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From the above scripture it would seem that being an “overcomer’ is something all
believers should be aspiring to. Who then is an overcomer? What do we need to
overcome? And HOW, exactly do we overcome?
Now some of you might think that the answers to these questions are obvious. If
that were so, there would not be so many diverse sets of doctrine and opinion in the
world as there are right now. So let us put aside our own views on this subject and
see what Scripture has to say about overcoming. For only by looking into Scripture
are we going to find the correct path.
Isaiah 8:20
“ To the Law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it
is because there is no light in them.”
Now that all sounds pretty simple doesn’t it. Follow the Law (Torah) and the
testimony of the scriptures and you can’t go wrong. So what does go wrong?
Why are there so many interpretations and different doctrines?
First let us understand that Messiah Yahushua did not come to bring peace at His
first coming.
MATTHEW 10:34-36
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace,
but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter
against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”
Why would Messiah come to send a sword into the families of men? when he said;
MATTHEW 19:19
“Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.”
Did Messiah want to bust up families? No, not at all. Messiah did however know
that this is what would happen, and that it was a necessary part of the process
of bringing Israel back to the Father.
MATTHEW 18:11
“For the Son of man is come to save that which is lost.”
So how does bringing a sword help save anyone? It starts with separating the
sheep from the goats. Messiah came to separate a people to Himself and the
Father in Heaven. Those separated people receive the Set Apart Spirit to help,
comfort and guide them. When translated as Holy Spirit, this really does not
convey the true nature of the Spirit. The Hebrew word ‘Kodesh’ which is translated
as ‘Holy’ means ‘Set apart’. It is by the Set Apart Spirit that we are set apart to
Yahuweh, according to His purpose.
ROMANS 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
Yahweh, to them that are called according to His purpose.”
So how can family members turning on us possibly work for good to us? Family
members can come between us and Yahuweh. Tell a family member that you are
not going to go to golf with them on Saturdays anymore, as you have joined the
tennis club; or that you won’t being going to the Anglican church with them on
Sunday as you decided to go to the Baptist church instead; and while that person
may be disappointed, they will most often say ‘that’s ok its your choice’.
However tell that same family member that you won’t be going to golf as you started
to observe the Sabbath; or that you won’t be going to church on Sunday as you
realised it’s the wrong day, and see what reaction you get.
Sadly in most cases the reaction ranges from mild annoyance to outright hostility.
Why is this?
It is because we have just entered the realm of spiritual warfare where the battle
rages. Confronted with their attitude most of these family members can’t explain
why they are so hostile. Many will make unfounded accusations, you may find
yourself being blamed by every family member for everything that ever happened to
any of them. Obviously this is ridiculous and they don’t realise, the unrealistic
‘power’ that they have just attributed to you.
This problem takes most of us by surprise, even though we have read
Matthew 10:35-36, we don’t really imagine that our lovely family will ever be like
that, or that those much loved favourite children will become the worst enemies and
the most hateful of all. It’s heart breaking. Why does it have to be this way? It’s the
battle that Ha Satan is waging against the people of Yahuweh. Try to tell your family
that and they will become more outraged, why won’t they listen?
They can’t, they are in a battle they don’t even know is being fought.
1PETER 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
You may be thinking that it is your family that is being attacked by the devil not
you. In some respects that may be true, but as yet they have not entered into a
covenant with Yahushua, the devil’s main target is those who have accepted the
shed blood of Messiah. That is why Matthew 10:35-36 is specifically addressed to
the disciples of Messiah. Most people want to keep their family happy. Parents will
often time give up something they want to do in order to do something the
children want to do. The closer the family, the more that you personally, are inclined
to give way to the needs and wishes of other family members. The more you love
them, the more vulnerable you are to their pulls and pushes. This will be seen as a
weak point, by which you can be moved from Messiah. Ha Satan will use it against
you, to try to get you to turn away from Messiah.
MATTHEW10:37-39
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he
that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall
find it.”
