Mandisa – Overcomer

Former American Idol contestant Mandisa jumpstarted her career working with TobyMac on his album Portable Sounds.  Since then, she released six studio albums, including:

• True Beauty (2007)
• It’s Christmas (2008)
• Freedom (2009)
• What If We Were Real (2011)
• Overcomer (2013)
• Out of the Dark (2017)

She won a Grammy in 2014 for best Contemporary Christian Album for Overcomer.

Also, check out my review of Bleed the Same.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Mandisa-overcomer-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

You are depressed and down on your luck, looking for anything that will give you a brighter future. But, then God comes along, lifting your up and reminding you that you can beat it. You are not alone. There are others who are depressed too, just like you.

Mandisa would know. She experienced it herself. God got her out of it. The same God who does impossible things can help you too, if you hang onto His promises, fix your eyes on Him in unwavering trust, and work through the process. Don’t forget that the same Christ who rose again is living inside of you!

This is not a song about overcoming sin. Mandisa’s audience are believers who are already born again. It is about overcoming depression by trusting in God.

All this is well and good, but we shouldn’t neglect to consider medication as part of the road to recovery. Don’t take this song as medical advice. God is big enough to heal anyone; However, sometimes man’s medicine is His method.

It follows basic song structure, with the Chorus repeating after every Verse and the Bridge. It also contains a short-lived Outro with a few refrains.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Aside from an inevaluable minor critique about defining God’s promises, all of it agrees with the Bible.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-7: A meal full of *sigh* with a side order of TobyMac callout and Mandisa’s Good Morning on lines 3 and 4 for dessert.

[Pre-Chorus]

Line 1: A call to Casper the friendly ghost.

Lines 2 and 3: Perhaps, but if what one goes through is a trial or tribulation (Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 12:4-11, and James 1:2-4), then that person ought to rejoice rather than murmur. On the other hand, it could also be generic rescue language, finding support in Psalm 37:24 and John 10:27-28, that God provides the way of escape when we are tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13). The latter is what Mandisa likely has in mind.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-9: The context of this passage is about overcoming death for the sake of Christ (Romans 8:31-39, especially verse 36). No, this is about internal warfare (Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 7:21-25, Ephesians 6:12-17, and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5), where God helps us when we fall (2 Samuel 22:37, Proverbs 24:16, Psalm 37:17-24, Psalm 63:7-8, Psalm 118:13-14, Psalm 145:14-16, Psalm 146:8, and Matthew 11:28-30).

It is also full of boxing references, perhaps alluding to Rocky.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-3: Yes, this is true. Line 3 contains Casper’s return call.

Lines 4-6: To what promises does Mandisa refer? She has not made this clear, making Scriptural evaluation impossible.

[Bridge]

Line 1: Jesus claimed to be the same I AM that visited Moses (Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58).

Line 2: Indeed! Death had been defeated by Christ (Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, Luke 20:35-36, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, 2 Timothy 1:10, and Hebrews 2:14).

Line 3: Though some might nitpick and say that only the Holy Spirit lives inside believers, 2 Corinthians 13:5 says otherwise.

Lines 4 and 5: Correct. We must fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). For our lives to be in Jesus’ hands, we must choose to surrender our lives for His sake (Isaiah 64:8, Matthew 10:38, Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34-38, Mark 10:28, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27, John 15:1-11, Romans 6:13, Romans 12:1-2, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 2:5-8, Hebrews 11:6, James 4:7-10, and 1 Peter 5:6).

Line 6: That is, nothing is impossible for God (Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37, Luke 18:27, and Ephesians 1:19-20).

Lines 7-9: That is, God is telling us the things that Mandisa covers in Verse 2, lines 4 and 5.

[Bridge]

Lines 1-4: Essentially repeats idea in Chorus, line 1.

Score: 9/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

This song is likely not intended for unbelievers as God does not live inside of them. Having said that, those outside the camp of Christ will comprehend the positive message that Mandisa offers. God rescues people from depression.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

God is glorified through this song, especially if depressed believers take Mandisa’s advice. He defeated death and has become the object of our fixation.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Mandisa’s Overcomer is a positive and uplifting message for Christians who suffer clinical depression. Though some songs offer a false hope, Mandisa offers the Living God, the One who rose from the grave, as the means by which to conquer it, bringing Him glory. After all, if we focus on Jesus, we stop focusing on our problems, leading to recovery. Though not intended for those outside the camp of Christ, they will understand Mandisa’s core message, even if they choose not to take her advice. For those who do, this will require them to follow Jesus and become born again. Isn’t that exciting?

This is an inspirational song, but not appropriate for corporate worship.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Overcomer (listen to the song)

Artist: Mandisa

Album: Overcomer

Genre: Pop

Release Year: 2013

Duration: 3:43

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

06/08/2021 – Removed my commentary on my initial thought about Romans 8:37 on Chorus’ beginning.  It didn’t make sense to exclude it, since I included it as part of a larger passage.