Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part XIV

Luke 10:19 (KJV) 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Matthew 28:18-20(KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Since Jesus has been given all power in Heaven and earth and we are His body on the earth, we are then able to operate in His power. Elsewise, how would we be able to do the same works that Jesus said we could do? [John 14:12] He’s commanded us to do the same works. So we see that we have the power and the authority to stand against the wiles of the enemy and defeat his attacks against us. Let’s look at some more scriptures.

1 Peter 5:8-9(KJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

James 4:7 (KJV)
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Remember that God never requires us to do anything we are unable to do. He tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us! That’s awesome because that means satan and his cohorts have to listen and obey when we rebuke them.

James goes on to say that we’re to draw near to God and then resist the devil and he will flee. It’s always our submission to God first and then resisting the devil. We can’t do this in our own strength because it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can actually do this. Praise the Lord for His keeping power!

Continued next time — Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part XIII

We have been studying that God has given His people spiritual authority and dominion over this world’s system. Now let’s discuss how to use that authority.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the w

As you are well aware, we have an adversary, the devil, who is out to steal, kill, and destroy everything he can. [John 10:10] But he can’t unless he gets our cooperation. What? You say, “How can that be? I don’t cooperate with the enemy!” Oh, but you do. It can be through ignorance or sin or deliberately disobeying God. This opens the door for the enemy to come right in and wreak havoc in your life. So what are we to do? Keep the door shut!

Brothers and sisters, we have to, on purpose, be vigilant to watch and guard our lives 24/7 because the devil and his henchmen don’t sleep. They’re out to do damage wherever they get an opening. Don’t give it to them. And how do we do this? Read on.

One of the main inroads satan has into our lives is through fear, strife and unbelief, which includes worry, one of the biggest inroads to your destruction! He needles us to get us to strive with each other and worry about everything there is to worry about and then he lowers the boom to destroy us. We can’t afford to contend with each other and worry about everything that comes against us. We must guard against it daily, even hour by hour if need be.

Strife opens the door to untold illnesses and physical problems. The medical field even agrees with this. Plus worry is fear and it will cut off your faith so that you have no defense. Worry actually is not trusting God!

Cast your cares onto the Lord because He is equipped to deal with them perfectly. And stay in peace!

John 14:27 (KJV) 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Romans 12:18 (KJV) 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Jesus gave us His peace which passes all human understanding. Paul exhorts us to live peaceably with everyone, which goes to show us that it is entirely possibly to live in peace and avoid strife. But we have our part to do. We must exercise our faith and take our stand against every wicked thought the enemy brings against us and cast them down and stay in peace toward one another. We can do it! You can do it!

1 Peter 5:7(KJV) 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Continued next time — Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part XII

God’s Covenants with Man

Why did God flood the earth in the first place? Because if He hadn’t, there wouldn’t have been a virgin left on planet earth for Jesus to be born through. Violence was everywhere and growing more and more wicked as time went on. In His mercy, God caused the flood to save mankind from total destruction forever and ever.

After Noah, He made a covenant with Abraham, which is a very interesting turn of events. Abraham walked by faith with God and was a friend of God’s. Little by little God led Abraham to a deeper and deeper commitment of faith in Him until one day, He asked Abraham to offer Isaac, the promised child, as a sacrifice to Him.

Genesis 22:2(KJV) 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

I want you to notice that Abraham didn’t hesitate or even argue with God. He did what was asked of him because of the Covenant he and God had made. And remember, Isaac was the promised child that Abraham and Sarah had waited for all those years. This is extremely important because of the future event that was to come.

Since Abraham was willing to offer his son for a sacrifice, it opened the door for God to offer His Son, Jesus, for the sins of the whole human race. Praise the Lord for Abraham’s faith in God and his obedience to the Covenant!

There’s a lot more to the Covenants God made with people but this is what I want you to see for now.

Continued next time — Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part XI

God’s Covenants with Man

After Adam committed high treason, God was on the outside looking in. His man Adam had sold his rule to reign to satan and now satan was the god of this world system, with God on the outside. [II Corinthians 4:4]

God had given His Word and He would honor it no matter what. But God is never caught off guard and He had a Plan! Let’s look at His Plan.

God had to legally get back into earth and we know that He had to work through a human being born on the earth. Enter the Covenants – God’s entrance back into the earth. And as you know, a covenant is between at least two people. But before we get into that, let me give you a short synopsis of what a covenant means.

Basically, a covenant means that each party agrees that whatever they have is totally available to the other party whenever the need arises, even to the point of death. Covenants have been around for millennia and are usually sealed with blood. They’re called blood covenants and are recognized world-wide. Blood covenants are even found among the most primitive people.

God found Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness and made a covenant with him.

Genesis 9:8-13 (KJV) 8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

As you can see, the rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with mankind and the animals.

Animal blood sacrifices were instituted to cover man’s sins but couldn’t actually redeem man. That didn’t happen until Jesus went to the Cross.

Continued next time – Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part X

Taking our Dominion

2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV) 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The things that we see or perceive with our five physical senses are all temporary. That means they can be changed by the things that are spiritual because the spirit realm created the physical realm. And the way we do it is with our words. Words created it and words can change it.

John 1:3(KJV) 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:16-17 (KJV) 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

That’s how we take dominion over this present evil world’s system, by using and speaking God’s faith-filled Words. If we ever really got hold of this truth, fear would be a thing of the past because we would know how to use our authority over the enemy and his vicious evil ways.

God is so faithful to have supplied all that we’ll ever need on planet earth to be victorious and successful. Now our part is to find out how to use our authority and then actually use it. We were never created to be wimps. We are overcomers by virtue of the fact that we’re born-again but we have to walk in it. God won’t make us walk in our authority. He has provided it and we have to do the receiving and doing.

