It started in a garden…
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over
the livestock, over all the earth, and
over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
People
were given authority over the entire planet. And when Adam and Eve sinned they literally
gave away their authority. They believed another master and surrendered their
authority. It took Jesus and his death on the cross to take back this authority
for mankind.
Matthew 28:18-19 Then Jesus
came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
My friends, ALL AUTHORITY.
Jesus has all authority and the devil has none and we who are in Christ now
carry His authority in everything in our lives (Luke 9:1-2). The only way that
satan has authority is when we give it to him. That is why he works so hard to
get us to empower him through lies and sin.
Christians can’t be possessed
by the devil but we do allow him, give him authority, to oppress and to
torment. Let me share the story Kris Valloton shares in Spirit Wars on Pages 152-153.
Paraphrased: Kris was walking in the sanctuary of
Bethel where he was gently touching people and blessings them. He went to touch
an elderly couple who had been attending their church for 30 years. As he
touched he woman, Martha, Kris sensed the word, suicide. He whispered to
Martha, “Martha, by any chance are you dealing with suicidal thoughts?”
“I’ve been plagued that I should kill myself for nearly
two months. I’m a stable happy person, so I don’t know why I’m having these
horrible thoughts.”
“Martha, did you go through something painful recently
and entertain the thought that you could just die and all the grief would be
gone?
“Yes, I was so desperate and hurt about a family situation
that I said to myself, I could just die in peace and this would all be over.”
“Did the terrible sense that you wanted to take your
own life start right after that?”
”Yes.”
”Martha,
when you chose to embrace death to bring peace, you made a covenant with the
spirit of suicide to comfort you. The devil’s ministry is to steal, kill and destroy.
Whenever we embrace one of these three elements, we invite demonic spirits to
oppress us.”
“How do I get free?”
“Repeat this prayer after me.
Jesus, forgive me for making a covenant with the devil by inviting death to
comfort me. Thank you that You gave me the Holy Spirit, who is my comforter and
friend. Now, repeat this: You spirit of suicide, I break my agreement with you.
I no longer want you in my life. I command you to leave me now in Jesus name.”
It
was gone.
Okay,
I hope Kris is not too angry that I shared this story here but it needs to be told. Buy
the book and read the entire story and the one that precedes it in the book
which is absolutely powerful.
My
friends, when we believe the lies of the enemy, we come into agreement with him
and we handover our authority.
Let
me share some lies that I have earnestly believed in my past. These lies have
held me captive, oppressed my spirit and left me in bitter pain for years.
- My
husband will never change. - I
can’t serve in ministry if my husband is not a Christian. - I
will never experience Jesus like she (some other Godly woman) does. - I’m
not a writer. - I
will never be happy, content or live in the joy of the Lord until my husband
comes to Christ. - My
kids are more vulnerable to deception because of their father’s lack of faith.
I
can tell you that every one of the preceding sentences is a lie. Let me share
the lie I recognized just this past two weeks.
For
my entire marriage, I have believed that if and when my husband comes to faith,
he will likely not change very much. That he is still going to be Mike. He will
continue to dislike church, he won’t read the Bible, nor have any kind or real
passion for his faith. I’ve even written that here on this blog.
Well
several weeks ago God was really ticked with me because I have believed this
for so long and it is an outright lie. A lie straight from the pit of hell. And
this is how I know. God had some sharp words for me during one of my
walk-n-prays. “Lynn, how can you put me in a box? How could you limit my power?
How can you believe that I am unable to transform Mike completely into a Jesus
freak-zealot if that is what I want?”
Yikes,
I don’t like it when I’ve discovered I put God in a box. I felt like a puppy
with my tail between my legs. But you know our Great God. His scandalous grace
and love. He said to me, “Now don’t believe that lie anymore and start to pray
for a complete transformation.”
So I
did. I started praying. And within a couple of weeks it’s as if God wanted to
punctuate the error in my thinking and belief. So here’s what happened.
Let me set the stage. My husband is a computer geek.
He is kinda nerdy and loves everything technology. (Just so you know, I love nerds *grin*) Like a lot of geeky guys, exercise
and physical work is unappreciated. What I’m trying to say is that he hates
exercise. He has never liked to exercise. In fact, he has never done any kind
of exercise (ever) and even hates, HATES, yard work.
You may know where this is
going. Yep, two weeks ago my husband goes to the store. Purchases several workout pants and shirts and running shoes. Then the guy goes out the next morning,
walks three miles. The next day, walks five. The next day he starts to jog……
SAY WHAT?????
I about fell over. Never in a
million years would I have expected this kind of 180 turn around. And as soon
as I said that to myself I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me, “See Lynn, I can
transform and change your husband and this is just a glimpse.”
I’m expecting a
transformation one day that will freak me out. I absolutely believe in my God,
His power and perfect timing. Amen, period, the end.
Now my friends, here is where
it gets difficult. What are the lies you believe? Where have you given your Holy
authority over to the devil? The enemy is so clever and deceptive that you may believe
something you don’t even know is a lie. Think about an area where you are
feeling compelled to thoughts or feelings that are absolutely contrary to who
you are and your beliefs. Get to the beginning, the root of when and where
those thoughts began. Reject them OUT LOUD.
I literally pray out loud and
I say, “( )That is a lie from the
pit of hell and I reject that lie. It no longer holds power or influence over
me. Jesus you are my truth. You are my freedom. Forgive me for coming into
agreement with your enemy and handing over my authority. I take my full
authority back and I choose to trust in the Lord. In Jesus name Amen.
Our freedom is at hand. In the comments share the
lies you have believed and are now free. Or state the lies in the comments that
you are breaking this day and I will say them aloud with you. In Jesus name.
Let’s fill the comments with
your freedom. I want to see more than 100 renounced lies and also the truths
that are our freedom and authority. I love you my friends. But our Abba Father,
His son, Jesus and the Sprit that binds us all loves you with more grace and
goodness and compassion than we can comprehend. Hugging you tight today. Today is our freedom
day. Love, Lynn
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