The overcomer bears witness that God is worthy of our complete trust and confidence. The overcomer studies the Scriptures and speaks and acts according to what is written. His testimony, which he gives in speech and action, is that God is true, good, and reliable. When all his security and hopes have crumbled before his eyes he maintains stoutly and consistently that God will provide for him and give him the desires of his heart, and he trusts God to modify those desires until that which finally is given to him is the best of all.

He holds firmly to the things God has stated even though every other person and everything else in the world declares the contrary.

The overcomer conquers Satan by testifying with his whole personality, in the sight of Heaven and earth, that God is true; God is to be trusted; those who wait on the Lord will not lack any good thing. (Satan suggested to Eve that she would lack something desirable if she obeyed God.) The overcomer, through prayer and obedience, brings his life into line with the Word of God. Then the accuser cannot find fault with him. Instead, he conquers the accuser.

Both the heavens and the earth are able to observe the end of those who rebel against God's will, and those who obey God's will.

We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. Our authority to be children of God always comes from the blood of Jesus. Our testimony always is created in us by the Holy Spirit.

The third means of overcoming comes as we learn to sternly obey the Father.

We overcome by loving not our life to the point of death.

Loving not our life to the death means that each day of our discipleship we choose to do God's will—even to the point of death if necessary. We put all of our hopes and dreams past the grave. No matter what is required of us, no matter how it hurts us, we are desperately determined to do the will of God. Many times we are directed to let go of some relationship, circumstance or thing exceedingly dear to us. The overcomer chooses death to his own will every time his will and God's will are in conflict.

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed unto his death; (Philippians 3:10)

For two thousand years the Christian churches have attempted to save themselves and the world by means of their life rather than their death. This is why the rebellion against God is intensifying in the believers rather than diminishing.

The preaching and teaching of today often is directed toward gaining the desires of the individual rather than toward the death of his soulish desires. Much of what is heard in the churches is the voice of Antichrist and the False Prophet (the spirit of delusion). It is the attempt to use Christ for the betterment of human beings; not their betterment in the sight of God but their betterment according to their own ideas. They want God to give them all they desire—and to give it to them now!

To be continued.