Overcoming Life!

Video intro for visitors

Baby dedication for Timothy Dean Weidner (Parents: Christopher and Kaylyn Weidner)

In 2 weeks, Sunday the 8th, is the sports regalia Sunday and dinner.

Invite up Pastor Clyde to make announcement.

How many of you here this morning can say that you have experienced some hard, difficult times before in your life? Maybe some of you can say that right now in your life, you are currently going through some difficult times. There may some of you here today, who are really having some painful and difficult times in your life right now and you would be able to raise your hands if I asked and you could say, “Yep, that’s me Pastor. I’m really being pressed right now in my life and it is painful!”

Let me start by saying this. “In the natural/physical realm, obstacles and difficulties are just a part of life. It’s like I mentioned to you a few weeks ago in another message about that old saying that says, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade”. Well, life as we know it and the world that we live in, is built around a large lemon orchard and there are plenty of lemons to go around!

So, there are many of us here today, who have been to the school of hard-knocks and you’ve learned the best ways to squeeze those lemons and you’ve figured out which methods make the best lemonade, so as to deal with all of the adversities, right?!

I mean, things in the natural, are going to mess up, wear out, break down, blow up, overheat, and just plum stop working right!

There are always going to be those road-blocks in life that we must learn how to handle.

And this morning and probably next week also, I want to talk to you on the subject of OVERCOMING.

I want to stress the obvious that life is made up of a series of ups and downs. Highs and lows, Peaks and valleys; whatever phrase works best for you.

The understanding being, that you and I are always going to go through difficult times as well as good times. And in the course of our lives, there is no guarantee as to which times occur more frequently, the good or the bad.

Now I know that decisions that we make in our lives can most definitely help to sway and determine some of these outcomes. You know, the law of sowing and reaping!

Let’s say for example that I inherit or come into a large sum of money, then I may possibly experience some good times, right? But, if I blow all of that money and never use any of it wisely and then I end up more financially distressed than I ever was, then the end result may be worse off than the former!

I may experience more difficult times after having had the money, than what I would have experienced if I had never owned it.

But, let’s say that I take that money and invest it into one of those savings accounts that we have now at every bank, which generally yields around 20% interest..............or maybe invest it into a CD, or an IRA, or whatever, then years later, I may find myself enjoying the fruits of sacrifice and having better days, rather than bad days.

The point being, there are in fact, going to be difficult times that we will go through rather than enjoyable times, simply because of poor decisions and lack of patience and perseverance,on our part, right? What we sow, is what we reap. This applies to the physical and the spiritual aspect of our lives.

And still, there are things which happen in life that are completely out of our control and that force us to find a way to either move forward and excel, or shrink back and accept defeat.

Let me give you a few examples real quick:

Johnny Fulton was run over by a car at the age of three. He suffered crushed hips, broken ribs, a fractured skull, and compound fractures in his legs. It did not look as if he would live. But he would not give up. In fact, he later ran the half- mile in less than two minutes. 

Walt Davis was totally paralyzed by polio when he was nine years old, but he did not give up. He became the Olympic high jump champion in 1952. 

Shelly Mann was paralyzed by polio when she was five years old, but she would not give up. She eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. 

In 1938, Karoly Takacs, a member of Hungary's world-champion pistol shooting team and sergeant in the army, lost his right hand when a grenade he was holding exploded. But Takacs did not give. up. He learned to shoot left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. 

Lou Gehrig was such a clumsy ball player that the boys in his neighborhood would not let him play on their team. But he was committed. He did not give up. Eventually, his name was entered into baseball's Hall of Fame. 

Woodrow Wilson could not read until he was ten years old. But he was a committed person. He became the twenty-eighth President of the United States. 

At the age of seven, he had to go to work to help support his family. At nine, his mother died. At twenty-two, he lost his job as a store clerk. At twenty-three, he went into debt and became a partner in a small store. At twenty-six, his partner died leaving him a huge debt. By the age of thirty-five, he had been defeated twice when running for a seat in Congress. At the age of thirty-seven, he won the election. At thirty-nine, he lost his reelection bid. At forty- one, his four-year-old son died. At forty-two, he was rejected for a land officer role. At forty-five, he ran for the Senate and lost. At forty-seven, he was defeated for the nomination for Vice President. At forty-nine, he ran for Senate again and lost again. At the age of fifty-one, he was elected President of the United States. During his second term of office, he was assassinated. But his name lives on among the greats in U.S. history--Abraham Lincoln.

In all of these situations, these people were handed the proverbial lemons in life. And yet in each one of these examples, these people didn’t accept the limitations of what life handed to them.

They looked around the obstacle and worked and persevered to find another way forward and ended up excelling in life!

You see, in the physical, you and I get to make decisions to either accept where we are and how we are, or we can do things differently (and usually with great work and effort) and improve, or at least move on forward in our lives!

We can choose to better ourselves and our situations, or we can choose to wallow in self pity and argue and complain about how badly life has done us!

