Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 KJV
Overcome: this word is quite central to today's extract. It is a word that in this context, works both ways. It is either I overcome, or I am overcome by someone or something else. It also means that there will always be a fight to sort out, a war to win, a contention for important things: things that have eternal consequences. It involves a battle for the soul of man, the place where a man must sort out that which is truly important, focus on it and preserve it to the end. It is the place where eternity is at stake.
It will not come easy; nothing God gives or the devil takes is easy. If God gives it, I must take care to preserve it in the form that God has given it. If God gives it, be sure the devil will fight to pollute or take it from you. That is why the mission of both of them is defined in those immortal words: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The mission for either is clear; which one will I submit to?
It is therefore clear that I cannot do anything about your reaction to me, but I can only sort out my own heart and make sure my life responds in line with the Word of God. I can't force you to do what is right, but I can teach my heart to submit to God's perfect will, so that its offerings are acceptable to God, and also impact the hearts of men. It is not my responsibility to compel anyone to respond the right way; I can only adhere to God's standard in all I do, so that the message of God can be made plain in and through me.
At all times, God is speaking. He uses the lives of men as platforms to reach the world, and it will be a shame if I only pay lip service to him, while my life's profession is the complete opposite of my mouth's confession. How else will the world be encouraged if it does not see the full measure of God's grace made evident in my life? Is my life a message about the settled grace of God, or is it about settling scores with men?
If I do not watch my heart, it can be overcome by evil. The devil never rests, and is always looking for a life he can enter and then devour. He needs access, as he can't force his way in. I have to open the door to God or the devil; as always, the choice of surrender is up to me. It then means that whichever of them I submit to becomes my overcomer, and will define my eternal reality. If I will overcome evil with good, I must have good in abundance. A man cannot give what he does not have.
There is no sitting on the fence on this one. I can't take the middle ground, as there is none. The side I am on is the side that has overcome, at least for me. I have to make sure that whichever I submit to takes me to eternity with God. It will be a waste of God's resources if the devil wins over my life. God has provided resources required for life and Godliness and I must step up and take hold of these resources. Who is in charge? Who is exercising control? Who has overcome in your heart? Eternity hangs on the answers to these questions. God's time of favour is here.
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