What a day I had yesterday. There was a video I watched, and some discussion with people, and some more discussion. It was one of those days that doesn’t really have a beginning and an ending that is clear and concise because my mind was trying to process everything and make good sense of it. So let me start at the beginning.
Genesis 1:26, Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
This verse gives man physical authority over the earth. Over the fish, birds and animals, over the environment. In other words, your cat or dog is not your boss. In the next three passages Jesus is giving spiritual authority to believers.
Luke 9:1-2, And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
John 14:12-14, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name I will do it.
Mark 16:17-18, And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Therefore we have physical and spiritual authority over the earth. Then why is everything in the state it is? Why do we keep hearing things like, “where was God?” and “How can a loving God allow this or that to happen?” If God gave us, as believers dominion and authority it means we haven’t been doing our job.
A lot of us have been brought up either outside of church or in churches where religion was more important than biblical truths and the power of the Holy Spirit. When you are brought up to believe certain things it’s not a small thing to turn everything over that you have seen as the truth. When I look at these verses it is plain to me that if I am a believer I have received a certain amount of authority and also the means to be able to use that authority. There are numerous examples in the Gospels of how Jesus used His authority to cast out demons and heal sick people. Then the disciples followed what Jesus did so did Paul. As soon as Paul speaks in tongues, heals the sick and casts out demons, I believe all arguments that people have about things being for that time and not now, are refuted. Paul was not a disciple and never sat under Jesus’ teaching. He might have lived in the first century but other than that he was no different to you or me.
We have been given authority, yet we ask God nicely to heal us or others. I believe we have to command healing. Isn’t that what someone in authority does. We are in a spiritual war, which makes us soldiers. I think we are more than soldiers though, we are generals. And when generals give a command things happen, and they happen quickly. Are we unaware of our power, or are we afraid it might not have any effect, and therefore we don’t use it?
The state of the world right now is to be put at the feet of the believers and it is only the believers who can make any difference at all. We can’t blame criminals, other religions, other races or God. We are here, we have the authority and we have to start using it.
Tag: war
Pray for each other
Last week in our cell group we were given an assignment. Each one had to choose a piece of folded paper which had the name of one of the members of the group. We would pray for the person whose name we chose and find a scripture for that person. It was a very simple sounding exercise, but it had far reaching effects.
What does it mean to pray for someone?
James 5:16, The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16, for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer! (The Passion Translation)
This verse says so much. Tremendous power is released. What a statement. When we pray for someone we are representing that person before the throne of God. We are saying to God, “please bless Mary; please give her wisdom; give her the ability to do the things which are difficult for her; give her the grace to be able to put behind her the things that are holding her back; let the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in her life; put ministering angels around her and protect her from harm.” We have been given the power to represent someone else before God.
Romans 1:9, For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
Ephesians 1:15-16, Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
Ephesians 3:14-19, For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
If we are constantly praying for our fellow believers in this way and they are praying for us, we won’t even need to pray for ourselves! It is such a blessed state to be in, knowing that someone is carrying you in prayer. There’s a war going on and we have to cover our fellow believers.
John 17:20-26, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
This is such a profound prayer that Jesus prayed for every one of us. He poured out His heart before God on our behalf. And because you cannot take words back once they have been spoken, these words that Jesus uttered are still resounding in the universe. Just think about it. Jesus prayed for you and me before He died. Why would we want to resist the call to follow Him if that is how much He loves us? And if Jesus prayed for us who are we not to pray for each other?
We have been granted an open invitation to have an audience with the King whenever we wish. Let us use our time wisely by praying for each other.
War
War
I received a Whatsapp message from a dear friend. It was one of those pictures with little angels and harps and fluffy clouds. The message printed on the picture was something like “the angels are going to sing you a lullaby so that you can sleep peacefully.” It’s a very nice and peaceful thought but what went through my mind when I received it was that we are involved in a war and I think angels are doing far more serious things than putting us to sleep.
We are in a war with the devil if we want to recognise it or not. People are not our enemies.
Ephesians 6:12, 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.
1 Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour
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.
The devil is not an opponent to be disregarded or ignored. I have so often heard people say that because they don’t believe in things like demons or evil spirits, they cannot be affected by them. I have also heard people say that things like evil spirits do not exist and are all in the mind. It’s like saying that because I don’t believe in earthquakes they can’t affect me. When you are in the vicinity of an earthquake and you don’t take the proper precautions, you are going to be affected by it. Evil spirits or demons can affect you and even enter you when you leave doors open. If you are constantly drinking too much you can invite a demon of addiction into your life, and it won’t leave until you resist it.
James 4:7, Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
It doesn’t matter how upset you are at someone who did something to hurt or offend you, that person is only the conduit through whom the devil works his schemes.
The whole world is fighting against each other part of the time for whatever reason. I don’t think there has ever been a period in history when there hasn’t been conflict. People are constantly fighting with each other and fighting each other’s beliefs and ideologies. They don’t realize that the enemy isn’t the other person or the other country. Religions, races, languages, countries and systems are all entangled in the web of deception that the devil weaves. It isn’t going to end any time soon. The devil isn’t about to give up on his campaign of sowing conflict and hate. He isn’t going to suddenly change and become good. He is a liar and a murderer.
John 8:44, You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
If Jesus is our shepherd we are going to have to learn to hear His voice. That is the only way we are going to know when it’s the devil and his demons whispering sweet nothings into our ears. A baby consumes milk for the first six months of its life and then starts eating solids and soon enough can follow instructions and before you know it that baby is a toddler and if you look away and blink and adult appears. Well, that’s how it feels anyway. That is the way with a believer. You can’t be satisfied with hearing from others what God is saying. You have to start to learn and listen. We have to put on the armour that is prescribed in Ephesians 6:10-20 and be ready for battle. If you don’t think there’s a battle, just start reading your bible and speaking about your faith to others. You will very soon be right in the middle of the war. So be bold and strong because the Lord is with you.
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