The Spirit to Overcome

One of the great encouragements for this day is the grace being granted to fulfill biblical promises related to the unfolding and demonstration of God’s Kingdom dimension and His Kingly authority. There are candid and profound prophetic promises identified in the blueprint and strategy of Heaven foreseen by the prophets and foretold in Scripture. Many generations of prophets and seers employed their revelatory gifting to forecast a day identified with the “promise” of God being fully manifested through a body of consecrated people.

Throughout the Church Ages, there have been admonitions and promises given to those who overcome the “spirit of the age” and personal adversity to be sealed into the Kingdom and rewarded with significant spiritual blessings. “To those who overcome” is a noteworthy identification directing the destiny of a body of people who are victorious in the struggle with our adversary, who often counterfeits God’s plans and purposes.

Therefore, this incredibly important issue of “overcoming” is not as obvious as one may think. There is a way that seems right unto man but the end thereof is destruction. The Lord clearly warned in Matthew 24 that a form of religion would emerge that was so close to the authentic that it would deceive the very elect, if it were possible.

There is a counterfeit anointing stemming from a subtle form of deception that is linked to the fifth “I will” of Satan and his misguided desire to be “like the Most High!” (See Isaiah 14) This is his attempt to emulate as closely as possible through zealous religious activity and natural beauty, a form of religion that relates his wayward aspiration to steal the very life of God promised to His people.

Historically, this has been the case in each expression of revival and spiritual outpouring throughout the Church Ages. However, a day has now arrived in which the rewards of the “overcomers” will be delegated and experientially apprehended by those who are victorious in this struggle and clearly recognize the misleading attempt of the enemy to steal the birthright of God’s people.

Hidden Manna

One thing that has always been of particular significance to me personally is the promise made to the “overcomers” of the Pergamum church.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. -Revelations 2:17

There is something intriguing and inviting about receiving a new name and partaking of hidden secrets. They are only hidden from the wise and prudent but freely revealed to the Lord’s friends as He promised in John 15:15.

In Scripture, each time a new name was given to God’s people, it always represented a change of their character and an impartation of Heavenly virtue for a specific task. Likewise, “hidden manna” is set apart and reserved to spiritually nourish a body of people who are willing to access this privilege.

Qualifying as an Overcomer

One of the great revelations to emerge in this generation is the qualification to be identified as an “overcomer.” There is a message of truth that has been delegated to each of the Church Ages since the Day of Pentecost. It has been the Bread of Life for that generation coming from the Spirit of Truth to be embraced and experientially apprehended.

During the days of Martin Luther the manna for that generation was the message of justification by faith. This was fresh and unprecedented truth to the masses because of the religious structure of the day mandating association with an institution rather than the Savior.

Following that generation there emerged the message of sanctification coming from John Wesley, George Whitfield and many others of that day. It was another Heavenly release of manna in the progressive restoration of the spiritual birthright of the Church. With the turn of the 20th century there came the restoration of the “Charismata” with the gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues and the experience of the infilling.

There has been the Bread of Life given to each generation with an incentive or reward to those who overcome the religious structures of the day to embrace that message. We discover these incentives in the seven letters to the Churches of Asia written by the Apostle John in his heavenly experience. Those seven letters also depict a clear spiritual appreciation of the past 2000 years of Church history with the applicable corrections, encouragements and admonitions.

Manifesting Kingdom Reality

We are presently living in the transition from the Laodicean Church Age into the manifestation of Kingdom reality. There is a tremendous display of Truth coming as manna for this day to transform and prepare a body of people to fully engage the Kingdom realm of Heaven and manifest that reality in the earth.

Even during the dark ages when the written Word was inaccessible to the masses, the Living Word manifested Himself to those who were genuinely seeking Him from a pure heart with right motives. Many historical accounts are recorded to validate this reality.

The apostle Paul was granted a great privilege to be a messenger in his day to present the Bread of Life to his generation. As a reward for that place of leadership and sacrifice, he is given the honor of presenting the “overcomers” of his day to the Lord as a chaste virgin. 2 Corinthians 11:2 states:

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.

That same privilege is given to the messengers of each generation charged with the commission and mandate to present the manna of the day to God’s people. It will be the distinguished honor of God’s anointed governmental leaders to prepare and present a body of people as chaste virgins to the Lord to whom He is espoused.

There are messengers sent to each age with a divine mandate and deposit of Truth that is like fire locked up in their bones that must be expressed and demonstrated. These are the stars in the hand of the Lord to present the revelation of Heaven to the Church. This present day has been identified with the promise of an unprecedented release of Heavenly manna through many messengers to groom a people to bear the Lord’s likeness and nature. It will be a multiplication of the “light” given throughout the seven Church Ages. According to the Isaiah’s prophecy:

The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted. – Isaiah 30:26

Abraham’s loyal servant, Eleazar, will typify these messengers of God. Eleazar was sent with a message and with gifts to secure a chaste virgin for Isaac, the one who was heir of the promise. This future bride could not be just an ordinary woman; she had to be of the same heritage and lineage as Isaac to become bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.

This is the perfect typical scenario to be executed in this day as well. There are “Eleazars” emerging as loyal and faithful servants and trustworthy stewards of God’s mysteries and power to secure a radiant and passionate bride for the Bridegroom. They will be a body of people who live as “overcomers” and enjoy the benefits promised in Scripture.