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Believer’s Authority
,
,
,
Is there someone in
your life who just rubs you the wrong way?
If there is, it may
surprise you to learn that it’s not really that person who is creating the rub.
There is a
spiritual war going on, and as a believer, you must be aware of it.
Many Christians
have adopted a humanistic view of things. They do not realize the spiritual
implication behind what is going on in their lives.
What I mean by
humanistic is that they only look at things on a surface level.
They think most
everything they encounter on a daily basis is either physical or natural.
That battle is for
your heart and the hearts of every other person on earth.
God is trying to
influence people and draw them toward righteousness and toward Himself, to live
consistent with Him so that His blessings can manifest in their lives.
Satan, on the other
hand, is waging all-out war trying to steal the hearts of people away from God.
He wants to fill
their hearts with his trash and corruption.
And honestly,
although most Christians recognize this to a degree, I don’t think they realize
how intense the warfare really is and how much their actions are contributing
to it.
If I could sit and
talk with each of you reading this, I would find that many of you aren’t aware
of the spiritual significance behind what’s going on in your lives.
You attribute much
of what is happening to circumstances and therefore passively accept what comes
your way.
When you do that,
you’re ignoring the intense battle that is being waged for your heart every
single day.
The choices you
make, the things you say, the actions you take, and what you believe about what
is happening around you determines whether God or Satan dominates in your
life.
Satan cannot
control you outside of your will. He cannot do anything without your
cooperation and consent.
But you need to
recognize that you’re in a battle.
Many people choose
not to believe that, but whether they do or not, the fact is that it’s taking
place.
But once you
realize the battle is real, you can then learn to recognize what’s going on and
take the proper action to improve your situation.
You can resist the
devil.
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Ephesians 6:10-12 reads, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.”
This is referring
to demonic powers.
There’s a chain of
command, an authority structure in the demonic realm, and this is listing these
different levels.
But notice that it
says you are not wrestling against flesh and blood. Much that goes on in your
life is not just human.
I’m not going to get into this thing about, “Are people
possessed, oppressed, or depressed?”
I believe it’s
useless to debate that.
In the Greek, where
the Bible says a person was demon possessed, the word literally means “demonized.”
Christianity has
tried to make something out of possessed, oppressed, or depressed. But it’s not
in Scripture.
The fact is that
people are being influenced and controlled and used by the devil — they really
are.
This needs to be
said because there are a lot of people who honestly believe that all the demons
are in Africa.
It’s not the person
sitting next to you at work, it’s not your neighbor, and it’s certainly not
your husband or your wife that’s the problem.
Anyone who is not
paying attention can be influenced and inspired and used of Satan to come
against you.
If you were to
recognize that, it would make a huge difference in the way you respond to them.
For instance, I get
a lot of hate mail. There was a time when I took what was said personally.
But I’ve come to
realize that Satan uses these in an attempt to get my attention off of what God
has told me to do.
Now I look beyond
the person, recognizing that Satan is just using them. That allows me to keep
it in the right perspective.
I’ve had good
friends come against me and do some pretty mean things.
And you know what?
I was able to look right past what they did and forgive them. I could see that
Satan was taking advantage of them to hurt me through some weak area in their
lives.
When you finally
see that, you don’t get angry or bitter with the person, and you are able to
walk in forgiveness.
Then, when they do
turn around, the relationship can be reestablished.
There are also
times when you have to engage the Enemy directly, even if the Enemy is using a
friend.
That was the same day Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I
am?”
And Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, “You are the
CHRIST, the Son of the living God.”
In Matthew 16:15-17, it says, “He saith unto them, But whom say
ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father which is in heaven.”
After this, Jesus began to talk about what was going to happen
to Him: “They’re going to take Me, they’re going to kill Me, and I will rise
again on the third day.”
And this same Peter, who had been inspired and controlled by the
Holy Spirit just moments before, began to rebuke Jesus, saying, “Be it far
from You, Lord. This will never happen to You. I’m going to stand here, and the
rest of us will defend You. But we are not going to allow this to happen to
You.”
Then Jesus turned and spoke these words to Peter: “Get behind
me, Satan.”
I’m sure Peter was
shocked, but Jesus wasn’t really talking to him; He was talking about Satan to
Satan, the one who was controlling Peter.
Peter was being
inspired and controlled by the devil in the things he said.
Now, that’s a
pretty strong statement, and a lot of people honestly think this is a little
over the top. They think they don’t need to respond to people this way.
But I can
guarantee you that there are times when Satan is speaking directly to you
through people. He is using people to get at you.
Whether you
recognize it or not, this goes on much more than you know. You are in a
spiritual war.
I tell you there is
a supernatural war waging today for your heart and mind.
In fact, for some
of you right now, the devil is trying to oppose the words you are reading in
this letter.
He wants to
discredit them and cause you to ignore or reject them.
To win in this war,
you must know who you are and the authority you have as a believer.
To help, I have a
teaching series called The Believer’s Authority.
Don’t go another
day without understanding how to defeat the real Enemy. You have the power and
authority to do it, and now it’s time to use it.
Jamie
and I are so thankful that our paths have crossed with yours. In fact, we
believe it was a divine appointment. Over fifty years ago, an encounter with
God changed our lives forever, and we believe that He’ll do the same for you.
We consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to share the truth of His
life-changing power and grace with you.
God
called us to teach the truth of the gospel to the body of Christ with special
emphasis on His unconditional love and the balance between grace and faith. We
are doing our best to fulfill that call by teaching at conferences, in
churches, on television, through podcasts, by training others at Charis Bible College, and by developing ministry materials
to help you in your relationship with the Lord. We were once on the radio, but
we have moved on to further-reaching mediums such as podcasts.
If you
need prayer, would like to order materials, or have any questions, please call
our Prayer Line: 719-635-1111. We are open
for seventeen hours each weekday and are staffed with mature, loving people who
want to help you.
We
welcome you to this ministry and pray that this is just the beginning of a
relationship that will help you know and understand our loving heavenly Father
in a deeper way.
God
Bless You,
Andrew
& Jamie Wommack
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