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Understanding Your Authority

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Authority over the Earth – Genesis 1:28

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Authority over bondage and doubt – Matthew 18:18-20

18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Authority over idolatry – Exodus 20:5

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Authority over lack in one’s confidence – 1 John 4:4

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Protection of Authority – Ephesians 6:13

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Authority over Sin – 1 John 3:8

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Authority over Emotions and Imaginations – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Authority over your church – Acts 20:28

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Authority over your house – Acts 16:31

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Authority unto Victory – Revelation 12:10-11

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Throughout all of the word of God we see where when mankind could not maintain stability (from the lack of knowledge and desire for power) that God used His authority to re-align us in His will. The flood came as the ultimate authority for all whom would not receive this fellowship with God.

When the promise that floods would come no more mankind was steady for a season but eventually fell under the bondage of religion and government dominance. God sent Jesus Christ to not only rid us from the bondage of sin but granted us the authority from the power from on high to defend ourselves and fight for others’ salvation until the return of Christ.

So while we remain let us be reminded of the areas in our lives where we have control to shift the situation. Let us yield our obedience to the gifts, callings and faith we have to be overcomers and ready for the return of Jesus Christ!

About Good Friday

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Good Friday is the completion of Jesus Christ’s sin-cleansing and life-saving empathy that brings eternal life to all who put their confidence in him.

On Good Friday the Son of God who always loves everyone is betrayed by Judas, falsely accused and condemned by the religious leaders and Pilate, scourged almost to death, abandoned by his disciples, mocked by the crowds, and tortured to death on the cross. Far worse than these humiliations and sufferings, he who never sinned takes on the hideousness of humanity’s sin, choosing to receive the punishment that we deserve so that we could be healed (fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53).

He died with our sins so that we do not have to die today in our own. Jesus empowered us with the strength to resist what would come in our future.

Romans 5:6-10

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Jesus paid the price that covered us all

Romans 5:18

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

He healed the things that would have went without healing on earth

1 Peter 2:24

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus suffered in His spirit so that the door could be opened for the spirit to have a worthy dwelling place

1 Peter 3:18

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

He died so that we could become a people that could finally overcome our iniquity

Titus 2:14

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

He died so that we would no longer be segregated by anything and could become one church

Romans 3:22-24

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

He died so that we could see an example of how what lengths we should go to when we help and love one another

1 John 3:16

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Jesus died so that we could live in peace on Earth

Colossians 2:6

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Jesus Died so that your sins could be forgiven

Acts 3:19

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Jesus died so that you could be saved!

Romans 10:9-10

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Burdens Lifted And Bondage Broken

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Exodus 5:1-8

[1] And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
[2] And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
[3] And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
[4] And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
[5] And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
[6] And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
[7] Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
[8] And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

God sends Moses to Pharaoh and renews His pledge of deliverance. Pharaoh refuses to let them go. He (Pharaoh) then makes it harder for them to make bricks by cutting out their supply of straw, adding to their labor to have to search for it. He increased their burdens and bondage. Bondage is control by a person or substance. Burdens are concerns, cares or problems.

Exodus 6:1-8

[1] Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
[2] And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
[3] And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
[4] And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
[5] And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
[6] Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
[7] And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
[8] And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

Here are some key phrases that we often read over that should stand out to increase our faith:

  • I am the Lord
  • I will bring you out from under the burdens
  • I will rid you out of bondage
  • I will redeem with a stretched out arm
    • The Passover lamb was their strength
    • We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus!
    • I will be to you a God
    • I will bring you into the land concerning which I swore
      • They received the promise of Canaan and we received the promise of Heaven!

Hebrews 4:9-16

[9] There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
[10] For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
[11] Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
[12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
[13] Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
[14] Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
[15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
[16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

When you start going God’s way the taskmaster (which is Satan) will press against you. Sin and temptations are our bondage. Fears, doubts, anger and helplessness are our burdens. Our strength can be found (even if the labor is increased) if you have that Lamb of God in your life.

