I have enjoyed a good many of Matt Chandler’s sermons over the years as well as his writing. I have blogged about Family Discipleship, The Mingling of Souls, The Explicit Gospel, and Joy in the Sorrow. Overcomers was an interesting read because Chandler took this book on tour with some people who have some really incredible stories of how God used their struggles in a powerful way.

I highlighted several things and have pasted those below…

  • An Overcomer is a believer propelled by scriptural truths, empowered by the work of Jesus, and encouraged by those who have gone before them. With open eyes to deeper spiritual realities, the one who overcomes endures the brokenness of the world with holy resolve. This individual, marked by love and through the power of the Holy Spirit, joins in God’s offensive against darkness and destruction. The Overcomer unites with the triune God and His holy church to stand as an unwavering, unanxious presence. Bluntly put, the Overcomer is a major problem to the enemy. p. xi
  • To understand the fullness of who we are and what our purpose is, you and I need to consider ourselves in three ways: We are made in the image of God. We are children of God. We are uniquely wired and uniquely placed by God. p. xiv
  • God delights in you, not because of anything you have accomplished but because of who you are, His child. p. 3
  • God doesn’t regret saving you either. He isn’t in love with the future you, the person you might become. He cherishes you right now with all your disappointments and dramas, doubts and fears, anxieties and anger. He sees you, He knows where He’s leading you, and He is all-in on His glory being revealed in you. I would call this your general identity. p. 3
  • This intimate connection with God is in view near the end of Romans 8 when Paul asked four big questions: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31). “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” (v. 33). “Who is to condemn?” (v. 34). “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (v. 35). p. 5
  • The enemy likes it very much when we try to be a knockoff of other people rather than growing into the people God has designed us to be. But the fact is, we don’t need more of the same. The world needs faithful, committed followers of Jesus who are brave and bold enough to live and serve as their authentic, God-crafted selves. There’s no one like you, with your DNA, fingerprints, taste buds, curiosities and temptations, exact thoughts and feelings, gifts and talents, perspectives and experiences. And since no one in the entire world is identical to you, you are unique and special. p. 9
  • It’s not just that you are uniquely wired; you’re also exactly where you’re meant to be for now. You are uniquely placed. p. 12
  • Strongholds are mindsets, value systems, or thought processes that hinder us from growing into God’s design and destiny for our lives. p. 14
  • This is how the enemy works. He knows that you—the real you—were made for the day, so he comes in through a wound or a careless word spoken over you. He aims to paralyze and destroy you, to permanently crush your spirit so that you lay down your weapons and give in. p. 15
  • You need to be vigilant against the near-constant bombardment of images and advertisements meant to provoke comparison and discontentment in your heart. I’m not anti-tech or anti-social media, but I encourage you to pay attention to what happens to your soul as you scroll. Comparison and self-hate aren’t just things you do; they are accusations against God. Accusations that He hasn’t been good to you, that He made a mistake in how He uniquely wired and uniquely placed you. p. 17
  • The book of Revelation is strange and beautiful, odd and awesome. It’s frequently misquoted and misunderstood, and I think our enemy has his hand in that. To take Revelation from us is to take the crescendo of our faith and rob us of the hope that emboldens courage in difficulty. To misunderstand Revelation is to lose sight that God is sovereign over all human history and our victory is already won. p. 22
  • One of the primary things Revelation wants to do for you is call you to holiness and endurance despite the pull of a predominant culture that is rejecting and even mocking Jesus’ reign and rule. p. 27
  • My question for you, especially if you feel stuck or afraid or abandoned or forgotten, is this: Where is your attention? Where is your worship? p. 60
  • What are you trusting in to bring you meaning and value? At that moment when you feel down, or you feel tired, or you feel lonely, what are you trusting in to bring you meaning and value that isn’t God? p. 95
  • There’s one more quote that has always oriented my heart to greater prayerfulness from E. M. Bounds, who said: What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men [and women] whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods but through men. He does not come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.6 p. 97
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