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For everyone who is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [1 John 5:4,5] It is the word of promise that comes to you from God this month, as grace takes you from where you are, to where God wants you to be.
Every child of God:
And, it is a promise that is true in the life of every child of God, with no other qualifying criteria, added to it, making it a wonderfully liberating truth in your life, even as you walk in it, overcoming the challenges that come in your path. It happens through your faith that begins to act in you, with you becoming a child of God. And, it then proceeds to bring about a transformation within you that leads you to overcome your world, in which you may be experiencing problems and challenges that are uniquely yours, and what no one but the Lord can understand. It could be a financial difficulty, a physical challenge, a disturbing situation in your work place or home, small or big, but without shrinking back, you can step forward to overcome the world. It starts with being a child of God.
Who is a child of God ?
When a child is born into this world physically, the tender little infant, sweet as it is, comes fully loaded, in the sense that it does not have to be taught to do something wrong. Throwing a tantrum when it does not get what it wants comes easily and naturally to the small child, for the sinful nature is inherent in every person from the time of his birth. And, it is why, you need to train a child in the way it should go, and then even when he is old he will not depart from it, is the counsel of God’s word. The heart of the fallen man, who is conceived and born in sin, is twisted and obstinate, and is incapable of doing what is right and pleasing in the sight of God. But, it need not remain so.
Becoming a child of God through God’s word:
For, you can be born again through the incorruptible seed of the word of God to enjoy the right and privilege of becoming and remaining His child. And every child of God overcomes the world, is the truth that can never be challenged, for it is written in the scriptures! The apostle John declares the privilege enjoyed by you, when you choose to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, to be called the child of God, one that he affirms later on to be the sign of the greatness of the love of God that has been lavished upon you. [John 1:12,1 John 3:1] And, it is a privilege that comes to you freely by grace, and is one that you receive by faith. It happened in you when in a mind that was darkened by sin the light of the knowledge of Christ began to shine through God’s word, to enable you to make a positive response of faith to the gracious hand of God that is stretched forth towards you, to receive Christ into your life. And it is in believing in the Son of God that you receive the right to become a child of God. It can never ever be earned!
So, you may think that you have not enjoyed a privileged upbringing, and consider yourself under privileged, but the truth is not so. And, it has been said rightly, that you will realize your true worth, only when you know God, and know how He relates to you. Therefore, you are indeed a privileged person this day, as you are the child of God! It does not happen automatically though, even if you have been born in a Christian family, and consequently, been familiar with the church and the word of God. There needs to be a spiritual transformation within you; it is one that happens when you begin to have a personal relationship with Lord Jesus, when you invite Him into your heart, and into your life, that He may be Lord of everything concerning you, both big and small. It is when you are thus born again of the Spirit, in your spirit that you become a child of God. And what can be more privileged than that ? Your circumstance may not seem to bear proof of you being a child of God right now, but it is not the word of God that will change. Rather, the word will change and rewrite your story to be in line with His Story in your life.
What does it mean to become a child of God ?
It is a very unique and dramatic change that happens within you, for God remains a very distant and impersonal entity to many. And to some, God is just a concept or philosophy, one that is not in any manner connected to their lives here on earth. But the faith of a Christian is based and built on a personal relationship with the Lord Almighty, as you become His child through your faith in Christ. And a description of how it works out in your life involves three vital steps.
1.In your spirit – transformed:
There is a spiritual transformation that happens in your innermost being, when the word of God is implanted in the soil of your heart, to make you born again and become a child of God. You are born again through the incorruptible seed of the word of God. [1 Peter 1:23] A seed when planted may not bring forth an immediate change, but when watered and cared for, in time the seed will germinate to sprout forth an initial green shoot that steadily grows and ultimately yields fruit that is the ultimate expression of the seed. And as in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. There may not be an immediate change in you that is visible externally. Behold, all old things have passed away, and all things have become new, is the story of your new creation in Christ. But, this wondrous revelation truth may not yet be the reality in your life. A residue may still be there of the old man, the old habits that were part of your life, or the works of flesh that had dominion over you until then.
