Leading The Way

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining pastor and author Dr. Michael Youssef for Leading The Way.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Suppose you take this vast inheritance that your rich uncle left you and you put it under the mattress, or even suppose you put it in the bank. You leave it there, and you continue to live in poverty. It is in your name. You own it, but you are not enjoying a dime of it. This is the condition of most believers today.

Guest (Male): Question: Are you drowning in spiritual poverty, or victoriously rising above life's challenges with a conquering faith? Welcome to Leading The Way with pastor and the author of the new culture-challenging book, "An Unholy Alliance," Dr. Michael Youssef. Today, encouragement to live in the fullness of God's amazing grace through faith. Let's get right to the good stuff. Listen with me as Dr. Youssef challenges you to experience life at its best.

Dr. Michael Youssef: If you listen to people, whether it is in the media or public in general, or even educators for that matter, when they talk about faith, generally speaking, they are really talking about you having faith in yourself or having faith in somebody else, or having faith that things will be okay. The word faith is sort of bandied about without really proper definition and understanding.

Even some churches teach that faith in God is a blind faith. Not many years ago, a minister was talking to me one-on-one and he basically said, "I do not know if the Bible is true or not. I do not know if Jesus is real or not. I do not know if the resurrection happened or not, but I just accept it all by faith."

My response was that I would rather be an atheist than have this kind of blind faith. My faith is anchored in the fact that God is what the Bible says He is. My faith is anchored in the fact that every word in His book is God-breathed. My faith is anchored in the fact that Jesus was God of very God who became man of very man. My faith is anchored in the fact that four eyewitness accounts detail the life, the crucifixion, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ far more than all the historical evidence by which we believe history.

They were recording what they saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears. My faith is anchored in the fact that I was wicked and lost in sin, but when I came and asked for His forgiveness, He gave it to me. He forgave my sin and gave me the assurance of eternal life. Before Christ came into my life, I was alienated, aimless, fearful, and anxious about my eternal future. But Jesus gave me saving faith.

Whenever Satan or my own flesh tempt me to rebel against the living God, Jesus gives me conquering faith, victorious faith, and power to conquer temptation. This faith is very real. This faith is tangible. This faith is practical. This faith is reasonable. This faith is very sure and authentic. The reason for that is because John said Jesus gives us conquering faith.

I want you to turn with me, if you have not already, to one of my favorite verses in the scripture, 1 John 5:4. "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." Only you know whether you are born of God or not.

We have been looking at the way John leads us into a logical progression in his epistle. First, he told us how to receive life at its best. Then he told us how to sustain it. Then he told us how to grow in it. Then he told us how to overcome conflictedness. Then he told us how to experience that lavish love of God. Then he told us how to be empowered to overcome doubt. Then he told us how to develop healthy skepticism.

He showed us, as we saw in the last message, how to have an authentic self-esteem. Today, he tells us that faith is the key to victory. In fact, more than that, he tells us that faith is the master key to victory. John could be called, rightly so, the victorious apostle, the overcoming apostle.

In the book of Revelation, he mentions overcoming 12 times. Then he speaks about overcoming six times in this epistle. That is because John understood that you and I cannot live life at its best, cannot experience reality in life without knowing how to overcome, without knowing how to be victorious, without knowing how to be triumphant.

You say, "Man, what does he know about my problems? What does he know about my circumstances? He was living back in the first century. What does he know about the temptations of the 21st century?" Let me give you a little bit of an understanding of the period in which he was writing.

When John wrote those words, there were no churches on every corner. There was no Christian radio and television 24 hours a day. There were no Christian books by the truckload. There were no children's pastors, student pastors, specialized pastors, or preachers. There was none of that. In fact, the opposite is true. Persecution was raging. Nero was lighting the fire over Rome. Emperors were killing Christians for entertainment.

The Roman Empire from east to west was filled with hatred, oppression, and tyranny against Christians. Yet John said, "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." This overcoming faith is more than a set of doctrine. This overcoming faith is more than just a set of beliefs. This overcoming faith is not church tradition.

Overcoming faith is a daily experience. It is an experience of the love of Christ on a daily basis. It is an experience of practicing the love of Christ in the midst of hatred. The contrast between what the Christians were teaching and what the society in Rome was teaching could not be more visible. It could not be greater.

Rome taught people to hate and they made hate to be a virtue. Christians taught love. Rome conquered by force, but Christians conquered by love. Rome used the weapons of war and bloodshed, but Christians used the weapons of the Spirit of God. Rome placed its faith in its army and a multitude of gods. Christians placed their faith in the God who became man so that He may make those who come to Him receive and partake in a divine nature.

