By Rev. J. Loren Russell
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
I John 5:4-5 NKJV
I am going to be straight up and personal; without faith in Christ, it is impossible to overcome the world! Think about it, every day presents new challenges and new opportunities. Some of the challenges can be easily overcome, but others rattle our cages and can make us drop to our knees. That’s not a bad position to be in if you are born of God. If not, you drop because the weight is too heavy to bear and you’ve got nowhere to turn. Therein lies an opportunity.
Did you notice that the text says “whatsoever” is born of God overcomes the world? The Greek Word for whatsoever is “pas,” meaning all, any, every, the whole. To make it plain, there is nothing that is out of the Lord’s reach. Since humanity is the only creation that can decide whether or not they will have faith, anyone who has faith in Christ overcomes the world because they become new creatures in Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:27 KJV). Anyone who believes has been born again, has faith that Jesus is who He says He is, and is victorious over anything the world can throw at them. Whosoever he or she might be, they have overcoming faith.
To make it personal, no situation or circumstance you face, no challenge that confronts you can defeat you. In fact, Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD” (KJV). Remember, every challenge and every obstacle has within it an opportunity.
To have faith in Christ means you are an overcomer. It means that success is a part of your DNA. Nothing can defeat you and nothing can stop you. How can I be so sure? I’m sure because whatsoever is born of God is aligned with Christ. What believers desire is what the Lord desires.
That’s a lot to grasp, but once it’s understood and believed, it makes you an overcomer. It is also the exact reason that I believe the question posed in 1 John 5:5 is both a challenge and an opportunity; “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” If you believe, you will have world conquering faith!
Be blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial Strategy & Consulting; an associate minister at both Goodwill and The Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx; creator/host of “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio, Monday’s 8:00 – 10:00 PM (626-226-1448) and author of Matters of Faith: The Book, an eBook available at Smashwords.com.
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