Pearls of Wisdom

God’s Word is full of Him, Who is Wisdom. Jesus is spoken of as the Wisdom of God. In the Bible the book of Proverbs is a definite book of wisdom, which is to be studied. This page is dedicated to bringing the wisdom of God’s Word to you so that you may find daily wisdom for your own life.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Redemption and The Word of God

We finish our study of redemption this time by looking at scriptures concerning redemption. Remember that we always line ourselves up with the Word of God.

There is a song flowing through my spirit today. Some of you may have heard it before. Redeemed; redeemed; redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; redeemed; redeemed; his child and forever I am. That really sums up what our redemption is all about. Jesus’ blood purchased us and God’s child we are forever. But remember, even though redemption is available, if a person does not accept what Jesus has done, he will die and go to hell without ever partaking of what was his all along while he was on this earth. And even Christians will die and go to heaven without ever partaking of what was made available to them because of the shed blood of Jesus.

In Isaiah 43 God is talking to His people Israel about redeeming them. He says the same thing to us because we are Christ’s and if we be Christ’s, then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).

In the first verse of Isaiah 43 KJV, we see this: But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. In the Amplified Bible we read this: But now [in spite of past judgments for Israel’s sins], thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]; I have called you by your name, you are Mine.

In Isaiah 44:22 we read in the Amplified Bible: I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Read all of chapters 43 and 44 to see the fullness of God’s love for His people.

In Psalm 103:4 we read that He has redeemed our lives from destruction.

In Psalm 111:9 we read that God has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever.

When John the Baptist was born, Zacharias, his father was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied of Jesus. He said that God has come and brought deliverance, redemption to His people. He has remembered His Holy covenant. He has remembered the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life (Luke 1:67-75).

In Galatians 3:13,14 we read that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ (Read Deuteronomy 28 for the blessing and the curse.). In Romans 8:2 we read that the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (blessing) has made us free, set us free from the law of sin and death (curse).

In 1 Peter 1:18 we read that we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus). In Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 we read that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus. In Hebrews 9:12-15 we read that Jesus Christ obtained eternal redemption for us through His blood. In Revelation 5:9 we read concerning Jesus, the Lamb of God: for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

In Romans 3:24 and 1 Corinthians 1:30 we read that redemption is in Christ Jesus.

In Ephesians 4:30 we read that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, that day of final deliverance, when we shall be with Jesus.

My suggestion to you at the conclusion of this teaching is that you go back to the gospels again and read what Jesus did for you in light of what you have learned this week. Read the epistles (Galatians, Ephesisans, Philippians, Colossians) which are really written to you as the church and see them in the light of redemption. I believe that it will change your life and your response to the nasty things that satan sends your way. I believe that you will respond with your spirit rather than your flesh. CHRIST HAS REDEEMED US. Meditate on this reality until the image of who you are is changed forever, eternally.

The Reality of Redemption

Yesterday, we looked at the words redeem and reconcile in the dictionary. Let’s look at the word redeem in the Strong’s Concordance today.

We see in Strong’s that the word redeem means: Ransom, release, preserve, deliver, rescue, purchase, buy, to buy back from loss, something to loosen with, i.e. a redemption price. We see the same idea for redemption from the Strong’s Concordance as we do from the dictionary.

We must understand what we have been given as human beings here on this earth. God, in His great love for us, has made available to us once again what Adam and Eve had. We have been given the right to become children of the Almighty God and to have His nature and ability in us to do what we have been called to do on this earth. God wants His family together again. He is calling them from the north, the south, the east and the west. He’s calling the children home; He’s calling out to the prodigals. Come home. Come home. Supper is waiting. I have a table laden with goodies for you. Are you hungry? Come and dine. And you and I are His hands and feet and voice to go and tell them and bring them to the banqueting table.

And do you know this? If we do not know what we have been given, if we do not know what we are walking in ourselves, how can we tell others, if we don’t know what we have, if they don’t see the evidence in us of redemption?

When somebody is released from prison, that person doesn’t stand in the cell asking whether they can go or not. They go. They leave. We have been released from the prison in which satan had us in bondage. And so many are still standing in the prison cell begging God to help them. Why would a free man beg for freedom? He would beg for freedom if he did not know he was free.

We are free. We are free from satan and his sin and all of its consequences------sickness and disease, poverty, lack, want, defeat, failure, bad relationships, children going astray, marriages messed up, etc, etc. We are delivered. We must get this into our understanding. When one of these things shows up in our lives, we must understand that we have ALREADY BEEN DELIVERED from whatever comes against us. So what if it seems to linger? It cannot stick on you. Satan is just checking out your understanding of your deliverance. He wants you to go back into that prison he has built for you.

One of the things I have noticed about myself and about others. If you have been in that situation for a long time, if you have prayed and seemingly seen no results, you tend to stay in the prison of unbelief and disappointment, not believing that you are free. Believe it, regardless of what you see or feel. It is true. You are free from everything that would come against you. Stand in Jesus Christ and see His deliverance performed in your life. Don’t back up. Don’t back off. STAND AND HAVING DONE ALL TO STAND, STAND THEREFORE (Ephesians 6).

We must understand this. We are the redeemed of the Lord. He has redeemed us and set us free. We are a free people.

Let’s make this confession today:

Because of Jesus and His blood, I am free. I am a free man/woman because Jesus Christ came and set me free from the prison that satan had me in. I am no longer bound by ________ (You fill in the blank for your own life; you may have more than one thing.). Jesus, thank you for redeeming me. I am the redeemed of the Lord and I say so. I AM REDEEMED. I am delivered. I am set free. I am purchased with the blood of Jesus. I have been rescued. I am restored to friendship with God. I am in agreement with God again. I am His child. He loves me and I love Him. I am free. I have been set free from all that would bind me. I am free from all that satan would attempt to place on me. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Holy Spirit. Thank you for making the reality of redemption so real to me that I know that I am free. I am released from the prison I have been in. I am the redeemed of the Lord and I say so. Thank You, Lord, that you have filled me to the full with Yourself. I am Yours.

Redeemed, Reconciled, Restored

We are still talking about redemption. Why am I still on this topic? It is because the Lord will not let me get off it. Apparently we have not gotten what He means by redemption. He is wanting us to understand the fullness of what He did for us. We are redeemed; we are reconciled; we are restored.

Let’s look at the definition of redeemed, redemption, redeemer in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary.

REDEEM
To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited by paying an equivalent
To repurchase what has been sold; to regain possession of a thing alienated, by repaying the value of it to the possessor
To rescue; to recover; to deliver them
To free by making atonement
To pay the penalty of
To save
To perform what has been promised; to make good by performance
In theology, to rescue and deliver from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God’s violated law, by obedience and suffering the place of the sinner, or by doing and suffering that which is accepted in lieu of the sinner’s obedience

REDEEMED
Ransomed; delivered from bondage, distress, penalty, liability or from the possession of another, by paying an equivalent

REDEEMING
Ransoming; procuring deliverance from captivity, capture, bondage, sin, distress or liability to suffer, by the payment of an equivalent

And listen to what the word reconcile means in that same dictionary.