When he penned those words, he knew a lot more than you and I will ever experience in 10 lifetimes. John is saying there can be no genuine faith, no conquering faith, and no victorious faith without believing and experiencing the fact that Jesus is the only true God. He is not one of many gods; He is the only true God. He is not just a founder of religion; He is the only true God. He is not just one of the great teachers of all time; He is the only true God.

Therefore, John says there is no way to heaven without Him. This is the cornerstone for conquering faith and victorious faith. Once you receive that saving, conquering faith and become a Christian, that is only the beginning. Then you have to experience it on a daily basis in every area of your life.

There is a saving faith, the faith by which we become born again, the faith by which we turn from being children of darkness to children of light. Then there is a daily faith, which you have to experience on a daily basis, moment by moment.

Look at verse four again. "Whoever is born of God overcomes the world." I gave you the illustration of a rich uncle who gave you his entire estate. That inheritance became yours by virtue of relationship with the uncle. Your eternal inheritance becomes yours by virtue of relationship with Jesus Christ. You did not work for it, you did not earn it, and that is what happened with salvation. God gives it to you by virtue of relationship with Jesus Christ. You did not have to do anything for it; you just received it.

Now, let me continue the analogy and take it a little further. Suppose you take this vast inheritance that your rich uncle left you and you put it under the mattress, or even suppose you put it in the bank and you leave it there. You continue to live in poverty. You do not withdraw a single dollar. You never go to the bank to exercise your rightful ownership. It just stays there. It is in your name. You own it. You have authority over it. No one can take it away from you, but you are not enjoying a dime of it.

This is the condition of most believers today. They are saved by faith. They have received an eternal inheritance. Their salvation is sure, but they are living in utter spiritual poverty. Why? Because they do not exercise conquering faith. They do not live victoriously over sin. They do not live triumphantly over temptation. They do not make a withdrawal from that vast inheritance that became theirs because of Jesus Christ. They do not overcome the world.

What world is he talking about? Let me break it down to where you are and where I am. There are basically two worlds that you and I face on a regular basis. There is the outside world, that is outside of us, and there is the inside world. Did you know that you have worlds inside of you? You have a big world right there inside of you—your head, your heart.

When you see the world outside engulfed in hatred, selfishness, poverty, disease, enmity, and injustice, what do you do? You shrug your shoulder and say, "What can I do? What can one person do?" Believers never bother to draw some of the resources of their eternal inheritance and go out and make a difference in the world.

Make some withdrawal from that conquering faith and go and overcome. Take hold of the precious inheritance of faith that you have been given at salvation and go and overcome the world. Then there is the inside world. Probably my greatest war is with the inside world. There is temptation to fall into sitting back, sulking, complaining, and thinking you are very spiritual.

There are things that you are reading, seeing, and hearing that you have no business seeing, reading, or hearing because it is corroding your soul. You constantly give in to these forces on the inside of you. In the world inside of you, there is the temptation of worrying, fretting, and anxiety about the future. You give in to those forces that are on the inside of you.

In the world inside of you, there is temptation not to trust God to provide for you and your family, and so you hoard His blessings. You give in to these forces in the world inside of you. In the world inside of you, there is the temptation of what John calls the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Instead of overcoming these forces in the inside world, you give in to them and you say, "Everybody is in the same boat, what can I do?" He did not give you that eternal inheritance so you can sit back, sulk, and sour. You have been given a huge and incredible inheritance of faith to use it to overcome. You have been given a powerful weapon so that you might fight and win. You have been given an overcoming faith. This is the victory that overcomes the world.

Exercise that faith. Faith is like a muscle; if you do not use it, it is going to atrophy. Exercise that faith, stretch that faith, live by that faith, use that faith, and trust in the God who has given you that faith. Go and do some conquering in Jesus' name.

John said, "If faith is the victory by which you overcome the world, then you better know in whom this faith is anchored. You better know in whom this faith is placed." It is not in your family connection, your relationships, your business deals, your work, or anywhere else. Look at verses 6 to 12 very quickly. I am going to summarize chapter five for you.

I was thinking about how in the gangster movies there is a very popular phrase that producers and writers use when there is a fight going on. The guy would say, "Do you know who you are talking to? Do you know who you are dealing with?" John is actually saying that. He said you better know who you are dealing with. You better know who is the one who is the source of that conquering faith.

If you ask the average Christian, "Do you know who the source of your power and strength is?" They say, "Oh yes, God." Come on, give me a break. Do you know who the source of victory in your life is? Do you know who the source of conquering faith in your life is? Intellectually, you say, "Yes we do, we know He is God."