But it should never lead you to doubt your salvation. For, ‘He has engraved you in the palm of His Hand’ is the word of promise that establishes the truth that you will never be forgotten by Him. Instead, He is going to transform you more and more into the image of His own Son, that when you finally see Him face to face, you are as He is in this world. [1 John 4:17] It is what salvation is all about. And, it is why you are not today what you were yesterday in your walk with God. You have grown stronger and grown closer to where God wants you to be in life. But, even if you find yourself unable to testify to a positive change in your life, you need not give up, for the Holy Spirit, who indwells you, when you are a child of God, is never dormant.
In fact the church, or the family of God, can be compared to an automobile workshop, while the showroom where the finished product, the new and shiny vehicle that is glamorously displayed is heaven above! For, here on earth, you and I are a work in progress. And so, there may be a vehicle with a dent here, and one with a non functioning engine there, and another with broken head light somewhere else! But, the Master is at work to redeem and restore every broken and damaged soul, every child of God, who is living in a fallen world, to its original and flawless design from God. Christ, the Builder of His church, and its Head, is at work in you, to present you unto God the Father, without spot or wrinkle, blameless and pure on that Day. And, therefore, there is hope, when you know in whom you have put your trust, to become the child of God! Thus becoming a Christian is much more than changing your name, or having your name enrolled as the member of a local church. What gets you into heaven is when He gives you His Name, and that happens when you become a child of God! It is the initial transformation that happens within you, through the seed of God’s word. And the word of God continually works in you to bring about a transformation that steadily grows, to bring about a visible change in you by the renewing of your mind.
2. In your mind – renewed:
It is the next step in your journey as the child of God, one that takes you forward towards overcoming the world, through faith in the Son of God. You are now a new creation in Christ, and old things have passed away. What needs to be done then, by you ? A passport that has expired needs to be renewed. It is as simple and logical as that! For you certainly cannot travel with an expired passport. Also, when you partake of a substance whose date of expiry has come and gone, it will only be folly that takes you on the path of irretrievable harm. Similarly, though you have become a new creation in Christ, and you are a child of God, there may be old thoughts in you that have expired, and need to be put away, for they are not valid in the kingdom of God that you are now part of.
And, even as you study and meditate upon the word of God, the old and unprofitable thoughts are addressed and swept away. Fearful thoughts are not from God, and they are removed to be replaced by the thoughts that flow from God’s word, which declares that there is no room for fear in you any more, for God has given you a spirit of power, love and sound mind. The old man, the old thoughts and the resulting spirit of fear, were all from the wrong source, the wrong manufacturer, and calculated to make you go wrong in your life. But the gospel, the good news is that, you can get rid of it all through new grace that is freely available to you each new day. It is how a renewal of your mind takes place, even as the word that is Living and powerful speaks into your situation, directly relevant to your life’s circumstance at that point of time. And it needs to happen every single day of your life, all through your life, as a child of God, until one day you see Him face to face, to stand before Him rejoicing! For, as a child of God, you are set apart, and made holy, for He is holy.
3. As HIS child – sanctified:
Anything that is set apart for a holy God becomes holy and sanctified. And, you are sanctified, for, you are set apart by God for a special and specific service, when you become His child. You belong to Him. And now, he who touches you touches Him. It is the precious privilege that is a banner over you, for the world to see. Therefore, would anything that is from the evil one dare touch you now ?! But, your present circumstance may not attest to the truth of being a child of God. And so, ‘why has all this happened to me, when I am a child of God ?’, may be the cry of your heart. God hears your cry, and knows your pain. And so all you need to do is to shift your focus away from your problematic past that may be plaguing you even now, to look upon the God who has called you to be His child, to be sanctified and set apart, belonging to Him for a special and specific service.
Sanctified – by truth of God’s word:
‘Sanctify them by your truth. Thy word is truth’. [John 17:17] The Lord Himself has prayed the prayer of sanctification over you, pointing to you the path that you need to tread in order to see sanctification become a practical reality in your life. It is the truth of God’s word, even as you receive it in faith and apply it in your life that cleanses and sanctifies you. For, there are two philosophies that people of the world tend to follow when it comes to tackling the uncleanness of sinful unrighteousness. Either, they do not attempt to be clean in their thoughts and deeds, thinking that they will anyway fail at some point and become unclean and unrighteous. Or, they try to keep themselves from becoming unclean and unrighteous by their own self effort, which of course is futile, for all our righteous acts are like filthy rags in the sight of God.