RECONCILE
The literal sense is to call back into union.
To call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated; to restore to friendship or favor after estrangement

RECONCILED
Brought into friendship from a state of disagreement or enmity; made consistent; adjusted

RECONCILEMENT
Friendship renewed

Let’s put together here what we see from these definitions that are just in an earthly dictionary. This is what Jesus did for us and this is the result. He rescued us from sin, which had held us in bondage as prisoners. We were a prisoner of satan and all the sin that he carried. There was a penalty that had to be paid for this sin. Someone had to come up with a ransom to free us. And satan thought there was no way that we could be ransomed, redeemed. The price was too high. But God had a plan. He had a redemption price. He had a Redeemer. The price for our redemption was the blood of Jesus.

1 Peter 1:18,19,20
Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (way of living, lifestyle) received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without or spot;
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
Jesus Christ, with His blood, made the full payment that had been promised. He liberated, rescued, delivered, recovered you and me from the capture of satan and his distress, suffering. There was an obligation, a penalty, a liability that had to be satisfied or fulfilled to regain possession of man, to repurchase what had been stolen from God.

And what was God’s goal. He called back mankind into union with Himself. He renewed our friendship. We were no longer in a state of disagreement. He was offering us the hand of friendship. All we have to do is reach out our hand and take His and trust Him to take care of us from that point on.

This word friendship here is a covenant term, not just what we in the western world call friendship. It is a term that describes a relationship that will lay down its life for the friend. And that is exactly what God through His Son Jesus did to restore our relationship.

We are redeemed; we are reconciled; we are restored forever, eternally to Almighty God, our Father, our Savior, our Redeemer, our God, Who loves us unconditionally, without any strings attached.

Monday, August 20, 2007

I'm Redeemed And I Say So

We are still discussing redemption today. Yesterday we talked about Jesus drawing to Himself the fullness of the curse of the law and all of its consequences. We talked about Him doing it for us, in our place, as our substitute because we actually were not capable of doing it for ourselves. We talked about God’s great Love for us because He is Love.

Today, let’s talk about what we drew to ourselves. And actually we could not draw anything to ourselves. The Father did it for us.

In Colossians 1:13,14 in the Amplified Bible we read:
[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

It was the Father Who drew us to Himself. Jesus had paid the price. His blood was shed. Our sins were forgiven. Then the Father looked at us and said: I have delivered you. I have drawn you to Myself out of the place where you were. You were in darkness. You were controlled by darkness. You were under the dominion of darkness. And I transferred you into My Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Son of My Love, My Beloved Son. You are accepted in The Beloved. You are mine. I have bought you with a price, the blood of My Dear Son, The Son of My Love.

There is only one thing we have to do: ACCEPT IT. How do we accept this great gift of life? We believe with our heart and accept with our mouth. We may not feel like we have it or have any goose bumps. Choice does not depend on feelings. Choice depends on making a decision for the Word, making a decision that if it says it in the Word, then that is the way we live, that is the way we conduct ourselves, whether we feel like it or not.

So, we make the decision, we make the choice to accept what Jesus has done and let the Father draw us into His arms and shelter us under His wings. He is our place of refuge and our fortress. He is our God, and we are to lean on Him, trust Him and to rely on Him. Exactly what does that mean when it is translated into real life? It means that when things really look bad and everyone is telling you that you aren’t going to make it, you still stand on the Truth of God’s Word to you. His Word will not return to Him empty and without producing results. And God cannot lie.

You know, sometimes it looks like the Word is not working for you, but give it the benefit of your doubts. If the Word is not working, it is not because God is not doing anything. It is because we either don’t know enough about how His Kingdom works or we have something in our lives that is blocking His working. And we cannot be so full of pride that we say that we are OK when we obviously are not OK. He is all Love and always wants the best for His kids, above and beyond anything we can ask or think or dream possible, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams.

He is an awesome God. He has drawn you and me to Himself. All we have to do is let Him do it. Let Him love us and spend time with us and show us great and mighty things that He is doing. I know that He sometimes just wants us to sit down with Him and with a heart of gratitude thank Him for all that we see and have. We live in a beautiful world that He has made for us. Even if we are “down and out,” there is always something to be grateful for. We must practice the art of thanksgiving, the act of adoration and worship, the decision of praise. Nothing or no one can take away from you your choice to adore, worship and praise God Almighty. We are told in the Word of God that even the rocks will cry out if we don’t.

We are the redeemed of the Lord and we say so. He has redeemed us from the hand (power, strength) of the enemy (our adversary satan). We are released from bondage. We are free. Freedom was on Jesus’ mind when He hung on the cross, freedom for you and me, deliverance for us. Freedom is a wonderful thing. It is a most delightful sense of well being. We are free in Jesus. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. And the Son of God has indeed set us free. Walk in and enjoy the freedom that has been bought for you. It’s precious and written in the blood of Jesus Christ.

I Am Redeemed!

I have been thinking a great deal about redemption over the past several weeks and the Lord has directed me to write down my thoughts for you, to share what I have seen in His Word.

In Galatians 3:13 we read that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…. What Jesus Christ (the Anointed One with His anointing to remove burdens and destroy yokes) did was to draw to Himself the curse and all the consequences of that curse. Like a magnet draws iron filings, like a vacuum sucks up dirt, Jesus drew to Himself sickness and disease, poverty, want, lack, doubt and unbelief, fear, worry, anxiety, concern, defeat, failure-----all that the curse involved. He knew what it would mean. It would mean separation from the Father He had been One with all His eternal existence. It would mean that He would voluntarily submit Himself to satan in our place. It would mean that He would go to hell in our place, for us. It meant that He would submit His whole self to satan as our representative, man’s substitute.

I want you to stop right here and right now and think about the great price Jesus paid for you, the great sacrifice He made. He was the great sacrifice of God because the Father loved each one of us with an intense, all-consuming love, and He wanted us back. There was only one way to get us back, one way to reconcile us, and Jesus paid the price in full. You could say it this way: He absorbed the curse for us. In 1 Corinthians 6:20 it says that we are bought with a price. This is the price God Almighty, the Father and Jesus the Son paid for us. He Who knew no sin, Jesus, became sin for us. He totally took the fullness of sin and all of its consequences for us. And He did it for one reason: LOVE.

This is a love that man had known very little about; this is the God-Love that God Himself is. This is a love that pays no attention to what someone is doing or has done or may do. This is a love that does not condemn or judge, even when you have done wrong. This is a love that reaches out to you when you ignore Him or even hate Him. This is a love that says I love you when the person says I hate you. This is a love and a mercy that you are given when you don’t deserve it, when you mess up, when you are nasty, when you walk in unforgiveness, when you are offended, when you talk about others, when you judge others, when you condemn others, when you look at others with prejudice, when you are selfish and self-centered. This is a love that we have to learn. This is a love that we have to be taught.

We in the Body of Christ say that we understand God’s Love. We don’t. His love is pure and free from any enmity toward anyone, regardless of how He is treated. What a love. My prayer used to be: Lord, teach me how to love as You love. Now, my prayer is: Lord, draw me to Your Presence that I may know You so intimately that Your Love is carried in my person deliberately everywhere I go. On my own I cannot love as You do. So, help me to be so consumed with You that I would not even think about hurting someone or condemning them, but I will embrace them in all their weakness, because without You I am weak also.

