Overcoming Part 3: Strategies of Goodness - Revelation & Paradox

In the previous posts of this series (Part 1, Part 2), I shared the Lord's call for us to take out the enemy's fortress and how to position ourselves to do that. For many of us in the Church Body, including myself, we've had it backwards for far too long. We are a new creation in Christ designed to be the head and not the tail (Deut. 28:13). We are royalty, God's royal priesthood: 

Royalty does not run around in a panic frantically trying to put out fires. As sons and daughters of the Most High God, we are to partner with the King to take out the enemy's fortress. The Lord is revealing that choosing to go on offense and blanketing our sphere of influence with His goodness launches weapons of mass destruction into the enemy's camp. As we do this, we also continually declare the praises of the One who redeemed us and set us free. This is our inheritance, purpose and privileged high calling! So what does that look like? The book of Romans explains it this way:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

(Romans 12:20-21, NIV)

So what does it mean to "not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"? We are being instructed to not let another person's evil make us evil. If we let the evil forces manifesting in someone else's life provoke us to respond with our own evil thoughts, deeds and attitudes, then we are being overcome by evil (remember, we are not fighting flesh and blood but powers and principalities of the unseen world - Ephesians 6:12). If we aren't careful to capture every thought and bring it into obedience to Christ, we can let someone else's hostility create hostility in us. We react with our own evil of anger, bitterness, resentment, discouragement, depression, vengeance, etc., and then we blame the other person or the circumstance for our reaction. We are not helpless victims - we are a royal priesthood! Filled with the same power that caused Jesus to rise from the grave! We are free to choose Jesus as the dominant & governing reality in our lives and respond as a people of a different spirit (Romans 8:9-14). 

As we allow the goodness, love and kindness of God to govern in us and flow through us, we triumph. Will this always produce repentance in those around us? No. It didn't for Jesus either - the cursing thief, Judas, Pharisees, etc. It is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance, but it is still up to each individual to make the decision to turn around (Romans 2:4).

The whole point of overcoming evil with good is about overcoming our own evil, not that of another person.

Each of us has to make that choice for ourselves. We are responsible to others but only for ourselves (consider Romans 2:1-11 and Romans 12:14-21 together). We are commanded to commit to doing good and, so far as it depends on us, live peaceably with others understanding that not everyone will choose to make peace with us (Matthew 5, Romans 12:18).

Personally, I have struggled at times with thoughts of, "If this situation would just change" or "some person would soften", then I would be released to freedom and relief. But the Word says that Jesus alone holds the keys that set people free (John 8:34-36, Luke 4:14-21). God's heart is tender, kind and gentle towards us and that alone is our source of peace and relief. He is constant, He never changes, and it is right to look to Him as the source of our peace and relief. It is essential to bask in the love and goodness of God even if others around us are not making that choice. It is from this place that we can point others to the One who redeems and transforms yet always leave the decision to accept that with them. It's the only one that sticks. 

Continually harboring evil thoughts or feelings toward an individual, a group or a situation can become habit forming making it almost impossible to regard the situation objectively because the mere thought or mention of it can open the floodgates of negativity that have been stored up over time. Publicly, a 24/7 non-stop stream of information from media outlets can fuel this. Personally, gossip and Satan's darts of propaganda also add fuel to the fire. It's vital to take every thought captive daily in obedience to Christ and His Word in order to successfully deflect this.

As we exercise our spirit of a sound, disciplined and self-controlled mind (1 Timothy 1:7), our time is freed from being consumed with evil thoughts, attitudes and actions and we can wholeheartedly pursue the good plans and assignments God has for us (Jer 29:11, Eph 2:10). This is the multiplying effect of good overcoming evil. Rather than spending our precious time and energy griping about "such and such", we can spend it writing that book, painting that picture, growing that business, guiding that child, etc. The possibilities for releasing blessing is limitless! Responding to evil with evil shuts down creativity, which impacts many more individuals than just our immediate group of family and friends. There are people waiting for us on the other side of our obedience to personally overcome evil with good and release the gifts that are within us. 

The ways of the Kingdom and God's strategies for overcoming are a paradox. They cannot be understood or entered into by any natural means of logic, reason or intellect. It is by revelation that we learn the ways of our Father and by the power of His grace that we are enabled to walk in them. In His Kingdom:

* We weary Satan with our rest in the goodness of God

* We depress the enemy with our joy in all circumstances

* We cause Satan to be anxious with our peace in Christ

* We terrify demonic powers and principalities with our wholehearted love for 

   God and each other

* We conquer the enemy camp with the surrender of every part of our lives to 

   Papa! 

This is how we move from worn out desperate victim, to overcomer, to more than a conqueror! Continuous deep fellowship with our Father positions us to receive of His nature and allow His character (the Fruit of the Spirit) to be formed in us. It places all the advantage in our court. As we go about our daily business, bearing this Fruit everywhere we go, it nourishes the good seed around us and starves the bad. This is how we "go out, be fruitful and multiply". The Fruit of the Spirit is thriving, abundant life to the godly and a weapon of mass destruction to the enemy. Scattering and nourishing the good seed of the Fruit is the focus of our warfare. Conquering the enemy is simply a by-product of it. 

Take heart, be encouraged! Do not be overwhelmed or overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good! In this world, we do experience trouble but Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33) The only thing we are designed to be overwhelmed by is the goodness of our God! 

"I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
    For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
    and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding
    or a bride with her jewels."   (Isaiah 61:10)

“Moses said, ‘Please. Let me see your Glory.’ God said, ‘I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I’ll call out the name, God, right before you.’” (Ex 33:18-19a)

Let the whole earth be filled with His glory!