"I Have Overcome The World" (John 16:33): Part Four.

"I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Whatever is happening in our world, we can still be of good cheer because we know that God is still the God of our salvation. We can face the future with the joy of the Lord because we know that Jesus is with us still. We don't know what may yet lie ahead of us - "In the world you have tribulation", but we do know this: the risen, living Lord, Jesus Christ who is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) still says to us, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." We may have to face difficult times. We will not have to face them alone. We will face them with Jesus. Whatever difficulties may come our way, let us draw strength from the words of Christ, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

"I Have Overcome The World" (John 16:33): Part Three.

"I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
"In this world you have tribulation."The years of our life, in this world, are passing. We are moving ever closer to the end of our life on this earth. This is something which makes us anxious. There is the anxiety which comes upon us as we think of wasted opportunities to trust Christ, to confess Christ, to serve Christ. There is the anxiety which comes upon us as we think of the future. The question of the future, the ultimate future, is always before us: are you ready to meet the Lord, your Maker? When we consider the things which make us anxious, we may wonder, "How can I be of good cheer"? We began by hearing and believing Christ's words, "I have overcome the world." We take His words and we stand upon them and, through faith in Christ, the triumphant Victor over evil, we say, "I have overcome the world."

"I Have Overcome The World" (John 16:33): Part Two.

"I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
(4) have - Christ's victory is not a matter of uncertainty. He has won the victory. His victory is a fact which we must believe. It is a fact upon which we must build. In our own conflict with evil, we must take our stand on Christ's victory. When Christ, from the Cross, cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30), this was not a cry of despair. It was a shout of victory. Jesus had triumphed over all the powers of evil. Jesus won the victory for us. Through Christ's victory, we can now say, "In the Name of Jesus, we have the victory." Jesus' words, "I have overcome the world" come to us in the context of "tribulation." Jesus does not only speak to us words of triumph and victory. He also speaks a word of realism: "In the world you have tribulation." We don't like to hear about tribulation. Perhaps, we feel that it doesn't fit in with the Christian message. we must not, however, live with our heads in the sand. we must not pretend that life is something different from what it really is. "In the world you have tribulation" - this is a painfully accurate description of our human experience in this world. "In the world you have tribulation" - this is not all that Jesus says to us. He also says, "I have overcome the world." "In the world you have tribulation" - these are the words which we must face honestly if we are to really appreciate the greatness of Christ's triumph over all the powers of evil. "In the world you have tribulation" - this is the dark backcloth against which the Christian message is set.

"I Have Overcome The World" (John 16:33): Part One.

"I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
(1) I - the son of Mary and the Son of God; I - the child born at Bethlehem, the child who is called the "Everlasting Father" (Isaiah 9:6), the Creator of heaven and earth.
(2) the world - The Bible teaches us that the world is both fallen from God and loved by God. The Bible warns us: "Do not be conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2). "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Nevertheless, the Bible also tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Taking these two aspects of the Bible's teaching together, we learn two lessons: First, we are loved by God; Second, we are to love God. We must not take God's love for granted. we must not live as the world lives, with little thought for God or His Son, Jesus Christ.
(3) overcome - God's way of overcoming the world is a rather strange way. It is not the way of brute force. it is not the way of worldly power. It is not the way of the dictator. God's way is the way of love. God's way centres on a Babe born in a stable, because there was "no room at the inn." It centres on a young Man, put to death on a Cross "outside a city wall."

In Christ's Suffering Is Our Salvation.

