Overcomers with God

Do you have a curtain song that, when it comes on the radio, it really annoys you? There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s quite catchy if you stop and think about it, but the song just gets on your nerves.

I have a song like that. It’s a Christian song. (What?! She doesn’t like a Christian song?!) It’s called Overcomer by Mandisa. The song basically starts out by describing a typical morning and how nothing’s going right. Then it leaps into the chorus about we’re overcomers with Christ.

For a long time I didn’t know why this song bothered me. What’s wrong with singing about how strong God is and we can overcome with Him? I finally figured it out: I didn’t feel like an overcomer. I felt, deep down, the song was for people who are overcomers, who have their walk with God all figured out (whatever that means), and, you know, have the most churchy-brownie-points. Totally people not like me. Also, if I’m an overcomer, how come I can’t overcome my temptations? How is it that I keep lousing my personal battles if I’m such an awesome overcomer for God? Why do I feel distanced from my Lord? How come? Answer that one, Mandisa!

I dug a little deeper to find the heart of my little dilemma. As I thought about it, God let me in on a little secret. “Hay,” He said. “Remember how people can’t do anything without Me? So, this applies too. You’re not an overcomer because you overcame something. You’re an overcomer because I overcame it all.”

Is that cool or what?! We don’t have to do anything! We just have to be “born of God” to “overcome the world” (1 John 5: 4a). That means me! That means my brothers and sisters in the faith! We’re overcomers! Not because we did anything special (because we all know we never can). God did. He has always done it all.

We are lowly creatures. We were made out of dirt for heaven’s sake! We cannot overcome. We cannot be victorious in life. We cannot do anything. Go outside. Take a look at the dirt. It is doing anything? Can it save itself? Can it make anything great? No! That’s why we need God. Desperately. Daily. Hourly.

I for one must let go of the lie I cannot overcome. I can and am overcoming daily because of one fact and one fact alone; God is with me.

Now it’s your turn to say it. Come on. Say it out loud with me.

“I am an overcomer!”

I can’t hear you.

“I AM AN OVERCOMER!”

Believe it. Take hold of it. Own it. You know why Satan’s always telling us we’re not good enough, we can’t do anything right, we won’t win, and can never be an overcomer? It’s because he’d soil his red panties if we had confidence in who God says we are. I’m serious. He would.

Just ponder that for a while.

I’m going to listen to Mandisa’s Overcomer now because I AM an overcomer!