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"Through It All" Charles Abernethy |
Do you have a problem in your life that seems insurmountable? Maybe youve been diagnosed with an incurable illness. Possibly youre facing a financial need of tremendous proportions. Perhaps your children are away from the Lord. Whatever the situation may be, you feel overwhelmed by it. If you are facing any difficulty at all, the Word of God has the answer for you! First of all, notice that I used the word seems. That word has to do with appearance. The problem may be looming in front of you like a huge mountain, solid and immovable. There it is, every day, confronting and taunting you, stealing your peace and joy. Did you know that all the anxiety you are going through is for nothing? According to Gods Word, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, the mountain or the problem in your life has already been taken care of by Him! By this time, you may be asking for an explanation. Well, it all revolves around Jesus! When the first man, Adam, yielded to Satan and sin in the Garden of Eden, he became subject to Satan and the curse. This caused the rest of mankind to be under the dominion of the kingdom of darkness. But God had a plan! He sent us Jesus who died on the cross and took the punishment for our sins. He also bore the entire curse that comes from sin such as sickness and disease, poverty and lack. Jesus soundly defeated Satan, the source of the curse, totally triumphing over him (Col. 2:15) so he no longer has dominion over us! The entire kingdom of darkness and the curse have been made ashes under the soles of your feet! (Malachi 4:3 Please note that Malachi, an Old Testament prophet, prophesied this before Jesus went to the cross. The work has already been completed!) When you accepted Jesus, you were also raised with Him and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). You are seated far above all principality, and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named. (Ephesians 1:21). This is not only a good vantage point, but it is a seat of authority as well. Because of what Jesus did for us, we have authority over all the work of the devil or the curse! Luke 10:19 - Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions (the devil), and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Romans 5:17 For if by the one mans offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Even though you have been given authority, the devil will still try to put sickness and the curse on you. He brings problems and situations to your life that make him seem so powerful. Satan is counting on your ignorance, unbelief, or neglect! He is hoping that you will not exercise your authority and resist him. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Perhaps you will remember the following example from the Old Testament that illustrates the above. II Corinthians 10:11 says that the accounts in the Old Testament serve as examples for us and they were written for our admonition. In other words, we should take heed! God had given the Promised Land to the Israelites. When they came to the border, they sent twelve spies to the land. Two of the spies returned, saying, We can possess it! Their faith was in Gods promise, His presence, and His power. When the other ten spies returned, they were full of fear for they said that the land was occupied by giants who were much stronger than they were. The Israelites did not possess the land right away because they were greatly intimidated by negative reports of those giants. However, when they finally went in to possess the first city, Jericho, they learned the truth from one of the inhabitants. She told them, I know that the Lord has given you the land. All the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. (Joshua 2:9) They had heard of all the miracles that God had performed for the Israelites. She said, As soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (Joshua 2:11) The giants they were so afraid of were actually fearful that they would take the land! Put your faith in God and His Word and possess your healing or provision! Just as Satan tried to make the giants seem so formidable to the Israelites, he tries to make the problems in your life appear impossible to overcome. However, he is actually cowering in fear lest you learn the truth! Now that you know the truth, you will want to become more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37 ) Follow these four steps to overcome your circumstance (we will use sickness as an example). PREPARE PREVAIL John 8:32&36 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. PRAISE You can see from all of this that you will need to know Gods Word in order to live victoriously in life. Matthew 4:4 says, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It makes us whole and that was His plan all along! Isaiah 54:10 (Amplified) For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you. God is good! He has already defeated your enemies, Satan and the curse. Now it is up to YOU to enforce your victory! II Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God, who always
leads us in triumph in Christ! Keiko Downey |
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