Now I understand Paul’s statement: I take pleasure in infirmity because when I am weak, You are strong. That was not a statement of unbelief or a statement of lack of faith or a statement of embracing suffering. Paul was making a statement of a fact that he had learned. In my own fleshly self I have an inability to produce results. But when He, the Strong One, is operating through me, all things are possible; nothing is impossible. In fact, in Philippians 4:13, Paul says that he can do all things through Christ which strengthens him. In Ephesians 6:10, he says that he is strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. You see, Paul had learned the secret to success in the Kingdom of God, and it is this: All of Him and none of me.

In Ephesians 1:23 in the Amplified Bible we read that Jesus Christ fills everything everywhere with Himself, with His Presence. But He will only fill that which has made a place for Him. Jesus cannot take a place that is already occupied. In my quiet time with Him, I am learning about many places in my own soul that He does not occupy. But as He reveals each one, I release that place of occupation to Him and He is filling me with Himself.

In all of this, it is so important to be led of the Spirit 24-7 in all that we do. It is not a matter of continually looking for places in your life where the Lord is not No. 1. It is a matter of worshipping Him, spending quiet time in His presence and allowing Him to reveal, remove, and replace with Himself. When Love Himself reveals and heals, it is painless and freeing and not condemning. Let’s make our quest the following of the Spirit of Love in all that we think, say and do. Oh, what a wonderful Lord we have. He loves to fill us with Himself to the full. My word to you today is let Him do it for you.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Ephesians 1 - God's Great Love

I have been reading Ephesians much in the past week, and I would like to quote a portion of Ephesians 1 that has meant so much to me lately about my relationship with the Lord. I am going to personalize it so that it will mean something to you as well. Today, why don’t you take it as a personal word for you to speak over yourself concerning His great love for you!

Ephesians 1:4-14 Taken from the Amplified Bible and the King James Version

In His love he chose me, actually picked me out for Himself as His own in Christ before the foundation of the world, that I should be holy, consecrated and set apart for Him and blameless in His sight, even above reproach before Him in love.

For He foreordained me, destined me, planned in love for me to be adopted, revealed as His own child through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will because it pleased Him and was His kind intent. He did this so that I might be to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace which He so freely bestowed on me in the Beloved. I am accepted in the Beloved.

In His Beloved, God’s dear Son, the son of His Love, I have redemption, deliverance and salvation through His blood, the remission, the forgiveness of my offenses, shortcomings, trespasses, sins in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor.

He lavished His favor upon me in every kind of wisdom and understanding, practical insight and prudence, which gives me the ability to regulate and discipline myself wisely.

He makes known to me the mystery or secret of His will, of His plan, of His purpose. And His purpose is this: In accordance with His good pleasure, His merciful intention which He has previously purposed and set forth in Jesus, He planned for the maturity or fullness of times and the climax of the ages to gather together in one, to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, both things in heaven and things in earth.

In Christ I also was made God’s heritage; I obtained an inheritance. For I have been foreordained, chosen and appointed beforehand in accordance with His purpose Who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His own will for me.

I who first hoped in Christ, who first put my confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory!

In Him I also have heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of my salvation and have trusted Him; I was stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of my inheritance, the pledge of my inheritance, in anticipation of its full redemption and my acquiring complete possession of it---to the praise of His glory.

What a beautiful passage of scripture we have as a promise here for us as God’s children.

The Father, our dear Heavenly Father loves us; He chose us; He picked us out as His own before he founded the world. He wanted us; He destined us to be His very own. He adopted us as His very own. We are His. And in Him we are accepted in the Beloved, in His Beloved Son, the Son of His Love, Jesus Christ.

In Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood. We have forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, which He has lavished upon us. God is not a God of little. He is a God of abundance. He lavishes His Blessing upon us in whatever He does for us. He does it in abundance.

We have an inheritance. We have a heritage in Christ Jesus. All of the Kingdom is ours. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of that inheritance. He is the pledge by God that all that He has promised to us is ours. And what do we have to do---ACCEPT, TRUST, BELIEVE, OBEY. The rest is up to the Lord. He is the One Who will perform what He says He will do. TRUST HIM!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 29

When satan runs into a Word person, somebody who won’t bow, all he’s got is deception, perversion of the Word, a perverted version, to cause you to walk in fear rather than faith. If you won’t fall for that, he’s helpless.

Jesus in 3 ½ years reeked havoc on satan’s kingdom.

THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, it looked like Jesus was helpless—the crucifixion—it looked like satan had won. The Bible says that had the princes of this world known,they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.

Instead of Jesus wearing a crown of glory, satan caused people to mock Jesus and put a crown of thorns on his head and laugh in derision at the inscription on the cross—KING OF THE JEWS.

As far as hell was concerned here, Jesus had lost.

Jesus descended into hell, and 3 days later, justified right in the midst of hell’s rejoicing, Jesus lifts the crown off satan’s head, puts it on, disrobed the devil, took the keys to death and hell and turned to the demons and spoiled them, stripped them of their authority. He leaves satan and his forces with no authority and no power. He goes to paradise and sets the captives free. In Psalm 24 He is called the King of Glory. Jesus took the crown back to earth and breathed on the disciples just as Adam was breathed into by God. He gave them back their authority. Mankind once again had the authority of God to use on their behalf.

Wear the crown of glory as Adam was to wear it originally, AND DECREEE, IN THE NAME OF JESUS, OUT OF MY LIFE DEVIL!!!!!!!!!! In Job 22:28 we read: You shall also decide and decree a thing and it shall be established for you. Jesus paid a precious price for your crown-----don’t let satan get it and don’t give it to him.

After Jesus got the crown back for man, satan tries every plot to stop the people who are given this authority. He fails at every turn until he hits on what will render this authority powerless. Get man to become religious. Cause him to lose insight into the power of God and preach man’s traditions which are established. Confine man to church buildings. Get him away from people who need Christ. Get him inside the four walls and cause him to become fat and satisfied. And he did, and man fell for his trap.

And satan started building his kingdom again. The Dark Ages came. The Word of God was hidden away from the ordinary man so that he couldn’t see truth and use it against satan. THEN, God finds a people who won’t be religious, who won’t be confined, who would rather be persecuted by the religious people and be free in Jesus. Martin Luther, John and Charles Wesley, Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, Azusa Street people. Amy Semple Mcpherson---nothing stopped them.

AND God is raising up a people the devil can’t stop. The devil can’t stop us this time. This earth belongs to us. We’re taking control again. We are created in the image of God and we know it. Revelation 3:11 tells us to hold fast that which we have and let no man that our crown. We have the crown of glory on our head, the armor of God on, the name of Jesus, the authority of God, the Word of God, the blood of Jesus, and we’re stomping satan’s territory. We’re taking back what belongs to us. Jesus got it all for us. We’ve got it back.

Here’s how you wear your crown of glory.
Decide to make the Word of God first place in your life---top priority. See yourself in the mirror of the Word of God. See yourself the way God sees you, with the victory every time you are assaulted by satan. God has given us His Word to tell us how to operate. Let’s do it and win the rest of the world for Jesus. We’ve got to tell them what He has done for them. They can’t be ignorant any longer. Oh, God, give us the nations; give us the heathen for our inheritance. We can’t let them die and go to hell.

