YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER
ISBN: 978-0-88144-254-0
© Copyright 2010 by Dr. Carl Bentley for Carl Bentley Ministries,
Post Office Box 76507, Washington, D.C. 20013.
www.carlbentleyministries.org
All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied for commercial profit or gain.
Selected scripture quotations are taken from the following resources:
Amplified Bible,
© 1987, by Zondervan Publishing House,
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Spirit Filled Life Bible for Students, edited by Jack Hayford
© 1995, by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tennessee.
The Good News Bible: The Bible in Today’s English Version,
© 1976 by The American Bible Society,
New York, New York.
Unless otherwise identified, all other scripture quotations are from The King James Version of the Holy Bible,
© 1970 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Camden, New Jersey.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE:
Overcoming by Engrafting the Word of God
CHAPTER TWO:
Overcoming by Watering the Word of God
CHAPTER THREE:
Overcoming by Praying the Word of God
CHAPTER FOUR:
Overcoming by Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
CHAPTER FIVE:
Overcoming With the Gifts of the Spirit
CHAPTER SIX:
Overcoming by Praying With the Spirit and the Understanding
CHAPTER SEVEN:
Overcoming by Sanctification
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Overcoming by Loosing the Bands of Wickedness
CHAPTER NINE:
Overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb
CHAPTER TEN:
Overcoming the Devourer by Tithing
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Overcoming Sickness by Resisting the Devil
CHAPTER TWELVE:
Four Steps to Overcoming Sinful Nature
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Overcoming a Troubled Heart
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Overcoming the Sin Cycle
CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
Warfare Weapons to Overcome the Enemy’s Attack
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Overcoming the Works of the Flesh by Fasting
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Overcoming Satan’s Temptations by Fasting
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Overcoming the Power of Darkness
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Overcoming by Ministering to the Lord with Music
CHAPTER TWENTY:
Overcoming by the Power of Your Shout
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
Overcoming by the Gift of Faith
CONCLUSION:
YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER
SUPPLEMENT:
A PRAYER COVER FOR OVERCOMERS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WEB PAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX I
Selected Baptist Associations and Conventions
INDEX
It is with grateful appreciation that I recognize a very few key individuals whose encouragement led to the creation of this book.
I praise God for Pastor Lydia Goodin, of Miami, Florida (WMBM), who first deposited the idea of this book into my spirit in Kansas City at the 2004 Gospel Music Workshop of America Announcers Guild; and to Rev. and Mrs. Donald Hagan, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, through whom God worked to bring this book into existence. Thanks also for Dr. Lance Franklin, who proofread and made editorial suggestions.
I praise God for my dad, Melvin Bentley, Sr., whose continuous encouragement helped me to reach the completion of this project. I worship the Lord for my mom, Mabel Smith Bentley (deceased), from whom I inherited the love of writing. (May you rest in the arms of the Lord, mom). I also thank the Lord for my cousin, Erma Jordan, who, at 105 years of age, has continued to urge me to the completion of this project.
No matter where my religious journey takes me, I will always remember High Street Baptist Church as the place where I first met Jesus. Additionally, I want to thank the members of First Baptist Church in Woodford, Virginia, for allowing me to be their pastor as they entered the process of becoming overcomers. To both churches, thank you for allowing me to stand on your shoulders as I reached into the presence of God.
Finally, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has accompanied me through the valley and the shadow of death, and has shown me how to be an overcomer with the mandate that I share what he has taught me.
To every reader, may your spirits be quickened to realize that
YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER!
This book is not for everyone. Some readers will dismiss its contents for one reason or another. Others will take lightly what has been written here. Still others, however, will believe and be delivered from adversity, as they find that they have what it takes to be an overcomer. Today’s Christian will always experience opposition from the world and the current world system. Opposition will come in the form of trials, tribulation, temptations, and adversity. The mind will be oppressed with problems, the heart will be pressured with persecution, and the flesh will be tempted to sin. Followers of Christ, however, can expect to overcome these things, because the Christ that we follow has overcome the world, and all of these things.
