Overcoming the World, Tests, Trials, and Challenges

(John 16:33 NKJV) “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jesus is our leader and the author and perfecter of our faith. The Holy Spirit urges us to keep our eyes, our attention, and our role-modeling focused exclusively on him:

(Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (2) We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Jesus overcame the world, the flesh, and the devil in his time of dealing with them personally. Now, as the author and perfecter of our faith, he is able to empower us to do this too:

(Hebrews 2:18 NLT) Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

How does he do this? First, by demonstrating his defeat of the devil in his death, burial, and resurrection. This has given us access to his new birth, the Holy Spirit, and God’s throne of grace. Second, by being the living Word of God who has all authority in heaven and on earth. The living word conveys faith to us when we hear it. Faith is necessary to activate and receive grace—God’s power to overcome:

(Romans 4:16 AMP) Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.

Our opening passage says that Jesus overcame the world. Therefore, the living Word of God has already overcome the world; we have absolute assurance that if we receive it by revelation, believe it, stand on it, and declare it in Jesus’s name under the Holy Spirit’s anointing, the triumphant Living Word of God will enforce his victory over the world through us.

When Jesus wrote to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3, he clarified specific areas in which he was calling them to overcome. The detail can help inform us of what we must overcome too.

1. The church of Ephesus had left their first love. Jesus instructed them: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5 nkjv). The Lord summarized his communication to them by saying:

(Revelation 2:7 NKJV) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

In short, Jesus expected the people of Ephesus to overcome their lack of first love. If they did, he promised to reward them with access to the tree of life.

Similarly, with the other six churches, the Lord instructed:

Smyrna: overcome imprisonment, persecution, and testing; be faithful until death (Rev. 2:8–11).

Pergamos: overcome false doctrine—the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans; overcome idolatry, and sexual immorality; repent or I will fight against you with the sword of my mouth (Rev. 2:12–17).

Thyatira: overcome Jezebel, false prophets, idols, and sexual immorality; repent to keep your children alive; hold fast what you have, etc. (Rev. 2:18–29).

Sardis: overcome the imminent death of your church by strengthening what remains; hold fast and repent; remember what you have received and heard; watch or I will come upon you as a thief (Rev. 3:1–6).

Philadelphia: overcome the synagogue of Satan; hold fast what you have (Rev. 3:7–13).

Laodicea: overcome lukewarmness; be zealous and repent; open the door when you hear my voice, etc. (Rev. 3:14–22).

In truth, one of the Holy Spirit’s main summarizing points for the whole Bible is based on the reward we receive for overcoming:

(Revelation 21:7 NKJV) “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

Jesus expects us to overcome in his name just as he did. He wants us to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. He has set up the whole new covenant for us to be able to do this:

(Romans 8:37 HCSB) No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.

No matter what comes against us in this world—persecution, testing, false doctrines, idolatry, immorality, false prophets, or cold love—we can overcome them through Jesus, his blood, his name, the Holy Spirit, attending angels, and the living Word of God. In Jesus, we are more than conquerors; he conquered for us, now we overcome in his name.

Today, I encourage you to set your heart on being an overcomer. The Master Jesus began our faith, and he will perfect it; he will never quit until we are competent at catching men. He expects us to use our faith to overcome—to mop up the remnants of Satan’s usurped kingdom after Jesus overcame the strong man:

(Luke 11:21–22 NKJV) “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. (22) But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.”

Jesus truly crushed the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15); he defeated Satan the god of this world once for all time. He then ascended to heaven, sent the Holy Spirit, and empowered us to take up the role of occupying forces. We are responsible to overcome all remnants of Satan’s kingdom in Jesus’s name, and to completely triumph over his world system. We will certainly undergo fights of faith, persecution and affliction, tests and trials. But in all of these skirmishes we are more than conquerors; Jesus has already overcome the world and its ruler:

(2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

(Romans 8:36–39 NKJV) As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (37) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (38) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, (39) nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.