As one looks around, you would have to be dumb, blind or dishonest not
to notice that we are presently living in challenging times;
spiritually, socially and economically. Many are feeling the “crunch”
of the times – with no relief in the near, foreseeable future. Is there
something that we can do in the midst of hard times? Or are we doomed
to just “tough it out”? Thank God, there is something we can do,
something clearly laid out for us in the Scriptures. Let’s take a look
at it.
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:11)
THE CALL TO BE OVERCOMERS
And I saw…a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered (have the victory – NKJ) the beast (Antichrist) and its image…standing beside the sea of glass…(Revelation 15:2)
The one who conquers and who keeps my works…to him I will give authority over the nations, (Revelation 2:26)
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)
HOW DO WE OVERCOME? THREE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS FOR VICTORY
10 …for the accuser of our brothers (satan) has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10-11)
The Blood of the Lamb is our basis of victory, purchased for us by the fact of Jesus’ finished work on the cross. At the cross, Jesus defeated the enemy of our souls by paying the full price that we may be received by the Father, blessed with the indwelling Spirit and empowered with authority to use His Name.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame (before heaven and hell), by triumphing over them in him (in His resurrection). (Colossians 2:15)
We have received the righteousness of God as a free gift because of the work of the cross.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come…19…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them…21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
Because we are recipients of the love and grace of God, we respond to that love with a resounding “yes” in our spirits (1 John 4:19) . That “yes” is walked out practically by our loving not our own lives even to death: in other words, we set our heart to obey Jesus’ will regardless of what it cost us. We pursue 100-fold obedience to love God in the specific details of our life assignment here on earth.
…“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me… (John 14:21)
If the Blood of the Lamb is the basis of victory, then the word of our testimony is the path to that victory; we have to hold to our confession of faith. Our testimony is what we believe and say about Jesus in the midst of our circumstances - in our heart, in our mind, and with our mouth to God, the enemy and to others.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering…(Hebrews 10:23)
It is imperative, if we are to be the conquerors we are called to be, that we are loyal to the truth about Jesus: walking out our allegiance to His views of salvation, justice, End-Time plans, etc. Jesus paid the price and paved the way, but that is not enough for us to be conquerors in the affairs of our life. We have a part to play in this scenario. Jesus has won the victory, but we must believe that fact and then we must act on that belief thus enforcing Jesus’ victory: in other words, we have yo personally exercise Jesus’ authority and refuse to respond to or believe in the enemy’s lies.
WE MUST HOLD FAST TO OUR CONFESSION (WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY )
10 …with the heart one believes…and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (wins the battle)…17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:10, 17)
Fight the good fight of the faith…to which you made the good confession…(1 Timothy 6:12)
…in accordance with the prophecies…made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, (1 Timothy 1:18)
14…let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may… find grace…(Hebrews 4:14-16)
REVELATION OF OUR SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY IN CHRIST
Beloved, we need revelation of our spiritual authority that is ours as a result of our relationship with Jesus. The power and benefits that Jesus received as an “exalted Man” have been given to the Body of Christ (v. 23).
17 that…God…may give you a spirit…of revelation…18…that you may know…19…the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…20 that he worked in Christ when he…seated him at his right hand…22…he put all things under his (Jesus) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him…(Ephesians 1:17-23)
Because of our union with Jesus, because we are His Bride, we have been raised up to sit with Him in heavenly places, thus we have access to God’s Throne. Our prayers, in God’s will, reach His Throne and have His approval resulting in the release of God’s power.
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:6)
We have been given spiritual authority which is delegated power. Let me illustrate that. A police officer holds out his hand and traffic stops immediately. But realistically, the officer cannot physically stop an automobile. The car obeys the officer because of the authority of the government that is invested in the officer as a representative of the government. It is the same with us in the realm of the spirit, we, as representatives of the Kingdom of God, use our authority against satan who seeks to steal, kill and destroy God’s blessings in our life (by fear, addictions, sickness, emotional or financial oppression, etc.).
The thief (satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy…(John 10:10)
Now I realize that John 10:10 isn’t primarily talking about the devil, but it is still a fair and accurate description of his motives and activities, isn’t it?
Our problems are often the result of several dynamics working together including psychological issues (our mindset, belief systems, life choices), physiological issues (diet, alcohol, chemical, etc.), sociological issues (what others do to us) and spiritual (demonic attack).
Using our authority in Christ removes added pressure that demons bring to our problems, thus, making it easier to solve physiological, psychological, and sociological problems. Satan’s attack against us will continue if we accept it instead of challenging it with the authority that has been given to us as believers.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm (steadfast) in your faith…(1 Peter 5:8-9)
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written…” (Matthew 4:10)
GOD GAVE AUTHORITY OVER THE EARTHY REALM TO MAN
God gave authority over the earth to Adam as the chief representative of the human race. God created humans in His image and then gave us His Word to release His will on earth.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image…let them have dominion…over all the earth…28…“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over…every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)
King David understood that God entrusted the authority of the earth to humans!
4 what is man…? 5…you have…crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, (Psalm 8:4-6)
The responsibility for the earthly realm has been given by God to His people on earth. God allows us to determine some of the quality of our life according our actions and words (Rom. 5:12-21).
The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man. (Psalm 115:16)
In Matthew 16, Jesus gave Peter, as the representative of the Church, the authority to open and shut doors in the spirit realm in such a way that it would affect events in the earthly realm. Doors are open and shut in the spirit realm by believers on earth speaking God’s Word in faith and obedience to the will of God, under the Spirit’s direction. We can affect the heavenly realm by loosing angelic activity and binding demonic activity, etc.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom…and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven (spirit realm), and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)
And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up…(James 5:15)
GOD’S POWER IS RELEASED IN THE EARTHLY REALM BY SPEAKING IN FAITH
The Genesis 1 principle involved is that the Spirit moves in response to the speaking of God’s Word. In Genesis 1, the darkness and the Spirit were both present. The Spirit did not challenge or change the darkness or create anything until God’s Word was spoken by Jesus (Gen. 1:2-3; Col. 1:15-18).