One might ask how I could dare define ourselves as overcomers when scripture plainly says that it was Jesus who overcame the world. To answer your inquiry, I am more than happy to direct you to words of affirmation in Saint John 14:12, in which Jesus tells each of us, “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to my Father.” As we believe in Jesus and his works, we also are able to exercise the power of his kingdom to overcome adverse circumstances. This scripture is quickened in my spirit, and I boldly assert, therefore, that if Jesus was an overcomer, and he was, then his followers who believe in him are also overcomers, and we are! The power to overcome lies within each of us, as we embrace the victory that the Lord won at Calvary. Circumstances have no business getting us down. “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).
This book is borne out of the struggles of members of my congregation, and others who have been attacked by the enemy and have needed to learn the art of overcoming adversity. It is based on a collection of sermons that were birthed out of the pain of church folks as they learned the art of spiritual self-defense, or as they wrestled with various personal struggles and physical ailments. In my work as a pastor, I have found that some people in the geriatric population do not know how to defend their spirits from the attacks of the enemy. They tend to languish in mental and emotional turmoil as they battle physical pain and other ailments. The devil uses their minds as his playground. In the final chapters of their life, before they make peace with God, they might become unpleasant, and sometimes make it unpleasant for others to be in their presence. As their minds regress and illness advances, they become more and more childlike and self-centered, because they never had an opportunity to develop their spiritual attributes. Similarly, younger people who are not necessarily faced with end of life issues tend to lean on devices of the flesh, or even self-destructive coping mechanisms, in an effort to find relief from adversity. Young people who know not the scriptures that lead to everlasting life may make foolish mistakes as they err in the ways of the world. It is my personal desire that those who should benefit from strategies of overcoming would understand that God tells us today, “This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).
Although some attacks may seem to come through friends, loved ones, or enemies, the ultimate source of attack is Satan. People are not the source of attack, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). If, however, we are able to maintain the proper relationship with the Lord, we can stand in confirmation of this scripture: When the enemy comes against us one way, the Lord will make our enemies flee seven ways (Deuteronomy 28:7), for his Spirit will raise a standard when the enemy comes in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19). This is the language of an overcomer. Overcomers never embrace defeat!
There are at least three groups for whom the position of this reading might be questionable. First, there are some who believe that describing the strategies, techniques, and tactics of Satan give him power by ascribing the attribute of craftiness to him. While there may be some truth in this belief, the approach taken by this author is to expose the devices of the enemy, lest he take advantage of us. Our best defense against the enemy is to recognize both the enemy and his schemes, as well as our own response to his devices. Thereafter, we are better equipped to overcome the tricks of the enemy. Just as Jesus identified the enemy by demanding that Legion identify himself (Saint Mark 5:9), when we can identify spiritual enemies, we are better able to exercise our Kingdom ordained authority over them and their devices.
Satan can and will use external circumstances to vex us. Satan can also cause us to sabotage ourselves through faulty thinking, or actions which are not grounded in the Word of God. This book ensures that as we explore our own sin nature, sin cycle, works of the flesh, and other devices employed by the enemy, we are no longer ignorant of Satan’s devices, but that we recognize and overcome the power of the enemy, so that nothing shall by any means hurt us (Luke 10:19)!
Secondly, there are also some who believe that we should “call those things that are as though they were not” (Romans 4:17). Instead of confronting the enemy, they ignore adversity, hoping that it might go away. Even less realistically, they find scriptures that describe the promises of God, and criticize those for whom the promise has not manifested. They say to the unemployed, “Why don’t you have a job? God will give you the desires of your heart.” They say to those who are oppressed, “You have no business being oppressed because God can remove your burden.” They never stop to consider that God sometimes takes us into a Job-like experience in order to develop our faith. They rarely consider that when a promise exists in the Bible, it doesn’t mean that it has or should quicken in our lives. If the promise has not yet quickened, quoting scripture to the oppressed could be as futile as chastising an amputee because we are supposed to have glorified bodies! There are in-between steps of faith and stages of growth that must be taken before one moves from being an oppressed spirit to being an overcoming spirit. This book is designed to help you take those steps.
