2 Corinthians 10:3-5
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth has been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth has been loosed in heaven.
Matt 16:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Luke 10:19
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
1 John 4:4
These are currently the verses that are impacting my life. Before I get into that, let me start by saying that whether or not you "believe" God's word is true....whether or not you "believe" there is a heaven and a hell....whether or not you "believe" that spiritual warfare is occurring every second of every day of your life does not negate the fact that it is true...there is a heaven and a hell...and it you are involved in a spiritual battle whether you like it or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, and whether you choose to "fight" or not.
As I was contemplating this blog entry and how to word it so that I wouldn't completely *lose* people in its complexity and my total inability to appropriately do justice to this issue, the Lord gave me a vision of how the power of God is brought to earth by intercession. I saw a bolt of lighting in the sky. Just one big flash extending from heaven to earth. Then I heard the thunder rolling in the heavens, spreading forth from the bolt of lighting. All at once, the rain began to fall to earth, showering & saturating everything it touched.
I believe this illustration shows that when we pray [intercede, meet with God] his power is released [the lightning bolt - symbolizing power, energy, light]. This causes a reaction [thundering] in the heavenlies [the spiritual realm or dimension] which leads to a breakthrough from one dimension to the next and heaven literally invades earth [rain falling from heaven to earth]. Healing rain. Glorious rain. Giving life. Changing landscapes. Changing circumstances.
As we partner with God in prayer, His power is released into our lives and into our situations, and all of heaven breaks loose as darkness gives way to light. And by the way, darkness always gives way to light. When you light a match in a dark room it doesn't take like 6 minutes for the light to finally appear, it immediately breaks through the darkness. Jesus is the light of the world....always making a way through the darkness. Always.
We are in battle, there is no doubt about that, but what we often fail to realize is that the war has already been won. Jesus was the ultimate intercessor. He completed the work on the cross at Calvary. He was crucified and died for our sins. To be born again, we too must first die to sin. Die to self. We then become resurrected in Christ and we reign with him in victory. Does Christ's victory mean that satan's power has been vanquished, no. But his authority has. Satan no longer has authority to rule in our lives...but remember he is a thief. He comes to kill steal and destroy (John 10:10). He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He will use whatever tactics he can to attempt to steal back the authority that Jesus [God in flesh] has rightly purchased for us at the cost of his very own life.
In Old Testament times (OT) when a person touched a leper, they too became "unclean". In the New Testament (NT), Matthew 10:8 says that Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and "cleanse the lepers". when Jesus or his disciples touched a leper, the leper was healed! Another example of how Jesus conquered the powers of darkness once and for all! It is finished!
Whose Team are you on?
In this spiritual battle, everything you do, say, and think either agrees with God or it agrees with Satan. Satan gains control by our "agreement" with his lies. There is no truth in him, he is the father of all lies (John 8:44). Some of satans lies that the *old Jodi* [Oh, by the way, she doesn't exist anymore. She was crucified with Christ] was made to believe at various times of her life included that she was in bondage to fear and anxiety, she was a slave to abandonment, she was impure, she was ill, she was unworthy of love or acceptance, she was a disappointment, she had failed miserably...and on and on. As I said, once the *old Jodi* was crucified, I was born-again and no longer agree with these lies. I give them no power in my life...PRAISE GOD for deliverance!! I live by the above verses and "bring every thought into captivity of Christ" I do not agree with ANY of satans tactics or his lies. If I find myself coming in agreement with something that is not God's will, I immediately rebuke it, repent, and fix my thoughts, words, and eyes on my Father.
On Monday I was planning to go to a prayer meeting with a friend and we had intentions of doing some serious damage to the kingdom of darkness! We were planning to break down some strongholds that have been plaguing some people that we love and that we know are in desperate need of the Lord. That same morning I ended up in the ER with a very strange unexplainable neurological episode. I knew immediately what was happening...I knew that satan was trying to keep me from that prayer meeting. There was no doubt in my mind. My response was immediately to rebuke it. I spoke out my agreement with my Father's will and I began to repeat, "I will not receive this, it is not the will of my Father, I will not accept it, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, (Psalm 138:14) in the image and likeness of my Father (Gen 1:26)." Now let me explain to you, and I'm sure most of you who know the *old Jodi* could vouch for this...normally I would have been a wreck ok, seriously...at one point in my life satan's grasp on me was strong, he held me captive through perpetual and constant fear and anxiety. But now, I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me (Phil 4:13). God is my refuge and strength, my ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) He is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? He is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).
Praise God that my friend marched on in battle for me that evening and along with a few other prayer warriors, defeated satan in the name of Jesus! I had an MRI which of course showed absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Coincidence, right? Ha! Not a chance!
[Some readings if you're interested in this topic: When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson, TheSupernatural Power of a Transformed Mind by Bill Johnson, Beginners Guide to Intercession by Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets]
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:10-17
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