DEVELOPING THE OVERCOMER'S MENTALITY.

"Ye are of God little Children, AND HAVE OVERCOME THEM: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

God has already done everything He is ever going to do about the devil on behalf of the believer. The Bible says, "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15).

The devil was thoroughly whipped by our Lord through His death and resurrection, and his power and dominion over the believer was irreparably broken!

We are not called to fight against the devil, but we are called to enforce his defeat. That's what the good fight of faith is all about - enforcing Satan's defeat; he is a defeated foe!

In God's mind, you are already an overcomer now,  if you are in Christ Jesus. No, you are not going to overcome the devil someday or sometime in the sweet bye and bye when we all get to heaven.

You have already overcome the devil because you are born of God or born from above! "For whatsoever is born of overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1Jn. 5:4).

So wether you are overcoming or being overcome, it's neither up to God nor the devil; it's up to you! "for  as he (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (Prov. 23:7).

If you think you are a failure, then you will swim all through life in the river of failure, regardless of who prays for you. But if you think "success" according to God's Word, then the sky won't be your limit, but your spring board! And all the host of hell put together cannot stop you from getting to the top. If you can just change your negative mindset, you will change your life!

Every believer has a responsibility of developing a positive mentality by aligning their way of thinking to God's way of thinking, then you will begin to see yourself as God sees you. An overcomer, and not the overcomed; A success, and not a failure; A Victor, and not a victim. What you see and say so often, is what you will become invariably!

You are not going to overcome the devil someday, or sometime in the sweet bye and bye when we all get to heaven. In the mind of God the believer is already an overcomer now!

A believer's way of thinking should be based on the Word, and not on the negative circumstance. 

The battles of life are either won or lost in the mind. A person who suddenly throw in the towel in the midst of life's challenge, has just exhibited the negative conclusion that was in his mind. He has a defeatist mentality. The conclusion in his mind was, "may be I'm not destined to succeed after all"  so he settles for mediocrity; just barely getting along in life.

The need for the believer to continually develop a positive mentality in line with God's Word cannot be overemphasized, otherwise they will be at a great disadvantage in a moment of crisis.

There are three basic things you ought to know if you must develop the overcomer's mentality. These three things are embedded in our text, first John chapter four, verse four (1Jn. 4:4).

The first part says, YE ARE OF GOD LITTLE CHILDREN". That's talking about " WHOSE YOU ARE". You belong to God because you are born of Him. You have His life, nature and ability, "... as he is even so are we in this world" (1 Jn. 4:17NHEB). If these truths ever dawn on you, it would revitalize your faith, and put a bounce on your steps. You will rise and put the devil on the run!

The second part of the text talks about "WHO YOU ARE". Ye are of God little Children, and have OVERCOME THEM". It says you are an overcomer. Regardless of what you see, feel, hear or smell, you are an overcomer, and that's how God sees you. You are not going to overcome the devil someday, or sometime in the nearest future. You are an overcomer now, because you are in Christ Jesus! 

You may not feel like an overcomer, but all the same the Word says you are an overcomer. What you see, feel, or hear and where you are right now, doesn't stop who are - An Overcomer! "For we walk by faith, and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).

If you can just change your negative mentality or wrong thinking, you will change your life!

In the third part of our text (1Jn. 4:4), the Word says, "... Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world". The Greater One, The Almighty God who created heaven and earth is in you. He is Greater than the devil, and all the circumstances of life are under His control. He declares the end from the beginning, and no power can contend with Him or challenge His Authority, "... If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).

The problem is that many Christians are fear inside-minded instead of being God inside-minded. They talk a lot more about what the devil is doing, and seldom talk about what God is doing. They have a negative mindset about life generally, and yet they wonder why the devil is having a field day in their lives.

         

If they could just change their mentality or wrong thinking, they would be amazed at the turn of events in their lives, from trouble to triumph, and from being overcome to overcoming.

When you develop and maintain the overcomer's mentality, you will "Cease from your labour" (Trying so hard to overcome the devil), because you've already overcome him in Christ. Now, you will enter into God's rest of peace, victory and dominion! (Heb. 4:9-11).