Love Will Overcome Anger

I continue this morning in Genesis and am staying with Joseph. I am in the passage of his testing of his brothers and revealing himself to them.

Joseph had every right to be angry with his brothers, as they sold him into slavery. Over time Joseph had grown in position and stature and was certainly in the right as with the world view to seek and get back at them for their actions toward him. In verses 1-34 of Genesis 44 we see that he is indeed working to get back at them through his testing of them. But, he only works toward getting back at them and stops short of completion. Joseph recognizes that his brothers love their father and are truly sorrowful for what they had done.

Joseph had every right to be angry with his brothers, yet when he saw that they were sorrowful, his anger turned to sorrow and then to love as he revealed himself to them and demonstrated the forgiveness that only the LORD could provide for him to demonstrate.

“⁴So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please.’ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.’” – Genesis 45:4-7 (ESV)

Joseph was justified to be filled with anger in the moment. He had done nothing to deserve the treatment from his brothers as they sold him. Yet, he did not allow that to control him and was able to see that God was controlling the entire scenario from the beginning. The LORD had allowed him to be sold by his brothers. The LORD had brought him to Pharaoh. The LORD had given him position. The LORD had brought his brothers and family back to him.

I see this morning that love should be allowed to overcome anger. And not just that is should overcome, but ultimately it will overcome. I have to allow love to come through in all situations. I may have anger and it could be justified based on the situation, but I have to allow the love of God to come through and overcome the anger as only it can. I have to embrace that the LORD is love and that He controls all, right from the beginning.

What is your approach to anger? Are you allowing it to be that which overcomes? What if you recognize that the LORD is indeed in control from the beginning and allow His love to overcome your anger as it should?

Evil Will Deceive

This seems like a pretty simple concept to grasp, “evil will deceive”, and it is. But read that again and really take it in.

“⁴But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” – Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)

In some respects, did the serpent lie to the woman? The serpent used literal connotations to deceive. The woman was thinking of literal death and death from the life that she knew. The serpent used words to distort meaning, knowing that the woman would be deceived.

There are many other examples of this deception that I thought of this morning. Such as, is it really wrong to drive fast, other than the rules say don’t? What is so wrong about eating a few grapes at the grocery store without buying any, we need to taste them for ripeness, right? What is the big deal with shooting fireworks during a burn ban in the area, you have a water hose right there with you?

All of the above seem as though they might be innocent enough, yet they are being restricted by too many rules and/or regulations. If doing any of them, is anyone really hurt in the moment, are the really that bad? Yes, they are. Not because they will cause harm to anyone in the moment, but because they go against that which we know to be the rules.

When the woman was deceived into eating of the tree of good and evil, she knew the rules and they were not even that restrictive. The rule was two trees being forbidden, all others were acceptable to partake from and encouraged for sustenance. God had give instructions to abstain from these two trees only and that should have been enough. But the serpent was there to get her to do that one thing she was not to do.

This happens in my life all the time. I am deceived into doing the one thing that I am not to do. Whether it is diving into social media for an extended time, waiting to accomplish tasks until it is almost too late, or simply avoiding something with excuses as to why I am not able to do them (like exercising).

There is nothing that I can do to stop the deception that comes from evil. The serpent is going to be there working to separate me from God at every step of the way. But what I can do is know. I can know that the serpent is there. I can know that I will be deceived. I can know that defeating evil is possible. I can know that light overcomes darkness. I can know that when I have the Light of the LORD in me, I will overcome the deception and ultimately evil.

What deception are you experiencing in your life? Are you giving in to that deception? What if you were to recognize that you will be deceived and that there is a way to avoid it, and that way is through the Light of the LORD?

Overcome Thanks to God

“⁴Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” – 1 John 4:4 (ESV)

As Christians having accepted Jesus Christ as our savior, He is in us. As you see in the above verse, He is greater than those in the world. This lets me know that with Him in me, there is nothing that I cannot overcome. And the evil in the world is no exception.

There is evil there is good in the world. The evil is powerful and speaks to the world to which it listens. But the good comes from God and when good speaks whoever knows God listens. Notice the difference in the speaking and listening impacts. Those who know God listen to Him and those who do not know God, listen to the world.

“⁶We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” – 1 John 4:6 (ESV)

Thanks to God, we know the difference in truth and “error”. Even with minimal maturity in Christ as noted in verse four above, “little children”, we still are armed with Christ in our heart and lives to overcome. We know God and will listen to Him and those who are from God.

I have to remember though to remain in and with God. It is my daily consistent counsel with Him which gives me strength to overcome. When I am connected with God, I am connected with good and good overcomes evil, God overcomes evil and therefore I overcome evil. I overcome thanks to God.