Like the movie, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, based on the true story of Chris Gardner. A man who was an entrepreneur and salesman, who ended up homeless, with a small son and living in shelters and on the streets of San Francisco.

This man created an opportunity and ended up working, above and beyond everyone else, for a position with a company, to become a broker, which he got and then eventually started his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm!

My point is this. There are some things in this life that we can sway and OVERCOME, by the sweat of our own brow and of our own determination.

If you encounter a physical problem, then you find a physical means of solving that problem. We simply need to find the right tool for the right job and then fix the problem.

However, as you already know, not everything in this life that we live in, is of the physical.

There is in fact, another dimension that exists around us, called the spiritual realm and it is not limited by, nor hindered by our physical life.

If anything, our physical life is hindered because of the spiritual life around us and of how we approach it and respond to it!

So, as I said a few minutes ago, I want to begin talking with you this morning, and next week as well about the subject of OVERCOMING.

And in talking about the subject matter of OVERCOMING, I’m not going to be talking about overcoming the obstacles of this world in which we live in, (a.k.a. our physical lives), but more specifically, I will be talking about OVERCOMING the obstacles in our spiritual lives.

As I was just pointing out and stressing to you moments ago, if you have been around on this earth for even a few years, then you’ve already had to learn about and deal with obstacles and barriers in your physical/everyday lives and of how you must overcome these things to keep moving forward in life, right?

As Christians, our primary focus must be on the spiritual realm and of how it affects us and of how we affect it.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”

How many of us, in our everyday lives, ever really give any thought about what is taking place around you at all times in the spiritual realm and of how these things affect your life and my life and our walk in the Kingdom of God, as His ambassadors?

And how many of us ever feel like we are struggling in that walk and even at times, feel like we are sinking and losing ground, instead of overcoming and taking ground from the enemy?

In the literal sense, to OVERCOME something, or someone, is to, “defeat, reduce, subdue, or overthrow; to get the better of by force or strategy.”

Would you say that OVERCOMING is a good description for you and your life as a believer in Jesus the Christ?

Or would many of us say that we feel overwhelmed a lot of the time and unsure of what we are doing, or of how we are to be doing it?

For many of us, we focus way too much upon the circumstances that are directly in front of us (the physical circumstances) and we feel overwhelmed and burdened by these things and then we cry out to God and question Him about His plan and His timing and when He is going to move or change things in these circumstances, right?

Well, if that is you today, or it has been you at any point in your life as a Christian, then you are FAR from being alone! (LET’S SEE A SHOW OF HANDS OF ANYONE HERE TODAY WHO HAS BEEN, OR IS FEELING OVERWHELMED IN LIFE AND ITS CIRCUMSTANCES!)

Turn with me real quickly to the Old Testament book of .

Jeremiah 12:1–4 NLT

1 Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy? 2 You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered. Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts. 3 But as for me, Lord, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered! 4 How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”

Did you see what the prophet Jeremiah is asking the Lord? “Why are the wicked people prospering? It’s like you have planted them where they are in this prosperity and they are growing like weeds, while the righteous suffer!”

Then Jeremiah asks God, “HOW LONG must this land mourn?”

Jeremiah has been given a word for the people of the land of Judah and when he started prophesying in his home town of Anathoth, the people rejected him and came against him.

And so we find Jeremiah asking God here, “HOW LONG is this going to keep happening God? The wicked are prospering and no one thinks that you are paying any attention to them and so they can keep on doing whatever they want, unchecked and without recompense.”

Does that sound like anything that any of you have seen or felt in this nation and in this world today?

The wicked prosper and bad people get away with murder, while you struggle at times and watch this take place!

And in this scenario of the wicked seemingly going unchecked, you and I feel overwhelmed at times and weary, right?

So, what Jeremiah asks God here has been asked before by others in the Bible and throughout every generation that has come after the Bible and up till today!

The Psalmist asked it of God, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”

The prophet Habakkuk asked this of God in where he says,

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NLT

2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. 3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.

And here is Jeremiah asking God the same thing, “HOW LONG is this going to keep going on?”

Now, pay close attention to how God begins to answer Jeremiah in this passage. In , God, who knows all and sees all, says to Jeremiah,

Jeremiah 12:5 ESV

5 “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?

Look at what God is saying here. “Jeremiah, if you are already tired and you have only been running against other men on foot, what are you going to do when things get worse?”

In other translations of the Bible, like the NASB and the KJV, those who run on foot, are called the “footmen”. God is warning Jeremiah here that the footmen are the least of his worries, because the horsemen are coming.

And if Jeremiah is already worn out running against the “footmen”, what chance does he stand against the “horsemen”?

Now, this is very important for everyone who is here today, or who may listening on the live stream. The “footmen” of life will absolutely wear you out and leave you in despair and even questioning the sovereignty of God, as to His timing and His will!

What/who are the “footmen” in your life and in my life?

