The Overcomer’s Reward, May 2004 One has only to glance through the Scriptures to see that God loves rewarding those who obey Him. Moses was allowed the privilege of speaking with Him face to face. David was given a great name and a house God promised to establish forever. And Job was rewarded with the restoration of his family and a doubling of all his possessions. Over and over again, material and spiritual blessings beyond the imaginations of the people they touched were granted to the faithful. The end of the Bible is equally consistent in its display of rewards. The only difference found in the book of Revelation lies in the eternal nature of the blessings it offers. For example, instead of earthly assets like fame and fortune, these blessings revolve around rewards like meals of hidden manna, possession of the morning star, and reserved seating on the throne of the Lord – and they are offered to us if we will obey one simple command: “Overcome.” God sums up this idea in Revelation 21:7, where He promises that “he who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” So while there is no question that God desires an overcoming people, one logical question does remain: “What does that mean for me today?” I believe there are a number of factors that determine our level of success in obeying this command, but lately the Lord seems to be putting a heavy emphasis on two in particular. The first is our ability to recognize opportunity, and the second is our ability to respond to it. I recently had a dream in which I was facing a long building full of doors on either side. I was looking for an open door I felt was familiar to me, and thought I knew where it would be. As I started going down the left side of the building, I noticed two things about the doors: each of them was marked with a skull and cross bones -- and none of them would open. As I continued down the long corridor, my anxiety increased as I realized my open door wasn’t where I thought it would be. I reached the last of the doors on the left of the building, and moved to the right side, where I encountered similar locked doors marked with skull and crossbones. I began to panic as each successive door remained locked, until, finally, I came to the last door. It was open. I walked through it with a great sense of relief and found myself in the middle of several groups of people. Although they appeared divided to the natural eye, they were joined by a spiritual unity I had never felt before. The love in the room was tangible, even though it looked like each person was engaged in individual pursuits. I feel that many of us are facing similar situations, and that we have been placed in them so God may teach us how to overcome. These circumstances seem familiar to us – so familiar, in fact, we thought they would never change. However, we are now beginning to see a degree of difference in them, even if it is very slight. A new alignment has come in the spirit, and we must grab hold of this opportunity for change. It is as if we have found ourselves in a hot room with a window that’s been left ajar. Our options are to either see the window cracked open, think about how hot it is inside, and hope the window will open wider -- or to walk over to it and push it open. The first option is what happens when we recognize the Lord doing something, but then purpose to just wait and see what more He will do. The second option represents the choice to be co-laborers with the Lord in our current situation – and this is the choice God is asking us to make. Now is the time to get up and open the window wide enough for us to step through. Co-laboring with the Lord is crucial right now, but it is important that we remember He is still the One in charge. Because of this, we must be particularly careful to heed the counsel of Proverbs 3:5-6 in allowing Him to direct our labors: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Now is the time to heed God’s call to overcome, and press through the enemy’s battle tactics of distraction, discouragement and confusion. Refuse to be immobilized by them, and, as you do, you will find the grace to embrace dreams you once thought impossible, the love and unity that will help you bring them to pass, and the right to lay claim to the inheritance God has promised to all those who overcome.