The third group who might find this document questionable is the seminary scholars who might question my use of proof-texting, or the lack of redaction criticism. Those who excel in apologetics might begin the critical analysis in an effort to invalidate my theological position. For this reason, I did not attempt to create a scholarly document that would tickle the intellect of the scholar. This document is intended to impart spiritual strategies to those who wish to overcome adversity. If you have no adversity, you don’t need this book. If you struggle with adversity, this book might be for you.
In chapters two and three of the book of Revelation, there are promises that begin with these words: “to him that over-cometh...” Thereafter, certain benefits certain benefits that will occur in the future are listed. Hence, some people feel that we must wait for the Parousia to receive our “overcomer benefits.” Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, we sang a song that said, “we shall overcome someday.” Today, however, we understand that “now faith” is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). Therefore, exercising “now faith” allows us to be overcomers in the present. It’s time to stop believing that the future is the only time we can receive a reward, and instead believe in the imminent manifestation of God’s promises in the present. In as much as our blessings have already been granted in the Spirit, and God has already granted us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), let us await the physical manifestation of God’s promises. Aren’t you glad that we have reached the point in our theological beliefs that allows our “now faith” to identify us as overcomers right now, and not at some indefinite time in the future? Today is the day of salvation and victory!
Although the original sermons on which this book is based were addressed to an African American Baptist congregation, they are intended for a universal audience. In Christ, there is neither East nor West; Jew nor Gentile; black nor white. I have made a sincere effort to refrain from racial insensitivities and to be as politically correct as the Gospel allows. Do not be offended by my choice of words or expressions.
I pray that you will open your heart, your spiritual ears, and your spiritual eyes, and allow the truth of God’s Word to liberate you from the circumstances you might desire to overcome. May you experience total victory and deliverance as you discover and apply these truths to your circumstances, and eventually lead others to become overcomers, as well.
When I first got saved, I heard a lot about “the engrafted Word of God.” This is a phrase that every Christian ought to be familiar with. The engrafted Word is God’s Word that you have read, meditated on, contemplated, and digested. This Word has become so ingrained in you that you eat, sleep, drink, walk, and talk God’s Word. The engrafted Word is the Word of God that has become a part of your being. You are the Word, and the Word is you. The engrafted Word controls your thoughts and directs your behavior. The engrafted Word informs your decisions and influences your choices. The engrafted Word is a monitor that warns you, and it is a pilot that steers you. It is an anchor that holds you, and a beacon that leads you.
You don’t need OnStar when you rely on the engrafted Word. You don’t need a global positioning device when you have the engrafted Word. You don’t need sonar, radar, or Telstar when you have the engrafted Word, because the engrafted Word will lead you into all truth. Overcomers need the engrafted Word of God.
Have you ever put a piece of meat on a hot grill? If the grill is hot enough, you can hear a sizzling sound as you lay the meat across the cooking rack. Sometimes when you try to turn the meat over, it sticks to the rack, and you have to use a spatula, a fork, or a knife to separate the meat from the rack. When you finally get the meat turned over, if the grill was hot enough, you will see the long rack marks burned into or engrafted upon your meat. You can see these marks on dark meat like steak, and you can see these marks on light meat like chicken. It does not matter what kind of meat you cook, that grill can engraft a rack mark if it gets hot enough. Likewise, it does not matter what color you are. Your complexion can be ebony black, or peaches and cream, but no matter what color you are, people can see God’s mark on you if his Word has been engrafted on your heart.
Engrafting can occur when a gardener takes two plants and blends the stems together in order to make one plant act like the other one. When you have God’s Word engrafted into your heart, the Word becomes your source of guidance and overrides your common sense. You grow according to the instructions the Word puts into your body, soul, and spirit, and you grow in the Lord. When God’s Word is engrafted on your heart, you have an instant reference that you can consult whenever you need to make decisions. When the Word is engrafted on your heart, it is right there anytime you have to ask your heart. The Word is there anytime you have to look to your heart. God’s Word is engrafted on and hidden in your heart, so that you might not sin against the Lord (Psalm 119:11).
God’s Word is mightier than a two-edged sword. The Word is quick and powerful. The Word of God can get between your soul and your spirit and find all incongruence. The Word knows your thoughts and your intentions (Hebrews 4:12), and it is the standard by which we measure the integrity of our hearts. As the Word is engrafted upon your heart with greater abundance, your entire being becomes more like God and less like you.
