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How do we really overcome? By repenting and holding fast what we have heard.
In Revelation, John prophesied how God was addressing each of the seven churches to be ready and after each one was the same call to overcome.
The church at Ephesus:
Revelation 2:7He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God....
The church at Smyrna:
Revelation 2: 11He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death....
The church in Pergamos:
Revelation 2: 16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.....
The church at Thyatira:
Revelation 2: 25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28And I will give him the morning star. 29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The church at Sardis:
Revelation 3: 5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The church at Philadelphia:
Revelation 3: 11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The church of the Laodiceans:
Revelation 3:19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Besides the calls to repentance in Revelation, John wrote in another book plainly on how to overcome.
1 John 5: 1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.....4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
How do we know that we are the children of God?
1 John 5: 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
What are His commandments? John had written what those commandments were earlier in the chapters of the same book.
1 John 3:22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Thus the simplicity of the Gospel is maintained in keeping His works and the faith is held firm as stated below.
Colossians 1:20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;....27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Then we have overcome and are ready to be received as the bride of Christ by the Bridegroom: all thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ in helping us run that race in laying aside every weight and sin that so easily besets us.
Revelation 3:19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, andrepent.
May He continually chasten us to repent as the Good Shepherd we entrust Him to be so that our faith in Him as Our Saviour may be held fast so as to overcome and be ready to go.
How do we really overcome? By repenting and holding fast what we have heard.
No argument here. Repentance is such an incredible gift, and fortunately there is no limit to how many times it may be used, as long as we are pure in heart and genuinely trying. I love knowing that my Father in Heaven will forgive me each and every time I go to Him in prayer and acknowledge my sins, feel sincerely sorry for having committed them and promise to try to do better in the future. It's like I have a clean slate every day of my life.
I think this is the best small piece put up in the entire history of the internet. Maybe that's why it only has 1 rspns! Well, narrow is the gate. ( I'm brand new here though, I guess it's 1 rspns?) But this city data is amazing, Enow's had over one half million reads, schwew!!
"The one who enters through the gate IS the shepherd of the sheep."
"The son of man has the power to forgive sin."
"The Lord is just; he loves righteous works; the upright shall behold his face."
"God is with the generation of the righteous."
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