Parents, children, other close friends and relatives will often want us to do what
they think is right. Or want us to compromise our stand on Sabbath keeping or Xmas
etc. They use all sorts emotional blackmail like “it won’t be the same without you”
or “Fred will be very hurt if you don’t come”, playing on our reluctance to upset
any of them or our fears of falling out with them.
Christian friends of old, will probably also try the emotional blackmail, and get angry
at any suggestion that they are missing something and not following Messiah. This
happens in Sabbath keeping groups as well as Sunday observant churches. You may
find as you grow in Grace and Knowledge that you are forced to leave or resign from
Sabbath groups that are not growing spiritually or who have gone off down a path
of their own. Many of these splits will be especially painful as oft times these people
have become our spiritual family. Most of us at sometime will have to stand alone
with Yahuweh. As we grow, we may have to repeat this process several times.
Close relationships, in good times and bad, can be our biggest distractions.
Distracting us from, Bible study, prayer and worship, and from overcoming our
personal weakness and sins. At times of distraction, our sins can overtake us
without us even being really aware of it. This is why personal relationships,
especially family relationships, tend to keep manifesting distractions and problems,
long after we have proven that, we will not turn away from Yahushua, in order to
keep peace with family. We still love our families and so the ties that bind still can
distract us by getting us involved with our families crisis’s.
MATTHEW 8:21-22
“And another of His disciples said unto him, Master, suffer me first to go bury my father.
But Yahushua said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”
Are we advocating that you should abandon your family? No, not for a moment. Do
we think that is what Yahushua was advocating? No, although it might seem that
way. We believe that what Yahushua was trying to convey was that, you cannot
help the dead. This person was being distracted from following Messiah by his
emotional attachment to his father, who in this case happened to be dead already.
There was no way that this man could help his father. And so it is with us, we can
no more help our families by allowing our emotional attachment to distract us from
following Messiah than this man could help his dead father. The only one that can
help someone who is physically dead is Yahuweh.
We can much more help our families by following Messiah, than we can any other
way. They may not understand that at this point, but one day they will.
Are we saying that our family is our biggest problem? No. What we are saying is we
have to know where our weaknesses are, and for most people family can be a
stumbling block.
We have to let go of the bogus ‘Christian’ attitude of ‘just love everyone’ and stop
feeling guilty if we have to upset family by saying ‘no’ to them. We need to let go,
the ‘Christian’ idea of being ‘Christian’ and feeling we ‘should’ help out in every
family crisis. That we ‘should’ attend every family function, that we ‘should not’ tell
people that they are wrong ,that we ‘should’ have tolerance for all people’s ideas
and opinions, that we ‘should’ put our own beliefs and spiritual needs aside to help
someone else.
We need to lose these bogus ‘Christian’ notions.
We need to judge each situation on it’s own merits and not allow anything that is
taking us from following Messiah to stand in our way.
If family and friends do become such a tie that binds us to this world , then we do
need to be prepared to leave them if necessary, whether that is just for short while
or for the rest of our life.
Sometimes when a family member gets so hostile that they refuse to speak to a
believer for years, we wonder if Yahweh has not arranged it thus. Family members
who take such stands, are usually strong willed and hard-headed people, they are
a difficult force to reason with, especially for someone who loves them and does not
want to fall out with them. The temptation to give in to those individuals, for the
sake of peace, can be so strong as to be a stumbling block, to those who love them.
We believe therefore that sometimes Yahweh removes these people from the life
of the believer for everyone’s own good, painful though it may be for the believer.
Removing followers from their physical families is not a new thing for Yahuweh.
GENESIS 12:1-2
“Now Yahuweh had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from
thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy
name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:”
So here we have right at the outset in Genesis, Yahuweh separating a people to
himself.
EXODUS 33:16
“For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in
thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and
Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”
LEVITICUS 20:24
“But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you
to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am Yahuweh your
Elohiym, which have separated you from other people.”
Yahuweh has been from the beginning separating out a people for Himself.