Rent increase, mortgage too high, job stress, difficult co-workers, difficult church members, difficult spouses unruly children, awkward neighbors, the dog barking all night long, your car isn’t running right, your favorite politician didn’t get elected to office, your hair is turning gray, your hair is falling out, you’ve put on weight, you’ve lost too much weight, your best friend stabbed you in the back, they’re tearing down the only good restaurant in town and putting up another (bank, drugstore, car lot, etc.), you need all new appliances in your house, you used to be annoyed because you were always having to go the bathroom, now you’re annoyed because you don’t go to the bathroom enough and on and on!

All of these are examples of the “footmen” in our lives. Basically, anything and anyone of this natural/physical world that we must deal with, which tries us, stresses us, angers us, grieves us, becomes the “footmen” that wear us out!

And you had better know and believe that the enemy of your soul, will keep your life full of these “footmen”, so as to keep you constantly fatigued and tired and weary, both physically, mentally as well as spiritually, if we allow him to do so!

Do any of you remember a message that I did several years ago, about the art of “attrition warfare”?

In a nutshell, attrition warfare is the art of constantly attacking your enemy, bombarding them with wave after wave of attacks, until eventually, you wear the enemy down and deplete their resources.

And when this happens, the enemy eventually will concede and surrender, as there seems to be no other option.

That is the “footmen” that we constantly run against and that is what the enemy will keep you busy warring against, as he launches his attrition warfare against you and I!

The Lord is saying to Jeremiah and to us as well, for our lives, if these “footmen” are keeping you tired and beat down, what are you going to do when the real fight begins?

How are you going to run against the horses and the warriors on them?

Horses and horse warriors were fierce and feared in battle, because of their abilities.

A horse can run for several miles at full speed, before it even begins to wear down a little.

A horse, being a large object, running at full speed into the battle, will obliterate and trample the “footmen”, who get int their way.

A horse can sleep and rest while standing.

A horse can see in almost a perfect 360 degree field of view!

And a trained horseman with a bow and a sword, was feared in battle, above any “footman”.

So, if the “footmen” in life are keeping us weary and wore out and questioning God, as to His timing and His will, what chance do we have against the real spiritual foes around us?

This is why Paul stressed that our fight is not with the physical realm (all of the little footmen coming against us), but rather, our fight should be directed against the horses that are running upon us in the spiritual realm.

And just like God asked Jeremiah in the passage in verse 5, “If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?”

In other words, if you are struggling already in a safe, open and peaceful place, how are you going stand and fight against the wild animals in the dense thicket, like that of the Jordan?”

what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?

How do we do it church? How do we OVERCOME the “footmen” and war against the real issues that come against us in the spiritual realm?

The enemy is watching and waiting for us to become weary and he is always standing close by, to pounce upon us, when he senses our weariness and our frustrations and our fears.

That is when he presents the temptations for sin; when you and I are weak and most vulnerable!

And yet we are told to OVERCOME sin and its temptations!

Remember what God said to Cain, all the way back in , before he sinned out of anger and jealousy and killed his brother Abel? God said to Cain, “Why are you so angry?” Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. BUT, you must subdue it and be its master.”

How do we do it church? How do we run with endurance and stay alert against all of the “footmen” in life and yet still be ready in strength and stamina, when the horsemen come against us?

How do we stand strong and fight, when sin (the enemy) is waiting right outside the door to pounce and listening for us to cry out in desperation and anger?

Helen Keller, a woman who was very well familiar with the frustrations and anger and resentments in life, once declared that, “All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.”

How? How is there ever victory and OVERCOMING in this war, against an enemy that we do not see to engage?

Against an adversary that plays by NO RULES, who watches and wields his weapons of lies and deceit and pride against us, in a realm that is around us at all times, yet invisible to the naked eye!

How do we stay strong and able to fight in this war, when we are always so wearied and angry and scared?

I am closing today with two small parts of the whole answer to our OVERCOMING this life and this spiritual battle that we are in!

I am going to go much greater detail next week on our OVERCOMING in this life!

But for today and the closing of this message, let me say this, we are not called to go out and fight against the enemy. We are called to put on the implements of warfare, that protect us spiritually, and then we are told to STAND!

We are called to STAND against the enemy and resist him.

God has said in His word, that He goes before us and He fights for us.

And the only way that we can stand and stay strong and run the race of this life, without becoming wearied and defeated with all of the “footmen”, is to do what the prophet Isaiah told us to do in , where he says,

Isaiah 40:28–31 ESV

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

You and I, like Jeremiah, will never be able to run against the real adversaries in our life and we will never OVERCOME the spiritual obstacles that the enemy brings against us, on our own. And we never called to do this in our own abilities!

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

You and I grow in our spiritual strength, only when we WAIT ( that word in the Hebrew means to HOPE in, to TRUST in), the Lord God and Him alone!

We keep our HOPE and our TRUST in Yahweh and then we stand firm in that trust!

And that, is the beginning to our ability to OVERCOME in this life!