I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. -John 16:33

Struggles have a way of making us question what we thought was true. Failing a test may make us question our college pursuits (true story). A fight can make us question a relationship. A diagnosis can make us question our habits. And long seasons of intense struggle can even make us question our faith. We can find ourselves battling doubt, and asking, “If God is real, why isn’t he working? Why am I so defeated?”

 The world wants to overcome us. Satan, the enemy of our souls, wants us to be overcome, and he uses struggles to fill our hearts with anxiety, hopelessness, and doubt. To distract us, and make us question if God is really for us and has actually won the victory. 

The simple truth of John 16:33 is Jesus has overcome! And because of Christ, we too are overcomers. To miss this truth is to live without the peace and joy he has for us, even in our worst struggles.

Jesus was about to endure the greatest suffering ever known to man, and yet he still told his disciples to “Take heart!” This was a common phrase of comfort before battle, and it literally means, “Cheer up!”

He didn’t say this because his disciples would have “hassle-free lives with no suffering.” He said it because they would soon witness his horrific crucifixion. They would certainly face many trials and tribulations. They would wrestle with doubt and fear. But because Jesus had overcome the world, they could still have peace.

How did Jesus overcome the world?

He was tempted in every way yet was without sin (Heb. 4:15). He “loved not [his life] even unto death” (Rev. 12:11). He “fought the good fight,…finished the race,…kept the faith,” and fulfilled his ministry” (2 Tim 4:5,7). He was about to do what no man could do and win the victory over death.  And because Christ had overcome for his disciples, they too could be overcomers in the world.

How do we overcome the world?

The keys to discovering why and how are found in Jesus’s subsequent prayer. Just before he is arrested and crucified, Jesus prayed for his disciples and all believers, and John records this beautiful prayer in chapter 17.  

1. We overcome the world because we have eternal life. 

First, in verses 1-5, Jesus defined eternal life as knowing God, the only true God, and Jesus Christ. Believers have victory and overcome the world because we know God through Jesus. Jesus’s finished the work on the cross is the basis for our spiritual victory. It’s done! Past tense. Won. It actually happened, and it can’t be undone. 

2. We overcome the world because God keeps us. 

Second, that victory is secure in the Lord. Jesus prayed, “Protect them by the power of your name” (vs. 11). “Name” can also mean nature. God himself keeps our souls safe because of who he is, not because of our conduct. We can depend on God to protect our sure victory in Christ, despite the devil’s schemes to distract us. No matter what struggles befall us on earth, we overcome the world because God keeps us. 

3. We overcome because we have God's true, unchanging, and perfect Word. 

Jesus prayed we would be sanctified by God’s Word because it is a gift from heaven, and a source of joy in our lives (vs 17-39). The Word gives us power to live a holy life, and it reminds us Jesus has won the war. 

4. We are overcomers because we have each other.

Finally, Jesus prayed for unity among believers because this, too, is a source of joy and strength for struggling Christians. When I sink into despair, the encouraging words of friends reminding me of Jesus’s victory is just what I need to refocus and reclaim my joy. We are overcomers because we have each other. 

Life is a battle, and Satan wants to blind us to our eternal reality by getting us to focus on our worldly struggles and lose hope. But because of what Jesus has done, we are overcomers! 
So take heart!