The world is governed by words in both the spirit and natural realms. God taught Adam to have dominion over the earth in the same way God did by speaking words. There is an anointing of life on God’s Word and a spirit of death on satan’s. Our words align us either with God’s or the enemy’s anointing, and affect our spirit as well as the spiritual atmosphere around us and in the cities that we pray for.
…The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63)
Words release life or death to us and our families, etc. What we do not know can kill us. The saying that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not true.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue… (Proverbs 18:21)
Our words are powerful and result in causing either faith or fear to grow. As our heart and words agree with God’s will, we release God’s Presence, His Kingdom and His will. If our words agree with satan’s accusations, we give allowance to his power, plans and purposes. Sad to say, but many “believers” exercise more “faith” in the devil’s accusing and lying word0 than in God’s affirming words of truth and freedom.
JESUS, OUR MODEL
Jesus modeled for us the “how to” of resisting satan by speaking God’s word (Mt. 4:4-10.) The power of God’s Word in our mouth is significant. This is God’s method of releasing His power. We decree Jesus’ Word to demons that attack us and to angels who obey His Word even from our lips (Ps. 103:20; 91:11).
As I am an intercession, and am called and involved with leading others in intercession, I hear a lot of prayers. One prayer that I hear frequently is believers asking God for more faith. This is not an accurate prayer. Faith does not come by asking for it. Faith comes but by “hearing” the Word. There are several ways that we can hear the Word, but the way our heart “hears” the best and most is when we hear the Word coming from our own lips. The most powerful words that affect your, and my life, are the words we speak – especially under times of pressure. Your spirit is most sensitive to the words that you speak.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
Paul quoted Psalm 116:10 to establish the necessary principle of speaking the Word with our mouth.
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, (2 Corinthians 4:13)
Negative words (words contrary to the revealed will of God) in our mouth lead to a negative mindset which leads to negative emotions which lead to negative decisions which lead to negative character and then results in negative consequences.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)
Beloved, the war of words really does determine who has dominion in our heart and thus in our lives. Whose words do you allow to take root in your heart? The enemy tempts us to think and speak contrary to God’s revealed truth concerning His character, plans and purposes.
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
My beautiful wife, Kaye, and I are home group pastors. In our group we were recently studying the Book of Revelation. As we were going through chapter 2 a truth leaped out at me. Jesus fights by the sword of His mouth or by speaking His Word over people.
Therefore repent. If not, I will come to…war against them with the sword of my mouth. (Revelation 2:16)
This reminded me that Jesus taught us to speak to the mountains.
Whoever says to this mountain, “…be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt…but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. (Mark. 11:23 - NKJ)
Mark 11:23 has been misused often by many. But we don’t throw out the Word of God because someone misuses it, do we? Even the devil quotes the Word – should we then not use any verse he uses? Silly isn’t it? No, we don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. The answer to misuse is not non-use, but rather right use! Get it?
The Lord told Moses to speak to the rock, rather than interceding for water.
The LORD spoke to Moses, 8 "...speak to the rock…it will yield its water." (Numbers 20:7-8 - NKJ)
The Lord will not release His purpose outside of partnership with His people. The Kingdom of God is comparable. God has His part, we have our part. We cannot do God’s part and He will not do our part. But if we are faithful to do our part, then God is always faithful to do His part!
The Lord told Moses to divide the sea, rather than interceding for it to divide.
15 The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me?...16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it…(Exodus 14:15-16)
…When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19 NKJ)
This verse is often quoted in such a way as to put undue attention on what the enemy is doing and not where it should be, on what God is doing.
Something you need to be aware of. In the original languages, there was no punctuation. The punctuation in our English translations were added by the translators to help us make since of what has been said. The Word of God is sure and trustworthy, the punctuation of man – not necessarily so. If you compare translations, you will see that different translators punctuate verses very differently, dependent on how they “feel” it should be translated.
I would like to offer a suggestion to you for your consideration. I am not going to change the Word of God at all, but I am going to change where the punctuation falls – keeping in mind that punctuation isn’t inspired and is open to debate.
Instead of reading this verse,
…When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19 NKJ),
With the current punctuation, this verse reads that when the enemy comes in like a flood, then the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against the flood of the enemy’s coming in. Do you see that? The emphasis is on the enemy coming in like a flood.
Bear with me now, I’m not going to change a word, but let’s just move one comma back four words.
…When the enemy comes in, like a flood the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19 Buddy Sheets translation)
Do you see the difference? We didn’t change a single word, didn’t move a single word, but by moving the punctuation, which isn’t inspired, back four words – it makes a major difference in the text. Instead of the enemy coming in like a flood, it is the Spirit of the Lord that comes in like a flood. Major difference, isn’t it?
Beloved, when we are settled in who we are in Christ, and who He is in us; when we are settled in the authority that He has given us as His people and as His Bride; then when someone attacks us, talks bad about us, accuses us falsely, etc., we can stand tall in the authority we have and enforce the victory of Christ – not by retaliating against flesh and blood, but by attacking the real enemy – the devil. And we can tell him to cease, desist and to flee, and he will (James 4:7).
Let me encourage you, our fight is not against flesh and blood. No man is my enemy. Recognize who your enemy really is, take a stand against him in prayer, keeping the two-edged sword, the Word of the Living God in your mouth, declaring what God is declaring and circumstances cannot remain the same.
We have His Word on it!
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