Do you have Power or Authority over the Devil?

When it comes to facing up with the devil most people either run in abject fear of who he is or underestimate what power he does have in this world.  The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ defeated the devil at the cross.  He stripped him of all his power.  What this is saying is that the devil does not have authority over a believer because we are now seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:20-23).  If we face the devil without Christ we have no power in of ourselves to defeat him.  But because Christ stripped the devil of his authority, and authority that the devil gained because of the fall of Adam and Eve, we now have been given back that authority through the shed blood of Christ.  It is like we have been reborn to live a life that God intended before the fall. 

What God wants the Church to be able to do is to reclaim the territory that the devil stole from mankind.  The devil is like a squatter on a land that does not belong to him.  We have the right to enforce the defeat that he took at Calvary. Why did Jesus not finish the devil at Calvary?  Because He wanted us, His children, to learn how to overcome the adversary in much the same way He did.  Christ showed us how to live for God and how to bring the Kingdom of Heaven into the earth.  We are called to bring redemption to the planet.  Don't fear the devil.  Respect his power, but when you know that he is messing with the people you love drive him out.  Bind him with the authority that Christ gave you in Matthew 16:18-19.  Loose the angels of God to minister unto people by speaking God's word over the situation, for God's angels hearken to God word to preform it.  Remember we are an army in the Lord.  We need to advance the Kingdom of God where ever we go and with whomever will listen.  Cast out devils, speak with new tongues and lay hands on the sick. Tell the poor they don't have to be poor anymore.  This is the message we carry and this is the message the devil doesn't want preached.  Be a solider under God's command.

The Mark of the Beast. How close are We?

I don't know how familiar you are with the mark of the beast but it is something that the Bible talks about in the book of Revelation chapter 13.  Here is what verses 16 through 18 state:

16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.  (KJV)  

This passage has been something of great debate within the body of Christ throughout the years but I believe that as time goes by the technology to bring it to pass becomes more and more acceptable to a younger generation who is not as well as informed of this passage of scripture and because of their willingness to trust that all that technology is for man's good.  But I must remind you that technology is indeed neutral when it comes to whether it is good or bad, but the real question becomes whom is in charge of the technology.  If evil men are the ones who are in charge than this technology can become very controlling to those who decide to buy into it.

So what could this mark of the beast look like.  Well man has been micro chipping animals for years as a way to identify them if they should get lost.  Now for the first time that I am aware of their is a United States company in Wisconsin who is offering their employees an opportunity to be micro chipped so that they can work for them.    I believe that we are in a time in the history of the world because of the lack of Bible knowledge that this type of technological offering is very appealing because people are not aware of how much control they are giving away.  

Am I saying that we should not pursue better ways of doing things?  Not exactly.  What I am saying is that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we need to take a longer look at things through the lens of the Bible to determine whether or not a technological advance is the best for us or mankind in general. We are suppose to be the ones who are on the cutting edge of what God is getting ready to do in the world.  Let us no longer respond to what the world and Satan are doing and let us be the watchmen on the wall who warn those of impending doom and destruction, all along pointing the way to our Savior, who is coming on a to judge all on the earth who are outside His kingdom in the following manner per Revelation 19:11-21:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.  (KJV)

Even so come Lord Jesus!

The Power of Love

In our world today many people believe that the most powerful nations are ones with nuclear weapons en massed.  Others believe that if you can defend oneself with various weapons of their choosing that they can intimated their enemies and keep them bringing them harm.  Some people believe that if they have unlimited resources they can effect change whenever they like at the nod of their head.  These things can and do have impact and can force others to make changes but when one truly examines this much more closely does it not appear that it is driven more on the basis of fear than anything else.

I believe that the truest and most powerful force in the universe is the Love of God.  Why do I believe this.  For one the Bible states that God is love(1 John 4:8).  When one thinks about what Christ has done for each one of us, how He died on the cross for our sins, sins that He himself do not commit, just how deep is that love?  It is truly unfathomable.  It is one thing for me to do good to my fellow man, who I have love and concern for, but to die for those who will hate you and spit in your face and never change their mind about you, that is real love.

