Anointed to Go

One of the most vital points of Christianity that every believer should know and function in, was recorded in Matthew's gospel when Jesus was preparing His departure from earth to take His position at the right hand of the Father. He says, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Notice, all authority had been given unto Jesus in heaven and on earth. But honestly, He did not need authority. He always had it. So, why was it given to Him now that He was leaving the earth? It was given to Him because He was the head of the church, His Body. He was the first-born from among the dead. (Colossians 1:18) He would now use that authority through the church, every believer. All the authority that had been given to Him was and is for the benefit of the church. (Ephesians 1:22-23) We see in Mark's gospel that Jesus gave the church the power of attorney to use His Name. This power of attorney gives to the believer access to all His authority. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)

Notice, these things are done in "His Name." Jesus also reveals another important point concerning the use of this all authority. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14) Again, we see Jesus giving believers authority to do the great things that He did while on earth as the Son of Man. Also, note, that He tells us to use His name when asking the Father to move on our behalf for His glory. This is not prayer. It is the use of the Name of Jesus to draw on His authority. The book of Acts gives case after case where men tapped into His authority and many people were blessed by it.

That all authority is still available to those who use the Name of Jesus. That authority has never been withdrawn. Let's be honest, if one part of that great commission has been abrogated, then all of it has been set aside and becomes nothing more than an option and not a command. If one miracle has been set aside, then all miracles have been set aside, meaning, the Name of Jesus no longer has any authority. But you and I know differently. We know that the Name of Jesus was given to us for miracle work. (Mark 16:17-20) We know that everyone of the five things mentioned in Mark 16, are things that the devil works at, endlessly, to bring upon the church and the unsaved world. These five miraculous manifestations are to take place, especially today, because Satan holds men in bondage. Satan has also robbed many in the church, which can be witnessed by the lack of a testimony of the victorious life that Jesus has provided them. Many have been robbed of the ability to lay hands on the sick and see their loved ones recover. Why? Because intellectual knowledge has opened the door to faithless theology, creeds and doctrines which have gained the mastery over the ministry of Christ, preventing Him to operate through the church.

Jesus said that as soon as men believed on Him, at once these signs should accompany them. At once they begin to cast out demons; at once they begin to speak with new tongues; at once they are masters over serpents, which are typical of demons; at once if they drink anything deadly they will not be harmed and at once they will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. We must understand that God's attitude toward sin and disease has never changed. (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8) He was opposed to disease in the ministry of Jesus and the early church, and He is opposed to disease now. Believers must always think of Satan as the defeated one, as the one over whom every believer in Jesus' Name has dominion. In Jesus' Name every believer is the master of demons, disease and every circumstance that would try to hold them in bondage. In Jesus' Name every believer is the master of demons, disease and every circumstance that would hold the unsaved in bondage also, if they desire to be set free.

The Father in Christ has provided us with a perfect redemption, a perfect new nature, and perfect
union with Christ. (John 15:5) We have a message that brings success, health, joy and victory to every person. Every person is a failure outside of Christ, but every believer has God's solution to the human problem. The Living Word in our lips makes us victors, makes disease and poverty subservient to us in the same manner it was with Jesus. The Living Word in our lips brings God on the scene, brings victory, joy and success where defeat once ruled. So, be it known, every believer is anointed by God to go, uphold and enforce what Jesus has accomplished. PTL...

On Earth as it is in Heaven

The prayer that Jesus revealed in Matthew 6 was never meant to be simply quoted or made into a formula for prayer. His Words carry great revelation that the Holy Spirit desires to make known to all believers. In the prayer, Jesus says, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) This was not some, oh well, hopefully, whatever, concerning God's Will being done on earth as it is in heaven, but a reality, it is exactly what Jesus meant. Not only did He mean this literally, but in fact, He came to earth in human form to prove it to be true and that God's will can manifest on earth as it is in heaven through anyone who can believe. However, we must come to understand and walk in the authority that all believers have through Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18) So, think about these words. Did Jesus need to be given "All authority?" He was God. He already had all authority. So why would He say "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." The Apostle Paul describes the church as "the Body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27) and also by revelation of the Holy Spirit he tells us, "And He (The Father) put all things under His (Jesus') feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:22-23) When Christ ascended to heaven, He transferred His authority to the Church. He is the Head of the Church, and believers make up the Body. Christ's authority continues to fill His Body, the church, today, as it did in the early church. His authority has been given to His Body, His church, all believers!  