SALVATION BY THE ENGRAFTED WORD
James says in chapter one, verse 21, that the engrafted Word will save your soul. Further, he says that we ought to lay apart all filthiness. The reason for this is that God does not like filth, nor does God like that which is “nasty.” God does not like filthy or nasty thoughts. God does not like filthy or nasty words. God does not like filthy or nasty deeds. God’s desire is that we would separate ourselves from all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness. “Naughty” is not as strong a word as “filthy” or “nasty.” To be naughty means to be overly playful and disobedient. Naughty means to do what is improper, then to laugh at your mischief. Naughty implies that you do wrong because you feel justified—like you owe it to yourself. Hello! Naughtiness has its root in rebellion. Rebellion is an abomination to God. Therefore, being naughty means to take a chance with God’s leniency.
Superfluity of naughtiness means an excessive amount. Superfluity of naughtiness means going too far. Don’t stop teasing until you make her cry. Don’t stop clowning until you make him cuss you. Don’t stop stealing until you get caught. See how far you can push the limit. Be as wild as you can without getting hurt. Play chicken right up to the mark. That’s the superfluity of naughtiness. There is danger in excess. Excessive speed kills. Excessive playfulness makes people leave you alone. Excessive bossiness makes folks join another group. Even excessive religion makes folks turn away. But superfluity means “more than you need.” The Bible says for you to lay apart excessive naughtiness.
If I have read this verse correctly, it says for you to lay apart all filthiness, lay apart all superfluity of naughtiness, and meekly receive the engrafted Word that is able to save your soul. This might be where people get the idea that you have to stop sinning before you can get saved. I am reading it carefully, but we need to receive the engrafted Word before we can stop being filthy. We need to receive the Word before we can stop being naughty. God’s Word is the light by which we see ourselves and decide that there are some changes that we need to make. So the logical sequence seems to be to hear the Word, to do the Word, and to engraft the Word. But this scripture seems to present the sequence differently.
Let me say something right now about our response to God’s Word. James 1:22 tells us that we ought to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. If we just hear the Word, but never engraft the Word, and never do the Word, we have deceived ourselves. We have been fooled. There are people who come to church and hear the Word of the Lord, but they never do the Word of the Lord. They fool themselves, believing that their walk with the Lord is steadfast, but it’s not. In order to be steadfast, you must grow in the Word, or you become stagnant. Overcomers must never become stagnant! The Bible says that if you just hear the Word, but never do the Word, you are just like the man who looks at himself in the mirror, but walks away, forgetting what he saw. If you look in the mirror and your hair is messed up, you don’t just walk away and forget what you saw. If you look in the mirror and your lipstick is crooked, you don’t just walk away and forget what you saw. You stay there and fix yourself up. Overcomers want to look their best in order to represent the Kingdom. In the same way, when you hear the Word, you don’t just hear it and walk away, but you stay there and fix yourself. After you hear the Word of God, stay there. Do what the Word says until it becomes engrafted in your soul.
Verse 25 then says that if you look to the law of liberty and continue therein, you shall be blessed. The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
So get rid of all the uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness [twisting what is right], and in modest humble gentle spirit, receive and welcome the Word of God, which when implanted and rooted in your heart, contains power to save your soul.
You must welcome the Word before you and do the Word, and you must do the Word before you can engraft the Word.
Now...the Word does not become engrafted because you do it one time. The Word becomes engrafted because you do the Word so much that it becomes burned in—bone deep. The Word should become so much a part of you that it leaves its mark, and the evidence is not only in your behavior, but also in the kind of talk that comes out of your mouth. Overcomers who are engrafting the Word of God into their lives refrain from “naughty talk.” Overcomers who are engrafting the Word of God into their lives refrain from filthy talk, foolish talk, and even jesting (Ephesians 5:4).
