What does it mean that we have overcome the world? It means that the evil of this world can no longer defeat us. God has already rescued us from the sins of this world, and we are all citizens of the kingdom of God. We do not belong to this world anymore, but we belong to God. Although we still sin and experience temptations and sufferings, we have our Lord Jesus Christ, that forgives and helps us in times of need. As long as we live in this world, we will never escape sin, temptation, and suffering because it is a result of the sins of this world. We are still susceptible to sin because we live in our current body. However, all these things will end when we receive our eternal glorified body when our Heavenly Father takes us home to be with Him.
If we are going to be tempted to sin today, let us remember that we can overcome it by saying no or walking away from it. We are no longer under the bondage of sin, but we are now in the righteousness of God. There are many ways that we can experience our victory over sin. First, we need to find a group of believers with whom we will be accountable, whether a group of men, women, or mixed-gender that we trust to share about our struggle with sin. We need to confess our secret sin to God and find a community in which we can share our struggles. Secondly, if need be, seek professional Christian counselors to help us overcome our past wounds and be healed from them. Our past wounds can cause us to keep on sinning. For example, a person who has a problem with alcohol, pornography, eating disorders, anger, anxiety, and other destructive behaviors can be caused by escaping from past hurts and emotional wounds. To help us overcome these things is to seek help from our God and ask God to lead us to professional Christian counselors and Christian believers that keep us accountable. We cannot overcome sin by ourselves, no matter how much we try. We need the church for our healing process because that is the way God designed it.
We already have overcome the world because we have been born again through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we will still experience sin, temptations, and sufferings because of the sin of this world and our bodies. But there will be a time that all these things will pass, and we will live in the complete freedom of sin when our heavenly Father takes us home to be with Him. We will then receive our glorified bodies; in the meantime, we have our Lord Jesus Christ, who forgives and helps us overcome sin in our lives.
Ask yourself these questions: What does it mean that I have overcome the world? How did I overcome the world? What do I need to do to overcome my secret sins or addictive behaviors?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you that I have overcome the world because you have rescued me from the bondage of sin. Please help me overcome sin in my life, and please provide me with people that I can be accountable with. I confess all my sins to you, and please heal my past hurts and emotional wounds. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.