Friday, January 4, 2008

Shalom,

In order to walk in the authority that Jesus walked in, and that He told US to walk in, we need to understand that authority. These verses should help:

Phil 2:5-11 (KJV)
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(KJV)

The Amplified Bible says this:

Phil2:5-11 (Amplified
5Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11And every tongue frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This tells us that Jesus was and is God, but, for our sakes, He left His deity in heaven with the Father and came to earth to operate as a human man. Everything Jesus did on earth He did as a man (without sin!) not as God. Then we are told that AFTER He offered Himself as the ONLY sacrifice for our sin, He was given by the Father that Name that is above EVERY name ever given! That is a powerful Name and we are told to use that Name like this:

John 14:12-13 (Amplified)
12I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.
13And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son.


...and this:

Mark 16:15-18 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.(KJV)

So we see here that the Name that Jesus was given is more powerful than ANY other name! But there is something that has been lifted even above the Name of Jesus! Do you want to know what that is? Of course you do, that's why you're here! This verse will tell us:

Psalm 138:2 (Amplified)
2I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!

There we have it! The Word of God is exalted BY God to a place even higher than the Name of Jesus! How can that be? Because it is by the Word of God that Jesus was conceived as a baby. The Word of God is what Jesus used as His authority here on earth. The Word of God is what Jesus came to fulfill through His death, burial and resurrection. John 1:1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God! Jesus was the Word of God MADE flesh! So now we have the Word of God, the Blood of Jesus and the Name of Jesus as the basis for our authority on earth! There IS no more power and authority available than that! You and I are equipped by God to be WAY more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37)

So how do we get to a place of understanding and confidence in that Word? We need to obey Joshua 1:8:

Joshua 1:8 (Amplified)
8This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

We need to meditate on the Word of God until the understanding comes! But we know from previous studies that the word must be spiritually discerned:

1 Corinthians 2:14
14But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

In order to understand the Word of God we need to be born again so that the Spirit of God lives in our spirit. This promise is to believers:

1 John 2:20, 27 (Amplified)
20But you have been anointed by [you hold a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from] the Holy One, and you all know [the Truth] or you know all things.
27But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you; [so] then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to do].

You and I, as believers, have received the anointing, the Holy Spirit, Who is our teacher. People who teach us the Word give us an advantage, but only the Holy Spirit can make it real to US! So what should we do? Every time you study the Word of God, pray this prayer:

Psalm 25:5 (Amplified)
5Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You [You only and altogether] do I wait [expectantly] all the day long.

When you do this in faith, the Spirit of God will be free to make the Word of God real to YOU! You will be able to understand and operate in all the authority of a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! And HE will receive all the glory! Hallelujah!

Shalom in Him!