The Christian life is not a playground—it’s a battleground. Every day, we’re surrounded by voices that challenge the truth of God’s Word, temptations that seek to pull us away from Christ, and spiritual opposition that wars against our soul. And yet, in the midst of all this, the Word of God boldly declares that we are overcomers—not in our own strength, but because of the One who lives in us.
The Lord Jesus didn’t just die to forgive us—He rose again to empower us. When He said, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), He wasn’t just proclaiming victory for Himself—He was securing victory for us. And the aged apostle John, writing with the tenderness of a shepherd and the clarity of a seasoned servant, reminds us in his letters that Christ’s victory is meant to be seen in us and through us, every single day.
But how do we walk in that victory? How do we live as overcomers in a world that constantly seeks to pull us down? John doesn’t leave us guessing. In his first epistle, he outlines five powerful resources—gifts from God—that equip every believer to stand strong, press on, and live triumphantly in Christ.
These are not abstract ideas or theological theories. They are real, practical, Spirit-empowered tools: the Word of God, the indwelling Spirit, the new birth, our faith, and the truth of who Jesus is. These are the anchors that hold us in the storm, the weapons of our warfare, and the channels through which God’s overcoming life flows in us.
Let’s take a closer look at these five resources—not just to know what they are, but to be reminded of who we belong to and how He’s equipped us to live for His glory. Dear friend, you are not called to struggle in defeat—you are called to walk in victory. And every resource you need has already been supplied in Christ.
In 1 John 2:12–14, the apostle John spoke of three groups: children, young men, and fathers. The word children here in verse 12 speaks of every believer in the family of God whose sins have been forgiven. The fathers are mature in their walk with the Lord. They have experienced His faithfulness and have intimate knowledge of Him. But the young men are overcomers—they have enjoyed victory over the wicked one. But the question must be asked, “How did they overcome the wicked one?” And the answer is: the same way their Lord and Savior did when He was here—through the Word of God! We are told their secret: “The Word of God abides (is at home) in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” It was not only that they had been in the Word, but the Word was in them. The psalmist said, “Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11).
The perfect example of using the Word of God to overcome the wicked one is our blessed Savior Himself. In Matthew 4, the Lord Jesus was in the wilderness, and each time the devil sought to tempt Him, He responded by using the Word of God, saying “It is written.” It is the Word of God that enables you and me to triumph over the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
The second resource believers have to live a victorious life is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul reminds us of the Spirit’s presence and power when he stated, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Underline “after you heard the word of truth… having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit is a permanent resident in the life of every true believer. This is why John encourages us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
The indwelling Spirit of God helps us to have discernment and clarity as to what is of God and what is not of God. He also guides us into all truth (Jn. 16:13). The apostle John put it this way: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 Jn. 2:20), and again, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie—and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” The Holy Spirit is our teacher, as promised by the Lord Jesus (Jn. 14:16–18, 26; 16:13–15).
In 1 John 5:4–5 we read, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5 begins by informing us, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” These verses underline the truth that our Lord taught to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3). To be born again is to be born of God or born from above. It is nothing we do ourselves, but it is entirely a work of God accomplished in us when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is then that we become a new creation and old things pass away (2 Cor. 5:17). We are overcomers because the life of Christ is in us. The apostle Peter would remind us, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3–4).
In these same verses in 1 John 5 we read, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The fact that we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have been given new life in Him gives us the victory! Because He has won the day, you and I can enjoy His victory—we can live in the good of the victory won at Calvary!
The last resource John mentions is, “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The truth of the Lord Jesus Christ being the eternal Son of God helps us overcome the world.
John would go on to write in 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God,” and again in verse 20, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
These five resources help us live a victorious life for Christ as overcomers in this world. They are not optional extras—they are the means by which we stand firm in the battle and shine as lights in a dark world. John would add, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin (practice sin); but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” That’s the reality we live in—a spiritual battlefield. But here’s the greater reality: Christ has already overcome the world, sin, and the devil. And because of that, you and I—through His Word, by His Spirit, and in the power of our new life in Him—can live as true overcomers. Not in defeat. Not in fear. But in the full assurance of His victory at Calvary. Friend, the Overcomer lives in you—and His victory is yours to walk in today.