Overcoming The Evil Aimed At You!

OVERCOMING THE EVIL AIMED AT YOU!

By Pastor Daniel Cruz

Preached on Sunday April 12th 2015

Romans 12:21 (esv)

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

1 John 5:4

“for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

I want to begin by defining the word Overcome

OVERCOME – Gr. Nikao – to overcome, to be victorious, But more interestingly it carries the idea of being empowered by another…

When we look at our text in the book of Romans,two things are made abundantly clear and that is that we are presented with a choice:

1. Either we allow evil to OVERCOME us or;

2. We OVERCOME evil…

At this point let me state the obvious as a child of God, and according to Gods word: You can overcome any and all Evil attempting to control, manipulate or rule your life - PERIOD

Through out the past 34 years of my life I have sought to live my life in a way that honors and pleases God. However I realized early on as a young Christian that there were areas in my life that the weaknesses in my life seemed to gain the upper hand.

Though I had decided that Heaven was my destination, I realized the problem wasn’t the destination, it was the journey that posed the greatest challenge.

In my limited understanding I began to act out Evil in my life whether in the form of desires or thoughts, or actions and the more I tried to Stop the more difficult it became. This can run the gamut anywhere from anger issues to carnal appetites. I quickly began to discover what most of us discover at an early age in the natural. When we are Children and they tell us not to open the presents under the tree or not to touch any of the cookies on the table. The more you tried not to think about it the more you thought about it. The next thing you know you find yourself with what almost seems like an uncontrollable impulse to do the very thing you know deep inside your not suppose to be doing or engaging in. – Can anyone relate to what I’m saying?

The apostle Paul spoke about something very similar in

Romans 7:15

15. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate,……. I do.

If we ended with this as our final verse it would seem rather hopeless but as we continue reading further in the same chapter,

Paul offers us the hope we so desperately need.

Verse 24 and 25 It says - 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

This morning there may be someone sitting here and you are facing what seems like insurmountable odds. You’ve tried to kick the habit, to overcome that addiction, to be finally free! But the harder you try the harder it becomes. You have battled for years with and explosive attitude, it doesn’t take much to push you over the edge, you loose control emotionally you constantly rob the peace of those around you. You are unpleasant to be around because of your emotional instability. You have tried to deal with it on your own, you have promised to change but no one believes you anymore.

Maybe for someone else here today it’s a lust problem or a substance abuse problem or a lying problem. What ever your facing today. God is here to tell you - I am your deliverer and a present help…

WE CAN NEVER DO IT ON OUR OWN

Remember the word OVERCOME – Nikao means to to be victorious but NOTE it is not something God expects you to do on your own, In Fact he knows you cant do it on your own – This is where your victory lies on this one truth – That the God who calls you to live a life pleasing to him NIKAO comes to your side to empower you! You are Empowered by another to break the habit, to turn from the destructive substance, to stay in the marriage, to speak the truth.To walk in Love, to forgive your abuser Etc.

Nikao speaks of the ability to overcome through the empowerment of another

Isaiah 41:13 reveals this truth further “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

QUOTE:

“Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.” - Francis of Assisi