Overcoming Death 731
faith into the hand of the Lord. For his hand is their only hope. And
during such a period it is as though they were crying out, “Lord, let
me live!” Today’s battle is a battle for life.
Murderous evil spirits are working everywhere. Unless the saints
resists and pray they shall be defeated. They shall die inescapably if
they continue to remain passive. Should you pray “Lord, let me
conquer death,” He will respond with “If you resist death, I will let
you conquer it.” Prayer alone is futile if the will is passive. What you
should say is: “Lord, because of your conquest over death, I now
resist all its onslaughts. I am determined to conquer death
immediately. Lord, make me victorious.”
The Lord will enable you to overcome death. So lay hold of the
promises God has given you, ask for life, and trust that nothing can
harm you. Do not concede to the power of death, or else it will touch
you. For instance, you may be staying in a disease-infected area; yet
you can withstand all diseases and not permit anything to come upon
you. Do not allow death to attack you through sickness.
No longer can we wait passively for the Lord’s return, comforting
ourselves with the thought that we will be raptured anyway. We must
be prepared. As in every other matter, rapture requires the
cooperation of the church with God. Faith never lets affairs follow
the line of least resistance. Death must be singularly resisted and
rapture must be claimed wholeheartedly. Faith is necessary, but that
does not mean passively deserting responsibility. If we only believe
mentally that we can escape death yet passively continue to submit
ourselves to its power, how are we benefited?
Mortal SinThe Bible mentions a kind of mortal sin or “sin unto death” which
believers may commit (1 John 5.16). The death here does not point to
spiritual death, for the eternal life of God can never be extinguished;