Wake up, church, and go forth in the name of Jesus with the authority that you have been given to take charge over the devil. It is not just for you. It is for those who don’t know Jesus yet. Use your authority over the principalities and powers in your neighborhood, your home, your marriage, your children, your church, your place of work, your schools, your city, your state, your country. Take back what the devil has stolen from you and walk in your inheritance, not just for your sake, but for the sake of those around you, that they may see and know that God is a good God and that Jesus paid a tremendous price that they might be free like you are. Go forth in the name of the Lord and set the captives free, just as you are free.

Jesus is coming soon, sooner than you think. Let us work while it is yet day to bring in as many as we can when we go to heaven. Let’s take a gang with us, rejoicing all the way. He is coming!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 28

Satan was the ruler over the planet at this point when Adam disobeyed but he couldn’t really enjoy his rulership because he had this threat hanging over his head----someone is going to take that stolen crown back. WATCH OUT!

He knows God is going to raise up somebody to bruise his head (break his power). So, here satan is. He has gotten man’s crown. He has gotten man’s authority. He gotten man’s planet. He has gotten man’s kingdom. The earth is cursed and perverted. God is on the outside looking in. Before Adam fell, satan was on the outside looking in and God was saying to him: You’re not going to reign in heaven or earth. Satan saw the same thing on earth as he saw in heaven when Adam was created. Every time satan looked at Adam, he saw God. He was boiling and wanted that power.

The crown of glory is symbolic of the nature of God in manifestation. It represents God’s attributes, His authority, the power of God emanating from a man, God’s character, everything of God, supreme and complete authority.

Adam willfully disobeyed God and His Word. He knew what God had told him. The moment Adam did this with his own will, he was stripped of the authority of God on this earth. He no longer was the man he had been created to be. Satan became his illegitimate stepfather and perverted everything. Everything about Adam changed. He was born again from life to death and exchanged the nature of God for the nature of satan. We take a lesson from this and realize we must by our own will obey God’s word, regardless of what it looks like or our authority is useless also.

And satan took charge of this planet, took the crown and perverted God’s glory into iniquity and sin. But ever before satan was what God said about “her seed.” First he thought it was Abel, but he died. After the flood, satan’s first thought was that Noah was the man. After 950 years Noah died. It wasn’t him. Next was Abram. God tells him his seed will be mighty on the earth. After 25 years Isaac is born. So satan watches Abraham 175 more years and he dies. Next is Isaac and he dies. Then men and prophets prophesy of the Messiah’s coming and they die. Then God talks to Moses and satan watches all the miracles he does. But he dies. Next is Joshua with the walls of Jericho; he tells the moon and sun to stand still and they do; he leads the Israelites. But he dies. Along comes Samson who with his bare hands tears the lion in pieces and with the jawbone of an ass kills 1,000 men. But he dies. Then Elijah walks into the king’s court and tells them it’s not going to rain anymore until I say so. He challenges 45 prophets of Baal. But he dies. Then Elisha has a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. He takes Elijah’s mantle and splits the Jordan and goes across on dry land. He is a mighty man of God. But he dies. Then Isaiah prophesies the virgin birth. Satan can’t stand this. Who is it? He has had to deal with all these men and it is not the right one yet. Can you imagine his frustration and his anger and his efforts being exerted to get rid of all these men and yet it is not the right one. Jeremiah and Ezekiel both prophesy of the Messiah. Then after the prophets, there is SILENCE.

Satan decides: I’ve won.

THEN, John the Baptist comes saying: The seed is on His way; it’s almost time. All hell is alerted, alarms sound.

THEN, JESUS IS HERE---God says: This is My Beloved Son. NOW, SATAN KNOWS----The fight is on.

In Luke 4 we see satan’s temptations of Jesus—all a part of HIS taking on satan for us, but satan didn’t know that. He thought he might have a chance to defeat this one like he did Adam. Jesus answered satan every time with the Word and defeated every one of his temptations. We have the same instructions: Don’t ever answer satan with anything else but the Word. The devil told Jesus he would give Him all the power and glory delivered unto him. Jesus came for the crown. So satan offered it to him if he would bow down and worship satan. Jesus was the second Adam. The first Adam fell with something to eat. Jesus passed the first temptation so in the second temptation, satan got right to the point. Jesus has been through for you all you’ll ever be tempted with or go through, and He has overcome it for you. That’s why you are more than an overcomer. He has overcome and you partake of the fruit of the overcoming.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 27

We cannot leave the teaching on authority without talking about the Crown of Glory.

In Psalm 8:5b, talking about man, we read: “and hast crowned him with glory and honor.”

A crown represents authority. People who wear crowns are kings; they have authority; they reign; they have dominion over a kingdom. God’s intention for man is that he reign as a king on the earth. And kings don’t reign in a beggarly way or act like they are weak. Jesus has made us unto God kings and priests. Jesus is the King of kings. He is the big King and we are the little kings.

Here in Psalm 8, the psalmist was excited about creation. He was looking at the handiwork of God, the beauty of His handiwork. He was praising God for all He’s created. While he is considering the handiwork of God, the psalmist thinks: Why would this great God have anything to do with man? Well, thank God, God created us in His class. We are an heir with Jesus to all God has because Jesus provided the way for us to be heirs. In this Psalm 8:5,6 he was talking about Jesus but ultimately he is talking about us because we and Jesus are one---He is the Head and we are the body of Christ.

Remember Genesis 1:26-28 regarding man’s dominion. He is a duplication of God. A duplication is a little lower than the original. God is the Creator and anything He creates is a step down from Him. Adam was an exact duplicate of God. Adam was like a king in this planet as God is #1 in the universe. So are we now. As He is, so are we in this world.

Adam had the authority on earth God had in heaven. God intended for earth to be an exact duplication of heaven. The very life and nature of God was breathed into, (inspired) by God into Adam who up to this point was lifeless. The life force (divine, absolute life) of God was placed in Adam. God pronounced Adam king of this earth, this planet, placed a crown of glory and honor on his head; Adam was king, in complete control of earth.

God told Adam to dress and keep (guard) the garden and protect it from all intruders. Adam disobeyed and thus gave his crown of glory and honor, representing authority, to satan. Let me give you some scriptures on stripping of the crown of glory. Job. 19:9 He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. Psalm 78:61 And delivered his strength into captivity and his glory in the enemy’s hand. Romans 3:3 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Every time satan shows up, he perverts. There is darkness. Satan is a one who perverts. He doesn’t create. He takes things God creates and makes them opposite. That is his nature. God’s nature is light. Satan’s nature is darkness. God’s nature is love. Satan’s nature is hatred. God’s nature is life. Satan’s nature is death. God’s nature is faith. Satan’s nature is fear. God is health and life and prosperity and abundance. Satan is sickness and disease and death and lack and poverty.

Satan could not tap into God’s anointing. He tried and was kicked out of heaven. He was so desirous, so greedy for power and position that he did not stop trying to get God’s anointing after he was removed from heaven. And he saw his chance with the man that God had created in His image and likeness with His anointing. He would attempt to steal this anointing from man. And he succeeded. Oh, but God had a plan before the foundation of the earth. He and His Son Jesus had a plan. And what a great plan it was. And satan didn’t know anything about it. He tried to guess at the plan but never succeeded in uncovering the plan. What a God we have. What a love He has for us, His mankind, His children when we accept Him.

