There Is A Crown For Overcomers
Have you ever been to a really awesome and powerful Christian event, where, you just feel like everything the minister is preaching on, is for you? And as the minister calls for an altar call, you watch as the power of God rushes in and instantly delivers people, who, for so long, struggled with issues, that even to them, seemed unfixable—yet, there you are: still standing with your issue; waiting for your moment of complete freedom; wishfully believing that if this person in particular lays hands on you, or because those around you are being instantly healed, then you should be getting the breakthrough you’ve been desiring as well. You may start to get discouraged, feeling like you’re walking away unchanged. You probably may even start believing that God intended for you to live with the issue, thinking that, it’s “for the glory of God.” But don’t fret! That issue is not made to become apart of your life. It is all in God’s plan, though. Let me tell you about the crown that is in heaven, waiting for you.
‘There is a crown for overcomers.” I heard this quote a few weeks ago at a friend’s house and it has stuck with me since. As Christians, sometimes we believe that the only way we can get over something, is if we call on the elders of the church to pray and lay hands on us, or go to a special service specifically for healing and deliverance. Those are sometimes needed, but that’s not the only way. The other way is a more painful and enduring process; it’s you allowing yourself to go through the whole process of overcoming your situation. The reward in the end, which is in the Kingdom, is much greater than the process.
Of course, there is a difference between overcoming something, and getting delivered from it. Overcoming is the process of going through the challenges and still coming out alive, so that you know the steps to take that will enable you to know what to do next time, and even teach others with your testimony on how to get through whatever that issue is as well. “We have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony” -Revelations 12:11. You get a deeper sense of freedom, that you can still get from being delivered, but this type of freedom holds a value that comes from understanding that you have the ability to go through hardships and still come out strong, therefore gaining a deeper trust in God and His promises over your life.
Deliverance, as my brother told me, is God extending His mercy towards someone in order to set him or her free from that issue/obstacle in a shorter period of time. Both work, but only one earns you a crown in Heaven. Overcoming.
Sometimes we like to take the easy way out of things. We feel like the devil is always attacking us and planting problems in our walk with Christ, but seldom do we take responsibility for our actions, which has caused the consequences that we want to get delivered from!
Let’s use hatred as an example; we have all experienced this feeling before, whether it was towards someone or from past events in our lives that we once and even still hold on to. Hatred can begin to stir at a young age and continue to grow as we grow. It then begins to distort our views on life and can prevent us from seeing the good in anyone or thing. Hatred is not an overnight issue, and cannot be treated as one. Dealing with an issue like this, requires purging: where you allow God to just empty, clean, and restore your heart of all your hidden and past issues so that He can fill you up with the things of Him that you have been needing from Him for so long. Being able to say that you have overcame hatred and now walking in the love that the Father has commanded us to walk in, is something to look forward to even when the process of getting there seems so impossible.
There are countless references in the bible, of great people of God, who went through terrible troubles but overcame their adversity with testimony’s and a deeper faith in God. We all know the story of Job; this man literally lost everything but his wife—as a test of obedience and faith in God. In the end, as Job endured, God restored everything that was taken from him, double (Job 42:10)! Then there’s Sarah, who overcame barrenness and became the mother of many nations (Genesis 17:16). Many more stories of overcoming appear in the bible, but not only do these people share a commonality of overcoming their struggles, they also endured hardships and moments of uncertainty. It took 21 days for Daniel to get his prayers answered (Daniel 10:12-14). Job was told by his friends that it is because of his sins that he’s being punished (Job 4-23). Sarah even instructed Abraham to sleep with their maid because she didn’t believe that she would be the one to give him a child (Genesis 16:1-3).
Even through their uncertainty, they still remained faithful to God and His promises. Job never cursed or doubted God, and Daniel stayed steadfast in prayer even when he knew that it might cause him death.
The most important thing to remember when going through a tough season is to remain faithful. To see that breakthrough in your life, let God’s promises be your hope. Imagine that beautiful crown that is awaiting you in heaven! Allow your testimony to be used to not only glorify God, but to help others gain hope in their freedom as well.