RECEIVING THE WORD WITH MEEKNESS
Let’s go back to verse twenty-one of James’ first chapter, where the scripture talks about meekness. Receiving the Word with meekness means for you to submit yourself to the content of scripture, and for you to yield to what it says. It means for you to surrender your opinions and to embrace the ideas that come from the mind of God. Being meek before the Lord means to put your agenda on hold and do what the Lord wants you to do. Here is an example of surrendering to God when you pray: “Lord, I surrender my life to you. I surrender my affairs to you. I submit myself to your guidance. I serve at your pleasure, dear Lord, and I’ll do what you want me to do. I’ll go where you want me to go.” If you say like Isaiah said, “here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8), don’t be surprised if you receive God’s response in your spirit. He may impress upon you something else he wants you to surrender as well. For example, when you surrender cigarettes to him, he might say, “give me the pornography too.”
A MEEK RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD
Never forget, that as the meek inherit the earth (Saint Matthew 5:5), meekness implies receptivity. According to Galatians 5:22, meekness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. After you are born again and receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, you invite God’s engrafted Word so that your soul will be saved. It sounds like a circle—or a cycle—and each time around you get closer and closer to God. That’s why the engrafted Word saves your soul, but you must be saved in order to engraft the Word. Meekness is essential to salvation, because you cannot hear the Word if you are a “know-it-all.” If you have an unteachable spirit, you will be resistant to engrafting the Word.
You must be meek in order to clearly hear what God’s Spirit is saying to your spirit. You must hear, and do, and engraft God’s Word, and you shall not only be saved, but you shall overcome. The Bible says that meekness is precious in God’s sight. Peter calls a meek spirit an ornament (I Peter 3:4), because he sees meekness as an attribute that decorates and complements the overcomer. In the sight of God, a meek spirit is of a great price. That’s why the Bible says that the meek shall inherit the earth (Saint Matthew 5:5), not the gangster, nor the pimp, nor the player. It is God’s will that the meek receive the blessings of the earth.
SPEAKING GOD’S WORD
Finally, as an overcomer, you will find that there is value in hearing and speaking God’s Word. As you speak the Word, your tongue writes it upon your heart (Psalm 45:1). You receive a benefit for having it in your heart. In Psalm 119.11, David discusses the value of hiding God’s Word in your heart. For God’s Word is power unto salvation. It is a light in dark places and a defense in dangerous places. God’s Word is profitable for instruction and capable of destruction. God’s Word is profitable for correction and suitable for direction. God’s Word can provide fascination and produce compensation. God’s Word can apprehend desperation and generate determination. As you continue to overcome issue after issue, trial after trial, circumstance after circumstance, battle after battle, you too will proclaim that there is value in receiving the engrafted Word.
Believers are identified in the fifteenth chapter of Saint John as God’s husbandry. This means that we are God’s garden. He created us as his tillage, to produce an abundant spiritual harvest, and he has planted good seed—incorruptible seed in our lives.
God’s Word is his seed (Luke 8:11). It is indestructible, and it is eternally rooted in truth. God’s Word is unyielding, and it is permanent. Although the Word can be divided incorrectly, thus yielding inaccurate interpretation, God’s Word shall not pass away. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but God’s Word is everlasting.
CONDITIONS OF THE HEART
In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8), the Bible identifies four different types of ground that seed can be planted into. The ground represents your heart. Therefore, there are four conditions of the heart which may or may not facilitate receptivity to God’s Word. First, the scripture teaches that some seed fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and ate it. The interpretation of this (taken from Mark 4:4) is that the devil comes immediately and snatches the Word from your heart as soon as you hear it. (Dr. Creflo Dollar teaches from Saint Matthew13:19 that the enemy snatches the Word you do not understand). I have seen people in church allow the devil to snatch the seed away by rejecting what the Bible says. They hear the Word for a moment, but they dismiss the truth almost immediately. Their hearts do not provide a protective environment that will fend off enemies of the Word.
