Leaders - Shepherds of the Flock

1Pe 5:5  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

 

I was talking to someone the other day who has been so disappointed with leadership that they have left the church.  Their expectation was high and sometimes we feel rightly so.  God has given them a heart to pastor, yet in the seeming busyness of life and running a church, there does not seem to be much one-on-one pastoring.  Then again, churches grow, thankfully, and to get around to everyone on a personal visitation would leave them NO time at all to tend to preparing their sermons or the everyday running of the church.

 

So do we have too high an expectation for our leaders?  I think not but I do think perhaps we need to look at this with a different perspective.

I have taken a good look at this – having struggled personally being overwhelmed to the point of losing all my joy.  Apparently this was noticed by leadership, yet I did not have one call me in and sincerely ask, "How are you REALLY doing?"  In pondering this, I realised a few things that I feel the Holy Spirit was whispering to my heart.  Firstly, where was my focus?!  Planted fairly and squarely on myself!  No wonder I was in a bit of a bother!  I have access to the throne room, and I did visit frequently over this period of time, but why do I feel that others should go running to the throne room on my behalf.  Sure it would have been nice to have someone say they are concerned that I seem to be struggling with something, but as Joyce Meyer always says, we need to run to the throne and not to the phone.  God is the one with the answers and He faithfully brought me through this "valley of the shadow of death" teaching me a lesson or two about myself and Him.

Secondly, more than this, I realised that just because I felt like this with my feelings running high on "self", I now have NO excuse to sincerely ask those around me, "How are you REALLY doing.  Can I pray for you?  Do you need someone to talk to; shall we go out for a coffee?"  What if I asked my leaders these questions instead of waiting for them to ask me? We expect them to drop everything to run to our aid at our first call but do we run to their aid or the aid of someone else in the church?  This is a question that begs answering, for each of us to search our hearts.  If we did love our leaders and care for them in this way, how would it help them serve the church?  WOW! What a thought!

 

"...For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"  Eph 4:12 

 

Thirdly, and please get this, "Judgement begins at the house of God".  That's not just judgement on the leadership (and they will have the harshest judgement) but that includes you and me.  Leaders, as the above scripture teaches, are to equip us for the work of ministry.  Are we ministering to fellow believers as well as those in the market place?  Are we doing, what we expect of our leaders, any better than they?  Have we laid aside ourselves to help our fellow brothers and sisters?  Do we give heaps of grace for our own short fallings but condemn our leaders and church family to judgement and criticism?  Have we stepped out in faith and obedience to plant a church and have to put up with a congregation like us?  Isn't it a bit two-faced for us to expect only the best Christian wisdom, behaviour and love from the leadership, yet, we can gossip about the way they run the church, and, criticise and judge our family in the church. We seem to have two standards – one for them and one for us.

 

There is no perfect church and certainly are no perfect people.  Do we go to church for the benefits or, do we go to meet with Almighty God and be filled with His Love so that we can pour this overflowing love onto others?  Let us do what the Apostle Paul urges us to do:-

 

"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Rom 12:3 

 

Let us give grace to each other, for when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ, we might be begging for God's grace upon us.

Tempering Righteousness with Love and Mercy

Psa 85:10  Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!

Psa 85:11  Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.

Psa 85:12  Yes, the LORD pours down His blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.

Psa 85:13  Righteousness goes as a herald before Him, preparing the way for His steps.

 

In contemplating God's righteousness vs man's, I thought about the elder brother of the prodigal son.  He was full of his own righteousness and so was condemning and judgemental towards his younger brother who had squandered his heritance on riotous living. (Luk 15:11-32) Angrily he looked at what he had done "right" as opposed to what the younger brother had done "wrong" and this comparison made him bitter, unloving and unforgiving.  He did not see, or understand that the self-centred younger brother left saying, "Father give me" and returned in a spirit of repentance, humbled and changed with a contrite heart that said, "Father make me". The older brother wanted judgement to be passed and did not consider giving mercy.

 

Psa 71:19  Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with You, O God?