We Are Children Of The Free

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Galatians 4:1-6, 21-23, 27-31

[1] Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
[2] But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
[3] Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
[4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
[5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
[6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

[21] Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
[22] For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
[23] But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

[27] For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
[28] Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
[29] But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
[30] Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
[31] So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Paul was talking in reference to the free and bond that we are not bound to the natural part of ourselves; for we are children of the free, which was given by the death of Jesus Christ! I am so thankful for living a brand new life now not under the same form of bondage that I was once under before. For my life was once miserable and without purpose; yet the love of God entering into my life has restored what was once seemingly gone forever (at least to my point of view).

Genesis 21:8-14, 15-19

[8] And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
[9] And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
[10] Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
[11] And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
[12] And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
[13] And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
[14] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

[15] And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
[16] And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
[17] And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
[18] Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
[19] And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

Reading about this lets me know that even though that Abraham had to send away the one that was not given by the promise of God that God did not leave Ishmael in life without a purpose. We are not without purpose in life, and we are not without a promise to achieve something in God! And if we can just learn to cease attempting to always do things our way (as Sarah tried to here) we would not put ourselves in our own bondage!

Genesis 22:1-2,7-13

[1] And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
[2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

[7] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
[8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
[9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
[10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
[11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

God will make a way when there seems to be no way! God will also move for us in magnificent ways if we will take great steps of faith. Abraham was definitely taking a great literal step of faith here, and at times I often wonder if anyone is left in the world with this amount of faith! We must strive to aim for this kind of faith and willingness, to heed to the voice of God even as to the willingness and humbleness of a child to do something when instructed.

Galatians 5:24-26

[24] And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
[25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
[26] Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Those that are saved have given up their sins and have received forgiveness by Jesus death, to which brought the atonement. No matter how powerful our affections and lusts for this world are, the death of Jesus is above all of the sins that we have!

Here are some other scriptures that are some food for thought to add to this message:

Leviticus 17:11

[11] For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Matthew 16:24-28

[24] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
[25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
[26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
[27] For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
[28] Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

To deny = to destroy our natural desires

To take up = to take up the spiritually living being inside of us

To follow = to stay and continue in

Romans 12:1

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We need to present to God the forgiven soul, and we are not there, we must pray and get there!

Warning – You May Go Unrecognized, But That Is Okay!

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1 John 3:1

[1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

One of the biggest enemies that I see in the day that we live in is one that is very nearby: ourselves. In the great daily battle for attention people will go to great lengths to feel noticed or have a notion that someone is drawn to them. It sells products on the market and can sometimes make or break businesses depending on the level of ‘wow’ factor a person is determined to have. It has also took us to a greater scale of pride where our social lives are now based on numbers and statuses that just ‘have’ to be put out there…or do they?

I really hate to sound like the bad guy or one that would rebel against the common trends of today, but I must honestly confess that I feel out of the loop and I do not mind it. When God changed my life and saved me from all of the bondage I felt so freed up from things that use to hold me down. There are so many things each and every one of us can be bound to. How about the constant want for proving that you are the best and have the best? Or consider that you like to be the center of attention or like the feeling that comes with sympathy or empathy?

I want you to just be reminded when you have that wonderful change in your life that with separation from the world comes a lack of attention from it. Remember that even though you may feel like you are losing out on things at first that you are just feeling the death to your pride and the lusts of your flesh. Trust me, it only gets better and the peace that you inherit from the blessings of God will far surpass anything the world could give!

Replacing Old Things With God’s Brand New

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I thank God for the many blessings I have been given. There is no doubt that I have been blessed beyond measure, even when one would beg to differ in comparison to worldly possessions. All the great things of the wonderful God that we serve do not always necessarily come as things in monetary value. If you consider this concept with me, you would also know that some of the best gifts that God has given are to replace things that you have lost.

I have lost many possessions, but nothing compared to the day when I came to the truth in my mind and realized that I would lose my soul without a relationship to Christ. God gave me the gift of salvation to replace my hopelessness of feeling so lost and is by far my single greatest possession.

You have to understand something today: the decision to replace it was not hard. The part that proved difficult was dealing with the part of me that was intimidated by what others thought about me. After I realized that beginning to believe in Christ was what I needed, the feelings grew stronger. I had fear, plain and simple. God was wonderful in replacing my fears with confidence. How? Through the work of other children of God, of course!

