Overcomers

UV 854/10,000 Overcomers “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.” 2 Peter 2 v 20 We live in a world that is grossly imperfect and corrupt. But as believers we are called to live by God’s standards and not the world’s standards. It is a great struggle but we are called to be overcomers. People through the ages in all nations and places have exchanged the truth for corruption. The gospel is the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. As far as our sinful and corrupt past is concerned, He is our Saviour. As far as the present and future are concerned, He is the Lord. We no longer live by the minimum standards of merely appearing to obey the law but we listen and obey to the indwelling Spirit of God in us. There are types of knowledge that are not saving. For example, my then boss, the Superintendent of Police Iqbal was told by his friend and astrologer that by May 21,1991 something terrible would happen to him. That cast a shadow on his thoughts and behaviour. He even told his driver to go slower than usual to avoid an accident. But that knowledge being a dark knowledge did not save him and he perished in the human bomb assassination at Sriperumbudur. Once we are redeemed by being washed in the blood of Jesus by faith, we should strive earnestly not to return to our earlier habits and sins. If we do so, this uni-verse warns us that we would be worse off than even before. It would have been better that we had not known the gospel. St Peter writes that it is like a sow returning to wallow in the slush or a dog that returns to its vomit. A sense of revulsion at our past sin as well as a strong desire to overcome the temptations and allurements of the past will keep us on the paths of eternal life and righteousness. A donkey is stubborn but Balam the prophet proved to be more stubborn than his donkey. The Lord had to make Balam’s donkey speak in order for him to avoid the path of disobedience and evil. As Jesus said, “ The last state of the man will be worse than the first.” Instead of being possessed by one demon, he will be possessed by seven. We must yield to the move of the Holy Spirit and be ever ready to do His bidding. We should not compel the Lord to make a donkey speak or to send an angel with a flaming sword to block our path. I was surprised to read that Joel Osteen who is one of the world’s most popular preachers is compromising with the truth in order to remain popular by saying that the Bible does not condemn a homosexual lifestyle. By saying so, is he not a modern day Balam? A little lump of heresy is sufficient to make the whole batch or whole generation rise in rebellion against God. Prateep V Philip