(see also; Deut.33:16; 1Kings 8:53; Psalm 135:4; to mention a few)
Deut 10:8
“At that time Yahuweh separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the
covenant of Yahuweh, to stand before Yahuweh to minister unto him, and to bless His name, unto this day.”
In the scripture above we see Yahuweh separating out one tribe from Israel, to
be of special service to himself. Had Yahuweh abandoned the other eleven tribes?
No, he had not, they were still a set apart nation, these were just a tribe set apart
to special service. Yahuweh changes not, that was a forerunner of the situation
that we have today.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:17
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith Yahuweh,
and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you,”
1PETER 2:9
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out
of darkness into His marvellous light.”
So we see that Yahuweh has always separated His people, why is this necessary?
It is because attachment to the world always leads to sin. In order to help those
called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28),Yah always separates His people.
Overcoming is all about resisting the devil, and the pulls of this society and
conquering our own personal shortcomings. Is this easy? No, it isn’t, and this is
why Yah gives us the assistance of the “Set Apart Spirit”. While we go out and
about in this world the “Set Apart Spirit” helps us to remain separate, by helping us
to resist getting involved with the activities of the world. Does the “Set Apart Spirit”
do it all for us? No, we have to apply our own will to the situation. Ha Satan is
the one who drives and pushes people. The ‘Set Apart Spirit’ leads us, we still
have to choose to follow.
JAMES 5:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to Elohiym. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you.”
Does Messiah want us to withdraw from the world? NO, we are to be a light to the
world.
MATTHEW 5:14-16
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your father in Heaven.”
The apostle Paul had a lot to say about overcoming sin.
ROMANS 7:14-25
(14)“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
(15)For that which I do I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I
hate that do I.
(16)If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
(17)Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
(18)For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to
will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
(19)For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
(20)Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me.
(21)I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
(22)For I delight in the law of Elohiym after the inward man:
(23)But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
(24)O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?
(25)I thank Elohiym through Yahushua Messiah our Master. So then with the
mind I myself serve the law of Eloah; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
It seems that Paul was having a hard time overcoming his personal sins. Did he give
up? No, Paul had faith that through Messiah Yahushuah he would overcome.
HEBREWS 12:1-4
(1)“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
(2)Looking to Yahushua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of Yahweh.
(3)For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,
lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
(4)Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”
So the the answer to, “who are the overcomers?” is, the “set apart people”
those set apart to Yahuweh according to His purpose.
Obviously, what? we have to overcome is “sin”. This people, is where so many get
misled. Often people get confused about what constitutes sin and end up being
led by a counterfeit spirit. This is sad, as often these people are very dedicated,
but they are dedicated to the wrong cause.
The Apostle John left us in no doubt about what constituted sin.
1JOHN 3:4
“ Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.
So this is very clear, that those in churches where they say that, the law is nailed
to the cross, that we no longer need to observe the law, are not being led by the
‘Set Apart Spirit’. Though many hundreds of thousands of those people sincerely
believe that they have the ‘holy spirit’. Many talk of having, the spirit of joy or
the spirit of love, and go around acting as though they are on a perpetual high.
This is not the “Set Apart Spirit” , it is a counterfeit spirit, telling them they are
‘born again’ and everything is wonderful.
John 16:33
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world.”
Does the above verse sound like, joy,joy,joy? Messiah told them of things, so that
they might have “peace.” Peace of mind as to what was going on. He told them
they would have many troubles and trials (tribulation) but not to get depressed
(be of good cheer). Messiah did not say, I’ll give you the spirit of Joy so you can
laugh uncontrollably about everything and anything.
Psalm 34:19
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but Yahuweh delivereth him out of
them all.”
In the above verse King David is saying, the righteous have many afflictions, but
Yahuweh will rescue them. That is “faith” by the “Set Apart Spirit.” It is not
unrealistic optimism. The “Set Apart Spirit” is not given to those who do not keep
the commandments.
JOHN 14:15-17
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he
may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you.”
We see above in, John 14, that only commandment keepers will receive the Spirit.