Luke 22:1-38
Jesus’ enemies were ‘religious’ men but they were not God’s men (2). Behind the scenes, there was the activity of ‘Satan’(3). He ‘disguises himself as an angel of light’- Judas Iscariot was ‘one of the twelve’! (3; 2 Corinthians 11:14). In reality, Satan is ‘a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’(1 Peter 5:8). Jesus was in complete control of the situation. He allowed Satan to carry out the plot which would lead to his own defeat - at the Cross. As the whole situation gets darker, never forget the purpose of Christ’s death (19-20). Jesus was suffering - the pain inflicted by His enemies (2) and the agony brought on by his ‘friends’(21,31-34). His suffering was for us: ‘Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us’(7; 1 Corinthians 5:7). In His suffering is our salvation.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

40 Days In The Mountains

When Author Eric Zehnder traveled to the Teton Mountains in Wyoming something very profound happened. He started writing quality sayings. Eric went on to write 4,000 sayings in just 40 days while in the mountains. He then went on to write 8,000 more sayings and has amassed a personal library of over 12,000 sayings. This book is a collection of wise, fun and humorous sayings. If you read a few, you will be entertained. However, if you apply the sayings in this book to everyday life situations, they will help put you on the path to living a victorious life.

Order it online at your favorite online bookstore.
ISBN 9781603831109

God Has Given Us His Spirit Of Power And Love And Self-Control.

Luke 4:1-30
Jesus was ‘tempted by the devil’(2). He was rejected by His enemies (28-29). When we look around us, we see nothing but temptations and rejection - What a negative way of looking at things! There is something more positive here - the presence of the Holy Spirit (1,14,18). Do not be afraid. There is no need to be discouraged. We need not be defeated. The temptations may be many. The opposition may be fierce. We can ‘pass through the midst of them’(30): ‘God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control’(2 Timothy 1:7). Satan is persistent - They did not rest until they had crucified Him. Faced with such opposition, we - like Jesus - must walk in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:12,17-18).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘You Meant Evil Against Me; But God Meant It For Good.’

Genesis 37:1-36
Here, we have human sin and divine grace. We see jealousy (11) and its effects: ‘where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice’(James 3:16). We see God working out His purpose: ‘you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good’(50:20). In his dreams, Joseph was given a glimpse of the ‘new thing’(Isaiah 43:19) God was about to do. Joseph’s situation seemed hopeless: ‘cast... into a pit’, ‘sold’ into slavery (24,28). God was in this situation. Each of us is in a ‘pit’, but we are not alone. Jesus has gone into the ‘pit’ for us, and He has come out of it victorious: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave where is your victory?’. Slaves of Satan, we have been set free by Christ (Romans 6:17-18; Hebrews 2:14-15). God was with Joseph. He is with us.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘It Is Finished’ - The Victory Has Been Won, The Victory Is Complete.

Genesis 32:22-32
At the place called Peniel, Jacob ‘saw God face to face’(30). We see ‘the glory of God in the face of Christ’(2 Corinthians 4:6). Jacob wrestled with God and became an overcomer (28). Christ wrestled with the powers of evil, and has won a mighty victory for us. When He cried out from the Cross, ‘It is finished’(John 19:30), this was not an admission of defeat. It was the declaration of victory - the victory has been won, the victory is complete. ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’(1 Corinthians 15:57). For Jacob, crossing the Jabbok involved a spiritual ‘crossing over’. Jacob became Israel, a new man (28). After he had been ‘touched’ by God, Jacob was ‘limping’(31-32). This was a reminder of his own weakness. His true strength was in the Lord. Wait on the Lord, and renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Forgiveness and Victory

Genesis 26:1-35
‘History repeats itself’. Sin has a ‘like father, like son’ quality about it - Isaac is like Abraham (7; 12:13, 20:2, 12-13), Jacob is like Isaac (7; 25:31,27:19). Grace repeats itself. God is faithful. He gives forgiveness and victory over temptation (1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13). He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). Deceived by ‘the father of lies’(the devil), ‘man’ denies the truth (John 8:44). ‘Let God be true, and every man a liar’(Romans 3:4). In verses 19-22, there’s ‘the story of the three wells’- ‘Dispute’, ‘Opposition’, ‘Room’. Things went from bad to worse, then there was progress. There is room for both, when there is no more quarrelling. Isaac worshipped God, and was recognized as God’s man (25,28). We are to be recognized as God’s people, but remember - verse 34 - even the Lord’s people can make mistakes!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘Sin Shall Not Have Dominion. Grace Is Victorious.’

