ADDRESSING THE FATHER Based on Jesus victory, we can petition God and win the battle, too. We can pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We can be anointed to set captives free. This is the miracle of grace based on our union with Christ. There is a better way to do warfare. And it is not by shaking our fist at the devil. Thats just shadowboxing. It lands no body blows. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, he did not rail at him. (Luke 4) Instead, he quoted the written Word. He used the sword of the Spirit against his foe. Jesus went on to accomplish complete obedience to the Father and therefore was given all authority. (Phil. 2) Jesus succeeded by radical obedience. He stayed submitted to God, declared the gospel, drove out demons, and gave his life on the cross. His resurrection was the grand finale which proved he has all authority in every realm. There is a story in the Old Testament of a prophet sent to rebuke an idolatrous altar. This was a high-level power encounter. When the prophet rebuked the altar, it split in two. Yet that young prophet was now on dangerous ground. An older prophet tricked him into disobeying God. The young prophet, although successful in his mission, was eaten by a lion on his trip home. Why did he lose his protection? Disobedience! Focus your prayer time on God, not on your enemy. The more you see God on the throne, the more authority you will have to pray. God owns all authority. We have none, apart from Christ in us. We only have Gods authority when He delegates it to us with a specific command that commissions us. Using authority casually can produce casualties. It is a subtle but serious heresy to treat Satan as equal in power with God, to give him more attention than he deserves. God alone is Creator and Redeemer. Satan and his fallen angels, though vested with authority until the final judgment, are trapped in this space-time world with mankind. We have a way of escape; the devil does not. Only the Lord God stands outside of and above time. He alone is Deity, worthy of worship. Gaze at God but only glance at the devil. Dont become distracted! To whom do you pray? Do you praise and entreat the Lord? Or do you spend your time rebuking the devil? ADDRESSING THE FATHER
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 11:57:04 +0000
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