1 JOHN 2:4
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him.”
At the other end of the extreme from the people who do not follow Torah (the law)
are those Sabbath Commandment keepers, who say that they accept Messiah’s
shed blood for ‘Salvation’ then act and talk as though they are keeping the Law
for Salvation. Many of these Churches run on fear. Now we are not saying that
they have never received the Set Apart Spirit, but what we are saying is that
there is also a controlling spirit of fear there. Some of the members of these
groups are scared to question anything put forth by the ministry for fear of being
disfellowshipped. In turn they fear being disfellowshipped, as they have been led
to believe, they are in the ‘one true church’ and if they do not obey the ministry
they will be in “the lake of fire”. Where is that written? Many of these Churches
add to the commandments as did the Pharisees. Fear and Faith are opposites.
You cannot Love and Fear someone at the same time; people in these groups
end up confused. This is too big a topic to cover fully here, however we will look
at a few things.
[If you belong to a group that you recognise as operating this way please request
our article “ Running by Faith or Moved by Fear?”. Otherwise check back to our
website regularly, we will post the article on line as soon as possible.]
PROVERBS 9:10
“The fear of Yahuweh is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the
holy is understanding.”
Most groups that run on fear love the above scripture, “you must Fear God” they
yell from the pulpits. Let us look at that word ‘fear’. 3374 in Strong’s, it is the
Hebrew word ‘ yir’ah ’ it’s primary meaning is ‘reverence’ . According to Chambers
Twentieth Century Dictionary, ‘reverence’ means; high respect: respectful awe:
veneration: state of being held in high respect: a gesture or observance of respect.
The word ‘holy’ in this verse is not 6944 Qodesh, as in Holy Spirit; but rather it is
6918 Qadosh meaning, sacred; god; an angel; a saint; a sanctuary.
So Proverbs 9:10 could be rendered as,
“The respectful awe (or awesome respect) of Yahuweh is the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the saint is understanding”
Not much that is terrorising in that statement is there?
Fear in the ‘scared of’ sense, has no place in the Congregations of the Almighty
One of Israel.
Romans 8:15
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father.”
This word ‘fear’ in Romans 8:15 is the Greek, ‘phobos’ (G5041 in Strong’s) it
means: alarm or fright: -be afraid: + exceedingly,fear,terror.
Obviously there is a large difference in meaning between that called ‘fear,
in Proverbs 9:10 and that called ‘fear’ in Romans 8:15. We are to keep the
Commandments out of LOVE for Yah (John 14:15) not out of fear. You cannot
do both.
1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out all fear: because
fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
So you see John tells us quite clearly, that fear and love do not go together.
We do need to keep the commandments out of love for Yah, but not because
we are scared of him. It may seem a small point to some, the fact is, that small
point, can keep us from the narrow path, and stop us from overcoming.
1 JOHN 5:2-3
“By this we know that we love the children of Yah, when we love Yah,
and keep His commandments.
For this is the love of Yah, that we keep His commandments: and His
commandments are not grievous.”
It is possible to be a commandment keeper and still not overcome. How is this?
It is by misunderstanding, ‘How’, to keep the commandments, we keep them out of
‘love for’ not out of “terror of.” The Renewed Covenant is a Marriage Covenant,
do you marry someone you are afraid of? Would you want to be married to someone
who is afraid of you? No, of course not (well, only if you were sadistic, which Yah
is not.) You marry for Love not Fear.
Awesome respect and love for our Elohyim is what we need to have, and Faith.
HEBREWS 11:6
“ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to Yah
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him.”
So HOW? Do we become the overcomers of Revelation 3:21
REVELATION 12:11
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.”
Love Yah, keep the Commandments, diligently seek him, have faith, then we can
have, the Hope that is in Messiah, that we will overcome and He will say:-
LUKE 12:32
“Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
Kingdom.”
In the words of the Apostle Paul.
2 CORINTHIANS 13:11
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind,
live in peace; and the Elohiym of love and peace shall be with you.
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