Genesis 16:1-16
From salvation and the assurance of salvation, we turn to Satan and the activity of Satan. Sarai came with temptation (1). Abraham yielded to temptation (2). Temptation becomes sin when we yield to it. In Abraham, we see the conflict between ‘the old man’ that he was and ‘the new man’ God was calling him to become (17:5; Galatians 5:17). He chose the way of unbelief. Listening to the voice of Satan, speaking through Sarai, he walked straight into immorality. Unbelief and immorality belong together (Romans 1:18). We must guard our hearts with respect to both what we believe and how we behave. We must not imagine that Satan will win the victory over the Lord and His purpose of salvation. Satan will try to overcome God's gracious purpose, but he will not succeed (Revelation 20:10). ‘Hallelujah!... the Lord our God the Almighty reigns’(Revelation 19:6).

Genesis 17:1-27
Amazing grace - this is the marvellous theme of this chapter. Abram became Abraham (5). Sarai became Sarah (15-16). What they were belonged to their sinful past. What they became was the work of God's grace. What a contrast there is between human sin and divine grace. We look at ourselves. We see sin, and we lose hope. We look at the God of grace, and we say, ‘Sin shall not have dominion. Grace is victorious’(Romans 6:14). Abram and Sarai appeared to be hopeless cases. They had failed the Lord, but He did not fail them. He made them new people. They became the father and mother of nations. To those who do not deserve His love, God still renews His ‘covenant’, His promise of love (2). He still says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’(Jeremiah 31:3). In the Cross of Christ, we have the greatest ‘sign of the covenant’(11; Romans 5:8).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Thought For The Day - "Satan Will Not Prevail ... "

Satan will not prevail over the Lord and His people. The victory is the Lord's. He gives His victory to us.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 21:1-17

We live in a situation of conflict. We are at war with the enemy. Satan is God's enemy. Satan is our enemy. Satan is a very determined enemy. Satan is a defeated enemy. The words of verse 9 - 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon...' - , repeated again in Revelation 14:8; 18:2, assure us that Satan will not prevail over the Lord and His people. The victory is the Lord's. He gives His victory to us. When the going gets tough, when Satan seems to have the upper hand, let's remember this: 'Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe, but the King's own army none can overthrow. Round His standard ranging, victory is secure, for His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure'. Let us not hesitate to commit ourselves to Christ: 'Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine, we are on the Lord's side; Saviour, we are Thine' (Church Hymnary, 479).

Say No To Depression

Depression is like a cancer. Once it sets in, it can overtake us and place us in bondage. Severe depression has a crippling effect. It steals and robs us of our joy and ability to experience happiness. Of course we could get into all the intense reasons and causes of depression. But enough of that.

I encourage those dealing with depression to enter into a place of prayer. What kind of prayer. Simply pray and talk to God. Tell him what you are experiencing and simply ask Him for help.

I encourage you to also find some praise and worship music that you like, listen to it and make it a part of your days. You see when we lift our voices up to God, give Him praise and worship Him. The Kingdom of God, meaning heaven, comes to earth. And when the Kingdom comes, depression leaves.

Blessings, in the love of Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Jesus Christ - Risen And Victorious (Matthew 28:1-10)

The resurrection declares Christ’s victory over evil, the triumph of His love. There is no need for fear: ‘He has risen’- His ‘perfect love casts out fear’(5-6 1 John 4:18). There has to be a new beginning in faith. First, there was a new beginning ‘in fact- Christ has been raised from the dead’(1 Corinthians 15:20). Christ has won the victory over the grave. Christ has taken the sting out of death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Between the new beginning in faith - making disciples (19) - and the new beginning in fact - Christ’s resurrection - , there is worship (9). The fact is not dependent on our feelings. ‘He has risen’(6-7) - the fact stands, even when many doubt and few worship (17). As we worship, we are strengthened in faith, strengthened for our task. We are to invite people to come to the place where ‘they will see’ Jesus (10). We are to ‘make disciples’(19). Run and tell - with great joy (8)!