it was like to hear, or listen to his own story. He mentioned talking about the hardships and tough aspects of his childhood and he was almost apologetic about talking about it. But I said to him, "Some of the best books are the ones with the struggles, tragedies, difficulties and traumas that people overcome! It would be a really boring book if nothing "exciting" ever happened and there wasn’t anything to overcome!" And then Tom said "David Copperfield is a good example of that, we like stories about people who overcome hardships and difficulties and come out on the other side and better for it!" There is something really inspiring about hearing people’s stories who overcome their pain, struggles and hardships, don’t you think? I think it is because it gives us all hope that maybe we can endure and overcome in the same way!

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5

In the addiction life coaching ministry that we do, we work with some men and women who have been married a LONG time, despite the pain and hardships that addiction brings/brought to their marriage! When they work on themselves and get the healing they need, their marriages are SO much better because of it! They overcome the pain and trauma that the addiction causes, and the trauma that caused the addiction in the first place, and are in such a wonderful place of healing and intimacy that they never dreamed was possible! Overcoming brings strength of character and a better relationship and intimacy with others as well as with the Lord! 

“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12

And then Tom and I were talking about this in the car the other day and he brought up all of the Biblical characters that endured tremendous hardships. They endured and overcame a variety of pain, trials, difficulties and challenges to become amazing men and women of God and examples for us to be inspired by! Hebrews 11 is the "faith" chapter listing all the people of faith who suffered and endured tremendous hardships in their life, yet they overcame them all and are listed among the patriarchs of FAITH; Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Esther, Ruth, Gideon, David... Just to name a few, and of course, there is Jesus. Here is what the author of Hebrews says at the end of chapter 11:

"​...Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.​ Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.​ They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--​ ​the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.​ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.​ God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40

Wow. These people went through A LOT!! But “the world was not worthy of them”…!! What if we have been taught incorrectly our whole lives?? What if pain, trials, suffering and hardships are GOOD, important and something to look forward to in our life of faith, relationship with God, and our character as children of God?? What if the life of leisure, ease and comfort is BAD and detrimental to our walk of faith!? What if the “eternal perspective” is that this life is “Boot Camp” and these difficulties and struggles are a TRAINING ground to prepare us for our eternal purpose, and without them, we would be like untrained, wimpy solders thrown into battle without the training to endure the battle physically, mentally or emotionally??

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21

We have heard many stories about what heaven is like but do we really know for sure? And sometimes heaven is depicted as a life of leisure, and we are floating around on clouds and strumming harps… Do we really believe that? But… what if the TRUTH is not even close to the things we have been told? Do you remember the first scripture I listed? Here it is again but in its entirety:

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.”  Revelation 2:26-28

Wow… That is intense! If we overcome and do His will to the end we will have “authority over nations”… “we will rule with an iron scepter…” and “dash them to pieces like pottery…”?? This sounds nothing like harps and clouds to me… We will have authority and we will be ruling over people…This sounds like something we really need to be prepared for and READY for!

​I did a search for the word "overcomes" in the New Testament and found the scriptures that I have placed throughout this blog. The scriptures in Revelation ALL have these words, either before or after the scriptures I posted here; “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches..."  ​With this phrase included in ALL of these Revelation scriptures, it impresses me that the words He is telling us should be VERY important to us.​ Do we have an "ear to hear" what God is saying to us? Are you in the middle of a difficult situation right now? How are you viewing it? I want to encourage you to take heart and hope that this is a refining fire and a tool that God is using to shape and mold you, do not fret but take heart! This is not the end of your story! “…God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40. Let’s look at these overcoming scriptures again. What will Jesus do for those who overcome?:

To him who overcomes; "... I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7. "...He … will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:11. "... I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17. “… I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5. “… I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12. “… I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21.

“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:7

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." 1 John 5:4-5

Thank you Lord for showing me this again, and again so that I can get this concept deep into my heart, mind and spirit! Help me to continue to redefine “good and bad” into YOUR eternal perspective and definition and reformat my mind and heart. Help me to continue to see ALL of my circumstances as opportunities to grow in You and refine my faith and relationship with You. Not MY will be done, but YOURS my Lord! Embracing boot camp, your daughter, Linda :)