 

Isa 28:17  I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness

 

God is the only standard of Righteousness that we have and will be judged upon.  No wonder it is something we can't attain too, yet God is His great mercy "made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2Co 5:21  We appropriate this righteousness by faith and though we work out our salvation with "fear and trembling", we need always remember that it comes not of our own "works" but with the sanctifying help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us when we displease the Father and we heed His voice to repent and obey.  We have no basis for pride that would cause us to not give mercy or grace to others, when we have received mercy and grace in abundance by the Father.  As the old proverb goes, "There by the grace of God, go I."

 

We are purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ and brought into right relationship with Him and are given new life. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2Co 5:17 

If we have been a Christian for a long time, we must remember that the changes we see in ourselves is purely the work of the Holy Spirit in us and our obedience to His gentle conviction.  Let us not be like the elder brother who can tick off the list of right living like some badge and then use that as our standard by which to compare others.  We are all on a journey in Christ and at different stages of maturity.  Sure our obedience and faith play a role in our growth but we don't know the struggles and hurts that others harbour in their souls and the struggle towards glorious freedom in Christ.  I am convinced that all of us struggle in some area in our life in total surrender to Jesus Christ.  We cannot see what goes on in another person's heart and their heart cry to God the Father in their battle of surrender.

All of us desire mercy.  Let us extend mercy too, even if it means we may err on the side of mercy over judgement, knowing that God the Father will call each of us to account one day.  Let us rather cry out to Him on behalf of those we deem "less spiritual" and be an encourager in their faith rather than a stumbling block to their healing.  And let us constantly go to the Father to ask for His grace and mercy on our lives and on the lives of others.

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus so we don't have the time to look around and judge but ask Him to open our eyes instead to the one who needs a helping hand.  Let us not be too righteous in our own eyes to help and instead harden our hearts toward those God has called us to love.

 

And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. Isa 32:17 

 

Righteousness yields the fruit of peace; peace with God, peace with ourselves and peace with others.  I encourage all of us to pursue right and holy living and to keep short accounts with God and our neighbour, remembering......

 

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honour. Pro 21:21 

 

The Natural, The Spiritual

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him."  Col 1:16

I have just been thinking about creation (as I often do) and the vastness and variety of everything Jesus created, and realised afresh that all was created for us.  God's abundance is seen in creation.  Not only did He create on a practical level, for He gave man dominion over the work of His Hands, He also created it to be pleasing to our eyes, to surround us with beauty and to capture our inquisitiveness and imagination.

The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. Psa 111:2 

When I see the blue skies, the canvas of God's Hand, on which He hung the sun and paints the most incredible and awesome sunsets, I'm reminded of His goodness, His glory and His incredible order of things. 

God gave Adam the job of tending His garden.  He created us to do.  We have a great sense of achievement when we accomplish something and bring order too.  Work is a God given gift which gives us a sense of self worth and success.  Our Father works and we are made in His image.  He runs the universe for us, upholding all by the power of His Word.  Jesus told us that He only did the works He saw the Father doing, and the works He does are good and benefit society.

Creation should lead us to God as the natural often gives us clues into the spiritual.  When we look into creation, we see God's amazing wisdom and power.  Even Job encouraged us to:-

"Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you." Job 12:7 -8

When we study the how and why of creation, the order of the universe, the incredible information stored in the DNA, these things should point us back in reverence and awe to a Holy God from whom all good gifts flow.  When we see the rain bring a drought-dry landscape back to life, we should equally see how much we need the rain of the Spirit upon us, the presence of God, to stay "green" and alive, flourishing under His care.

Jesus often used the natural in parables to bring out a spiritual truth.  He is the vine, we the branches and even as a branch is cut away from the vine it perishes. So it is imperative that we remain in Him.  Yet if a branch is pruned it brings forth more fruit.  We need to allow Him to prune us and to cut out all the things that damage our relationship with Him.

He is the Shepherd, we the sheep.  If we go astray, He'll look for us, He'll tend to us and feed us.  Spiritually we need to cling to Him as the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, knowing that we can trust Him to take care of us through any and all situations.

I challenge you, when you gaze upon the nature around us, to think about God's abundant Hand and love for us that He would create such beauty and colour for our enjoyment and pleasure.  A gift from the Creator's Hand for us to unwrap each and every day!

