Torch, Summer 1994

Overcominc; In The~ 1 by Dr. Dave Drollinger *From Psalms of My Life, ©1987, estate of Joseph Bayly. Used by permission of Chariot Family Publishing. Avai lable at your local Christian bookstore. 6 Torch E r many Christians, overcoming is an illusive dream. Dwelling in the twilight of defeat, they are haunted by memories of failures and unfulfilled dreams. Their feelings are aptly rehearsed by Joseph Bayly in the following psalm:* A Psalm in a Hotel Room I'm alone Lord alone a thousand miles from home. There's no one here who knows my name except the clerk and he spelled it wrong no one to eat dinner with laugh at my jokes listen to my gripes to be happy with me about what happened today and say that's great. No one cares. Theres just this lousy bed and slush in the street outside between the buildings. I feel sorry for myself and I've plenty of reason to. Maybe I ought to say I 'm on top of it praise the Lord things are great but they 're not. Tonight it's all gray slush. All of us have experienced times when the world was dull and gray. It's part of the human experience. But God has provided the means for His children to dwell above the meagerness and mediocrity of gray slush. He has planned and provided for us to experience and enjoy what Jesus called "abundant life." Why, then, do so many believers live in the bleak atmosphere of disappointment and frustration? I believe one answer is a failure to understand and appropriate the vital resource for overcoming. An abundance of "self-help" books address what is commonly referred to as the victorious Christian life. Many, if not most, develop the thesis that victory is the ever illusive consequence of an intense personal struggle. Sadly, this approach to the Christian life is as carnal as the licentious behavior of the Corinthians. The secret is not a more intense personal struggle. The secret is to make use of God's provision for overcoming: the Holy Spirit.