Before God left satan, after Adam bowed his knee to satan, God prophesied to satan and gave him the directive in Genesis 3:15. God said in essence, I’ll get the crown back for man. He was actually prophesying the virgin birth. The point is that satan didn’t know what God was saying other than God was going to raise up a mighty one to bruise satan’s head and take authority back.

Monday, August 13, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 26

As we come to an end of our teaching on authority, let’s remind ourselves of several things.

Satan gained Adam’s authority. Jesus came, took satan’s authority, and gave it back to us. We have to individually accept or receive that authority. After we receive Jesus and that authority, satan tries to get that authority back from us individually to use on us as he did Adam. If we give him that authority, it’s no one’s fault but our own that we walk in defeat and failure.

For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan’s works are destroyed. He has been rendered powerless. His demonic forces have been stripped of their authority and power. We can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ for us. It is interesting that in Jesus Christ, the fight of faith is really a rest, resting in what we know and using the authority we have been given to stay in that rest. We are not to get uptight and stressed out when something happens that is contrary to good in our lives. We are to turn to our Father and see where we are seated—with Christ in heavenly places and realize that we are seated in a winner’s seat, having a position of power and strength and victory. That is the position from which we must operate. We have no power in our own selves to do anything that will take care of our lives. It is God’s power and authority He has given us to use on the enemy and to keep our victory enforced, all the time, every day, forever. Jesus is with us always by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is to get to know what belongs to us and then to operate from that position of power.

Confess this:
I am created in the image of God. When Adam fell, he lost that image. When I was born again, once again God said, let us make man in our image. I have been restored to the position Adam had. When satan comes around, instead of entertaining him, it is my responsibility to order him to leave and to guard, to protect the garden God has given me, my body, my mind, my family, my home, my belongings, my community, my earth.

Colossians 3:10 tells us that we are renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created us.

Ephesians 1:10 tells us that we are recreated, created again, born over again in God.

In Genesis, chapters 1-3, is played over again every time man is born again, created again in the image of God. The authority of God is then ours as Jesus got it back and gave it to us. Satan tried to steal it and use man’s own authority against him on an individual level now.

It’s an aggressive thing. You don’t sit around waiting for satan to come. You go after him and let him know you know who he is, no matter how weak you feel. As you do it, speak out against him, you’ll feel the strength of God flow through you, energizing you to fight the good fight of faith with the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit because of the blood of Jesus that speaks life and victory and releases God’s power on our behalf. You are victorious. You have been given the authority to win every time in the battle you face. It doesn’t depend upon your feelings or what the circumstances look like. It depends upon the Word of God. If the Word of God says you win, then you win. If the Word of God says you have authority, then you have authority. It doesn’t have anything to do with how puny or strong you feel as a person. It is the strength of Almighty God that takes care of you.

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 25

In this teaching let’s talk some more about reigning as kings in this life right now under King Jesus.

Since the enemy is a defeated foe and has nothing to tyrannize me, what is there to overcome?

All that has been done by Christ for me is legally mine, but I must personally experience it for myself. I must use it personally.

The adversary and his army of evil spirits continue to counterattack and contest every inch of ground they’ve lost. Now they contest it individually. Just as the promised land was Israel’s legally and promised, they had to take it by means of war. Then after they settled on it, they had to fight to keep it. Why? Because former inhabitants refuse to accept their dispossession passively. Do you get the picture. In Matthew 11:12 we read that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. As a Christian you must see your promises, fight for them and keep them, lay hold of them by faith. You are released to reign in this life as a conqueror and possessor of all that Jesus Christ has gotten for you.

Our position in Jesus Christ is confirmed by the Word of God; it’s a faith position received by faith, held by faith. Regardless of what you feel like or what it looks like, you must believe that you have received what Jesus has bought for you. You may feel weak and powerless; it may look like you are going to have to declare bankruptcy; it may look like you are dying; your life may appear to be hopelessly entangled in a mess that it looks like there is no way out. In spite of all this, you must look at what Jesus has bought for you, who you are in Christ. You must NOT look at your circumstances, even though they are screaming for attention.

I will give you an earthly illustration of what I am talking about here. As I am typing this Pearls today, my cat is insisting on going outside and is whining and whining. She is lying on the little hope chest in the room where my computer is and every once in a while she will let out one of her little whines. That is the way circumstances insistently call to us. I am ignoring her, but she still whines. She wants to go outside but I am busy and she will have to wait. When circumstances cry out for attention, don’t pay attention to their insistent whines and calls. They will stop after a while because whatever we give attention to continues. It is just taking that first step that is the hardest and then being steadfast as the cry for attention continues, until you are victorious over it.

We are victorious and have the authority over all that comes against us. What we must do is to exercise our authority. In the beginning we will be rather weak but we gain strength as we continue to exercise the authority that Jesus has given to us. Satan knows we have that authority but we must know we have it and exercise it.

We must have absolute and total dependence on Christ. Through Him we reign over circumstances, poverty, disease, sin, anything that hinders our walk on this earth. Jesus is the King of kings (us) in the Kingdom of God with spiritual rule and authority which He has given to you and me on this earth. A king has confidence in his ability, his authority. Kings exercise authority, defend the kingdom against all challengers, and when they speak it’s done. When they command, they are obeyed. They are the voice of authority. Their voice has a boldness in it and authoritativeness.

A king either overcomes or he is overcome. If he doesn’t see that his commands are carried out (obeyed, followed), he is inviting an open confrontation with his challenger. Satan waits, ever ready to see if we really believe what we say. Do we know who we are? Are we exercising authority that we know how to use? Do we really mean what we say? Do we as God’s children know what kingdom He has given us to rule over?

Today, if you do not know who you are, if you are back and forth on what you believe, don’t give up. Keep on being faithful to stay in God’s Word and ask Him for help to personally use the authority He has given to you to overcome every situation which faces you in life. It is a continual learning experience. Our Lord knows what we face here on this earth. He knows our makeup and what we have to overcome. Keep on being faithful, especially in the middle of difficult circumstances. We have many things that confront us and come against us. But remember that the Greater One lives in you and He is greater than all that is in the world. And that is not just a trite, worn-out phrase for me. It is reality. I know Who lives in me. He has overcome all and He is in me so that I can overcome all as I totally depend on Him for direction, for guidance through the path that I am walking.

Don’t give up when you are almost to your destination. Keep on going. Keep on looking to the One Who has paid it all for you. Keep on staying faithful to Him and to His Word. And those naysayers who are telling you the Word doesn’t work must remember that they are actually saying that Jesus doesn’t work because He is the Word, according to John 1:1-5. The Word of God, Who is Jesus, will bring results in your life personally if you will believe and if you will receive.

Right now, where you are, say: I believe I receive. I believe I receive. I believe I receive. And you fill in the blank of what you believe you receive. Perhaps it is healing you need. I believe I receive my healing. I believe I receive my healing. I believe I receive my healing. Perhaps it is finances you need. I believe I receive my bills paid. I believe I receive ideas and concepts on how to bring in the finances to pay my bills. I believe I receive divine guidance and wisdom to be wise in my finances. I believe I receive. Jesus is standing there with the answer every time. It is a matter of us learning how to reach out and take it for ourselves. We take it with our mouth speaking and believing that what we say will produce results. On purpose, choose to believe that what you say will come to pass. After all, that is what Mark 11:23 says. Believe it for yourself. The Word works.

