Johnny Lee Clary is an overcomer.

He grew up in a racist household in Oklahoma in the 1950s and joined the Ku Klux Klan at 14. He assaulted minorities, burned crosses on people’s lawns and set fire to a Black church. By 30, he had climbed into the head position of the White Knight’s Organization.

But a year later, to everyone’s astonishment, he turned his back on the Klan. He joined a church and threw out his racist beliefs.

Wade Watts, a preacher and former leader of the NAACP, a man Clary had debated with as a Klan member, took his former adversary under his wing.

Clary became an ordained minister and sought to make amends with those he’d hurt. On national talk shows, he shared the gospel’s message of love and acceptance of all people.

Perhaps most of us won’t repent on national television, but we all have sin we have to confess, whether it’s wrong thinking taught to us when we were young, abuse trying to perpetuate in our life, or the struggle to daily lay down ourselves for others.

Like Clary, we can turn away from our sin and seek others to encourage us. God’s Spirit in us and in those around us will enable us to be overcomers too.