Be An Overcomer!

They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11 (NIV)

All throughout Revelation we are told that we should overcome. And of course, as Christians we know Jesus overcame. If you read the end of the book, it is clear that in the end, we do overcome. We triumph over Satan (the accuser). We defeat the Devil (the slanderer.) How do we do that?

First, it is really clear that it is by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus’ death on the cross once and for all defeated Satan. He is done, kaput, finished. But what else helped defeat him? Our testimony.

As I pondered this I wondered “What testimony?” I kept going over it time and again. I think I wanted a clear cut definition. A concrete thing I could point to and say “There, that’s the answer.”

The definition in the dictionary of testimony is “evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.” The funny thing about testimony is the evidence we provide is not a canned response. Evidence is specific to each case where it is presented.

That’s the amazing thing about this concept. While we all share in the blood of Jesus, our evidence (our testimonies) that he saves is completely different for each one of us. Imagine it! My testimony is not the same as yours and yours is not the same as anyone else! And therein lies the power.

This is what demolishes Satan. Each and every one of us has a testimony. Each and every testimony is a personal experience on how Jesus saved us. There will be so many attestations of his love. So many proclamations that Jesus Saves.

Let me ask you. What is your testimony? How do you know that Jesus is real and alive in your life? Your testimony is important. It will help you overcome.

As For Me, I will Worship......

You must not have any other god but me. Exodus 20:3

One thing I noticed as I was reading through Revelation….the main theme seems to be about worship. In other words, who or what you worship. No matter what’s going on throughout the book, there is a ton of worship going on.

Look at some of these examples:

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
    the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
    to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
    and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Revelation 4:8-11

More of this worship is repeated in Chapter 5.

“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” Revelation 14:7

Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!
    For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
    and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
    and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
    For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. Revelation 19:6-8

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

There are other texts about worship - worship of Satan. In the latter part of the Book it is very clear that some will not worship God. They are choosing to worship their idols instead. We look at that and think that we are not idol worshipers but I bet we all have an idol. An idol is anything that is more important to us than our relationship with Jesus. It could be our work, our play, our image, our stuff, another person….think about it. I know there are things in my life that I need to move off the throne of my heart so I can one hundred percent follow God.

In the end, the battle is going to be over your heart. Who are you worshiping?

O Lord Jesus, teach us to worship you and you alone. Amen.

A Minute In It - Looking For Jesus

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

1 This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, 2 who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.

Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.

All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
    And everyone will see him—
    even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
    will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. 10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

19 “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. 20 This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1

Read through the chapter and write down everything that describes Jesus.
Where is he standing? What do the lampstands stand for?
If he is standing in the middle of the lampstands, what does this tell you about his ministry?
What character traits are identified about Jesus in this text?
How do you apply that to your life?

Revelations About Revelation

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. Revelation 1:17-18 (NLT)

The Book of Revelation is often thought of as a book about the end of time. And it may have that in it but it in the first chapter it says “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It’s really a book about who Jesus is after the resurrection. WOOT!

John was in vision. Just before he fell down as dead, he saw this.

12 When I turned around to see what sort of voice this was that was addressing me, I saw seven golden lampstands. 13 And among the lampstands, I saw One like the Son of Man right in front of me dressed in a long robe. Across His chest was draped a golden sash. 14 His head and hair were pure white, white as wool and white as snow; His eyes blazed like a fiery flame; 15 His feet gleamed like brightly polished bronze, purified to perfection in a furnace; His voice filled the air and sounded like a roaring waterfall. 16 He held seven stars in His right hand, from His mouth darted a sharp double-edged sword, and His face shone a brilliant light, like the blinding sun. (VOICE)

If you saw that, what would you do? Especially the sharp double-edged sword. In the Bible this signifies judgement. I wonder if John collapsed because he thought he was going to receive God’s judgement. I think I might collapse too if I thought that. But, let’s look just a little deeper.

First, Jesus shows up dressed in a long robe with a golden sash. This is the garment of the high priest that intervened for the people before God. After John fainted, he laid his right hand on him. The right hand in the Bible signified blessing and the power to sustain. And then he said “Don’t be afraid.” If you translate this from the Greek, it actually means “Stop being afraid.”

After this, Jesus goes on to say “I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

Can I paraphrase a little?

Child of God, I am your Advocate. I have conquered death, your death. Stop worrying about how good you are. Stop being afraid of what’s next. I have overcome it all. Trust what I have already done for you. I love you.

