Faith That Overcomes | Rev Dr Taiye Adeola

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TEXT: 1 JOHN 5:1-5; Matthew 15:21 – 28
Life is full of challenges. Challenges are real and exist at various stages of life. Life’s existence demands daily overcoming in order to continue to live and succeed in the things we desire to do or become in life. Challenges exist at different levels and stations in life touching areas like family, career, business, spiritual, physical, economic social, ministry, and so on. Challenges also emerge with time as it changes making challenges peculiar to times, seasons and phases of life. Challenges are bound to come our ways in life as long as we desire to grow, advance in life, embark on new things and seek to achieve our set goals in life.
The general tendency is to look at challenges as negative, but it is not always so. There are positive challenges that emerge as a mark of progress or success in life. Whether positive or negative how we handle challenges determine whether we will succeed or fail, progress or retrogress, be promoted or stagnate or be demoted.
We see from the scriptures and the relationship of our Lord Jesus Christ with people when he was physically on earth that he wants us to overcome and not to be consumed by the challenges of life. The Bible gives us the secret of overcoming from the passage that we read – 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”.
From this passage we find the following:
1. Need to overcome – BECAUSE YOU ARE BORN OF GOD
2. What to overcome – THE WORLD 1John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world”.
3. How to overcome – BE BORN OF GOD
4. Instrument for overcoming – FAITH – If we are going to overcome, we must operate by faith. Hebrews 10:38 – 39 says “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”.
WHAT IS FAITH – Hebrews.11:1
1. Faith is a seed that is sown in the heart of a believer that grows and the evidence of its fruit is experienced even before the fullness of the growth. It becomes real even before it is seen.
2. Acting on God’s word
3. Unwavering believe until you receive what you desire
4. Absolute trust and confidence in the person and ability of God even when practically it looks unreasonable to do so
5. Having a positive disposition in the phase of opposing/contrary realities. It is not a denial of the realities but an assurance that keeps you going in spite of the contrary realities.
6. Never doubting God but being sure of what he is able to do at all times
7. FAITH: LIVING ABOVE WHAT REALITY PRESENTS – Absolute trust in God and his ability
– FAITH FOR SALVATION – Motivation by the Holy Spirit to entrust our lives to God
– FAITH FOR VICTORY – We daily need to overcome the challenges that the devil brings our way
– FAITH FOR RECEIVING THINGS FROM GOD – We have to trust him for all we need for a comfortable life
OVERCOMING FAITH is Faith that is consistently victorious, not defeated by the devil, enemy or situations orchestrated by them
1. Believe that Jesus is Christ – Born of God -1 John 5:1 and 5
2. Obedient in keeping God’s commandments – 1 John 5:2-3
3. SIMPLE – Faith is not a complex – Matthew.17:20 – Faith as small as mustard seed; Matthew – 15:22-28 (Woman from Canaan)
4. HUMBLE – Not arrogant, not proving any point – Matthew 8: 5-13 (Centurion’s servant)
5. CONSTANT/PERSISTENT – Never gives up, continues in spite of practical opposition, difficulties and challenges
6. EXPECTANT – Still looks up to the master, hoping that something will come to her from him
7. PERSEVERING – She took the insults and kept on asking and following them
8. DARING OR OUTGOING/STEP OUT – Taking action and not just sitting down hoping that something will happen. Faith is about acting – Matthew 9: 20 – 22
9. PATIENT/HOPEFUL – Faith and patience are companions that cannot be separated. While you are hoping, you are waiting patiently for your victory – Hebrews 10: 35 -36 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

10. FOCUSED – Hebrews 12: 2 “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 did not allow the response of the disciples and that of Jesus to get her distracted. She concentrated and looked unto Jesus until she got her request met

11. ASKING FOR MERCY – She recognized her unworthiness even as she is demonstrating what Jesus referred to as great faith and simply asked that the master help her and she got the help that she pleaded for.
This is a woman in need, from Canaan regarded as dog yet commended for her faith. Jesus said you are a woman of great faith. What is your need, in simple faith look up to him and receive from him today.
By faith we can overcome all the challenges of life, we can overcome sin and other distractions of the enemy set to pull us down. By faith we can be victorious, winning all the battles of life; by faith we can subdue all obstacles that the enemy puts on our ways to stop us. For the just shall live by faith. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith, without faith we will sink; without faith we will give up and not see any light at the end of a dark tunnel; without faith we have no hope. Faith secures our victory in God.