More Than a Conqueror: Five Pathways to Personal Revival

By Ty Tamasaka

If Christians understood that Jesus promised so much more than forgiveness of sin in our lives, the world would be turned upside down. Where are the people of God who grow up to maturity in Christ? Where are those who are prepared to forsake all and make the gamble to follow Him? Where are those who make it their goal to hear the Father say, Well done, good and faithful servant?

God has called you to be more than a conqueror in this life and the next. In More than a Conqueror: Five Pathways to Personal Revival, author Ty Tamasaka shares how you can not only conquer the enemy but be more than a conqueror. You will discover how to ignite a vibrant relationship with God and awaken a deeper faith within.

No matter where you are in your walk with God, if taken to heart, the information found in More than a Conqueror: Five Pathways to Personal Revival will spark a revival within you. Youll be on your way to the life God wants you to live.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490877532

Ty Tamasaka

If Christians understood that Jesus promised so much more than forgiveness of sin in our lives, the world would be turned upside down. Where are the people of God who grow up to maturity in Christ? Where are those who are prepared to forsake all and make the gamble to follow Him? Where are those who make it their goal to hear the Father say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?    God has called you to be more than a conqueror in this life and the next. In More than a Conqueror: Five Pathways to Personal Revival, author Ty Tamasaka shares how you can not only conquer the enemy but be more than a conqueror. You will discover how to ignite a vibrant relationship with God and awaken a deeper faith within.    No matter where you are in your walk with God, if taken to heart, the information found in More than a Conqueror: Five Pathways to Personal Revival will spark a revival within you. You’ll be on your way to the life God wants you to live.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 Ty Tamasaka.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Interior Graphics/Art Credit: Demi-Love Photography for the Au photo.

WestBow Press

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7752-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7754-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7753-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015907650

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/12/2015

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

1. More Than a Conqueror

2. Living a Life Fully Empowered by the Holy Spirit

3. More Than an Education

4. Growing through Crisis

5. The Power of Life Enhancers

6. Desperate for His Presence

7. Your Hands, His Mission

8. Rediscovering the Real Main Character

About Ty Tamasaka

Dedication

Laura Tamasaka

You were my best friend, became my beautiful bride, and are now my greatest treasure in this world. I could not have endured this journey without your support and encouragement along the way. It is my joy and privilege to live life with you. Thanks for being not only my greatest cheerleader but also the woman of my dreams.

Josiah and Gracelynn Tamasaka

The two greatest kids on Planet Earth! I love you. I am proud of you. I believe in you. I pray that you will continue to make good decisions, good friends, and have a big faith in Jesus.

Acknowledgments

My deepest appreciate and special thanks to …

Harry and Kathleen Tamasaka—When I was growing up, I thought you were always on my back. I didn’t realize you were actually watching my back. I am blessed to have parents who sacrificed and gave so much in order for me to be who I am today. Thanks for your support and for continuing to invest in me.

Pastor Larry Gillis—When I was discouraged, you told me that if I am not preaching from a pulpit, I should be preaching with my pen. This book is a direct result of your friendship and guidance.

Pastor Gary Lau—Thanks for being both a mentor and friend along the way to bringing focus and clarity to the message the Lord has entrusted me with.

Pastor Lynette and Uncle Scotty Shaefer—Your guidance and encouragement along the way is invaluable and means more to us than you know.

Pastor Allen Townsend—Pastor Allen, thanks for being a brother who believes in me and helps remind me of who I am in Christ. You are a true friend and a rare blessing.

Dr. Randy Furushima—It’s been a great privilege to have you challenge me to delve deeper into the Bible to fully grasp the heart of our Savior.

Pacific Rim Christian University—Thanks to the awesome faculty and staff at Pacific Rim Christian University for training the next generation to engage in the mission of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Sheldon Lacsina, and the New Hope ohana (family) in Hilo where I first met Jesus and developed a hunger for the Word of God. Thanks for walking with me, being patient with me, and offering much grace as I grew from a new believer to a young pastor in Hilo. A special thanks to some of friends in faith who took the time to adopt Laura and I into their families and shepherd us along the way: Arthur and Sibi Hoke, Al and Marlene Tabudlo, George and Linda Kaeo, and Pastor Sam and Connie Shim. You guys are awesome!

Thanks also to our family at Inspire Church in Waikele, especially our Connect Group. It’s been an exciting journey to inspire people to reach their God-given potential.

Elizabeth Lyons—Thanks for your keen editing eye and for helping me believe this book could become a reality.

Last and most importantly, thank You to my Lord Jesus Christ. There is no way to communicate all You have done with me and for me. I love You more than I am able to express and I hope the following pages help others to know and love You as I do.

