You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in
you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
The world can often
be a hostile place for believers. God wants his spiritual children to know, however,
that they are not alone. He lives in us through his Spirit. We can be assured, therefore,
that no matter what spirit someone else may have, the Holy Spirit of God is greater,
more powerful, and more glorious. The victory is ours because God's presence in us
is greater than any force that we will ever face. We have our victory assured over
all forces, powers, spirits, or opponents.
John is talking to believers, who have
repented of their sins, accepted Jesus Christ, and are children of God who have His
love in their hearts.
It is so easy for the devil to grab hold of your thoughts, to
make you believe false things. Our minds are fragile and like sponges, desiring to
grab onto anything that makes us feel something. If we do not have a solid foundation
of rock in our faith, it is easy for the devil to sneak sand under our feet instead.
Here John is telling believers that we have the foundation of solid rock, of God
under our feet. God has overcome all, and if we stay tight with Him, we will not
be deceived by the devils tricky schemes that try to lead us astray. The one, who
is in you, has overcome the one who is in the world. God has overcome the devil by
sending His perfect son Jesus, to willingly die on the cross, in our place, and on
the 3rd day raised Him from the dead. The devil has no power over believers, except
for what we allow him.
“because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the
world” – Our overcoming is not wrapped up in our faith, church attendance, Bible
study or prayer life, but in the one who lives within each one of us. It is not “greater
am I than the world”; it is “greater is He”. All things point to Jesus and His greatness.
Paul
made a similar promise in Romans 8:31 when he said, “If God be for us, who can be
against us?” How true! If God is on our side, having known us in our sins and loved
us anyway, who could ever raise a statement of accusation against the beloved? In
every one of our issues and difficulties, “We are more than conquerors through Him
that loved us” (Romans 8:37).
It is because of the greater One that lives within me
that I am successful. It is because of the greater One that dwells within me that
causes me to triumph in every circumstance of life. Some people would say this is
bragging. This certainly isn’t bragging on yourself, it is bragging on God and His
ability. You’re not saying what you can do but what God in you can and is doing.
When
we declare this, we are lining our words up with God’s words. We are giving God a
place to work in our lives when we speak what He has told us to speak. This is not
presumption it is obedience to His Word. Presumption is to assume something, and
I am not talking about that at all. I am talking about acting on knowledge. We are
acting on what we know to be true and declaring it to be so. His Word tells us to
do this in 2 Corinthians 4:13.
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according
to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke,’’ we also believe and therefore
speak,
This will open the way for the greater One to rise up inside of you. When
we do this we magnify Him and open the door for Him to give us enlightenment, direction,
and revelation to our spirit, healing to our bodies, and help and comfort in every
situation of life.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
He’s
telling us in His Word to come boldly and ask for this help, it’s there when we need
it. Some people would say I don’t know if I can do that or not, yet we are told to
come boldly and ask. This is telling us to do it, God wants us to have His help.
We should receive it and begin to walk in it.
One aspect of this is that we must come
to realize that that He is always with us.
Hebrews 13:5 reads, “Let your conduct
be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself
has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
We all face life’s trials, yet
we can take great comfort in the fact the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence
within us. He’s always present to help, not just when we feel like it but always,
whether we feel like it or not. Our faith can not be based on our feelings. It must
be based on what we know to be the truth of God’s Word. I would encourage you not
to look to the circumstances but to look to the greater one within. The Holy Spirit
will quicken God’s Word to your spirit and make it real. It is all too easy to take
our eyes off of the one who has set us free and to dwell on the negative circumstances
that come at us in life. Look to the inside where the greater one dwells, not to
the circumstances.
God’s Word tells us in Romans 8:11 that the same spirit that raised
Christ from the dead dwells in us.
”But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
This is talking about the
here and now, our mortal bodies not our resurrected bodies that we will have in Heaven.
We won’t need our bodies quickened when we are in Heaven. We need it now. This is
part of the Covenant that has been purchased for us. Along with the forgiveness of
sin we also have the healing of our bodies. Acknowledging this fact is what brings
the manifestation. We will not receive it if we won’t believe it and acknowledge
it to be so. This is the same way we get born again. We have to believe it and acknowledge
the fact. This is the way God allows our faith to manifest the promises of His Word
in our lives.
The Apostle Paul said…
1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spoke
as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man,
I put away childish things. 12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face
to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
We don’t
have all revelation now, but we can begin to get God’s revelation and start to walk
in it. We must start somewhere, and now is as a good a place as any to begin. The
Apostle Paul had great revelation of the mystery of the Gospel, yet this mystery
was not just for him. It was given to him for us all, so that we can know who we
are and walk in the reality of what God has called us to be.
Jesus said in John 14:16,
“I will ask my Father and He will give you another Comforter-
The
Holy Spirit always leads us, He never pressures or pushes us. This is contrary to
what many Christians believe. The truth is that the Holy Spirit is a Gentleman. He
is our guide. If we will not follow Him He will never force us. The Word says He
will lead us and guide us into all truth. Our part to play in this is to be obedient
and teachable, to have a willing heart to follow after God wherever He leads us.
He will prompt us and even urge us, but He will never force us.
We see that a willing
attitude and obedience will bring the kind of results that God wants for us.
We have
a part to play in this just as the Lord has His part to play. He always honours His
end of the deal. If we want to get the kind of results that declares to all that
we are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus then we must begin to walk in the light
of the revealed Word of God, to acknowledge His truth above all other circumstances,
to be lead by the Holy Spirit and walk in line with His Word.
Look to the greater
One within. He’s always there to help. He’s our helper, our comforter, and our guide.
He is a great gift to us. If you are in Christ Jesus than the Holy Spirit is within
you, however if you have never accepted Christ then you need to take the first step
and ask Him to be the Lord of your life. He will be happy to oblige, and He will
never leave you or forsake you.
Dr. Michael Cochran
Throne of Grace
