"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 :)