The Authority of the Believer - 24

Let’s talk some more today about sharing the spoils of the victory that Jesus Christ has purchased for us.

A new man, immortal, incorruptible, never again subject to death is now my ADVOCATE in heaven. His name is Jesus.

Every believer has been legally pardoned from the sentence of death and all its results and restored to the position Adam had before the fall.

In Ephesians 1:17-23 we read that we are far above all spiritual might, satanic energy directed against us. All things are under our feet. We’re the feet in the Body of Christ. God’s commitment is to rule the universe through the church, to put down satanic opposition through the church and to exercise His Lordship through the church. He is the Head over all things to the church. As the Head, He has conferred all His authority and work to us here on earth. This is the reason it is imperative that the church operate in unity. In our physical body if the leg pulls one way and the arm another and the other leg in a different direction the body gets nowhere. If parts are contrary one to the other, the body is disjointed and standing still. The same is true of the Body of Christ. We must cooperate, work together to get anywhere.

Our unity is dependent upon Jesus. He is the Head of the Body of Christ and gives the directions for the rest of the Body to follow in working together smoothly. We must identify with Jesus now as He identified with us. We died with Him. We were raised with Him from death and sin. We ascended to the Father in Him. (Colossians 2:12,13; 3:1; Ephesians 2:6) When Christ was raised, we as the church were raised, seated with Him on His throne, sharing His authority, sharing the spoils of the victory. This is the true meaning of identification with Christ and the purpose of redemption. We have Christ’s mind, His nature (fruit of the spirit), His ability (gifts of the spirit) and His authority. We are implanted in Him—one with Him. He is in us and we are in Him.

We are to reign as kings in this life. In Romans 5:17 we read in the Amplified Bible: For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself—reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Our legal position now as believers is this: We have been totally delivered from the authority of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Colossians 1:13,14 in the Amplified Bible reads: [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

We have been enthroned with Christ. All that happened to Him as our substitute happened to us in Him. We are free today because of Jesus Christ. We can live in the freedom of being set free from satan’s bondage because of Jesus Christ. He paid it all for us and took on all that would ever come against us. He took our sicknesses so that we could go free into health. He took all our pain so that we could go free into a pain-free life. He took on our poverty so that we could go free into a wealthy place. He took our defeats and our failures so that we could go free into victory and success.

Jesus Christ paid it all. It is there for us. We must receive it. And here is where the problems exist for most Christians. They have not been taught how to receive. In Mark 11:22-24 we see two kinds of faith in regards to receiving. In verse 23 we see that we are to speak to our problems (not about them) and command them to be gone and believe in our hearts that what we say will come to pass. And in verse 24 we are to pray and believe that we receive the good things that we are specifically asking for. Notice I say specifically and not generally. What are you believing for today and choosing to receive? Can you tell me specifically? If you cannot, no wonder you do not have what you want. You have to be specific. Take some time today to check up on what you are believing. Do you know how to receive it? Are you being specific? What word are you basing your receiving on? It is possible to receive. We must step out and do it.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 23

We have finished our discussion of why Jesus came to the earth, but in order to refresh our memories, let’s do a quick summary of why Jesus did come. He came to set us free from satan’s dominion of death and sickness and disease and poverty and lack and failure and defeat. In 1 John 3:8 we read that for this purpose Jesus was manifested or made visible---to loosen, undo, dissolve, destroy the works of the enemy. Well, who is your enemy—the devil! In Hebrews 2:14,15 we read that Jesus rendered powerless him who had the authority of death. Jesus gave that authority to us. In Colossians 2:15 we read that Jesus spoiled or stripped principalities and powers of their authority. In Luke 10:19 we read that we have been given authority to tread on serpents and scorpions (demonic powers) and over all the power of the enemy. In John 10:10 we read that Jesus came that we might have and enjoy life, have it in abundance, to the full, until it overflows.

Now let’s talk about what we have RIGHT NOW. We are sharing in the spoils of victory that our conquering King has gotten for us. He is the Victor. He is the Victorious One. He is the Conqueror. And if we are in Him, what does that make us?

The Word of God says that we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us. I don’t know about you, but that is shouting ground for me. When it looks like all hell has broken loose around me, it is just a mirage because Jesus has already conquered satan and all the demonic powers and handed me the victor’s crown.

What am I to do? I am to stand firm, and having done all to stand, stand therefore. And sometimes it may look to others in the natural that you are standing on quicksand, but The Word of my God is a strong foundation on which I can stand and not be shaken when all around me is shaking. When my life is built on the solid foundation of the Word of God and the leading of His Spirit, I am an overcoming, victorious one. And circumstances do not dictate my victory. The Word of God, Jesus Christ Himself determines that I am victorious.

So let the voices of the enemy roar; he knows that he is defeated. He knows that he is doomed. He knows that his end is coming. That is why he is roaring so loudly. The weaker the lion king the more he tries to scare everyone with his roar. Stand up to the fullness of the victory that your King Jesus has purchased for you. Walk in the victor’s path. Looks like I got to preaching there a little but I am stirred up in my spirit about what Jesus has done for me and about how little I have appreciated it and gripped when all around me seems to be contrary to what I believe. And I have asked the Lord to forgive me for letting everything and everybody determine what is success in my life. He is the One Who determines my success.

God Almighty has given me the terms of success in the Old Testament. Yes, I said the Old Testament. Many of you know where I am going----Joshua 1:8. I love this scripture. It rings in my ears all the time as if the Lord were speaking to me instead of Joshua. I can stand in time and hear those words ringing in my ears. If these are God’s instructions to Joshua, they are His instructions to us as well.

This book of the law (The Word of the Living God) shall not depart out of your mouth.
You shall meditate on it day and night, that you may OBSERVE and DO according to all that is written therein.
THEN, (Did you see this little word, THEN?) THEN, you shall make your way prosperous and THEN you shall have good success.

There is only one way to be successful according to God’s Word---keep His Word ever before you day and night and like a mirror that you look in, it reflects you as a victorious one, a successful one. What is your part—keep it before you day and night, speak it, consider it all the time, and DO what it tells you to do. Then you will be successful. God gave me a definition of success a long time ago. It is achieving the desired end result. The desired end result is always what God’s Word says it should be. Where are you today? It makes no difference what is facing you or not facing you. God’s Holy Spirit (His Presence) and His Word will carry you through.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 22

In the last Pearls of Wisdom we began to talk about Jesus’ death and what His death did for us. We were talking about the physical death He died. This physical death was a result of the spiritual death He took on for us in His whole being. Isaiah 53:4,5,10,11 is a description of both the physical and spiritual death Jesus died.

When Jesus died, there was darkness for 3 hours over the earth, meaning that Jesus The Light of God, had taken on the darkness of man’s sin and sickness that satan, the prince of darkness, had given man. We must remember that Adam chose to believe satan and in doing so, chose to take on darkness, even though Adam had no idea what that meant. He definitely found out as soon as it happened. Now, today, we have a choice of accepting the darkness of satan or the Light of God. That is our choice. Then once we make the choice for Jesus, we take authority over all that satan would try to put on us to separate us from God, which is what death is. The word death means separation from. Physical death is separation from the physical body. Spiritual death is separation from God.

