MORE Than a Conquerer
It was a cold January morning during my devotion time with the Lord, that He touched my heart and taught me something I had frequently overlooked in reading Romans 8. I sat in front of the warm fire and prayed God’s Spirit would lead and speak to me during our special time together. I asked Him to reveal His word personally to me, as well as words/scripture He would have me share with the church at Calvary Chapel Gold Beach next month, where I had been asked to speak.
As my feet were being warmed by the fire my heart was as well. I was reading a beautiful scripture passage and message in one of my favorite daily devotionals, “Streams in the Desert.”
It read as follows, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) The word “more” flew off the page and slapped me in the face. I thought, “Yes Lord, this would be a wonderful scripture for Gold Beach.” The message was perfect for them and for everyone for that matter.
After reading the scripture and the devotion message for the day, I heard the Lord’s still small voice speak to my heart. He reminded me of a scrapbook I put together for Frank as a wedding gift. Inside this special scrapbook were notes and cards from him, pictures of our childhood; along with the first rose he gave me. But there was something else inside which was very special…it was a study Frank had written over thirteen years ago about the ten virgins. This was astonishing and beautiful because he had written it during the time I gave my life to Christ. (You may read more about this in my Ten Virgin Painting Testimony). Tucked away in the scrapbook, in the same place as his Ten Virgin study, were my journal entry pages written two months before meeting Frank. It was a miracle to me that on those particular journal pages, I wrote about a dream I had after attending a prophecy conference with Chuck Smith one evening. It was a dream of the ten virgin’s, which God spoke to my heart to paint. God in His ever so beautiful, perfect way encouraged me to also journal the experience of what He was doing in and through me, and that He would soon reveal what He was about to do. I know now looking back; the Lord did this so I would never doubt He was the One who put us together, not me.
I opened the scrapbook and pulled out my journal entries, sat down and read them. I had no idea why I wrote this then, but at the bottom of the very last page, I wrote the verse, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) I sat in utter amazement. He said it twice within an hour’s time. God was pointing me to this Scripture, and was teaching me we are MORE than conqueror’s!
I had discovered a gold nugget straight from heaven! God had conquered the challenges through my ten years of waiting. He also fulfilled scripture given to me by a pastor’s wife a year after I was saved. The verse was from Isaiah 62: 3-4, “You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married.” Now compare this to a battle in conquering land. Once the battle has been won, all the land, livestock and everything within the land now belongs to the person who achieved the victory. This is the meaning of “more.” The Lord comes alongside to help us win the battle, and through the victory, blesses us with “more”. For me after conquering a long wait, the “more” was a marriage to Frank, with the full knowledge God planned it and would see us through till the end. No matter what kind of trials and tribulations come our way (and we have had them) we know “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
I just read what Chuck Smith said about this Scripture: “What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? A conqueror is one who goes to war, fights a battle, and wins. To be more than a conqueror is to go into the battle having already won, going in as a victor. And that is what we are. Satan has already been defeated. There is no condemnation for us and no way for us to be separated from the love of God. Death can’t beat us, demons can’t beat us, tribulation doesn’t threaten us, and we can’t lose because of the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We enjoy the battle because we already know the outcome!” Wow, this is more than victory. This is triumph! When I reflect back at how Satan wanted me to feel defeated or destroyed, I can declare with complete confidence, no, I have escaped! I have destroyed the enemy, and have gained plunder so rich and valuable; I can actually thank God for the battle. Yes, I thanked God for the battle! During the conflict in my life a spiritual discipline occurred which strengthened my faith, and my spiritual character as well. It is commonly thought that an easy life is the best way to live. Yet the lives of all the noblest and strongest people in the world have proven this to be exactly the opposite. The endurance of hardship is the making of the person. It is the factor that distinguishes between merely existing and living a vigorous life. Hardship builds character. Life becomes more of an adventure as you grow in His strength and truth. And we find our strength when we learn to fully depend on Him for everything. It’s actually quite liberating!
As the day ended and I was getting ready for bed, I walked into our room and realized I had forgotten to turn the radio off, which was set to a Christian station. I could clearly hear the words to the beautiful song… “We are more than conquerors… through Him who loved us.” He said it to me three times in one day. He must really love me.
Scriptures:
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.” (2 Cor. 2:14)
“I myself will help you”, declares the LORD. (Isaiah 41:14)
“So do not fear, for I AM with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” (Isaiah 41:10)
“Streams in the Desert” devotion:
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)
This is more than victory. This is a triumph so complete that we not only have escaped defeat and destruction but also have destroyed our enemies and won plunder so rich and valuable that we can actually thank God for the battle. How can we be “more than conquerors”? We can receive from the conflict a spiritual discipline that will greatly strengthen our faith and establish our spiritual character. Temptation is necessary to establish and ground us in our spiritual life. It is like the fierce winds that cause the mighty cedars on the mountainside to sink their roots more deeply into the soil. Our spiritual conflicts are among our most wonderful blessings, and the Adversary is used to train us for his own ultimate defeat. The ancient Phrygians of Asia Minor had a legend that every time they conquered an enemy, they absorbed the physical strength of their victims and added to their own strength and bravery. And in truth, meeting temptation victoriously doubles our spiritual strength and weaponry. Therefore it is possible not only to defeat our enemy but also to capture him and make him fight in our ranks.
The prophet Isaiah tells of “fly(ing) upon the shoulders of the Philistines” (Isa. 11:14 KJV). These Philistines were their deadly foes, but this passage suggests that they would be able not only to conquer the Philistines but also to ride on their backs to further triumphs. Just as a skilled sailor can use a head wind to carry him forward, by using its impelling power to follow a zigzag course, it is possible for us in our spiritual life, through the victorious grace of God, to turn completely around the things that seem most unfriendly and unfavorable. Then we will be able to say continually, “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Phil. 1:12). From Life More Abundantly A noted scientist, observing that the early sailors believed the coral-building animals instinctively built up the great reefs of the Atoll Islands in order to protect themselves in the inner waterway, has disproved this belief. He has shown these organisms can only live and thrive facing the open ocean in the highly oxygenated foam of the combative waves. It is commonly thought that a protected and easy life is the best way to live. Yet the lives of all the noblest and strongest people prove exactly the opposite, and that the endurance of hardship is the making of the person. It is the factor that distinguishes between merely existing and living a vigorous life. Hardship builds character.
So at times when things are difficult from hardship, pain, and suffering, we are never to doubt His will. He is the all-knowing God and we can trust an all- knowing God with our future.
Today, I walk in the land of “more”, knowing how very loved I am by Jesus.