It made my heart glad to understand this. You see, no matter what is happening all around us, we still have Jesus. We are covered. We are saved. Forever and ever. Amen.

Whose Kingdom Is It?

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

What do you think God’s kingdom looks like? We pray this prayer but rarely do we stop and ponder what it would look like for God’s kingdom to be here on earth.

I imagine if God’s kingdom were here on earth “as it is in heaven”, there would be certain things that were obvious. For starters, there would be beauty everywhere. Nature would explode and we would be mesmerized by it. That happens on earth in a beautiful sunset or majestic mountains. There is nature that takes our breath away.

There are other things that I think are part of God’s kingdom that maybe we don’t see all the time.

• Worship - we will always be worshiping in Heaven.

• Love - there will be lots and lots of love. We will be taking care of each other, sharing, caring, and offering kindness.

• Laughter and happiness - the Bible tells us there will be no more tears. I’m looking forward to that!

• Productivity - I do think we will have things to do whether it be work or pleasure, we won’t be idle.

So, if we pray “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” what’s stopping it? If we truly want heaven on earth, why aren’t we seeing it?

One thought that popped into my mind is that there are too many kingdoms and too many rulers trying to reign. If I want God’s kingdom to be here, right now, in my heart, then I have to move my kingdom out of the way. If I’m being honest, the agenda for my kingdom is in conflict with God’s kingdom. They cannot both exist together.

There can be only one ruler. There can be only one kingdom. Which one will you give allegiance to today?

Dipping and Soaring!

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.
He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
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. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

Recently this text got stuck in my head. Maybe because some days I feel so tired! Don’t we all? We run here and there, do this, do that. Our lists are never ending. Right? I kept thinking about the wings like eagles….what would that feel like? I dug into it a little and as usual, it’s beautiful. This may have to be one of the texts that I hang around the house so I can remember it.

God starts off asking them if they don’t remember what he’s done and how he has provided what they need in the past. Almost a little sarcastically really “Have you not heard?” Of course they heard! The stories of his rescue from Egypt were told over and over again. It’s who they were! But, it seems like they forgot. Glad we don’t do that.

Then he goes on to tell them (again) that he gives the power. When you are totally done, can’t take any more he will give you the strength that you need. He says that when we wait for the Lord, not go ahead and try to do it ourselves but wait for the Lord, we will get all the strength and power we need.

Another really cool thing is the word renew. It means to exchange (like a suit of clothes.) In other words, you have to take off what you are carrying around and put on what God has to give you.

When we do that, we will soar! We will take off and fly gliding on the winds, dipping and circling and soaring again! I can’t help but think if we allow God to be our strength, it will be a lot more fun than a never-ending “to do” list.

Imitating Perfect Love

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NLT)

Recently I was spending time at my daughter’s house loving on my two grandsons. This, by the way, is one of my favorite thing to do! I was holding the new baby and telling him what a precious boy he was and my oldest grandson suddenly looked at me and said “Yiayia, I still your boy?”

My heart melted. I said “Yes! You will always be my boy. Always. You are also Mommy’s boy and Daddy’s boy and Papou’s boy”….and I listed other people in his life that he adores. He was reassured by that answer and continued doing what he was doing.

Made me think of us and God. Sometimes we wonder how God can love us each equally and so intimately. It seems impossible doesn’t it? But that’s because we are only seeing with our human hearts. Think about it.

If we can love many people with the same intensity, can’t God do even more? If our hearts can grow every time someone is added “to the family” or to our world, can’t God exceed that capacity? If our faulty hearts can do that, can’t God’s perfect heart love perfectly?

But it gets even better. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus and we spend time with him, our capacity to love increases and the way we love becomes more and more selfless. Maybe that’s why God tells us to love him first and then our neighbors. If we tried to do it the other way our love would surely not be Godlike.

My grandson needed to know that he was still the apple of my eye. He doesn’t understand yet that I can love many people with all my heart. Maybe we don’t understand that about God either. But, my grandson trusts me when I tell him that he is mine. Perhaps that’s where we start with God too.

A Minute In It - The Hall of Faith

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11:17-31

Read the names below of the people mentioned in the text. What did they have to have faith for? Did they always see the outcome of their faith?

Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses
Israelites crossing the Red Sea
Israelites marching around Jericho
Rahab

What do you need to have faith in today? Will you see the outcome of your faith? If not, will you still believe?