Unleashing God's Truth: The Overcomers

Unleashing

God’s Truth

The Overcomers

Dywen Lauren

Copyright © 2012 Dywen Lauren.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-3148-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3147-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011963272

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 1/25/2012

Contents

From the Author

Foreword

SECTION I

As I Also Overcame

Part I

The Overcoming Journey

Part II

Insights of an Overcomer

Section II

He

Who

Overcomes

Unleashing God’s Truth

The Overcomers

www.theovercomers.info

Where scripture versions do not supply capitalization of pronouns used for God, I have done so. I have also occasionally supplied some of my own emphasis to scriptures by bolding or rendering words totally in capitals to highlight their intended meaning.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

To him who overcomes

I will grant to

sit with Me

on My throne,

as I also overcame

and sat down with

My Father on

His throne.

(Rev 3:21 NKJV)

Tribute to my

LORD GOD

My ABBA Father

Clothes me with a robe of righteousness.

In His holy presence,

He embraces me.

Love, joy and peace overflow.

My Beloved Bridegroom,

Jesus the Anointed One

Adorns me with rows of jewels.

In His compassionate love,

He woos me.

"Arise, my lovely one, my fair one,

Come away with Me"

My Comforter, the blessed

Holy Spirit

Bestows on me

a crown of beauty,

the oil of gladness,

and a garment of praise.

From the Author

To the Body of Christ,

All who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and are loved by God the Father.

May the grace of our Savior, the peace of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.

Thank you for taking time to read this book. The title of this book is taken from Revelation chapters 2 and 3 where Jesus Christ, the Anointed One exhorted the churches to repent from ungodliness and to rise up to be overcomers in Christ. To him who overcomes, Jesus promised heavenly rewards from The Great I AM.

This book covers several of God’s repeated warnings to the Body of Christ about the events of the last days. It also touches on some issues that are close to the heart of God.

When I received His word to write this book, I struggled. Like many others who prefer to remain backstage, I asked the Lord, Who am I that You should assign me to write such a difficult subject? I don’t have the position and authority to convey such words to Your people. Though You have spoken to me through many instances pertaining to this subject, I still don’t think I am the right person (to write). I am sure there are many, many more prominent men and women of God elsewhere who are anointed to write with more authority and precision, where Your people will hear them. Lord, not me!

Having had many experiences where I had to journey over difficult terrain, encountering mountains and hills, falling into deep valleys and sometimes unwittingly detouring into wilderness, I have learned not to disobey His commands when He has spoken.

If I want to hear these words from my Master, Well done, my good and faithful servant!, I must then walk in and pursue His divine plan and purposes for my life.

I am grateful to Dr Rajan Thiagarajah, the Senior Pastor of Mighty Living Waters Life Fellowship, the church I am attending in Perth, Australia, and his lovely wife, Pastor Ruby, for encouraging me to commit to a book what the Lord spoke to me on this subject.

I remember his words, It is not often that you come across someone who is passionate, consistent and focused about such a subject. When the Lord gives such knowledge and revelation to you, surely He will give you a forum to release His words. When the prophet Jeremiah spoke (during his time), not many wanted to hear him, but today, we are still reading the book of Jeremiah!

These words truly encouraged me. After he had spoken to me, Dr Rajan prayed and his prayer was one that convicted my spirit. He did not pray that I should ponder and consider what he had said. Instead, he asked the Lord to grant me wisdom, accuracy and simplicity as I wrote. It was a straight to the point request to the Lord to make His words known through the book that I was to write.

Through his prayer, Dr Rajan released God’s divine appointment into my spirit. The door of my heart had been locked but now it was unlocked—and I was free to decide to open it and allow the word of the Lord to enter to perform His work, or let it remain shut.

I have learnt that it is not wise to haggle with the Lord. Disobedience is sin. The Lord had spoken! It was the Lord’s will that I must obey. Period.

