Greater Is He In You

by Lawrence Powell
Nestled in the ancient text of 1 John 4 is a powerful principle for contemporary kingdom living. By this principle, we should live our lives, conduct our affairs and minister in the name of Jesus. It is found in verse 4: “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.” This powerful verse begins with, “You are of God, little children…” That is emphatic: You are a child of God! It is very important that as a believer you know who you are. If you don’t, then you will live far beneath your potential. You’ll live like you’re somebody else! When you do not know who you are in God, in Christ, Satan will try to keep you from accepting this kingdom principle. He’ll work to convince you that you’re weak, that you’re a loser. He’ll have you convinced there’s no way out, that your situation is not redeemable. He’ll tell you that the sickness attacking your body will be the end of you. But you’re not powerless, friend — you’re more than a conqueror. You’re a winner! You’re undefeatable! The scripture goes on to say, “You have overcome them.” Who is “them?” This term actually refers to the Antichrist and the spirit of Antichrist, which is in the world. We know from words like “antiperspirant” that the prefix “anti” means that which is against, or that which is opposed to. So, “antichrist” means that which opposes Christ, that which is against Christ. So this “spirit of Antichrist” is Satan himself, the demonic realm, the demonic agenda, not just the Antichrist personified in End Times teachings. The spirit of Antichrist will try to deceive you and lead you astray. It will invite you to accept human reason over godly reason, temporal evidence as “the facts,” but-Good News!-the real “fact” is you are an overcomer! You may have a treasure in an earthen vessel. Your outward man may be perishing, according to the Scriptures, but your inward man is being renewed day by day. Your body is not perfect: It ages (don’t we know it!). But what’s most important is who we are in the spirit. While you may stand bent over in pain before a mirror and shake your head at your frailty, God may look upon you as a powerhouse of prayer and faith in the midst of your storm! John, in his epistle, makes it very clear why we are overcomers: Because “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” Without Jesus in us, there is no overcoming. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. We cannot redeem the time or make things new. There’s simply no reason for us to be self-focused or think of ourselves as self-sufficient! No, wisdom declares that we need to be God-focused. God is mighty. He is the One who can save. And He is greater than anything we will ever come against. It is important to know who you are. It’s also extremely important that you know who God is. How big is your God? How great is He? If you see Him as distant or distracted, how will His greatness reach you? If you see Him as too big for your problems, how will you cry out to Him for help? Likewise, if you see Him as a spiritual shadow, how will you have confidence that He can do anything for you? If He’s just a religious figure like Buddha or Muhammad, how can He do for you what you need to be done? The Scriptures tell us many things about God: He is a Self-revealing God. From the opening statement in the book of Genesis, He reveals His nature to man: “In the beginning, God…” The Hebrew word is Elohim, the Creator God, the self-existent, eternal and righteous God. If we saw God for who He is, we wouldn’t get so discouraged by the evil and godlessness of our culture. If we could keep the greatness of God before our eyes, we’d be gripped by His awesome reality. Like the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18, if we saw the greatness of God, we would be changed from one degree of glory to the next. God is omnipotent (all-powerful, almighty); He is omnipresent (everywhere present); He is omniscient (all-knowing). He is eternal, self-existent. God is self-sufficient. He doesn’t need anybody else. He can actually do it all on His own! God is transcendent, beyond our ability to describe or fully comprehend. But although He is transcendent, He is also imminent. He is “God with us.” God is sovereign. God is salvation. God is love. He is holy and just. He is righteous. Everything He does is pure and right. Everything He says is truth. God is good, and His mercy endures forever. God is faithful even when we are unfaithful. God is our Helper, “a very real and present help in times of trouble.” He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals us. He is a deliverer, a miracle-worker. And He is immutable (He never changes). God is still on the throne, my friend! The only way Satan can ever defeat you is if you become ignorant of who you are in Christ. When you know really know—that the Greater One resides inside you, then defeat is not an option. You will laugh without fear of the future. We are seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and everything that is under His feet is under our feet as well. When we stand in this truth, we will see victory in our battles. When we stand unified with our other brothers and sisters in the faith, we’ll see the kingdom of darkness pushed back and the glory of God released into our communities, our businesses, our schools, our nation, and our world! I hope you will evict the lies of the enemy from your life today: discouragement, unbelief, poverty, sickness—you’ve got to go in Jesus’ name! Be of good courage, believer. Lift up your head and get back to doing what God has called you to do. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world!