I’m so thankful that in the past few years, God has enabled me to see the difficult, oppositional circumstances of life as an opportunity to develop into an overcomer. The Bible actually teaches that there is a difference between being a regular everyday believer and being an overcomer. Every single believer (and person for that matter) has difficult things to go through, but only overcomers shine like stars of hope to those around them living in darkness.
Of course, if I’m going to allow (welcome) God to put me in training as an overcomer, I’m going to have to be willing to have things come into my life that need to be overcome. This can be difficult and painful at times, but Paul reminded us that “these present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”
Some people ask, is it worth it to be an aspiring overcomer? I mean, wouldn’t it be safer and easier just to go through life surviving and hoping nothing bad or challenging happens?
Paul spoke a lot of receiving The Prize at the end of the race lest we be disqualified. Paul was not speaking about salvation, but was speaking of The Prize and reward of being an overcomer. Revelation mentions part of this Prize 8 different times:
To each one who overcomes…
- I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).
- They will not be hurt by the second death (Rev. 2:11).
- To them I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give them a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but the one who receives it (Rev. 2:17).
- I WILL GIVE [THEM] AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS (Rev. 2:26).
- They will be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase their names from the book of life, and I will confess their names before My Father and before His angels (Rev. 3:5).
- I will make them a pillar in the temple of My God; and I will write on them the name of My God… (Rev. 3:12).
- I will grant to them to sit down with Me on My throne (Rev. 3:21).
- Those who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be My sons and daughters (Rev. 21:7).