Overcomer!
Pastor Jake Stewart
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Handout
Handout
What is your favorite exercise in the gym?
What is your least favorite exercise in the gym?
What is the most useless & yet popular exercise in the gym?
To me, it’s the Pec Deck…What is the life application of that exercise?
So you can clap super hard???
Functional strength is a great kind of strength to have - because it actually benefits you in real life!
Christians often focus on building themselves on so many things & in so many ways that don’t really matter.
They memorize all of the feel-good scriptures, but when something hard comes up, they don’t have real strength to endure.
They know all the great things Jesus did, but don’t know how to participate in doing them personally.
They have a scripture or proverb of the day, but haven’t allowed it to change them to be like Jesus outside of church - it hasn’t produced love & the character of Christ for daily living.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Oftentimes, Christians want to have spiritual makeovers like the people who have muscle implants to look strong, but there is no actual strength there.
We are meant and designed for victory and to be overcomers!
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
"Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work." - Vince Lombardi
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” - Michael Jordan
Let’s not hope to be overcomers, as Christians, Let’s become Overcomers!
Focus on developing the areas where the true strength comes from.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
We have to exercise the Inner Man!
1. Pray in the Holy Spirit
1. Pray in the Holy Spirit
But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;
Praying in the Holy Spirit does not build our faith - it builds US on our firm foundation of faith from God’s Word (Romans 10:17)!
How often should we pray in an unknown language or with known language given and directed by the Holy Spirit?
pray without ceasing,
2. Live Wearing the Whole Armor of God:
2. Live Wearing the Whole Armor of God:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
How to wear & employ the armor:
How to wear & employ the armor:
Live authentically in THE truth.
Live from the position of righteousness that Jesus died for you to have.
Share the gospel wherever your feet take you.
Walk in faith (trust God).
Keep saved (God-inspired) thoughts in your mind.
Know and use the word of God skillfully.
3. Choose to Walk in the Spirit:
3. Choose to Walk in the Spirit:
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Flesh - The things that originate from our bodies and senses & the things that are without the influence of Christ.
We have to choose to walk spiritually.
The world around us and all of our history before Christ made living by our flesh
“natural” and our first response.
It will feel unnatural & maybe even disingenuous to live by the Spirit - until it doesn’t.
It is a choice by force of will at first - until it has become our normal & our first-response nature!
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
It is US who does the crucifixion of the old nature and ways.
We, crucify the flesh & choose to live by the Spirit choice by choice.
If we “mess it up” we can simply repent, rewind, and do it over again differently.
Just One Thing:
Just One Thing:
Build up your inner man’s strength & live by the Spirit daily!
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
What makes you happy?
What areas do you see that you want, & perhaps need, to grow in as a Christian.
Please Read: Galatians 5:16 & Galatians 5:24-25 and share what these verses mean to you & how you can practically see yourself living them out.
What are you determined to do to live by the spirit, instead of the flesh, this week and into the future?