As you read this book, I encourage you to be like the Bereans whom the scriptures praise saying,

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11 KJV)

It is my prayer that you will read with an open heart and mind. Please allow the Spirit of the Lord to minister to your heart. I humbly submit my writings to your discerning judgment, divinely led by the blessed Holy Spirit dwelling in you.

This book does not intend to criticize, nor is it designed to condemn. The contents of this book do not judge you. Only God can judge us. He knows the intents and thoughts of our hearts.

For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12-13 NKJV)

May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened as we read the pages of this book, in order that we, who are bought by the precious Blood of the Lamb, will stand together as one in the Body of Christ to accomplish the will of our ABBA Father.

May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess 5:23 NIV)

Love in truth and truth in love.

Dywen Lauren

Foreword

AS I ALSO OVERCAME

Dr Rajan Thiagarajah

Dywen Lauren is an upcoming author who is much led by the Holy Spirit in her life. Her testimony of how God has given her the power to overcome her life’s obstacles has equipped her to move on to greater things, and greater blessings in her life.

God’s will for the individual is to be an overcomer.

As He is, so are we in this world. (1John 4:17 KJV)

The destiny of the nation lies in the destiny of the Church, and God’s will for the Church is to be an overcomer.

I am sure that as you read the following pages, you will find yourself challenged, encouraged, nourished in Christ and empowered to move on to greater things in your life as is possible when you move in the Holy Spirit’s leading and anointing.

God sees you as an overcomer. My prayer is that as you read this book, you will see great things happening in your life.

I am certain that you will be blessed beyond measure as you see yourself mighty in battle, strong in Christ.

Dr Rajan Thiagarajah, Founder and Senior Pastor

Mighty Living Waters Life Fellowship, Perth, Australia

Dr Rajan Thiagarajah ministers at many pastors’ conferences and churches throughout the world. His weekly television program Life in the Spirit is impacting millions of souls.

www.lifeinthespirit.info.

Your Words were found, and I ate them,

And Your Word was to me the joy

and rejoicing of my heart;

For I am called by Your Name,

O Lord God of hosts.

(Jer 15:16 NKJV)

SECTION I

As I Also Overcame

For me to live is Christ

Part I

The Overcoming Journey

Now it is God who makes both us

and you stand firm in Christ.

He anointed us, set His seal of

ownership on us, and put His Spirit

in our hearts as a deposit,

guaranteeing what is to come.

(2 Cor 1:21-22 NIV)

My Testimony

I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord at the age of 14.

Born into a staunch Buddhist family in a small town in Malaysia, I was the second youngest in a family of five daughters.

I was the first member of the family to convert to Christianity. My family, although professing to be Buddhist, was also practising Toaism. We also worshiped Hindu gods.

I remember in my early years, my mother would take us to Hindu temples to seek blessings from the priests. My dear second sister, who was quite sickly as a child, was forced to have her tongue pricked several times by the priests to obtain some form of divine blessing! We all felt so sorry for her!

Among my siblings, I was the one most staunchly abiding by the rituals. I would often offer incense at the altar for the gods and our departed ancestors. During certain calendar dates, I helped my mother slaughter chickens and drain their blood for offerings at the altar.

My parents had all daughters, no sons. From a very tender age I was treated as the boy of the family. The expectation placed upon me to fulfill that role made me a bold person. I dared to take on challenges and stand up for my family.

I was brought up in the practices of Buddhism, Toaism and Hinduism. In my years of primary education, I was sent to a prestigious Convent school. I was exposed to Christianity (or rather Catholicism), and even attended some chapel services.

However, I saw no difference between Christianity and the religions that I believed in. To participate in the services, I had to dip my fingers into the holy water provided and pat it onto my forehead, my chest and my two shoulders (the shape of a cross). Then, I was told to kneel down before the statues which my Catholic schoolmates told me were Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, and some other saints.

Although I was young, my soul was troubled. I was searching for the Truth of truths! I had the conviction that if I wanted to believe and embrace a certain faith, I must know what it is that I believe in. Just listening to another believer was not good enough for me! I wanted the truth to reveal itself to me.

