Being an overcomer
As I was writing to my subscribers about being an overcomer, a simple truth came to me: as a Christian, being an overcomer is not dependent on our ability to overcome. A picture the Lord gave me a couple of weeks ago has captured me: it is of a high jumper and a pole vaulter, and the difference between them. In the high jump, the bar can only be set so high, otherwise the high jumper, who is completely reliant on their own ability, will not make it over the top. In the pole vault, the bar can be set much higher because they are not completely reliant on their ability; they also have the pole, which gives them the lift they need to go higher and make it over the top. So often, the things we need to overcome are like a bar that is set too high for us to jump over in our own capacity.
This is a helpful image when we think about the things we are trying to overcome. Resting purely on our own abilities will inevitably cause us to fall short, but when we lean on the Lord and His capacities, we can be sure of being an overcomer. But what does leaning on the Lord mean? It is trust.
A Scripture that highlights this is Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Trust is an important theme that runs throughout the Scriptures, and it is often associated with overcoming, or breaking through, or the Lord doing something in response to their trust in Him.
In the Psalms, trust is a common theme; “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him” (28:7), “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act” (37:5), “Happy are those who make the Lord their trust” (40:4a), “Through You we push down our foes; through Your Name we tread down our assailants. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But You have saved us from our foes, and have put to confusion those who hate us” (44:5-7), “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides for ever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time on and for evermore” (125:1-2). These are some examples, which I hope encourage you.
Psalm 31:14 tells us something more: “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” We make a god out of what we put our trust in! We can see from the Scriptures that we rely on what or in whom we put our trust, and the Psalmist here is being very clear that his trust is in the Lord, making Him his God. That is a powerful and provoking thought for us! Where (or in whom) are we putting our trust (lean on, seek to overcome)?
I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ This is saying something like, ‘Don’t commit everything in one place in case something goes wrong and you lose it all.’ Well, Jeremiah 17:7 says: “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” In other words, put all your eggs in one basket! God wants us to put everything in Him because He is trustworthy; we can lean on Him in all things, find our strength, our hope, our joy and our peace in Him, and Him alone.
All the references are Old Testament, but they do point us to Jesus. In Isaiah 28:16-17 (NIV) it says, “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.’” Jesus is the One in whom we put our trust, who is our trust.
Remember, Jesus is the one who has overcome all things, and in Him “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
I will end it here, but let me leave you with a wonderful and uplifting Psalm that says it all, Psalm 146.
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!