Able

“And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love their lives to the death.” – Revelation 12:11

It is time! It is time to overcome because we have been enabled to overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and our witness that the blood has most assuredly caused us to prevail. In the Greek, the word overcome simple means ‘able’. We have the power to prevail because we have been overcome by His strength, mercy and kindness. If we have allowed Him the access to overcome us, through repentance and submission to Him, He then empowers us with the overcoming strength to go forward and destroy the enemy!

That blasphemous enemy of ours! That degrading, deceptive and accuser of the brethren has no power over those who overcome! Think long and hard about this. Not even death itself has the power to hold us down, for Messiah Yahushua has prevailed over death! We are ‘able’ because of the resurrection. HalleluYah!

The blood of the Lamb has rescued us, therefore we go and rescue others by our witness of that rescue. If we do not love our lives unto death right now, this very minute, we WILL love our lives too much to die for Him should it ever come to that.

As I was praying this morning, I said, “Sometimes I think He is waiting for us to step into our role of an overcomer; as sons of Elohim. It’s time!”

“For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy, because everyone having been born of Elohim overcomes the world. And this is the overcoming that has overcome the world: our belief.” – 1 John 5:3-4

Have you been born of Elohim? If so then, guard His commands as His commands are not heavy. If we are to overcome the burdensome load the enemy places upon us, we must guard Elohim’s commandments and believe that He is and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It is by our belief, and our actions that prove that belief that we overcome the world. Messiah said in the garden of Gethsemane; “I thank you Father that you hear Me. I know that you always hear Me.”

There are days that I have to pray this because at times I feel the words I speak to Him go no further than the ceiling. However, I know He hears me when I cry out to Him! There are times I feel like I am cut off, distant from my Father, yet it is my own lack of belief that what He said He will surely do!

“And I, I have said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes,” Yet You heard the voice of my prayers When I cried out to You.” – Psalm 31:22

“And יהושע (Yahushua) said to him, “If you are able to believe, all is possible to him who believes.” And immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “I believe Master, help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:23-24

How many times have we cried out in those same words to Him? “I believe Master, help my unbelief!” It is a constant reminder of our status as human flesh and blood. Yet if we are in training to reign with Him, the connection between our belief and unbelief must be severed. Unbelief is this action of looking behind us when we know that the One who leads us into victory is in front of us. Lot’s wife did not overcome the plague that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because the promise of deliverance lied ahead of her,  not behind her. Deliverance will not be found by our actions to continually look for it behind us. No, it is by the action of moving forward by the power of our belief that transports us past our cry of ‘help my unbelief’.

The power of moving forward must overcome the draw in every one of us to sink back because the journey is too difficult. Pharaohs’ armies are ever on the move to catch up and overtake us. The enemy is only after those who have applied the blood of the Lamb to the doorposts of their heart.

We will not be pursued if we have not been rescued. If we are not pursued by the enemy, we are still a slave in Egypt. The dragon is soon coming and will go after the set-apart ones to destroy them. If you are not set-apart unto Yahuweh Elohim; no worries, the dragon won’t bother you. What’s the point in prevailing over darkness if you remain in agreement with darkness? Yahushua Messiah made no pact with darkness, but to crush the head of the serpent. If that is Yahushua’s destiny, it must be ours as well.

Through Jeremiah’s anguish in being persecuted and made a reproach among his own people, he cried out, ‘cursed be the day I was born!’ He was mocked, ridiculed and even felt abandoned by Yahuweh Himself because of the words that were put into his mouth to speak. In the midst of his pain, he still managed to utter these most powerful words:

“But Yahuweh is with me like a mighty, awesome one. Therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and not prevail. They shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not acted wisely – an everlasting reproach never to be forgotten. But, O Yahuweh of hosts, trying the righteous, and seeing the kidneys and heart, let me see Your vengeance on them, for I have revealed my cause to You.” – Jeremiah 20:11-12

If the righteous is never tested, Yahuweh’s vengeance will never take place against His enemies. Yahuweh does not hold off coming to judge His enemies for the sake of His enemies, but for the sake of the righteous. He is after loyalty to Him which is only found through the burning fires of persecution. If we are not refined by fire, His esteem will never be manifested in the earth. Our persecution, because of our belief in the Son of Elohim, will be the cause of our deliverance. He will not deliver anyone who refuses to be tested by the fires of persecution because they do not want deliverance bad enough to endure through it.

If we are to be delivered in the days ahead, overcoming the enemy, we must realize that persecution and trials have to take place in order for us to be purged and our garments made white. Decide today whether it is easier to pack up and go home, or stay with the few who are just ‘crazy’ enough to believe that Yahuweh can bring the victory. Yahuweh, the Elohim of Israel does not need many to bring about His victory, so it is crucial for us to ensure that we are one of the few. (see Judges 7)

It is through our determination to go forward, believing the promise of deliverance, keeping our eyes on Him, yet also on the battle plan of our enemy, that He will bring us the victory.

As you decide to prevail with Him, (as that is the meaning of the name Israel), remember Israel; praying for her peace. We are called to be overcomers; a kingdom of priests that know how to prevail with the King. It is time to stop looking at our persecution as an affliction to be avoided, but embraced. For without it, we will not be qualified for His deliverance and our reward will be given to those who have endured to the end.

In the case of Israel and all of the violence she is experiencing now, and all that is happening within our own individual lives as well; remember this, that if things do not get bad, Messiah cannot return.

Hold on tight to the Master, and ask the Spirit of Father to refresh you. For night is nearly upon us, and those who continually look forward into His promise of deliverance, will grow brighter and brighter until the breaking of His dawn upon our enemies!

Shabbat Shalom!

With much joy and love,

Derek