Therefore, as a Buddhist, I read books on Buddha. But to my dismay, I learned that Buddha told his followers that he himself was searching for true enlightenment. Buddha instructed his followers not to worship him as he was just another human being, like them.

That statement struck my innermost being. If Buddha himself had to seek the truth, for he was not the truth, then why was I worshiping him as God?

I told myself Buddha was after all just another good teacher; the only difference was that Buddha was a prince who left his palace and family to search for truth. In my young soul, I knew Buddha was not the God that I was seeking.

When my mother took my sisters and me to Hindu temples, I saw goddesses with many hands immortalized in sculptures emphasizing their sensuous figures, male gods with ferocious looks and many statues of cows, elephants and snakes. I could not comprehend.

Why was I worshiping all these images and animals? How could God—if there was one—be in such forms?

As practising Toaists, my family went to temples quite frequently. I remember I used to ask my mother why were there so many gods, and why did some of them look so fierce and frightening. There were gods of wealth, gods of war, gods of hell, gods of health, gods of happiness, gods of mercy… there was a god for every need.

As a child, seeing the image of a god with its bloody tongue sticking out was a nightmare! My dad used to tell me that if I wanted to be a courageous person, I must possess the same spirit as the god of war! This god had a red, fierce face and held a big, long sword!

I was forbidden to make unfavorable comments about any of these gods, as my parents feared that bad luck or evil would befall me.

All these beliefs only added to my confusion. Somehow, in my spirit, I understood that some of these deities were legends, some were ancient warriors and some were good people who were highly revered and later worshiped as gods.

I even looked into Islam. Living in a country where the majority of the population was Muslim, it was easy to observe and learn about their beliefs. In fact, for many years my two good friends were Malay Muslims.

At that time, Islam was the only religion I knew that did not worship statues. Worshipers believed there was only one God. Moreover, I admired their diligence in observing their prayer times, five times a day.

However, I was disillusioned about their Prophet who gave Muslim men the right to marry four wives. (I later found out Muhammad had 13 wives, the youngest was nine). I was also disappointed that this religion imposed discriminatory restrictions on females.

Both of my Muslim friends’ fathers had more than one wife. I remember that when I visited their homes, I could only sense sadness and grief. I once asked my good friends, Don’t your mothers hate your fathers for having more than one wife? Do you like having more than one mother?

Their replies were, Allah said our fathers can have four wives.

Their mothers said, "We cannot do anything about this command. We are born as Muslim women, so we must accept it as the will of Allah." One of my friends solemnly added, When I marry, I must be prepared to share my husband with his other wives.

Even as a young girl, I simply could not accept this religion!

I remember when I was eight years old, my aunt took my sisters and me to watch the movie The Ten Commandments. I was so touched and impressed that the God of Moses was such a righteous God. This God was not only mighty, but also compassionate. This God of Moses was such a fair God. Men, women and children were all equally treated and taken care of.

At the time I wondered did this God of Moses still exist or was it just a movie, but I recalled that the movie stated that the story was based on a true history taken from the Bible. Also, I heard from my school friends that the Bible was the Word of God for Christians.

The reality of Heaven and Hell

Having seen, observed and experienced some practices of Buddhism, Toaism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Islam, I concluded that none was for me. But as I was still a child, I abided by my parents’ religions.

As a young girl, I would debate and argue with my Christian friends whenever they tried to witness to me. As I had rejected Catholicism, I rejected whatever my Christian friends shared with me. To me, both were the same. They worshiped the same Jesus.

One day, I was invited to attend a Christian youth outing. It was a three-day outing on a famous resort island. I had not been there before and so I was keen to go. Although I knew it was organized by a church, an idea I did not like, I agreed to go because I was confident that I would not be brainwashed by these Christians. My parents were equally confident and allowed me to go.