What are you relying on to overcome? Are you relying on your own strength? What if you relied on the good that is in you thanks to God being in you as He is greater than all?

Overcome Through Maturity

Accepting Christ as my savior was great and certainly needed in my life, yet this is only the first step in overcoming the evil one. This morning I am in 1 John and have been reminded of the stages of Christian maturity.

“¹²I am writing to you, little children,

because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.

¹³I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

¹⁴I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

because you are strong,

and the word of God abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.”

– 1 John 2:12-14 (ESV)

First, you have the “children” who have just learned of Christ and are beginning their relationship with Him. They have no history with Him and only now have opened their eyes and are on the journey to spiritual maturity. This can be the young or the older that have found Christ as their savior.

Second, you have the “fathers” who have been in the faith for some time and are fully comfortable as they work through the world. These know that Christ is in control and have dedicated themselves to His mission in their lives each day for some time. Again, this does not have to be the older, but those who have spent valuable time with Christ for some time.

Third, you have the “young men” who have been learning in their relationship with Christ, and yet still find persecution at every turn. They are building their strength in Christ and every day will grow stronger and stronger to overcome the evil one. These again may be youthful or older, but they are in the growing phase of maturity.

The further along we get in our maturity, the more fluid will be our strength to overcome. It does not mean that we will not face persecution or challenges as the evil one is around every corner. It is the light of the LORD in us that will overcome the darkness and keep the evil one at bay. It is our maturity in Christ through His Word as we meditate on it day and night that gives us the strength and wisdom to overcome. Whether you are the “little child”, the “father”, or the “young man” it is always the time to continue in our growth to and into maturity in Christ through His Word.

“¹Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

²but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.”

— Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)

Where are you finding your strength to overcome the evil one? Are you looking to yourself and believe that you have already arrived with the strength? What if you were to realize that you are still maturing and should look to continued growth and maturity through God’s Word?

Overcome Evil with Good

This morning as I continue my study of the word “overcome” I come again to the overcoming of evil as I did once before. I found that the darkness (evil) does not overcome the light of the LORD. And this morning I am reminded that we overcome evil (darkness) with good and that good is the LORD.

“²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” and “²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:21 & 2 (ESV)

I know, again I quote verses in reverse order of their writings. Verse 21 tells of how to overcome but, without the context of verse 2 there is some lacking in what is good. I learned a lot of years ago that in the study of God’s Word, it is important to read before and after the verse of focus to fully understand the context so as to apply our lives to God’s Word as opposed to fitting Him into our lives.

I need good in my life to overcome evil. Where does that good come from except from the LORD. I have to be in His Word daily to understand just where He would have me go and what He would have me do. When I am focused on the will of God for and in my life, I am able to find the good in all things. With that good I will be able to shine bright for the LORD and the darkness will be cast away. Evil has no chance against the good that is Jesus Christ. And it is up to me to bring that good to the world always.

Now, I know that I will be beaten down from time to time. I have in my past felt as though I am not getting anywhere and that the whole world was/is against me. Lori and I have been in the situation where we feel as though God may not be with us. We felt as though the evil one was winning. But we keep with Christ, looking to Him for guidance and comfort and over time, He brings us through to the other side. We have overcome the evil as we have stayed with God and the good that He is. We have found ourselves better for coming through and overcoming.

“⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 (ESV)

God is good and good overcomes evil. For me I have to remain in Him and He will remain in me so that I can do all things.

How are you overcoming evil? Are you looking for the physical to break you free? What if you remained in God who is good and allowed Him to overcome evil?

Jesus did Overcome

Easter for us as Christians is the time to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am so joyful that His death was capped off with His overcoming that death with resurrection. Yet, this morning I was reminded that Jesus overcame before He died and rose again.

“³²Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:32-33 (ESV)

In this passage, Jesus is speaking with His apostles and explaining to them plainly who He is. He is giving them no doubt as to His deity and that He is not in need of anything from this world. He says to them in verse 33, “I have overcome the world”. This statement and interaction with the apostles comes before His death and resurrection. Jesus had been building up to this moment with them for some time and this was the beginning of His showing the world that He had overcome, but going to the cross as an innocent man and dying for you and me so that we would not have to die in our sin.

Jesus was hated. Where He was followed and celebrated for the work He was doing, He was looked at as a charismatic speaker who was taking the attention away from those in religious power. He was hated by them before they hated you and me as we were the followers and may still be swayed back.

“¹⁸If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” – John 15:18-19 (ESV)

Jesus was not of the world and therefor was not under the rule of the world. He overcame the world well before His death and resurrection. Jesus knew however that we needed a more firm example of our acceptance and that He had overcome. So, He died, and then was raised again. I now can see with my eyes that He had overcome this world. Jesus is greater than all and was not constrained by this world, He ruled over it through His love for you and me and His sacrifice for us.

