Spring 1999
The Law Of the Overcoming Life
Vanita Sels

The law of sowing and reaping can be applied to the bringing forth of an overcoming life in the saint.

In John 12:24 Jesus clearly states,

"... Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground
and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it
brings forth much fruit."

In I Corinthians 15:36, it is specifically said,

"... What you sow is not made alive unless it dies."

A grain of corn cannot produce ears of corn without first being planted in the earth, and then nourished with the proper environment of water, light, and nutrients from the soil.

Few of us think about what happens to that kernel of corn before the inner life springs forth. The God-given spark of life that is embedded within the seed begins to grow and forces its way up through the earth to reach light. In the nourishment of that light and atmosphere of water and soil, it abounds and eventually brings forth fruit.

From this, we see that the Lord not only gives the gift of eternal life to all who accept Him, but He puts the “potential” for an overcoming life within as well. The spark of life in the kernel of corn takes on an overcoming power only as the outer shell (outer man) rots away in dying to itself. Then it must literally force its way through the pressure and weight of the earthly realm to reach the light and air. It overcomes the earth.

Since the Lord placed these laws in nature, how much more must we see that this is His way for us to find life in Him. We often look on the "earth" as being a hindrance to our life and walk in Him, thinking that if we did not have to live in our present circumstances, we could be much more spiritual and closer to the Lord.

We must see our present circumstance as the “soil” in which God has planted us, so that our hard outer shell can rot away. We must see the pressure of that soil upon us as the element that causes the overcoming power of the life of Christ in us to spring forth and come into the light of spiritual revelation and truth.

We must not despise the earth, but rather realize that the Lord will use the negatives of life for a higher purpose, in order to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28). At times, we so fight and strain against the pressures of the earth that we greatly disturb the soil. In so doing, we slow the process of germination of the overcoming power of the Lord Jesus at the inner core of our being.
When the kernel of corn is planted in the soil by the sower, it rests as the elements work on it. May we learn from this that the sooner we can rest and be still in our earthly circumstance, the shorter will be the time needed to bring forth this new life and fruit.

The Lord allowed the pressures of this earth to bring a complete work of death to His Son, that the full overcoming resurrection life might spring forth. Only then could He bring forth the fruit of many sons (I Cor 15:47).

Seeing His plan in this light, we must not shrink from the earth pressures in which we find ourselves, but rather embrace them as our opportunity to step into the footsteps of our Lord Jesus.

May each of us allow the dealings and sufferings to break away and rot our outer shell, and the daily pressures that we face, force the inner overcoming life to activity. This will cause our spirit to rise up into God and allow the manifestation of an overcoming life through His Spirit to take control, that we might mature and bring forth the fruit of the full-ripened ear.

Only then can the harvest take place and we be fully pleasing and useful to the Sower, our Lord Jesus Christ.