The translators of the King James Version translated many words consistently, but in some cases, they did not use the correct definition of the Greek words for power and authority. For example, in the King James Version, Jesus says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) Although the word power is used twice in this verse, two different words are found in the original Greek. What Jesus actually said was, "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." In speaking about serpents and scorpions, Jesus is talking about the power of the devil, demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness. Believers need to realize that we have authority over them all.

Now honestly, does the church need any less authority today than it had in the early church? Of course not and it would be foolish to think so, wouldn't it? The value of our authority rests on the power that is behind that authority. Jesus Christ Himself is the power behind our authority. The devil and his forces are obliged to recognize our authority in the same way they recognize God's authority. The Apostle John tells us, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, (devil, demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness) because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) The believer who thoroughly understands that the power of God is backing him can exercise his authority and face the enemy fearlessly.

Authority is defined as, the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience; the right to control, command, or determine. God's authority has been vested in every believer through the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tells us to, "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."  (Ephesians 6:10). That means that believers can step out in the authority of Christ and stop the devil, demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness from manifesting their evil schemes at all times. Look what Paul tells us concerning the resurrection of Jesus, "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:19-21)

Notice the nineteenth verse. This is telling us that there was such an overwhelming display of God's power in raising Jesus from the dead, that it was the mightiest work that God had performed.  Satan as well as every demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness were defeated by our Lord
Jesus Christ, who arose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is now seated at the right of the Father, far above them. Paul tells us concerning the resurrection, "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them." (Colossians 2:15) These are the same demonic powers we deal with today, but, thanks be to God, Jesus has completely defeated them and stripped them of their authority and power. God wants every believer to come to know what happened in the death, burial, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ. He wants us to know that He has seated Christ "far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:21)

Believers will never understand their authority if they rely on their intellect. Understanding and walking in authority comes by revelation through the Holy Spirit and by the believer receiving it by faith. Some believers do exercise more authority over the powers of darkness than others, simply because they have received a greater revelation, spiritual comprehension, but keep in mind, God wants all believers to have spiritual comprehension. 

John Alexander Dowie, a man of God who ministered at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, received great revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning healing. Many times in his ministry he had to cross an ocean. Oft times he encountered storms, but said every time a storm came up, he did what Jesus did, He rebuked the storm and it always ceased. We should not be amazed by this. Jesus tells us, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12) Jesus  did not say that only a select few would do these works. He said those who believe on Him would do the same works and even greater. 

As believers study and meditate on what the Word of God teaches, it will produce faith (Romans 10:17) and educate our recreated spirits concerning our authority in Christ. In doing this, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us our position in Christ, which is, "far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." As this revelation grows in us, I believe we will see exactly what Jesus said, "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven." PTL   

Having Done All to Stand - Part 2

In His final instruction to His disciples as recorded in Mathew's Gospel, Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18) Why would He say this? He did not need authority, He always had it. Why then was it given to Him now that He was leaving the earth and returning to heaven? It was given to Him because He is the Head of the church, the first born from the dead. (Colossians 1:18) All the authority that was given to Him was for the benefit of the church, His Body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Through the meritorious work of Jesus in His mission to completely redeem man, He stripped Satan of the authority that was given to him by Adam, (Luke 4:5-6). He destroyed him who had the power of death, that is the devil. (Hebrews 2:14) He took from Satan the keys of death and hell. (Revelation 1:18) He delegated His authority to believers through using His name (Mark 16:17-18) Most believers have not come to fully understand the authority that has been given to them through Jesus Christ, neither have they accepted the authority that is rightfully theirs by virtue of being born again. Let us look at one of the most compelling events in the Bible that reveals the various aspects of authority.