What is your view of Jesus overcoming the world? Were you of the thoughts that it was His death and resurrection where He overcame? What if you look at it from the perspective that He overcame and ruled this world and was crucified to demonstrate His rule over the world?

The Darkness Does NOT Overcome the Light

This morning I am shifting to study the word “overcome” and I begin in John as he speaks of the light that is the LORD.

“⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5 (ESV)

When reading this verse and studying of the light of the LORD, it is clear to me that the darkness is a powerful thing. Darkness is all around. If we are not aware, darkness is even disguised as good. Take the example (I want to be clear in that this is an example of evil appearing good and should only be taken as such) of the Holocaust. Those on the side of Hitler believed that to make things better there needed to be a cleansing. When we think about things, a cleansing can be good, but as we know, in this instance it was not good and was filled with darkness. So, we have to be very careful with darkness as it is very deceitful and powerful.

But, there is one thing that will not be overcome by darkness and that is the light. In its simplest form, a lit candle, light provides the ability to see in the darkness. But, the light that is the LORD, is way more powerful. No matter the darkness that comes, the light of the LORD will not be overcome. Take the example above of the Holocaust. The darkness was destructive and powerful to the point that there was despair all around. But the light of the LORD won out in the end. The Nazis were defeated and that darkness was no more.

Make no mistake, darkness will continue to fight. Whether it is theft, drugs, murder, or even those things more subtle like turning attention away from the LORD. Darkness is not going to give up. But, we have the light that is the LORD on our side and He will not be overcome. He will root out the darkness so that all will see. We only have to open our eyes and see.

What are your thoughts on darkness and the light? Are you even aware of the power of darkness? What if you were, through your belief in the light, realized that darkness does not have a chance to win?

Rule Over Desire

“⁶The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? ⁷If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.’” – Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV)

Again with the difficulty that is created from desire. This time sin is in the way of our moving forward. Seems to me that in order to conquer, I have to conquer desire. I have to learn of contentment and know that God will provide just what I need when I need it.

I have watched the streaming series “Lucifer”. The main character, Lucifer, engages with others and gets them to disclose secrets by exploring their “greatest desire”. This “greatest desire” is the thing that is at the back of mind always. Allowing it to come to the for of the mind and acting on it is where things go terribly wrong. In the case of Cain and Abel, it was the desire to be accepted that caused Cain to kill his brother Abel. Cain allowed desire to rule over him instead of the other way around as the LORD spoke of with him.

Too often we allow desire to get in the way. We allow it to rule over us. We become blind to all else around in our search to satisfy that desire. And that is again what brings on the difficulty. I have to rule over the desire and put it away. I have to demonstrate contentment with what I have and where I am. The LORD provides that which is needed in the time that it is needed. He does not leave us out there alone. We are to seek Him and His ways, not our own.

What does desire lead to in you? Are you allowing desire to rule over you? What if you ruled over desire and sought God and Him only, knowing that He will provide for your needs just when you need them?

Born into Sin, Pray to Overcome

“⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

— Psalm 51:5 (ESV)

This morning began a little sobering as I was reading. I am in Psalm 51 as I continue my study of the word “mother”. The passage is titled, “Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God”. And as I read the above verse, it is clear to me that asking God for a clean heart is something I have to remember.

You see, I was born a sinner and need the grace of God in my life just as David did. He understood that no matter where we are now, we came from sin and will always be sinners and need the grace of God to be cleansed. I have to remember to ask to be cleaned every day. And how do I do that, but pray for it and work to live it out every day.

My mother is a very God fearing Christian woman and therefore, I could feel that I was clean from the start of my life. Now where until I understood the difference of right and wrong, I would be accepted by God into the Kingdom of Heaven. But knowing that I would someday grow to know, I was on my way to sin and would need God’s salvation to overcome.

I did accept salvation that was given freely to me and for that all my sins have been washed away. Yet, even as they have been washed away, and will continually be washed away, I still have the responsibility to thank God for that His forgiveness and ask to be forgiven each and every day.

I am still and will always be a sinner. I was born into it. I cannot forget it. But, I was blessed with the way out of payment for my sin, death. Thanks to Jesus for accepting to pay for me. I owe Him all and yet all He wants is my love for Him and to spread the gospel that I received to all of those I interact.

I love my mother and am thankful for her love in my life. She however delivered me into sin and could not save me from the evil one. That was left to the Savior, Jesus who is my redeemer. I am still a sinner, yet through prayer and thanks for salvation and confession coupled with forgiveness of sin I have been given new life in Christ.

What is your view of sin in your life? Were you even aware that you were born into sin? What if you accepted the salvation provided by God to overcome that sin and be give the new life in Christ?