In Matthew 27:45,46 we read of the darkness over the earth. At this point Jesus became sin for us, because the Father forsook Him; Jesus felt the separation. Luke 23:46 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Jesus had to voluntarily give up the spirit of life in Him to take on the spirit of death which had no authority over Him until He gave death permission. His spirit took on sin and death and descended to hell 3 days and 3 nights. The darkness of 3 hours was while all that causes physical death was laid on Him. There was the total absence of Light Himself during this time. Then came the darkness of 3 days and 3 nights while He accepted all that causes spiritual death. Jesus accepted the nature of death after He gave over His nature of life into the Father’s hands for safekeeping until the Father would give it back again to Jesus when He called Him forth out of hell. Life could not go to hell or it would have wiped out hell. Life consumes all in its path. Our God is a consuming fire. God is light, life and love. Jesus had to accept the opposite and voluntarily give up all He had.

In Matthew 12:40 Jesus answered those who were looking for a sign that He was from God. For as Jonas was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale’s body, so shall the Son of Man (as man’s representative) be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart (center) of earth. What was the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah)? He was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the whale and lived. Jesus was 3 days and 3 nights in hell and lived

Jesus could only be God to be able to go to hell, the region of the damned and dead, and live and come out with the deliverance in His hand, the answer, just as Jonah came out of the whale with the answer in His hand---repent. But Jesus came forth with the goods which would result from repentance---a new creation, a born-again man. Jesus was the first-born from spiritual death. Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:33; Hebrews 5:5 Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.

God did create His man over again, only not this time from the dust of the earth but from the blood of His own Son. Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant…....From His own Spirit God breathed life in again as He had breathed life into the man He had formed of the dust of the earth. The power of God raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19,20). Man became a living soul in the first instance but a quickening spirit in the second instance (1 Corinthians 15:45).

The very authority of death over us had been loosed.

Jesus has the keys to hell and death now. We discuss with Him when it’s time for us to go home. The sting and fear of death has been removed from us. (Revelation 1:18).

Hallelujah! We are free from the pangs of death. Death has no dominion over us. We are no longer under the fear of death. Jesus has rendered powerless him who had the power of death, satan. He has delivered us. Praise God! Hallelujah! Jesus and you determine when you leave this earth and not satan. You have been given the authority over your physical body by Jesus Himself. He gave it to you because of what He did for you. Take it; it’s yours. You walk with God. You stay close to Him. You take your instructions from Him. He will tell you when your work is done, and it is not when you are 20 or 40 or even 60. The Word of God tells us that our days on earth are 120 years. We don’t have time to teach on that now, but look at it in Genesis 6:3.

The Authority of the Believer - 21

Today we are going to talk about Jesus’ death---what He did for us.

In Hebrews 2:9 we read that He tasted, experienced death for every man.

Two types of death happened with Jesus.

There was the pain and agony of physical death that He suffered for each of us. He has taken the pain of death. He has taken the agony of death. For the person who knows Him, death is just the taking off of the earth suit that we call our body and moving to another location called Heaven, where we take on a different suit we call our body.

You may ask: Then why do Christians die in such agony sometimes? Why do Christians die of horrible diseases and sicknesses? Well, we can ask these questions? Why doesn’t everyone accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord? Why do Christians get offended and angry? Why do Christians gossip and criticize and judge? Why do people do or not do what they are supposed to do? Why? Why? Why? The answer lies in the Word of God and the presence of the Spirit of God. Things do not happen the way they are supposed to happen because we do not know enough sometimes or we do not trust God to do what the Word says He will do. His Word is true. The truth of His Word does not stand on your experience or lack of experience. His Word stands true by itself if not one person on the earth demonstrates the truth of it.

If not one person experiences healing, if not one person experiences financial prosperity, if not one person experiences being born again, His Word regarding these things still stands true forever. Man’s experiences do not determine the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word should determine man’s experiences.

Sadly to say, most of the time, the opposite is true. We experience failure and we blame God and say that His Word does not work. We have to justify our failure. I have heard ministers from the pulpit talk about God taking somebody because He needed an angel in heaven or we never know what God is going to do or that you live in a world of fantasy if you believe that the Word will work for you the way it says.

How that must sadden our Lord, Who suffered and died that we might be free of sickness and disease, poverty, lack, want, sin, failure, defeat, etc. This is what His death is all about—substitution so that we would not have to suffer what He did. Yes, there is suffering, the suffering of resisting the devil and his lies, of resisting the sickness and disease, of resisting the lack, of resisting the words of derision from those around us who point their fingers at us and tell us that we are proof that the Word of God doesn’t work all the time.

Jesus paid the ultimate price of dying that we might live in the abundant life. I don’t know about you, but I am going to accept what He did for me, regardless of what others may think of me of whether I “look like” I am succeeding or failing. That is not the issue. The issue is this: Do you believe God and trust Him with your very life and existence? Do you believe His Word is true for you all the time? Are you willing to stand on His Word when it looks like it is not working for you personally in your life right now? These are decisions each one of us has to make, sometimes every minute of every day.

Where are you standing today? What has come against you? Are you trusting God? You know it is easy to “trust God” when everything is going well. What about your trust when it looks like everything is going the opposite of what the Word says should be happening? You know that satan is a liar and the father of liars. It is his job to convince you by circumstantial evidence that the Word does not work for you and never will work for you. He has one goal---to convince you that the Word of God does not work for you.

The Word of God does work for whosoever will believe it will work. It is up to the Spirit of God to perform what His Word says. There is not one thing you can do to make it work. Trust Him today. Ask Him what you are to do in your situation. Perhaps there are some natural things He wants you to do. Perhaps there are some spiritual things He wants you to do. Let Him guide you. He knew from the beginning of time what situations you would encounter in your life and He is Jehovah Jireh, the One Who has made provision for you before you ever had a need. What is your need today? Place it in His hands and do what He tells you to do. Listening to Him is the key to coming out of each trial we encounter, each difficulty we face. He will bring you and me through to the other side, victoriously. Do much praising today as you stand and face your giants. They are not bigger than God. Like David, all it takes is one little stone of trust to fell that big giant.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

The Authority of the Believer - 20

Jesus has also given us authority over demons and evil spirits. They are under the direct control of satan. Through his government they carry out his specific orders, especially in the realm of mental and emotional disease.

According to Daniel 10:13 every governing body (area) local, state, national, world has its own spirit ruler, prince. There are different degrees of demonic dominion. In any area—includes home and neighborhood—before the Word of God can have any lasting effect, we must bind the strong man in that area first and take full authority over him. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us the demonic forces over which we are to take authority, as we seek the Lord in prayer for our area.

Satan is an angel, and as such, he is not omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing) or omnipotent (all-powerful) as God is. He is limited in knowledge, ability and power. He is still an angel in charge of other angels.

You are not limited as he is in knowledge, ability and power because the all-knowing, all-powerful God dwells in you and gives you His ability.

The reason satan appears to know so much is this. He has been with God and knows something about God’s operations and laws and principles. He can try to imitate them and appear as God to those not walking in the Spirit of God with the Word of God residing on the inside of them.