More Than a Conqueror

Main Point

God has called you to be more than a conqueror in this life and in the next.

Critical Question

Are you more than a conqueror?

Key Bible Passage

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

—Romans 8:37 NIV

Recently, I watched a movie with my kids, Gracie and Josiah. It was called Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. Percy Jackson—if you aren’t familiar with the movie or book—is the son of a human mother and Poseidon, Greek mythology’s god of the sea. Because of his father’s nature, Percy obviously had great powers. After all, he was the son of a god. It was a decent movie, but both of my kids had the same objection to it. They were disappointed that Percy Jackson, the hero of the story, didn’t use his power enough. In their eyes, he failed to use the authority and power given to him as the son of a god and to live up to his potential.

After we watched the movie, as I listened to my kids’ critiques. I felt as though the Lord stirred something in my heart. I am a child of God. So are you. I wondered how often as children of the Most High God, we fail to live up to our own potential. I wondered how often we live as if we, who are children of God, lack the authority, power, and strength found in our heavenly Father. I wondered if the angels look at the lives of Christians today, and think, This is so disappointing. That Christian is a son of the living God, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, the God of all creation, the great I Am, but he just isn’t living up to his potential. He’s not using his powers! He’s got such a great potential lying dormant in him, but isn’t making much use of that power. She is a daughter of the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the one who was, and is, and is to come, but she’s not using the power available to her. What about you? What do you think? Are you living in the authority and power available to you as a son or daughter of God? Are you reaching the full redemptive potential He has for you?

Most people never realize their full authority, power, and potential as children of God because they want to live the way they want to live and just have Jesus as a little something extra. They want Jesus to be an additive to their already full and busy lives. Let me warn you. The Gospel was never meant to be an additive. Two thousand years ago, Jesus began His ministry with a simple invitation, Come, follow Me.

When Jesus enters someone’s life, that person is no longer suited for a normal life. When Jesus becomes the king of a heart, rarely does He lead that person down the path of least resistance. I’m not sure where or when we got the idea that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things. In the Bible, God consistently sent His people to dangerous places to do difficult things. I cannot find a place in the Scriptures where the Holy Spirit entered a person’s life and let him or her live just like others in the world.

When have we been taught that going to church is simply our religious duty? Why is it that we live as if the invitation Jesus gave was, Come and listen? It’s hard to imagine that Jesus endured the brutality, pain, shame, and agony of the cross to see His people sit in a pew for ninety minutes every Sunday listening to a sermon and singing a few songs. Sadly, we have gotten into the practice of learning more and doing less. What if God’s plan for us was not just to learn more, but also to do more?

Steering Wheels and Spare Tires

Is Jesus your steering wheel or is He your spare tire? A steering wheel determines the direction in which the car goes. If the steering wheel turns to the right, the whole car turns to the right. If the steering wheel turns to the left, the whole car turns to the left. If the steering wheel is straight, the car is going to go straight down the highway.

A spare tire, on the other hand, stays hidden away somewhere in the car. A spare tire is only to be used in case of emergency. Until something goes wrong, a car may run perfectly well without a spare tire. It remains hidden behind or under the car and is needed only when one of the other tires goes flat. A spare tire is only called upon when all other options fail, and it is only needed during a time of crisis. Otherwise a spare tire remains a part of the car, kept on hand just in case.

It is important that we pose the question, Is Jesus your steering wheel, or is He your spare tire? Is Jesus the One who determines the direction of your life, or do you only turn to Him in case of emergency? Is Jesus the One who leads your decisions, or is He the last resort you turn to in times of despair and distress? Is Jesus the living, breathing, Savior who created all life and conquered sin and death on the cross, or is He just a religious symbol to whom you turn, only if all else fails?

Is Jesus the King over all creation, or is He a genie in a bottle that needs to be rubbed when you want something? This question is important to answer because, throughout the Bible, those who made the greatest impact upon their generations were those who recognized God as their steering wheels and not their spare tires! They were the people who had a big faith in a big God. They were more than conquerors.

This insight made me reflect on Romans 8:37 a bit more. The Lord opened up two parts of this verse to me recently; I believe they will help us to understand how to redeem and redefine life’s crucial moments.

Let’s break down this verse into two parts.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

—Romans 8:37 NIV

1. Understand where God builds your faith.

… in all these thing …

Let’s look at the first part of the verse: " … in all these things we are more than conquerors …" (emphasis mine). It is important to see that Paul says we are more than conquerors in our afflictions. He doesn’t say we become more than conquerors by avoiding the conflicts in our