Overpowering, Overwhelmingly

It’s 8:30 a.m. as I write this and I felt like a quick game of chess so I played against the computer, selected one of its weaker opponent choices (since I only have a few minutes, yeah, that’s it, that’s the reason 🙂 ) then proceeded to capture his queen and both rooks.

Those who are even slightly familiar with chess know that the game was over at that point and, surely enough, it was a breeze, a proverbial “piece of cake” to vacuum up his other pieces and achieve victory.

Do you realize that’s EXACTLY how it is in life?!

From birth, a person is literally and constantly being hunted down  by the devil and his minions…

  • “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

… who, because they are angels – fallen, but still extremely powerful – possess superhuman indeed supernatural  abilities so mere mortals, mere humans like you and me stand NO chance on our own of defending much less defeating.

Just like a chess player who has lost his queen and both rooks.

But I have some good news!  And that’s this:  instead of just “hanging us out to dry”, instead of leaving us on our own, God graciously gave us a guaranteed way to garner TEN queens in this metaphorical chess game of life, by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, to earth as a newborn baby who voluntarily set aside the voluntary use of His deity (redundance intended)…

  • “… who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself [i.e., laid aside His privileges of deity]…” (Philippians 2:6-7a)

… and took on the fullness of humanity, of being a man…

  • “… by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men Being found in appearance as a man…” (Philippians 2:7b-8a)
  • “… the Son of Man… You have made Him for a little while lower than the angels… Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels⁠ – Jesus… Therefore, since the children [i.e., humans, humanity] share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same… He had to be made like His [human] brothers in all things… we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 2:6b-7a,9a,14a,17a;4:15)

… so that, for the express purpose of  saving us from our sin and sins, of rescuing and delivering us out of that too-weak-to-win position and situation (i.e., no queen or rooks) in this life and especially regarding the life to come, eternity.

  • “… that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives [i.e., humans, humanity]… so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people… He is able to come to help those who are tempted… so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 2:14b-15,17b,18b;4:16b)
  • The Son of God was manifested for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.  Everyone who has been born of God does not [practice] sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot [practice] sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:8b-9)

Or to summarize the situation super-succinctly, we were in a world of hurt, were in a terrible, unwinable and  unwinnable position… BUT BUT BUT the good news is that GOD STEPPED IN, GOD INTERVENED to RESCUE and DELIVER and REDEEM and SAVE us!

  • “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15)
  • “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
  • “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us…” (Titus 3:3-5a)

We found ourselves in the game of life WITHOUT our queen or rooks or bishops or knights, totally OVERPOWERED and OUTGUNNED by our opponent, our adversary and his minions… but God gave us not just the ability and authority and power but the right  to receive TEN QUEENS, thus FLIPPING THE SCRIPT…

  • “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12)
  • “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. …  For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world⁠ – our faith.  And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 4:4; 5:4-5)

… such that we not only win but WIN BIG, win overwhelmingly; are not only victorious but overwhelmingly victorious; not only conquer but, yep, OVERWHELMINGLY conquer.

  • “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

And to wrap up this topic for now, HOW do we do that, HOW exactly  do we OVERCOME and OVERPOWER evil and the evil one?  As ever, the Bible couldn’t be any clearer, gives us a crystal clear conclusion and answer and remedy.  First a hint, a glimpse…

  • “… you have overcome the evil one…” (1 John 2:13b)

… and then the very specific answer via the very next verse:

  • “… the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:14b)
  • “Thy word I have hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Ding ding ding!

Isn’t it amazing how everything always comes down to the Bible in general and Bible memory (which unleashes recitation and meditation) in specific?!

If you’d like to support the cause of Bible memory and help MAKE HISTORY and literally CHANGE THE WORLD together via this unparalleled tool and weapon, “the sword of the Spirit” internalized (Ephesians 6:17), here are the best ways to do so and I already know they’ll each bring tremendous blessing into your life as I have asked the Lord from Day One of this endeavor to be the case; thank you so much for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me on the biggest battlefield, in the most important arena of them all!
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1.  Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!

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