"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour." (Matthew 8:5-13)

First, we need to keep in mind that this man was a Gentile, furthermore a Roman Centurion. He was not a Covenant partner with God. He was not a Jew and was considered an outcast in his day. He had no legal grounds to come to Jesus, because He had come to share the Gospel with the Jews (Matthew 15:24) Even when Jesus sent His disciples to preach, He said, "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 10:5-6)  Although this man was not included in the Covenant, Jesus said, "I will come and heal your servant." The centurion knew the relationship between Jew and Gentile an concluded that he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his house and suggests an alternative plan, "...only speak a word, and my servant will be healed." This statement from the centurion suggesting that Jesus heal another way reveals something that most believer fail to grasp concerning the will, nature, character, purpose and plan of God. To think that after the Lord says "I will come and heal him" this man who was not in Covenant with God say in a sense, "no I have a different or better plan" is almost unbelievable because Jesus could have said no to this mans alternative plan. What we should take away from this is how the Father responds to faith. Gods responses to a believers faith, not based their abilities or intellectual knowledge of God's Word, but believers "being fully convinced that what God has promised He is also able to perform." (Romans 4:21) The centurion must have observed Jesus' dealing with sickness and disease and had no trouble suggesting an alternative plan. 

Let's look at what the centurion says now after offering Jesus his alternative plan,  "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." Again, it is apparent that the centurion has observed Jesus in His dealing with sickness and disease. In a sense the centurion is saying, "Jesus, I am also a man under authority and I know how things work. You do not have to come to my house. I see that you have authority over sickness and disease who are subject to you. In the same way, I have authority over men who are subject to me. I only have to speak a word to these men and I know my command will be carried out. All you have to do is speak a Word and I know your command will be carried out also." This is faith in action. As a matter of fact, Jesus states that this mans understanding of authority is equated to having great faith. Jesus finally tells the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” Understanding and walking in authority like this centurion, is the same in God's eyes as having great faith. The results for this mans actions, "And his servant was healed that same hour."

We are in a time like no other. We must become people who understand and walk in the authority that is rightly ours through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,  against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) The word wrestle is used figuratively here to give the idea of the spiritual conflict engaged by believers. However, it also akin to another Greek word which means to "sway." Remember, Jesus has "disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them." (Colossians 2:15) Therefore, believers are to "stand" in the position of authority in the Name of Jesus to uphold and enforce what Jesus has accomplished, because the principalities and powers are at work trying to "sway" believers from faith and their position of authority. This is why the Apostle Paul says, "having done all, to stand. Stand..." (Ephesians 6:13-14) 

Paul finishes his exhortation with, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Ephesians 6:17) Believers are to get God's Word into their recreated spirit by speaking it. (Romans 10:8, 17) As they do this, it releases power. "God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power..." (Hebrews 1:2-3) God's Word is His power. Look what the people around Jesus said concerning the Words that He spoke, "And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matthew 7:28-29)

Believers can and should stand in their legal position of authority. Jesus delegated His authority to His church, to every believer. The Apostle Paul tells us, "God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11) Paul also tells us, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:4-6) So, let us stand in the face of darkness knowing that the Word of God, the Name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in us carries more authority than anything or anyone in all creation, because our weapons are mighty in God. They are backed by God Himself. So, let us never forget, "...If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Having Done All to Stand, Stand - Part 1

^"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:26-27) "What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:4-5) When meditating on the creation of man, it is mind boggling to think that he was created in the very image and likeness of God Himself. To be created in the image and likeness of God is not in the material or physical sense but spiritual. John tells us, "God is Spirit..." (John 4:24) Man was created to be connected to heaven as no other creature on earth is. He is to be related to God like no other. This was also confirmed by the Psalmist. To be made a little lower than the angels in the Hebrew is to say, that man was made a little lower than God. Above all creation, man had been made almost equal to God Himself. For some, this may be difficult to comprehend, but the fact is, God made man as close to deity (Himself) as possible. 

The problem many seem to have trying to comprehend this truth derives from looking at themselves and the world around them in the natural and not through faith in the Word of God, seeing themselves as God sees them. We must remember that we are still in a fallen world that is antagonistic toward Christ and the church, but this does not alter the truth of the creation of man. If we do not grasp God's creation of man, and what man was before the fall, we will not fully understand our purpose, position, function and authority as the redeemed in Christ. We also see that man (before the fall) was the crown of all creation and he possessed abilities beyond our comprehension. It wasn't until man disobeyed God, bowed his knee to the lies of Satan (Genesis 3:1-7) that he lost his dominion and authority, as well as his ability to fellowship with God. 