On the final morning of the outing I was still very stiffnecked and resisted all persuasions to believe in Jesus Christ. However, just before we left the island, we attended a service. There the God of Moses spoke to me. On that day—December 13, 1981 at 11.35am—the Spirit of the Lord convicted my heart. I saw the reality of heaven and hell.

As a Buddhist and a practising Toaist, I had been taught that all humans upon their death would either go to hell or pass through some stages, hurdles or trials before being reincarnated into another human (if you did enough good work on earth in your previous life) or would end up reincarnated as animals as a form of punishment.

Because I loved my parents very much, I could not bear the thought of them spending their eternity in hell. Even at my young age, I had several times told God (whichever one I was praying to at the time) that I was willing to go to hell on behalf of my parents.

I was willing to take their place and be reincarnated as an animal as long as they were reincarnated as humans who would live in wealthier homes, or in paradise, if there was one.

The God of Moses revealed to me that it was not His will that my parents or anyone in my family should go to hell when they died. There was a heaven and He was the God of heaven. Furthermore, it was only through Jesus Christ, His Son, that my family could go to heaven.

However, what truly convinced me was the fact that my heart melted when I realized that it was God who first loved us; and that Jesus, though He was the Son of God, was willing to die for mankind. He loved His Father; hence, He loved His Father’s creations.

Because of that, He was willing to sacrifice Himself, to suffer terribly and to be humiliated on the Cross for the people whom His Father loved. This was the love of God that I had never understood prior to that morning. I had never known that God was love.

This was the God that I had sought; the God that loved us first, and offered Himself so that we might live in eternity with Him in heaven.

Therefore, as a child who loved her parents very much, I knew this was the God for my parents, for my sisters and for me.

After the service, I repented of my stubbornness but I did not tell my friends of my decision to accept Jesus Christ. Instead, I went straight to the pastor and told him that I wanted to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

I prayed the sinner’s prayer, and I told Jesus Christ that I was also standing on behalf of my parents and my sisters for their salvation, and asked Him to book a place in heaven for them! It might have seemed a naïve prayer, but it was an innocent, sincere prayer from the heart of a 14-year-old child who believed in the existence of heaven and hell, and who loved her parents and sisters very much.

Rejoice that you are being persecuted for Christ

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Rom 8:35 NIV)

I knew I had to be the first one in my family to break the bondage of ancestral worship and false gods. I knew that the Lord wanted to use me as the vessel to bring my family into His Kingdom.

The pastor who prayed for me assured me that if I kept on believing in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, my family would surely be saved. He showed me Acts 16:31,

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved—you and your household.(NIV)

This was the first Scripture in the Bible that I learned and memorized, and I have held on to this promise of God since then.

The Lord gave me the boldness and strength to declare Jesus as My Savior and Lord even though I knew my parents would reject me and persecute me. I was prepared.

My parents were shocked when I told them I had become a Christian. They believed I was brainwashed. To them, they had lost a child to a western god. I underwent constant persecutions for several years. Almost every day I was admonished by my parents.

They insisted that I should continue to show my respect to our ancestors by offering incense at the altar and consuming food which has been offered to the idols, but I stood my ground and refused. I was banned from all communication with my Christian friends except during school hours. Obviously, I was not allowed to attend church, or any other form of Christian meeting.

I remember one incident fondly: my first Good News Bible went through water baptism a few days after I was converted. My dad found it in my school bag, and he threw it angrily into a big bucket of water! The Bible had been given to me by a wonderful brother who had faithfully shared with me about Christ. It was the only Bible I had.

Being poor, I could not afford to buy a new bible. I faithfully dried it page by page using my towel. The next day I took it to school to sun. Since I could not take it home, my classmate helped me by keeping it and bringing it to school for me everyday. I would read it during school recess time. The baptized Bible remained with me for the next 15 years!

I continued to remain faithful in the things of the Lord. I knew little about my newfound God but it was in that predicament that I grew in my faith in the Lord. I had the child-like faith of which Jesus spoke (Matt 19:14).

A few days after my spiritual birth, walking to school alone, I looked up to the skies and called out