The second setting says that the seed fell upon stony ground, and it immediately sprouted, but the depth of the ground was insufficient to sustain life, and the seed withered away as soon as the sun beat down upon it. Stony ground represents a heart that fails to provide a protective environment, which would allow the seed to germinate and develop a strong root system. Have you ever known folks who get saved from sin this month, and begin to tell you about all of your shortcomings, only to find that they revert by next month to the same behaviors they were supposedly saved from? These people have stony hearts that do not provide a nurturing place for God’s Word. Over the years, after ministry encounters, I have had people tell me, “Pastor, I’m coming to church as soon as I get out of jail.” Or they say, “I will be back in worship as soon as I get out of the hospital.” They get excited and caught up, but the Word does not take root. Very soon, they lapse into a backslidden state and return to their previous behavior. The Word did not take root in them, because their hearts did not nurture God’s Word. Sometimes, there are those who take the church by storm. They try to change everything during the first year of their membership. But when you look for them the following year, they have become disenchanted and have moved their membership to another church. They were shallow and had a stony surface that failed to support growth of the Word within themselves.
The third scenario says that the seed fell among thorns and thistles, which choked the seed and would not allow it to grow. This describes a type of heart that is filled with the cares of this world. This situation describes persons who are more concerned with material possessions and social status than they are about their salvation, or about advancing God’s Kingdom. When your car or your home is more important than God, something is wrong.
Sometimes, people feel the need to impress others, or to receive the approval or admiration of others. Frankly, when you invest too much attention on what you’ve got and not enough on what God has for you, it is possible to choke the Word. How well I remember the lady who would take off her watch and remove her glasses before she would praise the Lord.
Then the fourth scenario says that some seed fell into good ground. The seed took root and began to bring increase to people’s lives. They heard the Word, received its truth, and brought forth fruit. By a stretch of the imagination, this means that only one out of every four people who hears the Word will get anything significant out of it. Not because the preacher is a bad preacher, but because somebody has not prepared their heart to receive the Word. If somebody tells you that they didn’t get anything out of church, yet the Word was being preached, you might imagine which type of heart they have!
One out of every four people receives the Word. Then of that fourth, some will only receive thirty-fold. Some will only receive sixty-fold. Some will receive a hundred-fold. Overcomers always strive to receive the hundred-fold. The starting point is to pray for a receptive heart and a hunger and thirst after the righteousness of his Word.
WATERING THE WORD
In the opening scripture from First Corinthians 3:6, Paul said that he had planted. He wasn’t talking about collard greens. He had not been planting corn or tomatoes. Paul had been out planting the seed of the Word of God. Paul had been planting seed in the garden of the Lord—the church. Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” Any farmer knows that he could never have a harvest if all he did was plant the seed and hope for an increase. The seed must be watered. The seed must be cultivated. In due season, a harvest will come. No matter the type of ground, if the ground is not watered, tilled, and worked, the seed will not germinate readily, and there will be no increase.
Apollos was a teacher. Paul said that the act of teaching served to water the Word of God. If, however, you have never heard the Word of God, then the act of preaching or teaching plants the seed. But if it is Word that you already know, then preaching and teaching water that seed. The more you hear it, the more water you give it. The more you water it, the more you allow God to give an increase of the Word in your life. Apollos was teaching about what Paul had preached about.
Unfortunately, some people short-change themselves by not allowing the seed to be watered. They don’t want to hear a sermon more than once. As soon as they see the scripture, they turn off their ears and say, “I’ve already heard this.” They say, “I know where he’s going with this.” Then, they might begin to write notes or engage in side conversations. They might even begin to text one another. Such inattentiveness causes one to miss the benefit of having the Holy Spirit bring back to their remembrance what has been previously taught (Saint John 14:26). Inattentiveness might distract others and prevent them from having their Word watered as well. Reinforcement and deeper learning occurs through this process of remembering, which is called anamnesis. Jesus encouraged anamnesis when he instructed the disciples at the Lord’s Supper, “this do in remembrance of me” (Saint Luke 22:19).
One of the factors about motivation is that people want something that is useful to them. If they do not see any value in a product, they become turned off from the start. If you think the sermon will be boring, it is natural for you to say “I know all about that.” However, this is exactly what the devil wants. Satan knows that whereas faith comes by hearing, the increase comes by watering. Naturally, the devil does not want you to hear it a second time, so he makes many attempts to distract your attention.
