Overcome

Yesterday I attended church with my parents at the church I grew up in. There's just something about that church that I love- it's not huge like all the Baptist churches in Columbia and I know everyone there. It's a great feeling to go home to "my church" and see everyone. The service yesterday was beyond amazing and I felt like I should share it with y'all.

We had communion and wonderful music leading up to the sermon, but it was the sermon that blew me away. It was titled "Overcoming" and the message was, simply, that Jesus overcame Satan and rose from the grave to save us from our sins and help us overcome whatever may come our way. We were told that the source of all turmoil, great and small, is Satan and once we know that, we can put our trust in the Lord and know that he is our strength and will help us overcome all of our problems.

And this is where it got amazing. Several of the church's most talented singers stood up and sang the song "Overcome." The lyrics are so special, and I encourage everyone to google them and read them. The main chorus, though, was this:

Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all of our praise, you overcame
Jesus awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is your name, you overcame

While they were singing this, about 15-20 people would come to the front and hold up a sign with something that they had dealt with that was difficult in their lives. And then they would flip it over and it would tell how Jesus had helped them to overcome the obstacles. Every single one of them was touching, and the whole church was in tears by the end..it makes me tear up just thinking of it. The song says We will overcome; By the blood of the Lamb; And the word of our testimony; Everyone overcome. These signs were these people's testimonies- people I've known basically my entire life, so you can understand where it would get to you.
Here are what a few of the signs said:

1. I lost my beautiful daughter at age 15..... Thankfully, she found the Lord at age 5, See you Kelly! (Kelly died of an unknown heart defect she'd been born with in Oct. of 2007 while jogging- it shook our church to the core)
2. I had 3 miscarriages by October of 2002.....October 2004, WOW! 3 miracles. (This lady was able to adopt the 3 foster children she and her husband were taking care of and now they are a family after she was unable to have her own)
3. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol from age 13 to 36.....1 1/2 years sobriety. Thank you, Jesus!
4. I was in a car accident and the doctors said I wouldn't live.... Now I'm living for Him (This was a 10 year old girl who the doctors basically gave up on who survived with no lasting effects)
5. A malignant brain tumor at age 5...... Now I am praising the Lord (This child is now 12 years old. At age 5 she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and the surgery did not get all of the tumor's tentacles. After a round of chemo and some serious praying, all of the tumor disappeared)
6. I was born with a brain defect...... He's held me through 5 brain surgeries (She is a 25 year old who was born with fluid on her brain and has had a shunt put in, but still has to have surgeries every so often)
7. I prayed for 45 years for my husband to find the Lord..... 8 years ago he surrendered his life to Jesus.
8. I was the husband she prayed for.....Now I give my all to Him.

I won't go through any more of them, but you get the drift. How amazing is the power of prayer and trusting in the Lord to help you overcome. Anybody who walked out of that church yesterday without feeling the awesome power of the Lord just must not be able to feel.