So this is my simple thought today: we must allow God to be the strength in our weakness, regardless of what it is. You could be in bondage to addiction, or having problems at home or at work; however I assure you that there is nothing too hard for God. Simply believe and submit to the call that He places in your life and do not fear. Be established and help others in their time of need!

Who Are We Serving? Wait, Why Do You Ask?

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I love going to church. I love it for the fellowship, the unity that it brings through God, and the multiplied powers and abilities of your reaching out that can happen when done. The church to me has always been such a great place of refuge; in other words a place where I associate “a place where God dwells” With that said, I want to bring out a point that has been on my heart lately. Since we have started singing and working in the ministry (even before Heart of Grace years ago), we have been in a multitude of churches with many wonderful bodies of people. Sadly, I would be lying if I said that every place that we went had that “right at home” feeling, but it reminds me of a very important thing that we must remember to apply in our lives.

When we are at church, we are there to help each other and to serve God. One of the biggest mistakes that you see is when people begin to serve people rather than God. We’ll worry about each and every thing that we do with the fear of upsetting someone or ruffling their feathers. I know that when we preach or sing oftentimes that I know for a fact that people probably don’t like half or more of what I’m saying, but I know when I am doing it that I’m doing it to help them and to serve God. When we serve God in love, God fights the battles and goes before you with people by the spiritual warfare. That way, when you obey God in confidence, you will leave the work sowed in confidence. Don’t doubt the work that you do for God!

Most importantly, don’t get caught up in the opinions of people. It’s perfectly okay to seek Godly advice from someone you have confidence in, but remember to not be in bondage to one another by what you would think they think (and what the other person’s friend thinks lol). As we become more dependent on people, we forget all the others around us that God is showing us that need help! Get out from under the veil of fear and step out and perform the will of God FOR God! He is more than able to equip you with the ability to endure all persecution that you will face! So I ask you today, who is it that we serve? Do we need to adjust how we take our approach to how we are a spiritual Godly help in and out of service?

Trust me, the more you commit to God, the more that you will find the desire to keep serving Him with joy!

Recognizing Our Bondage

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In Galatians 4, Paul explains the difference between a slave and a child. He wanted to make sure the Galatians were enjoying the path made by Jesus Christ. The epistle to the Galatians shows other missionaries were in conflict with Paul at that time. The Jewish-Christians from Palestine had visited the congregations of the Galatians after Paul’s visit there and was trying to teach that what Paul had taught prior to them coming was not complete. They were trying to persuade some of the Galatians that salvation required observance of the laws of the Torah, which included circumcision. Paul writes to rebuke and to persuade the Galatians in this letter. Paul communicates in this letter that Christianity, with its emphasis on faith in Christ, is antithetical to religion which approaches God based on good works. He also argues that nothing can be added to Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin, nor circumcision or any other external religious forms.

Galatians 4:1-3

[1] Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
[2] But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
[3] Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

When we were in bondage of the elements of the world, as an heir I differed not from a slave, or in other words anyone else in bondage. When I was saved, I was set free from the bondages of sin, and brought forth from the slavery of being lost (and being in bondage to the world as well). That should excite anyone that has a relationship with God if you really begin to think about it long enough! If we cannot begin to learn to live as children of God and mature to be the people God wants us to be, we will continually be as slaves to sin!

Acts 15:8-11

[8] And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
[9] And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
[10] Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
[11] But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Galatians 4:4-7

[4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
[5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
[6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
[7] Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Jesus Christ was sent to redeem, we receive the redemption and adoption as sons, and if a son, then an heir of God through Jesus Christ.

Galatians 4:8-9

[8] Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
[9] But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

When we did not know God, it was our instinct to turn to which by nature were things other than God. So how in this world could we begin to turn back to what we were before after we start to know God or are known by God? I do not know about you, but I have no desire to go back into the bondage I was freed from!

Galatians 5:1

[1] Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Do not walk back into what you came out of!

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he emphasizes in the passage below:

Romans 8:15-17.

[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We are accepted, and the victory comes when the kingdom is fully realized!