Continued next time — Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part IX

Taking our Dominion

Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV) 26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God gave Adam dominion over the entire earth. It was his job to subdue it and take his authority over it. But – how was he to do it? The same way God does things – with His Words. Adam was to take control over the earth WITH his words, just like God does. He was to act and talk just like God. How else was he going to keep the elephants from stomping all over the tomatoes?

Now let’s see what Jesus says.

John 17:21 (KJV) 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

His prayer was for us to be one with the Father in the same way that He, Jesus, was one with the Father. This is awesome!

The word one in Greek is heis, which means one to the exclusion of another. It means the exact kind. We were made to be an exact duplication of God’s own kind and therefore, able to operate in the same faith that He has. I know this sounds incredible but I didn’t write this. It’s God’s Word.

John 1:1(KJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus is the Word and by Him were all things created. We are in Him and we’re to act like He acts – calling things that are not as though they were. [Romans 4:17]

Continued next time — Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part VIII

Made in His image

Were we made or created by God? Good question. It was both as you can see in the next scripture.

Genesis 2:7(KJV)
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God formed man out of the earth which He had already made and then the creation came when He breathed the breath of life, His very own life, into Adam. Not only did Adam have God’s life in Him but he had been given dominion over the entire earth to do as he pleased except that he was told not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, blessing and calamity.

Adam had now become an exact duplicate of God with potential we can only imagine. But we know the rest of the story that he committed high treason and the whole earth was plunged into darkness. But – Jesus!

Yes, Jesus came and redeemed mankind back to God and restored our rightful authority and dominion to us. But it’s only available to those who have made Jesus their Lord and Savior and have received all that He has for us. It’s not automatic. Everything from God, even though it has been given freely by His grace, must be received by faith or we won’t be able to walk in it.

Psalm 115:16 (KJV) 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Hebrews 2:8 (KJV) 8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

Next we’re going to look at just how we are to use our authority.

Continued next time — Pamela

 

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part VII

Made in His image

Continuing on spirit, soul, and body:

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The soul is the link between our spirit and our body. It’s the Holy Spirit Who lives in us, in our spirit, and Who leads and guides us but everything passes through our soul (mind, will, and emotions). If our soul and our spirit agree with each other, then our body goes along with that decision, but if our soul agrees with our body (five physical senses), our spirit won’t be able to get through with the truth.

That’s why it’s imperative that we get God’s Word inside us so that we are filled with His Word. Then our soul will automatically go along with our spirit and we’ll stay on the right track. Remember, if all you’ll believe is what you can know with your five physical senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching), then you are fair game for the enemy to deceive you. You must learn and practice hearing from and following the Holy Spirit through your spirit.

If this sounds a bit complicated, that’s because it’s probably new to you. Stay with it and it will eventually become clear. [See Andrew Wommack’s teaching on Spirit, Soul, and Body for further study.]

Why is it important to know about spirit, soul, and body and that we’re made in the image of God and what does it mean to us? Glad you asked because it’s of vital importance if we want to live a victorious life here on planet earth.

Because we’re made in God’s image, we need to know just Who God is and how He functions if we’re going to operate like Him. And as you know from the New Testament, we have the same faith as Jesus! Wow – that in itself is enough to make you shout from the roof tops! Just knowing that should encourage us to never back down from any situation or circumstance that comes against us.

Galatians 2:20(KJV) 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Continued next time – Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part VI

Made in His image

Genesis 1:26 (KJV) 26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

We are made in God’s image as you can see in the above scripture but what exactly does that mean? It’s similar to human beings. Children reflect their parents. They look and act like their parents. It’s the same with animals. Their off-spring looks like them. Everything produces after its kind. It’s true with fruit, vegetables, and even flowers. Therefore, if we’re made in the image of God, we need to know just what that image is.

Let me give a short synopsis regarding spirit, soul, and body which I mentioned in an earlier blog.

What kind of being is God? He’s a triune God. He is one God but three personalities or manifestations. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Since we’re made in His image, we too have three parts: our real self is our spirit, we have a soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions, and we live in a body, which is our earth suit through which we function on planet earth.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 4:24 (KJV) 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Since God is a Spirit, our counterpart is our spirit through which we contact God – spirit to Spirit.

We have a soul which is our mind, will, and emotions and that relates to the Holy Spirit, Who is our teacher and guide.

And lastly, we live in a body – which relates to the Lord Jesus as He was manifested here on earth.

It’s getting good – stay tuned — Pamela

Knowing & Walking in Your Spiritual Authority – Part V

Romans 8:17a (KJV) 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…

Joint-heirs, as you know, receive joint benefits. And if we’re joint-heirs with Jesus, we get what He gets! That’s a mouthful and might cause some of you to wonder how this can be. Well, it’s true because God said it and He doesn’t lie.

Which brings me to another reason why people have a hard time believing that God has given us His power and authority to take dominion over this earth. They don’t believe and value God’s Word! Therefore, they don’t see God’s Word as the final authority – the benchmark for all they do. To them, His Word is just another way of looking at things, when in reality it’s the only way for us to look at things if we’re born-again believers.

2 Peter 1:3-4(KJV) 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God has so graciously provided everything we’ll ever need on planet earth to be victorious. He even gave us a portion of His very own faith to use to access those promises! [Romans 12:3b; Galatians 2:20b] What more could we ask? The problem lies in the fact that many don’t even believe that He has done this and think that it’s contingent upon our behavior and good works. But it’s not. He has freely given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness and His promises are always yes!

2 Corinthians 1:20 (KJV) 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Continued next time — Pamela