Believers must move on from only seeing the natural, physical realm and see ourselves as God does through Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us, "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24) It is the old fallen nature that Satan wants believers to hold on to, not the truth that if one is born again they are new creations, (2 Corinthians 5:17), "the new man created according to God in true righteousness and holiness." That is, the new man is made to resemble God. This also reveals that when man was made, he was made righteous and holy, "in the image and likeness of God." The object of the work of redemption is to restore to man the lost image of God, or to bring him back to the condition in which he was before he fell.

This means infinitely more than becoming born again, being forgiven by God and then muddling through life until we die and go to heaven. God's purpose of the restoration of man through Christ was, again, to return man to his original state in which he was created. Unfortunately, most believers are either uninformed, misinformed, or do not apply faith to such truth, thereby settling for far less than what God has accomplished for man in Christ. Somehow, most see God the Father as less of a father than they see themselves. Jesus said it this way, "If you (man) then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11) The Apostle Paul tells us, "He (God the Father) who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) This is not limited to physical or material things only, but also spiritual things, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)    

The Apostle Peter also reveals some incredible truth concerning who the believer is and has, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4) The restoration of man was never meant to be limited to forgiveness on earth and eternal life in the life to come. It is much more far reaching than that. Some of the wonderful attributes, promises, realities, that the restoration the Father accomplished through the Son includes "life and to have it more abundantly" (John 10:10) The word for life in the Greek is "life as God has it, eternal life." Eternal life is not a final destination, but is to be experienced now, while we are on earth and to have it abundantly. We are also to have "faith in God." (Mark 11:22) The literal Greek translation for this is "to have the God kind of faith." This in itself is hard to believe for most, but we must remember, "without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 6:11) This does not refer to natural faith that come from what our five senses can comprehend, but the God kind of faith that come from the heart, the recreated spirit. We also can love (agape) as God loves. (Romans 5:5) This also may be difficult to live out, but again, we must look past the natural and respond to the truth. Think about it. If God is love (1 John 4:16) and He is, if Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1, 14) and He is and if believers are the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and we are, then we have the very attributes of God. We cannot be a part of Him and Him not be a part of us.

Although these are just a few of the God kind of attributes (His image and likeness) that believers have through Christ, it takes faith to accept these truths and receive them. Jesus tells us, "Have faith in God. (the God kind of faith) For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:22-24) Notice that Jesus tells us that believers have the power to move mountains if they do not "doubt in their heart." In a similar way, Jesus reveals to us why Peter began to sink when he got out of the boat and walked on the water, "...O you of little faith, why did you doubt." (Matthew 14:25-32) Doubt is a product of Satan, who convinced Eve to doubt God's Truth, which became the prescription that caused Adam to rebel against God and lose his God given position. Satan's schemes have not changed. Always remember, doubt causes one to reason just like Eve and it will eventually neutralizes faith. However, faith comes from God (Romans 12:3) and causes believers to trust God even when the circumstances seem impossible to overcome. So, let us not waver with unbelief, but take our position of authority over Satan and his lies and believe that God is able to perform what He said (what His Word says) He will do.         

What's Stopping You

Out of all the tragedies that have happened in the history of man, the greatest one occurred when Adam committed treason by choosing to disobey God resulting in relinquishing the authority that God vested in him and giving it to Gods enemy, Satan. Man was bankrupted. He lost fellowship with God, He lost his ability to approach God, the one whom he was master of has now become his master, he had opened himself to all the vile wickedness and destruction his of his new master, he was helpless and hopeless and could not save himself, he became spiritually dead.

We can look at human history and see that mans depravity has caused untold losses of live through wars, dictators who have slaughtered millions, the fetal murder of millions of children and on and on. But none of this would have happened if Adam chose God above his own desires. Due to Adams transgression, this left God with a problem. Was God able to provide man with a redemption that would set him free from the authority of Satan and give him the authority over Satan that he once had, remit all of his sin that he had committed, recreate him and make him a new creation with the nature of God so that he could once again approach God without condemnation, guilt, shame or feeling inferior, all on legal grounds? Yes He did. He did this through the incarnation, deity and humanity coming together in the person of Jesus.

