October 1 | Overcomer

Series | The Overcoming Life

Scripture | 1 John 5:5, “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Lesson 1 | Overcomer

Disciples are called to be overcomers, more than conquerors, and a terror to the spiritual forces of evil.  However, many people in the church today are not living the life of a true disciple, instead they are trapped in their sins and in bondage to their own fears and failures.  Because they don’t know their identity in Christ and the power of His resurrection they are subjected to living a life of continual defeat.

While being called to forsake all, live a new life, and serve Jesus they are trying to follow Him with their baggage and are unable to step out of their past into their future. Struggling to live out their purpose they can’t really impact other people’s lives because they can’t give people what they don’t have- freedom.

They may cry out for help, but are unwilling to really change so they get stuck in a cycle of defeat because God will not bless their mess.  Like the child on the merry-go-round they want to get off but they can’t let go because they’re afraid they’ll fall. As a result, they watch others get off the merry-go-round of defeat but they remain in the same place watching time pass by and before they know it they have not just lost days or months but years of their life to the battle within.

Now be honest- have you ever felt like that? Are you on the merry-go-round of self-defeat?  Have you watched Jesus set others free, but time has passed by and you’re still fighting and losing the same battles? If this is you, Jesus has come today to set you free once and for all! 

The above passage promises that whoever believes Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world!  It may sound too good to be true, but it isn’t.  Faith in Jesus can and will change your world.  Jesus came to give you an abundant life- free from sin and its deadly trap, John 10:10.

Now is the time to cry out to God and ask Him to deliver you from the merry-go-round of defeat! John also said in 1 John 3:8, “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

Today is your day, this is your hour.  Declare with me, “Jesus, I believe you died on the cross and rose again for my salvation and total deliverance. Set me free today from all my sins, fears, and hurts [name and confess them one by one].  I believe you are with me now and I receive your new overcoming victorious life. By faith in you I will never ever be the same again. Hallelujah and Amen.”

Reflection | Do you believe Jesus has made you an overcomer?

Action | (1) Repent of any doubt that you may have that causes you to think Jesus can’t totally set you free from 100% of the junk in your life. (2) Read out loud 1 John 5:5 and 1 John 3:8 until you remove all doubt. (3) Lastly, by faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, begin to live the new life Jesus has given you!

One Year Reading Plan (Optional) | Isaiah 62:6-65:25, Philippians 2:19-3:3, Psalm 73:1-28, & Proverbs 24:13-14. Click here to read online.