BUT, Oh, the BLOOD will never lose its power!:
The Lord’s words are sublime in their essence, as they unveil the revelation truth of how sanctification comes to you. He has done it all by shedding His own Blood for you on the Cross of Calvary. It is His Blood that cleanses you continually, and His Blood will never lose its power. It is working even now in you, as you sit under its mighty and cleansing tide, much like how it would be when you are standing under a wondrous waterfall, its waters gloriously cleansing and refreshing you! And, it is why you need to be born again by the Word, to have your mind renewed by the word of God, to know the truth of the cleansing power of His Blood, as the Holy Spirit takes the word of God and applies it in your life, to sanctify and set you apart in His service. And being born again, to become a child of God, will see you overcoming the world. It is the promise of God.
What is overcoming the world ?
It is overcoming the problems in your world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. [1 John 2:16] Whatever may be the problem in your life, it would fall under any one of the three categories that are listed above, and the root of it all is the world, or the world system. Thus, when you overcome the world, your problem that is from the world stands uprooted together with it.
The condition of the world:
There is corruption in the world through lust, are the words of the apostle Peter. [2 Peter 1:4] Corruption, contamination and pollution is very obviously seen in the world environment today, and the problems that spring forth because of it in the outer realm are addressed to a certain extent. Eco friendly measures are to be appreciated, but what can be done to the pollution of the world that is within a person ? It is a far more serious and bigger issue, for in many homes, children become passive smokers as they innocently become victims of it.
It is why the apostle Paul writes to the Romans, not to be conformed to the pattern of the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. [Romans 12:2] And it is the counsel that comes to you and I today, to be renewed in our minds through the word. For when you are born again through the incorruptible word of God, you become a part of a new system and family. You have a Father who knows all that you need, as you focus upon seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. But worldly sorrow can choke the word of God in a person, allowing worry and anxiety to set in. And if not on a Sunday in church, during the week you encounter the activities of the world system in many ways. For, the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one!
So, how do you overcome the world ?
For, though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war in the flesh. [2 Corinthians 10:3] And therefore you overcome evil by good. It may take time, and may not be easy, but you are not an ordinary person. You are a child of God, and though in a sense you and I may be ordinary people we have an extra ordinary God living in us to make it all possible. And with a mind renewed by God’s word you can say, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’.
The FAITH connection:
Faith is the connection that makes it all possible. Faith that results in you being saved and become a child of God comes to you through the incorruptible word of God. Your mind is then renewed and sanctified through the incorruptible word of God.
The FAITH that overcomes:
It comes through your faith in the Son of God. For, who is he who overcomes ? [1 John 5:5] It is you, because you are a child of God. So, if you do not overcome who else can ? It is a question of abundant assurance that the word of God declares to you. And you can overcome, because the Lord has already overcome the world. ‘In this world, you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world’. [John 16:33] It is the truth that you celebrate as you partake of the Lord’s Table, as you remember and confess His word that declares, And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. [Revelation 12:11] The Lord has overcome the world; and He leads you now in a triumphant procession, from triumph to triumph, for you His child. Setbacks may come, but you can take heart in the word that He who began the good work will surely carry it on to completion.
Word of God – the key:
It is the word in you that will defeat your world, and the world system. Therefore ,
1. Like new born babes crave pure spiritual milk that is the word of God that you may grow, says the apostle Peter. [1 Peter 2:2]
2. When the word dwells in you, you become strong. And when you are strong, you defeat the evil one. [1 John 2:14] You are strengthened by the word of God.
3. You receive His precious promises through the word that make you partakers of His divine nature. [2 Peter 1:4]
4. And when you are a child of God, you are in a relationship with the Son of God, to be able to enjoy His peace and overcome because He has overcome. [John 14:27, 16:33]
You will indeed have calmness in every circumstance, courage for every challenge, and you will overcome, for you enjoy the precious privilege of being a child of God. And, as you give thanks unto the Lord for the finished work of the Cross of Calvary, may the blessing of God be your portion in life. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