Everything that has held man in bondage for 4000 years came to an end when Jesus rose from the dead and presented His blood to the Father (Hebrews 9:12). Jesus had conquered Satan. Jesus took away all of Satan’s weaponry. Let's look at some scripture concerning this very thing... 

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Sickness, disease, poverty, fear and so much more have all been defeated. For those who have come to believe Jesus to be Savior and confess His Lordship have been given the ultimate weapons against the works of darkness, the name of Jesus and the Word of God. The Bible tells us... 

Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Luke 10:19-20 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

If the church could just get past its reformation hang over, believe and act on the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit have the preeminence in the church once again, the church would turn this world upside down once again. Gods presence, power and glory would be in every service and would also manifest wherever we would go. The church would again make it very difficult for the second greatest tragedy to continue in mans history. Jesus said, He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18) We also read, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

That's right, the second greatest tragedy that continues to happen in mans history which is worse than war and the slaughter of human life is what happens to those who past from this life to the next who have not confessed the Lordship of Jesus Christ and receive Him as Savior. They will be cast into everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8) where their worm does not die (Mark 9:44) where there is darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12) Is there one person who would want this to happen to another person. Well if you are truly a Christian then your answer is absolutely not! So, what is stopping you? If we have the ultimate weapons, which we do, then we must get out of the fort (church building) take authority over the darkness and enforce what Jesus has already accomplished, No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. (Mark 3:27) Jesus has bound the strong man (Satan) and plundered his goods and has given believers a mandate, And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19) So let's use our authority and win souls for Jesus!!!   

He Doesn't Know The Plan

The moment that Adam committed treason by selling out his God given authority to Satan through disobedience to God's command, he died spiritually. It wasn't for another 930 years that Adam's body had finally succumb to physical death. The apostles Paul reveals mans fallen condition, "among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others..."...having no hope and without God in the world." (Ephesian 2:3, 12)

However, immediately after the fall, God through His love and mercy spoke the promise of the incarnation. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:15) Notice that there are four important parts of this prophetic promise. First, I will put enmity between you and the woman. Of course this has been realized throughout history with the physical and emotional abuse of women. Second, and between your seed and her Seed. We know that the woman's Seed refers to Christ, but what about Satan's seed; who or what does this refer to? Well, Satan does not have the ability to reproduce, that is create other demon spirits, so who or what is his seed? It is unregenerate, fallen man. Those by nature are children of wrath.  Third, we also see that the woman's Seed shall bruise your (Satan's) head. In other words the woman's Seed, Christ, would break Satan's lordship over humanity. Finally, we see that Satan would bruise His heel. This refers to the church, the Body of Christ, that would face persecution throughout the ages at the hands of Satan's seed, unregenerate, fallen man, nevertheless, Satan and his gang are under our feet.

It is apparent that throughout man's history, Satan did not (nor does not) know God's plan. However, we do know if he did understand it, he certainly would not have had Christ killed. "...which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:8) Remember the prophecy, "...He shall bruise your head..." Satan must have thought that by destroying the life of Jesus, he was stopping God's plan from coming to pass. However, what he actually did was become a key player in God's plan by putting to death the one that God chose to bring redemption to humanity, Jesus. Now man's greatest need was met and at the same time, Satan was stripped of his authority over him. In fact, through ones faith in Jesus Christ, man has now been restored to his rightful position in God and through the name of Jesus has the authority over Satan and all of his works, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19)

What wonderful news. No longer does sickness, disease, poverty and all manner of sin have dominion, jurisdiction or authority over believers. (Romans 6:14) Now believers can live on planet earth as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17); now believers are free from there past as new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); now believers can have right standing with God (2 Corinthians 5:21); now believers can live knowing that in Christ they lack nothing (1 Thessalonians 4:12) all because we are complete in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:10). One of the interesting things about God's wonderful plan of redemption is that throughout man's history Satan must of thought that he was winning when in fact Jesus has  absolutely and thoroughly defeated him. (Colossians 2:15) Now it is up to the church to uphold and enforce what Jesus has accomplished for humanity. PTL

Things to Have (Part 2)

When encountering the works of the devil and his gang here is another thing that believers must have in their arsenal …

"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."
(Matthew 12:28) Believers must depend on the Holy Spirit to help, guide and give discernment. A great example of this is reflected in an encounter that Paul and Silas had in Philippi.

"Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour." (Acts 16:16-18)

The demonized woman was speaking truth concerning Paul and Silas and she did this for many days. The demons purpose was to discredit Paul and Silas before both Jew and Gentile. But when Paul got discernment from the Holy Spirit he cast the demon out of the woman. Although all sickness and disease finds its roots in sin and or the devil, over 25% of the healings in Jesus’ ministry shown in the gospels, a demon had to be directly dealt with. This is why we need a good understanding of God’s Word (See Things to Have Part 1) together with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. .

If the wiles of the devil try to come upon a us, instead of accepting it and taking it as though somehow we deserve it or that’s just part of life, we are to remember, the name of Jesus belongs to all believers and all believers have the right to use His name.
"Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)
"Resist him, steadfast in the faith…" (1 Peter 5:9)

The key is FAITH; Fully convinced that God will do what He says He will do period. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus has defeated Satan and stripped him of his power (Colossians 2:15) The Bible also says the as children of God that we are heirs with God and joint heirs with Christ. What Chrst has acomplished
believers are heirs to, that is by faith we are entitled to all that is in Chrsit, such as, the authority over the Satan and his gang. Jesus said...

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) This means absolutly nothing, not sickness, disease, poverty, premature death, or second death. However, as said earlier, it takes faith in the integrity of God's Word.

Do You Know Your Place?

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (Matthew 8:5-9)

The centurion recognizes Jesus as more than a Rabbi or a Prophet. He addresses Him as LORD. He responds in humility and with great spiritual insight. He explains that like Jesus, he is also a man under authority. His response reveals his understanding of the principles involved with authority; Authority is present where submission and obedience are present.

The centurion knew that he could give verbal commands to those under him only because he submitted and obeyed the orders of his superiors and expected the same of his subordinates without question. Based on his request, he recognizes that Jesus was living in direct submission and in obedience to "Authority" and therefore knew that Jesus had authority to command the healing of his servant in the same way that he could command those under him. This is very important for believers to understand if we are to fully operate in the authority that we have been given in the name of Jesus.

This Roman centurion believes and is confident without question that Christ has the authority to heal just by speaking a word. Please understand, believers do have authority, but it is not because the Bible says so or because someone else told us. It is due to our faith in Christ. It also comes by way of believers knowing that they only operate in delegated authority in Christ and in Christ alone. Notice verse 9, the centurion did not directly say that he had authority, but that he, like Jesus was under authority. Understanding how authority works is directly related to understand how faith works.

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." hen Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:11-13

Jesus praised the spiritual insight of the centurion and marvels at the centurions understanding of authority and credits him as having great faith. The centurions faith opened the door for his servant to be healed. The centurions knew his place as a man under authority, he also reconized Jesus' place as a man under authority, but do you really know yours?

Establishing the Kingdom

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
(Philippians 2:5-8)

In this passage of scripture we see two incredible things that had taken place in the Son of God. First, we see that He emptied Himself in His divinity; and second He humbled Himself in His humanity. By the time the LORD came into the world He had emptied Himself of the all the glory and power that He shared with the Father and became an ordinary person of this world. He was fully God yet fully man and as a Son He willingly submits to the Father’s authority...
"O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.
(Matthew 26:42)
I  am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I. (John 14:28)

This act of submission reveals two things; The Father is the position of authority and the Son the position of obedience to the Father’s authority. For people to become obedient it is a simple act of humility. For Christ it is no simple matter. The one of whom all things were created through had to let go of all that authority, glory and power accept human limitations of time and space, become a servant and even humble Himself further and “became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Although Adams act of disobedience had stripped him of the authority that God had given to him on the earth, both authority and obedience have come together in Christ. This is why it is so important to continually grow in faith, not a general unspecified faith in Christ but rather a directed unwavering faith that is totally convinced that Christ has fully and perfectly revealed the Father’s will, purpose and nature through His actions, teachings and commands and has provided the fullness of redemption in all of its forms. In other words Christ’s obedience has totally restored humanity and has established Gods authority on earth to all who come to Christ, that is through the church. We see this played out in the scripture...

Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Jesus is the Head and beleivers are the Body of Christ. It is now up to the Body of Christ, the church to exercise faith and enforce what Jesus has established on the earth by using His name which carries His authority.