Colossians 2:15 tells us that Jesus Christ has spoiled principalities and powers. He has made a bold display or show of them openly. He has triumphed over them in the cross.
To spoil means: Strip the hide from an animal; completely disarm a defeated enemy

Jesus stripped demonic powers of all authority as one would skin an animal.
SO--------
It is complete for us. Jesus Christ has spoiled principalities and powers (Colossians 2:15).
He has rendered satan powerless where we are concerned (Hebrews 2:14,15).
Satan’s works are destroyed (1 John 3:8).
Jesus has the keys to hell and death (Revelation 1:8).

What more do we need! Jesus has done it all for us and given us the authority over all demonic powers.

When we speak of satan and demonic powers, we must also address the issue of death. Man was not born to die originally. Death, the work of the devil and its power over us is destroyed. Through death Jesus destroyed or rendered powerless him who had the power (capability of producing) of death.

When Adam accepted satan, he accepted death. When we accept Jesus, we accept life, absolute life with no death in it (zoe, the God-kind of life).

In the Old Testament this victory over death was prophesied. Hebrews 13:14----I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: Isaiah 25:8----He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

We simply accomplish our assignment here on earth and God tells us when it is done and we obey and change from earth to heaven as our home. It is not to be dictated by satan and his works of sickness and disease telling us when we leave earth, but when God tells us.

All of us will leave our bodies when our work is done, whether by the grave or by the rapture. The point we must remember is that we listen to God, and we are the ones who decide when we go, based on His instructions, not the death and disease of satan and this earth’s robbery.
Hallelujah!

Say this with me: I have been loosed from _______________! (You fill in the blank). Jesus has set me free.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Authority of the Believer - 19

Let’s look at another area Jesus bore for us and one in which we need to take authority over satan in our lives. Jesus became poor that we might be rich.

In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read in the King James Version: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor (inadequate, wanting), that ye through his poverty might be rich (well-supplied).

Jesus was rich, equal with the Father, above the ability to experience want or need.
YET
He emptied Himself totally of all wealth to experientially suffer poverty for all that we might experience prosperity. He was born in an unsanitary roadside cave/barn for animals, without privacy, raised in a poor family and worked hard for a living. Christ became destitute that we might become wealthy.

In 3 John 2 we read that God desires that we may prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. To prosper means to succeed. To succeed means to attain our desired end. God desires that we succeed in our finances and in our bodies as we succeed in our souls. We must prosper in our souls first (minds, will, emotions) before we will prosper in our finances and in our bodies. Many times people forget that there is more to it than just achieving the desired end result in our finances. That desired end result will never come until we are prospering in our souls, with our minds continually being renewed and washed by the water of the Word of God, with our emotions conformed to God’s fruit, with our will immersed in His will. We must first seek and fall in love with Him Who is the author of prosperity in every area of our lives. And with Him comes everything that He has. Seek the Master and the “stuff” will be yours because you are part of the household of God. What is His and in His household belongs to us as His children.

In verse after verse in the Old Testament we read that God has an attitude of pity toward the poor. So, not only must we learn how to overcome poverty, but also we must be generous and unselfish, ministering to the needs of the poor. In Proverbs 14:31 we read that He that honors His Maker has mercy on the poor. In Proverbs 14:17 we read that He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given the Lord will repay to him. In Proverbs 22:9 we read that he who has a bountiful eye shall be blessed. He gives of his bread to the poor. In Proverbs 28:27 we read that he that gives to the poor shall not lack. In Deuteronomy 15:7-11 we are told that we are to open our hands wide to the poor and needy.

And why do you think God pities the poor. He knows satan is behind their problems. In John 10:10 we are told that the thief satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus came that we might have and enjoy life in abundance, to the full until it overflows. That word “pity” is not the way we think of pity. When God pities, He has the greatest compassion for you and wants you out of your bad situation to the point that He took your place so that you could go free. He took the poverty. We take the prosperity of finances, going into a wealthy place.

In Philippians 4:19 we read that God supplies our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. In the Amplified Bible, we read it this way. My God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

In Ephesians 1:3 we read that we have been blessed (past tense) with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

What a privilege we have to take the world’s riches and use them for the Kingdom of God. Jesus took all the work out of it and gave us the prize of the world’s riches. Riches here mean wealth, money. Money is only filthy lucre in the hands of fools, in the hands of the people of the world. In the hands of God’s people, who have the right attitude, money is a tool to get the gospel out to the world, to get people born again so that we can wrap this thing up and be with Jesus. Money is only a tool----nothing more, nothing less. It is not to be worshipped or create fearfulness in our minds that we won’t have enough. The whole money economy is subject to change at a moment’s notice. God’s Word is not subject to change. Take His Word and change your whole financial life. It will take time and standing in firmness where the world is concerned and your money that they have. Don’t bow to their system. Don’t allow their system to control you. Use their system to get the finances you need to get the good news out to every person on the face of this earth. Jesus loves you and He wants only the best for you. He is waiting for you.

Authority of the Believer - 18

As we continue our discussion on healing, let’s look at some more scriptures which will establish our right to have healing and our right to take authority over any sickness or disease that tries to attach itself to our bodies.

In Isaiah 53:3,4,5, and 10 we see that Jesus was made sick with our sicknesses. God was pleased to crush Him with sickness. Jesus literally experienced our sicknesses and diseases, every sickness and every disease that would ever come upon us. He did that for us. I cannot comprehend or even imagine all the sicknesses and diseases of the world that would ever exist being placed upon Jesus all at once. It is impossible to take in that kind of information. This prophecy in Isaiah includes our sickness, pains, transgressions, iniquities, and provides for our peace and healing.

Jesus bore our sickness before we were ever born, just like we would ask a friend to carry disease for us so we don’t have to put up with it. Only we didn’t have to ask Jesus. He voluntarily took all of the diseases in case one tried to come on us. Even though a disease may never come on you or me, He took it just in case. Isn’t that something! That’s why we thank Him rather than dwelling on trying to get healed. We’re grateful to Jesus for taking the disease for us. We’re so thrilled we don’t have to suffer because He suffered instead. That is why we are grateful.

In Matthew 8:16,17 we see that the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed with devils and He cast out the spirits with His Word and healed all that were sick. Why? That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 53 quoted above: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.

And then in 1 Peter 2:24 KJV we read: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In Acts 10:38 we read in the Amplified Bible: How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.

Oppress means to exercise power over. When we make Jesus the Lord of our bodies, the devil has no way to exercise power over us. He would have to come through Jesus to get to our bodies and he doesn’t dare. The only thing he has left is deception. He tries to make us think we are sick and diseased with the physical symptoms he attempts to get us to believe and accept. Once we accept the package, we are in his territory and he pours it on strong. What we have to do is stand up, look him square in the eyes and say: No, devil, take your hands off God’s property. You have no rights here. I take the authority over you that you have been trying to exercise over me. I have authority over you and all your sicknesses and diseases. Now, git!

I pose a question to you. Why would God deliver us from all but one area in our lives—sickness? That doesn’t even make any sense in the natural world. If Jesus took our place and bore our sicknesses and diseases, why would we do the same? No! No! A thousands times No! He bore every sickness or disease or infirmity that would ever try to attack you and me or try to attach itself to our bodies. We have been delivered from sickness.

You are free today from all that satan would attempt to put on you and convince you that you have. Rejoice! You are delivered. You are healed. You are free.