 

 

Eternal Purpose

"...according to the eternal purpose He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" Eph 3:11

God has never had a short-sighted plan for humankind.  He has never had a short-sighted plan for any of us on a personal basis either.  He is from everlasting to everlasting and lives in the eternities of the eternities. (Ps 90:2)

Christ's death and resurrection had eternal consequences for us and for as many as God will call.  The act of the cross and His resurrection has lost no power in the time that has passed by.  The healing Christ paid for 2000 years ago,  the redemption and the forgiveness of our sins, are all recorded in the eternal realm of the Kingdom of God, and will facilitate healing and salvation as long as the sun shall rise and set on humanity.  The bible teaches us that Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

 

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev 13:8 

It blows my mind and is beyond my finite thinking that God planned things before He actually created them and the effectiveness of His plan will go on to the eternal realm. 

Amazingly, before the world was created, He knew us and He already had a plan and work for us to do. (Eph 2:10)  If any of us thought we were a mistake – we were wrong.  Ps 139 teaches us that all our days are already "fashioned" for us.  And God gave us gifts and talents so that we, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will complete all He has called us to do.  These works have eternal value and eternal consequences.   I wonder if we live our lives with the eternal purpose in mind.  Jesus was very clear in His teaching that the fruit we produce on earth will result in our eternal destiny as to whether we live with Him or have to depart from Him.

Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Mat 7:20 - 23

God's plan for us is two-fold.  We were created to love Him and we are to love others and so reach them for eternity.  Each and every one of us is a minister of reconciliation and this is the "will of the Father", the eternal work that will bring the most reward.

 
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 2Co 5:18-20

 Jesus lived His life with eternal purpose and focus.  And His focus was purely on people.  He went to the cross to give us eternal life and to reconcile us to Father to whom we now have access to the very throne room as children of God.  Let us live our lives with an eternity focus for His glory and bring as many as He will call through us into the eternal realm.

Stepping out - walking on water

There are many stories in the bible that inspire and challenge us, and none other greater than Peter walking on water in Matthew 14.  I was listening to a song by Casting Crowns called "The Voice of Truth" and the revelation from the Holy Spirit really got me chewing on this.

                "To step out of my comfort zone

                Into the realm of the unknown

                Where Jesus is and He is holding out His hand".

Wow, what faith Peter had, leaving the comfort and others in the boat to step out onto the waves.  Generally we are so self focused, and look out for our self comfort and self preservation.  Yet in that frightening experience, even for skilled fishermen, in the dark of night, Peter calls out to the Lord and on His invitation, sets his eyes on Jesus and steps over the side of the boat.

Faith steps out.  Faith conquers fear.  And faith is what pleases God.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Yet faith is not a "leap in the dark" because faith is founded securely in Him.  Jesus is found and reigns in the supernatural realm where He is seated next to the throne of God.  This is where He is found, not on the avenue of doubt and unbelief.  His glory is found on the treacherous mountain pass of our faith.  Someone once said, "Faith begins where possibilities end. If it's possible, then there's no glory for God in it."  Jesus is found in the call and faith of His Bride and in every step of faith taken in obedience.  It never ceases to amaze me, when I have gone on mission trips and out of my comfort zone, God always meets me there, and every trip is a blessing beyond my expectations.

He is found in our giving.  Often people do not want to give their tithes or support the work of God because they are tied to money and possessions and lack the faith to give generously and with cheerful abandonment.  But if we don't give, we don't sow the seed, we don't get the harvest.  When we give, God is responsible for the harvest.  His laws of nature show us quite clearly that if you plant a seed, for example a tomato seed, you harvest much fruit from the one plant.  No matter what we sow, whether love, time or funds, harvest comes.  Ask anyone who faithfully gives and you will find out that God is true to His Word and as Jesus said:-

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luk 6:38 

God loves us and does meet us in the comfort zone but we won't see His glory there.  But so often, God forgive us, we have a fear of man and our own pride (what if God doesn't come through and I get egg on my face).  God's glory does not manifest in fear but in the faith that moves mountains.

So how do we get to this mountain moving faith?  Believe.  If God has said it, that should be enough for us.  Jesus said to Martha when she protested in the removal of the grave stone before Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb:-

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Joh 11:40

   
Jesus commended those who had great faith and rebuked those who had little faith.  Therefore faith can grow from small to great. 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17 

We hear.  We actually hear the Word of God and we can only do this by studying and meditating upon the scriptures.  We mutter and consider the Word of the Lord and that seed will drop down into our hearts, become ours and produce a harvest.  We understand it and believe it and act upon it.  Hence our faith grows as we test the faithfulness of the Word and the faithfulness and love of our Father in Heaven and see His power contained within His Word to change our lives and the lives of others.

