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With grateful hearts, we share our thoughts on redemption through Jesus Christ and His saving blood and what it looks like in our daily walk.

We gladly welcome your comments and input.
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AND since we hold our conservative values dear, we might have a thing or two to say about politics... and we can almost guarantee it won't be politically correct.



Sunday, February 17, 2008

When the Devil Pushes Back

My family had some wonderful victories in 2007. I don’t want to get into great detail, but it was a year to be remembered. God’s mercy, love, grace, and faithfulness was poured out in a very abundant way, in multiple different situations, that lead to much thankfulness and joy. It all culminated right around the Holidays. I for one will never forget Christmas of 2007 when family gathered on Christmas Eve and in our annual tradition went around the room giving thanks for everything we had to be grateful for in 07, and talked about what we were looking forward to in 08. It was filled with tears of joy and triumph and guffaws of laughter that only come from a deep understanding of God’s amazing goodness to those who believe.

2008 started out without much fanfare. Everyone was quickly working toward New Year goals and growing in and enjoying the triumphs of 2007. Then one by one members of my family started catching colds, flu symptoms, and infections. Now this was nothing serious, but we don’t all live right by each other and it seemed at one point, including this past week, about half of our family was struggling with some kind of sickness all at the same time. Now I know it is “flu season”, but let me just say that our family doesn’t typically suffer this kind of sickness and I know that at least 3 of us had symptoms one week only to get “sick” again just a couple weeks later. I can tell you that I can’t remember the last time I got sick twice in one month.

Now as I was lying in bed feeling pitiful and sorry for myself last week I started to get angry at what was going on. I got angry because I felt that the recent outbreak of sickness was an attack of the devil on me and my family. He was using what he could to steal joy, create stress, and cause trouble. I thought well if this is the best you can do, then bring it on because this is nothing. Oh and by the way, Mr. Devil, we don’t have to deal with this either.

I got into the Word and started pouring over scriptures of God’s power, which he delegated to Christ who delegated it to us the body of Christ, and I started speaking those words of authority over the devil and over the sickness. Now I won’t claim I felt better right away, but I know that the Doctor says that it normally takes a good week to get over what I had and I was feeling worlds better in just a couple of days.

Ephesians 1:19-21 I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ and He gave Him this authority for the benefit of the Church. (NLT emphasis mine)

Paul is praying that we would understand the incredible greatness of God’s power, and he reminds us that this is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. That is death defeating power. He then goes on to tell us that God has put all things under the authority of Christ and this is for the benefit of the church. So he explains the power and then the authority. You see you have to take your authority to exercise your power. If you don’t know what your power is all the authority in the world won’t matter. If you don’t have authority then your power is useless.

So I believe that we have the power over sickness in our lives. I believe that Jesus is the healer and wants us healed. I believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. I believe that God has given us power in this world and the authority to use it. I believe the devil is seeking whom he may devour and unless we stand up and exercise our authority we give him free reign in this world. So the next time the devil comes against you with sickness, stand up and take your authority over him and that infirmity, and receive your healing that has been freely given.

3 comments:

Meems said...

I liked your explanation of power and authority. I believe all the things you enumerated in your last paragraph.

I SO don’t want to get to heaven and have God say to me I could have enjoyed life so much more- I could have fulfilled so much more of His call for me-- IF I had been stronger to push the devil back and not give him any place in my life. I believe God is just waiting for us to stand up strong and put fear in its place and move on with God’s plan for us to live a life worthy of the redemption Jesus paid His lifeblood for.

One other thing your post brought to mind is that the devil is always out to steal, kill and destroy- these are his basic modes of operation- and everything that falls under those headings. So whatever he can use- whatever circumstance he can muster up to get us off track, he will try to throw our way. But it also made me think there are some things he can’t touch… he can’t take away my joy, my peace, my contentment, my energy, my purpose and so on… IF I don’t let the circumstances of my life dictate how I am going be.

Nathan Talbot said...

Meems,

I am really passionate about this subject because I have seen it work in my own life. I have seen the principle of taking authority over the devil and using our power that has been delegated to us to break his hold on peoples lives. I so wish that more Christians would understand the authority they have in Christ and the power of that Name. I wish they could understand that it is our right, but it is also our responsibility to excercise it. There are spiritual laws at work in this world and we have a responsibility to take charge of our lives and come against the devil's attacks. When we do so God is able to move in a mighty way.

Meems said...

NT: I think you hit on something many folks don't like to think about and it is the Christian's "responsibility" to DO something about the devil. There has been a lot of teaching from sincere and genuinely wonderful people who don't understand that God sent Jesus to break the power of the devil by destroying the works (IJohn 3:8) of the devil.

We (the church) are on this earth as His body (He is our head - the body follows the head)to carry on in His footsteps proclaiming the gospel and resisting the devil until Jesus returns.

Jesus went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed of the devil. We should be doing the same thing!