The Way of Overcomers: The Christian Way, #11

By Zacharias Tanee Fomum

In this book, the author, Z.T. Fomum, highlights the need for God to have men and women determined and committed to the triumph and glory of God. He's looking for people who are ready for critical battles requiring faith and obedience.

The author explains that the Lord is looking for groups of individual overcomers that He will use. Ultimately, He wants the whole Body, the Bride of His Son, to be committed to establishing the kingdom of God on earth through their lives of sacrifice and total surrender.

All this is illustrated by

• the life of Gideon and the 300 overcomers,
• the life of an individual overcomer like Caleb,
• an overcomer at work like Joshua, and then, finally,
• the church and the overcomers.

This book is a real instrument of revival in order to lead each saint to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to

• overcome the flesh and its desires,
• overcome the world and its desires,
• overcome the devil and his inspired desires.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books4revival
• Release date: Jan 1, 1983
• ISBN: 9781310735202

Zacharias Tanee Fomum

For FREE books from Zacharias Tanee Fomum: https://books.bookfunnel.com/ztf-free-ebooks. Professor Zacharias Tanee FOMUM was a man of uncommon spirituality, a leading voice for revival, a workaholic, a prophet-teacher, and a world-shaping spiritual genius. He was a bestselling Christian author (with over 350 books, over 10 million copies in circulation in over 100 languages) and a professor of Organic Chemistry (with over 160 published scientific works of high distinction (earning him the award of a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Durham, Great Britain). His books and the millions of people he influenced in more than 40 years of Christian ministry continue to impact the world with the Gospel today. He founded Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI), a missionary movement that has planted churches in more than 120 nations on all continents. He believed in a life of simplicity and with the support and dedication of his wife and their seven children, his all—time, money, heart, and soul— was dedicated to spreading the Gospel. He carried out exploits for God through the making of disciples for Christ, planting of churches, building spiritual leaders according to the model of the Bible, and serving the body of Christ, especially as a teacher on prayer. Learn more and read exclusive excerpts at: https://ztfomum.org

Book preview

PREFACE

This book, "the Way Of Overcomers", is the eleventh in the Christian Way Series. The books in this series are:

The Way Of Life

The Way Of Obedience

The Way Of Discipleship

The Way Of Sanctification

The Way Of Christian Character

The Way Of Spiritual Power

The Way Of Christian Service

The Way Of Spiritual Warfare

The Way Of Suffering For Christ

The Way Of Victorious Praying

The Way Of Overcomers

The Way Of Spiritual Encouragement

The Way Of Loving The Lord

Overcomers are people who, constantly facing choices between satisfying God or satisfying self, choose to satisfy God. Those who continue as overcomers are those who make God their consistent choice. By their consistent choice of the Lord (which also means that they consistently reject the wicked one) they satisfy God’s heart and make themselves the object of hell’s greatest fury and heaven’s greatest joy.

These overcomers are people who succeed to have their love for the Lord maintained by:

continuous contact,

continuous fellowship,

continuous obedience and

continuous elimination

of even the slightest barrier between them and God.

It is in the purpose of God that all His elect should overcome the devil, the world and the flesh. Unfortunately, many are overcome because of an unwillingness to pay the price. Overcomers are normal Christians.

This book goes out with the prayer that the Lord of glory should move through the power of the Holy Spirit to produce many overcomers in His Church; for His great purposes are tied up with these.

Yaounde, 15th May 1983.

Dr. Zacharias TANEE FOMUM

B.P. 6090, YAOUNDE

CAMEROON

1

GIDEON AND THE 300 OVERCOMERS

1. THE NEED FOR OVERCOMERS

In the particular situation of Gideon, the need for overcomers was raised by the following situation :

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves and strongholds. For whenever the Israelites put in seed the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up and attack them; they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighbourhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or ass. For they would come up with their cattle and their tents, coming like locusts for number; both they and their camels could not be counted, so that they wasted the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian ; and the people of Israel cried for help to the Lord (Judges 6:1-6).

Yes, the situation was terrible. The people could not do anything about it themselves. They cried to the Lord for help.

2. THE CHOICE OF A LEADER OF OVERCOMERS

God always takes the initiative in the choice of a leader of overcomers. Men cannot make such a choice. Boards and committees are useless in making such a choice. God alone makes the choice and He always does it in conformity with His perfect will. In Gideon’s situation the Bible says,

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Oiphrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite (Judges 6:11).

Unless God takes the initiative, all human planning and scheming is a waste of time and effort.

3. THE QUALIFICATION OF A LEADER OF OVERCOMERS

Gideon fulfilled seven requirements that are indispensable for anyone whom God will call upon to lead overcomers. We shall look at these briefly :

A) HE WAS HARDWORKING

The angel’s first contact with Gideon was

as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites (Judges 6:11).