Some churches place a page in the bulletin that allows you to summarize the sermon for your subsequent study. I’ve seen people fill those pages out within the first five minutes of the sermon and then put their mind on something else. I even found one that had been filled out by a child (I hope it was a child). The question asked, “What important ideas did you get?” Answer: “None.” Question: “What did you get out of today’s message?” Answer: “Nothing.” Question: “What was the sermon about?” Answer: “I don’t know.”
Sometimes a summary form causes performance oriented individuals to rush to the task of completing the form, even though their responses might not be deep and reflective. They attempt to compact the message into a neat little package and then be free for the remainder of the service. The bottom line, however, is that you must water the Word if you want to produce fruit. Overcomers always water the Word!
In order to water the Word, you must listen, meditate, ponder, and reflect. The ‘old folks’ used to say, “You must be like an empty pitcher before a full fountain.” And when service begins, and the choir starts singing, and the preacher starts preaching, you must discipline yourself to be still and hear the Word of God, even if you’ve heard that particular message before. This is how you water your seed. After all, the scripture does not say “faith comes by having heard the Word,” but it says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Switzer (1979) explains that to hear at any level makes it possible to hear at a greater level next time. A person who listens to words being spoken, even without clear comprehension, is not precisely the same person s/he was before hearing them, nor is the relationship between the speaker and the listener the same. With the Word of God, we might have to hear several times before it strikes a responsive chord within us. It is the repetition of stimulus that creates a person who is capable of hearing and responding.
You might wonder why some people seem to get results and you don’t. Maybe they water the seed of the Word more than you do. I once heard a story from Pastor Kenneth Hagan about a lady whose doctor told her that she had a blockage in her heart. The doctor told her not to do any work, nor to exert herself in any manner. So while she was resting, she meditated on the Word of God. She read her Bible, and she listened to scripture on tape. She watered the Word that was hidden in her heart. The night before she was to go back to the doctor, the Lord healed her heart. She said that it felt like God reached down into her chest, picked something out of her heart, and laid it on the table beside her. She told her husband, “I am healed.” When she went to the doctor the next day, the physician could find no damage. He ran test after test, but to his amazement, he found nothing wrong, so he gave her a clean bill of health. The doctor shook his head, because God had done something through his Word that the doctor did not think was possible.
...How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed, and How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Faith comes by hearing...
—ROMANS 10:17
Sometimes when you are watering the Word, you might have to recite scripture aloud, day after day, week after week, so that you hear the word. If you hear the Word enough, God will quicken that Word, and it comes alive within you, thus generating faith. When you have a situation that needs God’s intervention, you can’t pray like you ought to until you get the Word in your heart and water it day by day. When the Word quickens within you, it’s no longer a mechanical recitation of words, but it becomes a heartfelt affirmation of the truth of the Word of God. Although “the prayers of the righteous availeth much” (James 5:16), if you need a breakthrough and “much” is not enough, the watered Word can produce rivers of living water (Saint John 7:38).
Overcomers realize the importance of watering the seed of the Word, every time they get a chance. Overcomers further realize that being disciplined in the area of watering the Word means choosing God when other alternatives are available. Instead of listening to popular secular artists on the radio, they listen to worship music. While at the gym, or on the treadmill, they listen to content that will edify their spirits and strengthen their hearts. Instead of lying in bed for an extra hour on Sunday morning, overcomers participate in Sunday School and spend that hour with God. Overcomers hunger and thirst after the righteousness of the Word, and are filled and refilled.
God’s Word will fix what has been damaged and repair what has been broken. God’s Word can deliver you when you are sinking and will guide you when you don’t know what to do. God’s Word can make a way when you can’t see a way. It’s a roadmap to glory, and a wonderful story. It’s a wonderful tale to save you from hell. Continue to water the Word, and you will continue in your journey as an overcomer!
From time to time, we have people come back to church to renew their fellowship with the body. They say they want to live for God. They say they want a closer walk with God. But after two months, they are not seen any more because the devil fights them off to keep them from hearing the Word, and they let him win because they don’t know how to engage in spiritual warfare.
The devil’s weapons are not sophisticated enough to overcome the power of God, because Satan is limited in his ability. The only way Satan can get an advantage over you is to keep you ignorant about the devices he uses (II Corinthians 2:11), and to keep you in darkness about the weapons of your warfare. If the devil can keep you ignorant about him, and keep you ignorant about yourself at the same time, he will try to harass you with bondage and oppression. He will try to keep you confused and in sickness. He will try to keep you in poverty and conflict. He will try to keep you in anguish with no hope for tomorrow. The devil will try to obscure your outlook and dim your perspective. He will try to take away your insight if you do not know about the weapons that God has made available to you.
THE NEED FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE
From time to time, spiritual warfare becomes the only option available to overcomers. Sometimes, entire families fall victim to Satan. Sometimes, members get attacked, and they need help getting the devil off of them. From time to time, God’s people have to engage in warfare just to protect their own boundary rights.
Sometimes it is necessary to use a warfare strategy called “Praying the Word.” Praying the Word is the application of God’s specific words to a specific circumstance. Praying the Word means to find scripture that is related to a situation, and to affirm those scriptures as the answer. Praying the Word means praying those scriptures, and allowing that Word to be in your mouth day and night, until there is a breakthrough. Praying the Word is not a set of magic phrases that an unbeliever can recite. Praying the Word is the actualization and the affirmation of a promise from on high. This promise says that if you abide in Jesus, and his Word abides in you, you can ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you (Saint John 15:7). Praying the Word is most effective when you have engrafted the Word and your heart is surrendered to the Lord.
In addition to the family, a church also needs to remain prayerful to prevent tragedies from happening to its membership. From time to time, churches have to go to war with Satan, because the enemy plants tares in your field (Saint Matthew 13:25). When this occurs, you must recognize the enemy and undertake warfare at a spiritual level. Let the wheat and the tares grow together, but you still posture yourself for warfare. When Satan tries to oppress and afflict, you acknowledge that your battle is not against the people who wrestle with you. After all, you’re not wrestling with flesh and blood, but sinister spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:12), so prepare to use your warfare weapons to exercise authority over powers and principalities, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places (ibid). Always remember that God has already given us power and authority over these influences.
PROTECTING PARENTS AND FAMILY
Sometimes you have to go into warfare in your home. Sometimes you can see in the Spirit that the devil has one of your children on the wrong path, so you go to war with Satan to rescue your child. There comes a time when spanking won’t do, withholding privileges won’t do, and taking the keys won’t do. Instead, you have to turn your plate down (go on a fast), go into the enemy’s camp, and take back what he has tried to steal. Sometimes, it’s necessary to go into warfare for your wife. Sometimes, it’s for your husband. Sometimes, it’s for your brothers or sisters. Sometimes, you must enter warfare on behalf of your parents. Sometimes, parents do not know how to fight for themselves, and the older they get, the more susceptible they become to the powers of darkness. More often than not, parents attempt to fight emotionally and mentally, but know little about the things of the Spirit. This might be due largely in part to the fact that many parents grew up in mainline denominations where spiritual warfare was not taught, and Pentecostal or Charismatic beliefs were frowned upon as being radical or eccentric. Some even viewed holiness as behavior that was reserved for lower-class citizens.
When confronted with adversity, parents may try to use what used to work for them, but to no avail. At other times, the Lord gives parents light, but due to a lack of knowledge, or a lack of skill, they are not willing to accept what the Lord offers them. Sometimes parents are hesitant to engage in any type of spiritual warfare because they have had no previous experience with anything like that. Sometimes, they might be afraid to approach problems from the assertive stance of an overcomer, so they resign themselves to tolerate sickness and poor conditions with the hope that things might get better. That’s why children who are rooted and grounded in the Word must be available as intercessors, and available to engage in warfare on behalf of parents who cannot protect themselves. After all, it is possible for you to know more about how God’s Kingdom operates than your parents do. Instead of making excuses for them, you must become an intercessor for them until they begin to walk in victory. In this warfare, we fight against the powers of darkness, but the weapons of our warfare are superior to the devices of Satan. Our weapons are spiritual weapons, and they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (II Corinthians 10:4).
HOW TO PRAY THE WORD
Here are some examples of how to pray the Word. If your concern is about finances, pray something like this: “”