John said He is the one at whose baptism in the River Jordan, heaven opened, the Holy Spirit showed up, and the Father testified, "This is my beloved son in whom I'm pleased." That is the water. He is the one, though He was the only perfect, sinless man that has ever lived, and yet He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary so that He might redeem everyone who would come to Him. That is why He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

That is where the blood comes in. He is the one to whom heaven and earth testified. There is no one like Him. There is no way to heaven without Him. There is no way to a meaningful life apart from Him. There is no salvation without Him. There can be no real peace and joy in your life apart from Him. There is no true contentment in life apart from Him.

He is the same one to whom John testified as an eyewitness when he wrote his gospel according to John. Now he is in the epistles trying to fill in the gaps, saying, "Now this is how you apply Him to you. This is how you appropriate His power on your daily living." He is the one who said, "I and the Father are one."

He is the one who said, "I and the Father are equal," and he said He has the same power as the Father. He is the bread of life, the good shepherd, the resurrection, and the life. He is the one who said in John chapter 17 verses two and three, "Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

That is what John is doing here. He is just applying the gospel that he already wrote. What John is saying in the epistle is merely explaining what he saw and testified to from the lips of Jesus, the only one in the world, in history since creation, who was worshipped and received worship.

Saving faith is important. It is very important, and I am not minimizing that at all. We exist so that people will come to know Jesus Christ, but it cannot stop there. You have to exercise victorious daily faith every single day in every area of your life. It is just like a marriage. Marriage begins, not ends, when the marriage vows are taken and the covenant is made. That is just the beginning.

Eternal life begins by believing that only Jesus Christ can take you to heaven. Any joyful, happy, contented, growing marriage does not conclude at the wedding night; it only begins. So is the victorious faith. It does not end once you come to Jesus. Saving faith, conquering faith, and eternal life are not just nebulous concepts.

There is no ambiguity in them anymore than there can be ambiguity in marriage. If I ask a person, "Are you married?" The person can say yes or can say no. But if a person says, "I am not really sure," I would worry about that person. I would want to help him.

If I ask you, "Do you have conquering faith? Do you have eternal life?" You can either say yes or no. Not sure means no. If you are not sure, it means no. You can be sure today by recognizing the authority of Jesus Christ and submitting to Him as Lord. You will immediately receive all the inheritance that the Father has for Him—all of it, not just a part of it.

Begin to spend your inheritance. He wants you to spend it. He wants you to give it away. Why? Because it is inexhaustible and limitless. It is in abundance, and the more you use it, the more He gives you. Start spending it in conquering the world outside and the world inside. It is your inheritance to have daily victory in Jesus.

Guest (Male): Dr. Michael Youssef declaring words of victory on Leading The Way. You can listen to this message or share it with a friend when you click "Listen" at LTW.org. You can also download the app or subscribe to the podcast. More ways to connect are outlined at LTW.org.

Let me also encourage you to sign up for My Journal when you are there at LTW.org, or give us a call at 866-626-4356. My Journal is a free monthly magazine encouraging your spiritual journey and connecting you further with Leading The Way.

Dr. Michael Youssef's My Journal is the invaluable monthly publication of Leading The Way. Each month you will find My Journal offering rich, biblically based devotionals from Dr. Youssef that help you deepen your study of scripture. You will also find monthly scripture prompts to help you memorize God's word, trending articles to equip you with a biblical worldview on popular issues, and the Ask Dr. Youssef column where Dr. Youssef answers your most pressing questions.

In the monthly My Journal, you will receive frontline ministry updates and exclusive previews of Dr. Youssef's books before they are even released, as well as special offers, free digital resources, and more. My Journal is an amazing resource to not only cultivate your own personal walk with Christ but also to stay informed about how and where God is moving through the world today through Leading The Way. Get your free subscription today. Subscribe now at LTW.org.

Before we say goodbye, here are several notes that our international team recently received through the Kingdom Sat. That is Dr. Youssef's 24/7 satellite programming to Arabic-speaking people worldwide. We thought that you would be encouraged to hear how the gospel is changing lives through Leading The Way.

Rashida from Morocco writes, "I have lived my life feeling lonely and disconnected. One day, by accident, I discovered Leading The Way. After watching Dr. Michael Youssef's teachings, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior."

Laura writes, "Dr. Youssef's teaching on marriage helped me understand how to survive an abusive relationship. His teaching has guided me through my journey of healing. Thank you for your continued service to those who need the word of God."

Jamal in Jordan writes, "I left Islam after discovering the love and peace found in Jesus. Leading The Way has been a trusted friend. Please pray that my wife will hear the gospel too."

Through your faithfulness, Dr. Youssef and the ministry teams are able to reach into this neighborhood and neighborhoods just like it all around the world with the gospel. Learn ways that you can stand with Dr. Youssef at LTW.org. This program is furnished by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.