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Living With Power
We Christians were not designed to live weak, ineffectual lives. I believe it is time for us to rise up, an army of God, and begin fighting against and actively resisting the enemy more than we have in the past. As we do, I believe we will begin to operate in the power Jesus died to give us.
Joel 3:10 AMP
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong [a warrior]!
It seems the enemy wants - needs - us to believe we are weak and helpless. Hopeless, even. (We aren't -- for faith is the substance of things HOPED for -- it's how our spiritual selves operate.) He seems intent on trying to get us down to his level. It worked in the Garden with Adam and Eve, but we today have extra ‘power’ to keep our rightful place with Jesus, in power, in the spirit.
Eph. 1:19-21 ESV
...and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in(I) this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 2:6 ESV
...and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Colossians 3:1 ESV
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
After all, we are God’s ‘agents’ or ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20, 8:5 AMP) in this physical, 3D realm, called to carry out and accomplish His work and His will here, extensions of Christ (His ‘body’ – 1 Cor 12:27 ESV).
Acts 1:8 ESV
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Luke 24:49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
One of the things Jesus accomplished on the cross was our righteousness. When He bore all the sins of the world, including mine and yours, we became clean. When we accept the grace He offers, we become righteous. Not by anything we can do, but by faith.
The other day I made a mistake. I asked God for grace to cover that mistake and then realized the smallness of that request. Of course His grace is enough to cover my small mistake. And my big mistakes. And every mistake - known or unknown to me - for the rest of my life. Not only mine, but yours as well. And everyone else in existence yesterday, today, and forever.
The only requirement is that we believe it and receive it.
This righteousness was told in advance by Isaiah, the prophet who taught of the coming Savior.
Isaiah 32:18 ESV
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
I love to read Isaiah because it tells us what is ours. It hadn’t been done yet, at the time the book of Isaiah was written, but now that Jesus finished His work and accomplished our Father’s will, we can step into this, knowing it is God’s will for our lives.
Isaiah 32:15-18 ESV
until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
We must still believe and receive it, of course, but if we can – and stop trying to live by works – we can receive peace, Shalowm. This peace is our access to all that Jesus has: health, salvation, and power through His Spirit. He doesn’t want us weak. His peace is the opposite of the fear Satan hopes we’ll accept from him. But God doesn’t want us weak or fearful. He wants us confident and peaceful, able to affect change in people and circumstances around us.
Isaiah 30:15 HSCB
For the Lord GOD , the Holy One of Israel, has said:
"You will be delivered by returning and resting;
your strength will lie in quiet confidence.
Paul saw this awesome connection between Jesus’ work on the cross, our righteousness by faith, and the peace which results:
Romans 5:1 HCSB
Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we can trust in His work and accept His power, we can begin to get things done. When we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through us we can begin to resist the fear and weakness the enemy tries to put on us. We can know the truth and resist Satan’s lies. We can begin to fight against the deceptions of the enemy, the bondages of fear and weakness and begin to flow in the power of the Spirit. We can begin to walk in power, as Jesus did, and rebuke the fever and it will leave. We can resist the enemy and he will flee.
Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
There is a lot in those few words above. In fearing death, we were held in bondage. But death has been destroyed, along with all the power of the devil, so that we might be delivered.
As we learn to rest in the peace of Jesus, we are strong. As we operate in the power of the Holy Spirit we find ourselves seated (resting) with Christ, above all principalities down here at work in the earth. We are above it and we can operate in the power He has given us.
All we have to do is begin to believe it…
Peace, saints.
Word of Victory Ministries 2008/2009