Let me leave you with this precious portion of scripture to hear and think upon and make yours:-

Eph 3:16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Eph 3:17  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph 3:18  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

Eph 3:19  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Eph 3:20  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Eph 3:21  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Lord of the Dance

Psa 149:3  Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

 

Having just returned from a missions trip to Fiji, I thought I would write down some of the thoughts I believe that the Holy Spirit gave me.  At one home church in Ba, the youth did a dance for us that really touched me.  I was brought to tears as the Holy Spirit was ushered in and the word I was given was "delight".  I could sense His delight in what the youth were doing, glorifying Him in the dance.

 

It really got me thinking.  Jesus is the Lord of the Dance and we are to follow, step by step, giving Him the lead in our lives.  In ballroom dancing, the man takes the lead and guides the woman in the dance.  This is a principle to adhere to with Christ our Lord and us, the church, His Bride. 

 

Jesus called all His disciples with "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". (Mat 4:19)  It is in following Him that we find our identity and destiny.  He makes us.  He leads us.  He tests us.  He gives us a choice.  When He calls, we either respond positively or we can respond negatively.  This tests our true commitment and our heart.  The disciples, on His invitation, immediately left all, laying down their careers instantly and went after him.

 

There is a cost in following the leading of Jesus.

 

Mat 8:19  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."

Mat 8:20  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Mat 8:21  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

Mat 8:22  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

 

The scribe was making a declaration that he would follow Jesus but Jesus warned Him that in following Him, earthly comforts may have to be put aside if we truly prioritise Kingdom business.  We even need to be prepared to put our grief and emotions aside if Kingdom business calls first.

 

Mat 16:24  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

 

We need to be prepared to give up all we own if God calls us to; forsaking our pleasures, our needs, denying all of these earthly pursuits and coming against the "what about me?" for the sake of the Kingdom.

 

Jesus didn't promise that following Him would be a bed of roses which is why He told us to count the cost.  But the rewards in following Him are worth everything and the blessings that come in being obedient far outweigh anything that this world can offer.  His grace is sufficient for us and the Holy Spirit helps us to walk in righteousness when we lean on Him, trusting Him to overcome battles of temptation.  We will have an eternal reward too.

 

 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

Rev 19:8  And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Rev 19:9  Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

 

The "wife" has made herself ready!  How?  "...by the righteous acts".  These righteous acts are those that are spirit led and acted upon with the love of God.  The Word tells us that our righteous acts are as "filthy rags" (Is 64:6) because, especially pre-salvation, we have the wrong motive – to show how good we are.  All things we do, prompted by the Holy Spirit of God and done with the pure motive of bringing glory to God, will have its reward in heaven. 

 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Gal 5:18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 

It is being led by the Spirit that helps us grow up into the things of God because the Spirit may lead us where we really don't want to be taken.  Obedience to His voice always brings the blessing of God and spiritual change.

 

Mat 4:1  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

 

I can't image that Jesus was totally delighted to be led into the wilderness to be tempted and tested by the devil for 40 days and 40 nights but He was obedient to the call and after His time in the wilderness came out ready to minister, full of Holy Ghost power.  This is the power of obedience.

 

Jesus is ready to dance with you.  He wants to take the lead and tango you into an exciting and fulfilling ministry directed by His footsteps with you leaning on His arm.  There may be times He will waltz you onto the dance floor just to be intimate with you and gaze into your eyes.  When He directs, and we follow, there is safety and excitement in His arms as we move to the melody of His music.

 

 

 

 

 

Overcoming Faith

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Joh 16:33

Jesus had overcoming faith and He calls us to overcoming faith too.  Like a boxer in the ring, the game is not over until one of the opponents doesn't get up anymore.  Jesus understood that trials and tribulations, that left hook, would come as we do have an opponent (adversary)( 1 Pet 5:8) who wants to defeat us, discourage us or disappoint us.  Jesus, Himself, had some bouts with the enemy in the ring but remained always the Victor.  We may take a blow, but we need to get up again and again.

