Vanquishers in Heavenly Places

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives us some wonderful insight concerning believers, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39) What Paul is telling us is the Body of Christ, every believer, is more than a conqueror over all the power of the enemy because we are in Christ. For some believers and even church leaders, it’s time to move beyond the cross where believer are told week after week to come to the cross because they are nothing more than sinners saved by grace. The fact is, all believers WERE sinners save by grace, but now are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Of course we came to the cross when we were saved, and we should never forget the tremendous divine exchange that took place there, but now it’s time to sit on the throne in Christ where we can rule and reign in life with Him. (Romans 5:17)

Paul also tells us, "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church." (Ephesians 1:22) This scripture refers back to the previous verses and is saying that all things, principalities, powers, thrones, or dominions, Satan himself are all under subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ and because we are in Christ, they are also subject to us in His Name. We are Christ's body on the earth, so all these things have been put under our feet also. This is why Satan cannot rule over any believer unless the believer gives their consent, whether by choice or through ignorance. Jesus tells us, "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) Jesus in using the terms "scorpions" and "serpents" is speaking figuratively as a type of demonic powers. Jesus was actually saying, "I give you authority to tread upon devils, demons, evil spirits and over all the power of the enemy. And because of the authority in My Name, none of the power of the enemy can harm you." The believer who is ful1y conscious of their position in Christ will understand the divine authority behind him, his authority in Christ and can face the enemy without fear.

Keep in mind, that you do not have any power in and of yourself, but our authority is in Christ. We see this played out in the believers in the early church. "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) In contrast to this, we see, "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:11-16)

In the above passages we see the Apostle Paul was able to use his authority in Christ to cast out a demon due to one thing. Remember, it was he who said, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." He knew who he was in Christ and his knowledge of this opened the door for the Lord to work unusual miracles by his hands. On the other hand the seven sons of Sceva did not have the authority in Christ and were overwhelmed by the very demon they were trying to cast out. It is when believers absolutely know who they are in Christ, who Christ is in them and how the Father truly sees them that the realm of the supernatural, the things in heaven, manifests on earth. Why? The Conqueror Himself, Jesus Christ, has made every believer "more that a conqueror." PTL. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all...