I believe that we as the Church have trivialized this.  We have come to accept His love as if we deserve it, when in reality we don't.  However God wants to have relationship with each and everyone of us.  Thus His love never does end.  It is when we as His people exhibit that love to one another as Christ prayed for in John 17:23 that the world will know and see that God truly is among us.  When will we see the manifest glory of God?  When the love of the Father God follows out of us unto those He has commissioned us to reach out to.  I use to believe that the signs and wonders was what I truly wanted so I could demonstrate and prove the existence and the reality of the God of the Bible.   I have come to re think that position.  Now all I want is His love flowing into me so I can turn and give it out to those who need to know that love.  For as I pursue my future in God and leave behind some precious people the power of Love that God gave me has shown me just how much impact it can truly have on those who wanted to receive it.  And for that I am eternally grateful.

 

The Will of God

Recently I have many a discussion with family and fellow believers about what the Will of
God is for one's life.  I know that my time at my current employer is nearly over and I believe that God has called me and my family to Charlotte North Carolina area to continue the work that has already been started in us.  But how does one know what the Will of God is?

To find out what the Will of God is for one's life you have to be able to hear God speak.  Does this mean that God speaks through an audible voice?  Sometimes He does and it is through a person that you may have a deep regard for but in most cases God will speak to your spirit by the time you spend with Him in prayer and in the Bible.  Whatever witness you get will be backed by God's written word, if it does not I would trust it to be from Him.  Another thing that will confirm His will to you is whether you have peace about what He is calling you to do or go.  If there is no peace about what you are about to embark in than stay where you are or what you are doing. 

For where the Will of God is there will be no fear.  For fear is of the devil and our God is love.  If you encounter a person who is trying to make you do something or go somewhere you don't have peace about then you don't go or do it.  God will witness to you about whom you should be with and where you should go.  In the book of Acts Paul wanted to go to Asia to preach God's word but was not permitted to do so by the Spirit of God(Acts 16:7).  So even though there are good men and women of faith who want you to something that is of God you may not be led by the Spirit of God to do it simply because it is not the Will of God for you to do it. 

If one will do as God leads than you will find joy and every need met.  To live in God's Will and plan is the only way to live one's life to the fullest.

The Power of Love and Forgiveness and how it Figures into Discipline

I have recently been involved with a situation with someone who is close to me and how this person was in the process of making some life changes that are pretty dramatic.  I discovered during a conversation with this individual and another person within their circle of influence that possibly they were thinking of "shacking up" with their significant other.  As a Christian man I am not one who thinks highly of this way of living because it does take away from the relationship between the two who are in love, but even in a greater way it hurts their relationship with Christ and helps to spoil and tarnish their witness for Christ.

When I had the chance to speak with the one who was in the process of making this life change I confronted them about their choice.  How did I make that confrontation?  The person that I was dealing with was sure that I would yell at them for the potential mistake they were considering on making.  However, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden did the Lord yell at them (Genesis 3: 8-9).  No, He went looking for them.  When the father of the prodigal son saw that his son had spent all that he had gotten from him and his son had come to his right senses in that he made his way home, the father ran to meet him and threw a huge party celebrating his return.  So how did a handle this situation.  Just like the Father God would.   I showed love and forgiveness along with stern instructions on why this was not a smart move to make.  When it comes to disciplining those you love you must be willing to put yourself in their shoes.  You must understand where they are in their relationship to you and to the Father God.  For if the Lord God can forgive David for his adulterous affair and still let him reign as King over Israel how can I come down so hard on a person who loves the Lord but is still learning their way and place in the Kingdom.  For if I had been overly harsh I may have crushed their spirit and instead of them learning from the experience it may have given them a place of hopelessness that may have led to them walking away from the One who loves them more than anyone.  And I don't want that blood on my hands.  Do you?