Luke 4 tells us Jesus was "full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit".  This is one key for us to have overcoming faith as scripture admonishes us to be continually filled.  (Eph 5:18)  We need to walk in the Spirit so we won't fulfil the lusts of the flesh, leaning on the Holy Spirit's power within us. (Gal 5:16)  Lust is very destructive and totally opposed to the desires of the Holy Spirit.  Lust is idolatry, desiring something so much we place it in front of God, forsaking His desire for us.  The devil tempted Jesus with the lust of the eyes by showing Him, in a moment of time, all the Kingdoms of the earth.  "Come on Jesus, look at all this magnificent beauty you can rule over, all of it yours, if you bow down before me."  If, that's the operative word! The "if" promises much but delivers nothing. Just once, do it just once.  Fleeting pleasures, the stolen moment! It satisfies temporarily but then brings pain and broken relationship, guilt and shame.  How many illicit love affairs have opened up a wave of untold misery and widespread hurt?  It shakes the very core of a family unit and its destruction is long-lived unless healing comes through the mercy of God's Hand.

The Amplified version of Luke 4 says that Jesus was tried, tested exceedingly. For forty days He ate nothing and was hungry.  satan challenged Jesus "if you are the Son of  God command this stone to turn into bread."  satan challenged Christ's identity.  He knew who Jesus was, but at a time of great physical discomfort and need questioned Him in an effort to force evidence, proof of who He was.  I believe that this is another key to overcoming faith, our identity, who we are in Christ.  If we know we are children of God, we are more likely to act like children of God.  Knowing the price God and Jesus paid for us to be adopted into the Kingdom as children keeps us in love with the Saviour and humble.  Being rooted and grounded in His Love compels us to want to please Him and love others.  Meditating on His Love helps us respond to Him more and more.  But as Jesus said, "Man cannot live on bread alone but by every word of God."(Luke 4:4)  The key to finding our identity is in the Word of God, which is another one of the keys to overcoming faith.  We must study God's word to know how to overcome.  Even as Jesus brought the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit" against satan's accusations and demands, so must we.  "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." (1 Jn 5:4) 

Faith is built on the promises of God's Word and the knowledge of His character.  This is how God reveals Himself to us, through His Word.  It is no wonder that satan attacks the Word with everything he can.  No wonder over the course of history, the bible has been banned, burnt and attacked and branded as only a bunch of stories.  Jesus used the Word against all the wiles of the devil.  The Word is our offensive weapon against the kingdom of darkness and it is the revealer of the wickedness that rules in our flesh.  The Bible shows us what in our hearts – gets to the very core of our motives.  When we see ourselves in the "mirror" of the Word we will repent.  When we understand how God sees us "pre-conversion", evil, wicked, sons of the devil, sinners and yet still in this state, He came to die for us, we can understand the depth of His Mercy and unconditional Love for us.  That He desired relationship with us is phenomenal.  That God gave His only begotten Son for us, has to be the greatest love story of all time.  Jesus said that "those who mourn will be comforted."  When we understand the truth and repent, He comforts us with restoration, forgiveness, mercy and puts us in the right relationship with Himself.  WOW!  That is life changing Truth.  The devil has no defence against the truth, so he, being the father of lies, deceives us into believing the opposite of what God has said.  We are defeated when we choose to believe a lie over the Truth.  This also affects our worship, which is another key to overcoming faith.

satan wanted Christ's worship.  God deserves our worship but will not force any to worship Him. satan wants worship because he wants to be God.  This is the pride that led to his eviction from heaven, wanting to be exulted over God.  satan promises fame, fortune and power to those who will give him worship but he delivers a death sting instead.  Reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar who demanded Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to worship his statute or be thrown into the fiery furnace.   Forced worship never works.

God is the One and Only God and there is none like Him.  God desires our voluntary worship in response to His Love and to who He is and what He has done for us.  Those who worship Him become more like Him.  This is the principle laid out in Ps 135:6 that those who worship false idols become like their idols.

Yes, we can have overcoming faith even amidst the trials and tribulations that come our way.  As one translation of the opening scripture says, cheer up! Cheer up!  Just found another key.  Cheer up!