He was working hard. Spiritual service and spiritual leadership require hard work. No lazy person will be called upon to lead overcomers. If you are lazy, you will be disqualified by the Lord. There are too many in the Body of Christ who are doing nothing for the Lord. They are just there! Some think that they will only work hard when God gives them something special to do. That is folly. For Gideon, the beating out of wheat was a serious job. Lazy students, lazy workers, lazy husbands, lazy wives, lazy children, will never be called by the Lord to something special. If you are lazy and have spiritual office, know for certain that God did not put you there and even though men put you there in ignorance, God will pull you out of it, and it may be soon if you do not do something to remedy the situation at once.

B) HE WAS STRONG

The angel first addressed Gideon in the following terms,

The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour (Judges 6:12).

Gideon was a man of strength. First of all, it was physical strength that was derived from hard work. Lazy people become weaker with time. Those who get tired before they have even begun to work will not go far with God. Do you work hard ? Secondly, Gideon had strength that was derived from discipline. He said No to excessive sleep, food, talking, and the rest. A person may be able to work hard but if he is indisciplined, he will not go far. Discipline means that clear goals are set and pursued whole-heartedly; the price being paid. Let me say it again that this country will not be won for Christ by men and women who oversleep, overeat, take away useful hours, take work and do not do it because they allow every small thing to sidetrack them. It will not be won by people who do things half-heartedly.

All who will be used by God will select what they are to do and give themselves whole-heartedly to it. It was said of someone that he gave himself to everything he did so completely that anyone might have mistaken even his trivial occupations for his life’s goal for at that moment he gave himself completely to that. A heart which is partly committed to work, sleep, exercise, indiscipline in one way or the other will cost you much physically and materially, but it will certainly cost you everything spiritually.

Gideon was also strong in his resolve. He pursued one constant direction of overcoming the difficulties by the Midianites. No one will ever be called to lead overcomers who could not concentrate on his main purpose. Men of divided energies, who are too nice to say No, who accept every job including the ones meant for others, will be disqualified. If you are indisciplined, mend your ways before God disqualifies you.

When the Lord commissioned Gideon, He said to him by the angel,

Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian (Judges 6:14).

Go in this might of yours, was the instruction. What if Gideon had had no might ? Well, he would not have been sent. Another one who had the right qualification would have been sent in his place. God will never appoint people who through continuous laziness and indiscipline have wasted many opportunities to develop physical, moral and spiritual strength.

C) HE WAS HUMBLE

Gideon was hardworking and strong, but he was not presumptuous. He knew his limitations. When given such an enormous task, he did not say, That is what I have been waiting for. Why have you been so slow in seeing the fact that I qualify for such an office? Such people do not deserve any spiritual office. People who are anxious to command must never be put to command. Gideon outlined his smallness for the task. He said,

My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family (Judges 6:15).

He had no confidence in himself nor in his people. In the world, people will say, I may be stupid but my uncle is this and that. Before God and in His service, all that matters is not human connections but spiritual life. Gideon was humble and so God chose him. Hudson Taylor, the founder and director of China Inland Mission once said, God chose me because I was weak enough. But remember, he was weak but very hardworking. He was weak but not lazy. God will use weak hardworking, disciplined people but lazy and indisciplined people are useless to Him.

D) GIDEON HAD FAITH

It is freak to be humble, but faithlessness is another thing entirely. It is a refusal to believe God. Gideon was told by the Lord,

I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man (Judges 6:16).

God promised Gideon that He would be with him. He also guaranteed his victory over the enemy. That was all that was needed.

Today, God wants persons who will recognize their inadequacies but who will believe God for great things. Such men will look away from themselves and look up to the Lord. They will seize the promise of God, believe every word of it and go out in full assurance to accomplish all that the Lord has promised. Leaders of overcomers must not only believe that God is able, but that He will do what He has promised.

False humility that magnifies the power and ability of God will always destroy. Are you one of those who always doubt? You have no constant position. Today you believe God, tomorrow you are jumping at something else. This is really terrible. It is deep sin. God cannot give such a man a great thing to do for Him; for he will abandon it mid-way for another sudden idea that has entered his head which he shamelessly spiritualizes as God has said to me.

Let me insist that no one can go far without faith. No one can please God without faith. No one can serve God without faith. Faithless people see the mountains and the difficulties and then doubt the original call and invent another one. God is not pleased with them. Men of faith do not jump from one thing to the other. They are fixed in their purpose. They will press on and on until victory is accomplished. They will not accept any secondary offers.

God is looking for leaders of overcomers. They will be men and women of faith. They will believe God and move out in faith to accomplish the impossible for God. Will God find such people ? Will He find leaders to lead His overcomers ? Are you a possible choice?

E) HE DESTROYED THE ALTAR OF BAAL

Having proved that he had some of the right qualifications, the Lord decided to take Gideon through the difficult task of sacrificial obedience. He said to him,

"Take your father’s bull, the second bull, seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here with stones laid in due order; then take the second bull, and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut