Sounds like a job add in the newspaper, and it is actually an add which God placed in His book and it’s found in the help wanted section of Exodus...(oh, you didn’t know Exodus had a help wanted section?)
Exodus 17:8 “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hurwent up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword”.
I want us to take a closer look at some of the names mentioned in this story...It's interesting to me that the name “Amalek” means the “Nippers”... or the people who cut off the head. The head represents the authority, so they represent everything that is looking to take away your authority or your power.
The place of the battle was Rephidim which means “place of rest”but the nippers want to destroy your rest so you will be weary and worn out. Our Rephidim is a battle we want to win. Jesus talks about entering into His rest, (His Rephidim) and those who have not won that battle, are fainting along the way. The Nippers are getting them!
Moses’ name which was given him by the Egyptian princess who found him in the Nile river, means “lifted out or lifted up”. When Moses got weary and his hands couldn’t be lifted anymore, the battle went against Israel. When we stop praising and lifting up the name of our God in the pressure cooker of life, we begin to lose our power and authority, and Satan gets an advantage. Praise and worship is our rod which we lift up and defeat the enemy!
But God called on some lifters! Aaron and Hur answered the call! Aaron means “Messenger of strength and encouragement”..... Hur means “To burn with inspiration”.
When the Nippers are working, God is looking for some messengers of strength, and encouragement, who are hot with inspiration!
Everybody needs somebody to come alongside and lift up theirarms when they get tired and the nippers are at work in their lives.
Whatever else you take away from this message, do not miss this: Make it your aim, in the name and power of Jesus, to be a lifter. The add is still in God’s book...”Lifters Needed”.... Allow others be arm lifters in your life when you need it. I mean, Moses was the head hauncho, Miracles, signs and wonders, revelations, and prophecy, were his normal, but even he needed some lifters.... Don’t let pride or false humility keep you from asking for and accepting loving helpfrom one another. Make it your aim to come alongside people in your life, including your sisters and brothers in the faith, whose arms – and hearts – are weary from the battles they must fight.”
Hebrews 12, puts out a call to us today.... Hebrews 12:12 Therefore lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, (get back on mission and purpose) so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed”.
In team sports the winners may lift the team captain or the coachonto their shoulders and carry them around the field as a show of solidarity and team effort. The team is acknowledging that it took everyone to bring them through to victory. The church can only win, when everyone is celebrated, lifted up and included as an important part of every victory and achievement. The givers, and the intercessors, and the workers, the inviters, and the volunteers, the encouragers and all the lifters....Every time we come together should be a time of Aaron and Hur ministry to one another....
The bible tells us that we need to lift up our eyes, enlarge our perspective or see the bigger view of our God, ourselves and our world...You don’t know what someone else is dealing with and going through. Lifters can make all the difference.
We were at Big John’s Pizza and Winnie felt to encourage the owner. She told her how wonderful their food was, and how it was the only pizza place we eat at in the area. She complimented the waitresses and the pizza makers. Then said “Thank you so much for being here”. When we left, she followed us out the door, and told us how much it meant. She said they almost closed during the pandemic, but struggled to stay open. She handed us two 25.00 gift certificates, and said that Winnie had made her day....
Look at Psalm 121...”I will lift up my eyes to the heights
to where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let my foot slip—
He who watches over me will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over His chosen will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over us—
the Lord is our shade at our right hand; the sun will not harm usby day,
nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep us from all harm— He will watch over our life; the Lord will watch over our coming and going
both now and forevermore. DAVID WAS A LIFTER!
When he was alive, my friend Lynn Moody, used to call me and ask if I wanted to join him at the airport for some air time over the reef. He would find out where the big groupers and snapper were from the air, mark the spot on the GPS, then come back get in the boat and go out and spear them. Rarely did I turn him down, because I loved lifting up my eyes to the heights, and seeing things from that perspective. All my problems, and all my challenges seemed so small from up there. The church, Key West, and the Keys, seemed so insignificant from the heights. Lynn was my lifter....He would get me above it all....
What has filled your gaze lately?.... your situation at home... problems on the job.... your financial situation.... conditions in the country... your children, or a troubled relationship....come up higher... get a new perspective....Your perspective can make all the difference.. Speaking of perspective.....
A young boy of 9 years old, had to go with his father to the funeral of a friend of his, that the boy didn't even know. When he got there, he stayed in a corner, by himself. When a man approached him and said, "Enjoy life boy, be happy because time flies. Just look at me now..I didn't enjoy it when I was young." The man then passed his hand over his own head and left.
Before leaving, his father forced him to go by the coffin and look at the person inside. When he looked in the coffin, he was shocked that the man who was talking to him, was the same man in the coffin!
For several years he was not able to sleep properly. With nightmares and psychological disorder, he was terrified of being alone. he visited many psychologists. He never turn off the lights at night throughout his adolescent years....Years later he discovered something incredible that changed his life. The guy in the coffin had a twin brother. His change in perspective changed his life....
Colossians 1:13-20 [God] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him Godwas pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross”.
That pretty much covers the human condition... Would you tell someone..
“Lift up your eyes, He’s got you covered”.....
Another word we could use here is the word “Magnify”.....To make larger and larger not only in size but in importance. We can magnify the problem, or magnify the problem solver.... Jesus had your answer before Satan had your problem....
When you see something from far away it seems small and unimportant, but the closer you get, the larger it becomes. The object didn’t actually get any bigger, but your perspective, or view of it, changed. Once you were face to face with the object, you saw it in its full size.
Folks are OK with viewing the Lord from a distance, till life is out of control, then His importance in their lives is magnified because they know it’s important to get closer to Him in their times oftrouble. Somebody needs to pray for some trouble to come on some folks!!
Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify (make large, and important) the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Somebody needs to magnify the Lord right now!!!! Come on!! MAKE GOD GREAT, recognize Him as worth the HIGHEST VALUE, SPEAK UP about Him, and make Him the most IMPORTANT thing in your life. Come magnify the Lord with me! “Whatever we focus on, to a large degree, determines what we become.” If you think about it, that’s both an encouraging statement, and a scary one, depending on what you focus on. If I focus on fearful things, I’ll become more fearful. If I focus on negative things, I’ll become more negative. But, if I “lift my eyes” that’s something else. “What we focus on, we empower, we magnify, and enlarge. Good multiplies when magnify it. Negativity multiplies when focused on it. The choice is ours: Which do we want more of in our lives?”
When you get your perspective right, you find what the 14thcentury theologian Nicholas of Cusa wrote in his book “The Vision of God”... He described the “Omnivoyance” of God. “Omnipotence” means God is all powerful. “Omniscience” means God is all knowing. “Omnipresence” means God is in all places at once. “Omnivoyance” means that God is always watching over us and nothing escapes His loving gaze.
So, this morning, whatever impact, and whatever effect this season is having on you, lift your eyes to God, shift your eyes from your fears to your faith, and know that God, the maker of Heaven and Earth, the Omnivoyant one, is watching over you.
I’m declaring that this is the year of the lifters, when they lift their eyes to the heights, and the Lord becomes magnified in their lives.
Lord according to your word, “Let the eyes of their understanding be enlightened; that they may know what is the hope of Yourcalling, and the riches of the glory of your inheritance among the people....Be magnified, oh God, be high and lifted up, so that once again Your glory may be seen among the people!
Divine lifting up will manifest as promotion and favor....
David the psalmist was really “David the lifter”
There is an example of this divine lifting in the account of 2 Samuel 9... It is the story of Mephibosheth. David remembered that his friend Jonathan had a son. He asked if there was anyone left in the lineage of Saul, for the sake of Jonathan, and announced that he desired to bless such a person. Mephibosheth was summoned; all that belonged to him was given back to Him. Mephibosheth had been forgotten but his day of divine lifting came, He went from a pitiful beggar to sitting at the king’s table every day. He was given his own house, and bestowed with honor throughout the kingdom. Mephibosheth had referred to himself asa dead dog that has no value, but David, the lifter, saw him the way God saw him.....When God finds a lifter, anything is possible!
Through the Divine lifter, Esther a slave girl in a foreign land was made Queen. Abraham, the idol maker, became the father of the faith. David the shepherd boy became the Giant killer. Moses, the most wanted fugitive became Moses the deliverer of a nation, the man in demand....Jacob the deceiver became Israel the chosen....Joseph went from the pit to the palace... Ruth the Moabite outsider, became part of the lineage of Christ....
And I declare that this is your time of lifting. The Lord will remember you and His favor will lift you up. When God promotes you, no man can demote you. When God’s favor is upon you, it doesn’t matter who’s against you... With divine lifting; an ordinary person is able to achieve extraordinary results..... Divine lifting brings people from the dust and into their destiny. When God decides to visit you the atmosphere will change and attitudes will be transformed. You will be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. Doors will open that were shut, and you will have friends in high places. The impossible will become possible, and what could never happen will be the new normal in your life....AND HE SHALL BE MAGNIFIED!
Isaiah 10:27 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”.
The anointing is a powerful Divine lifter!
This word anointing, in scripture means, to be authorized and given permission and access to power from on high.
Priorities are established over time through consistent effort. If you want to be physically fit, it takes more than one trip to the gym. If you want to become a doctor or a lawyer, it takes more than one class. Your continued, consistent efforts will show where your priorities really are. And God says that we are to seek Him first and all the other things will be added to us.
Are you looking for His favor? For supernatural intervention? For an anointing that allows you to experience God on a deeper level, to move mountains of impossibility? Then put Him first! When you place God first, you are telling Him that you are ready to serve Him, that you are ready to take on the mantel of His fresh anointing.
The anointing is God’s mark of distinction that separates you, your family, your household, your life, your finances, your physical well-being, your emotional health…from everyone else. You are a child of the King, set apart to glorify Him.
Consider what God’s anointing did for David. He was the youngest of eight kids, and he was left out in the field to tend sheep. He was ignored by his brothers and was the least in his father’s house. BUT…when God saw David’s heart He poured out His anointing…and David was no longer just one of eight sons. He was set apart, distinguished as the one who would one day become King. David did not accomplish great success in his earthly life because he was talented or charismatic, but it was by the anointing that he was promoted and given favor.
The anointing is a catalyst and activator. It takes what God has placed inside of you and activates it to accomplish God’s destiny for your life. The anointing activates the power of God in your life, giving you the ability to do the seemingly impossible.
It is the anointing that gives you strength when you are weak, that gives you joy when you should be filled with sorrow. It is the anointing that makes you as bold as a lion and gives you courage when those around you are shrinking in fear.
Under the anointing, no weapon formed against you will prosper. No enemy will be victorious. Every yoke will be destroyed. Every burden will be lifted. Every crooked way will be made straight.The yoke of anxiety, fear and confusion is destroyed by the anointing of the Lord.
Maybe today you feel like a victim due to circumstances beyond your control. But the awesome power found in God’s anointing can bring you the total victory in an instant. If you’re facing an impossible situation, He is the God of the impossible. When He anoints you, He will make a way where there seems to be no way.
The anointing is not optional. If you want to be used of God, then it will require the anointing, It’s a package deal. Because everything and everyone that God uses, He anoints. You cannot get close to God and build a relationship with Him without the anointing. If you want to experience God’s power to be demonstrated in your life, you need His anointing. There is no substitute.
Our anointing is not static but it always desires to be flowing. It grows or increases as we walk with the Lord and we increasingly obey and make ourselves available to Him. Our anointing manifests itself in a variety of ways: in Samson it was manifested as immense strength, in David it was manifested in victory against all odds, in Elijah and Elisha in miracles of provision, positioningand resurrection. In Moses, the anointing was manifested in hisleadership, which was from God’s mouth to Moses’ ear. In the apostles of Jesus, it was manifested in amazing signs, wonders and miracles of healing. In some it is apostolic, in some it is evangelistic, in others it is pastoral, and in others it is prophetic or in the area of teaching.
It is His anointing that makes us victorious and more than conquerors. We are anointed as kings and priests before God. People are appointed for a fixed period of time but we are anointed forever as we abide in Christ. Our anointing has no expiration date.
Let me close by giving you some scriptures about the lifting power of the anointing...
1 John 2:27 “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you”.
1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward”.
Isaiah 45:1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations and to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut.”
Prayer....Heavenly Father, today I am standing upon Your Word. Idesire to live under Your anointing. May everything that my enemies have used to try and entangle, ensnare and defeat me be broken in Jesus’ name. Touch my life that I may operate in the Divine authority that comes from the anointing. Lord, Break the yokes of bondage in my life and set me free to be a lifter in the situations I encounter. Help me to put You first and of greatest importance. I desire to keep my priorities where they should be…so that I may serve your Kingdom and glorify Your name. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
I want you to find someone and take a moment to allow the anointing to do what you could not do, and they cannot do. Let the anointing make the difference. Trust the anointing to accomplish it in Jesus name. Be lifted up, by the anointing and set free by the anointing.
As we continue the message from last week, I am considering this topic in the context of Palm Sunday, also referred to as “The Triumphant Entry”...
Matthew 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
v5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Until now, Jesus is known as the son of Joseph... but here he is hailed as a king who is coming to take His kingdom.
Jesus knows that what is happening on Palm Sunday, will culminate in the resurrection 8 days later on Easter morning.
Palm Sunday was a forerunner event, declaring that Jesus was going into the enemies camp and taking back what he had stolen all the way back to the garden of Eden! He was righting a huge wrong that had held mankind under it’s power too long.
In a little place called Jerusalem, just a dot on the map, the kingdom of Satan was about to be overthrown, as Christ’s followers are empowered from on high, to bind and to loose. To redeem and restore, To overwhelm and over power, the power of the devil.
Jesus is proclaiming “Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come to give life and that more abundantly”!
This is the day of Taking it back, and enforcing the victory of the king of kings and lord of lords!
As I think of Putting a demand upon the word of God, I think of Exodus 33:18 as Moses is standing on a mountain, and he has followed God’s commands and obeyed the direction he has been given. But the task is much greater than his ability. He is overwhelmed by the weight of the task he has been given. He needs some confirmation, some tangible witness that he’s on the right track and that he hasn’t missed it.... “And he said, I beseech You, shew me Your glory”. Moses is putting a demand upon the words he has been given, and the one who has placed him in the situation he is in.
God showed himself to Moses and displayed His glory before Him. Now let me take you to another verse that deals with here and now....
Haggai 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, (the word peace here means wholeness and completeness) saith the Lord of hosts”.
Joel calls this the last house, in the last days, where God will pour out His spirit upon all flesh....What if we put a demand on the word of God, for this house in this time....!!!! Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come, and you shall be witnesses unto me (of My power) both in Jerusalem, (your house) and in all Judaea, (your neighborhood) and in Samaria, (the surrounding cities) and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
If you’re thinking right now that this is talking about somebody else, you’re wrong. It’s talking about you....
I submit to you that, Jacob was a deceiver, Peter had anger issues, David had an affair and arranged to murder someone, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God and became whale vomit, Paul was a serial murder, Miriam was a gossip and insurrectionist, Gideon was afraid of his own shadow, Sarah was a mocker and a scoffer, Elijah was bipolar, Moses was a stutterer, Abraham was too old, and Lazarus was too DEAD!
If God could reveal His power in these folks, then He’s able to use you and me.
A man entered the lobby of an apartment building and asked the cleaning person if they knew where Mr. Bob Smith lived. Oh, yes, said the man. They went up to the 4th floor and he knocked on the door several times and waited, then knocked again. He told the cleaning person, “I guess he’s not home”.... Oh, no, Mr. Smith is standing in the lobby, where you came in.....
Well, when God comes knocking on our door.... don’t be somewhere else...doing something else, because you didn’t put him first. Be there to answer the door.
He has more power than you will ever need to do what you need to do.
So last week, we talked about Dunamus power, “The power to overwhelm what has tried to overwhelm you”... “Power over all the power of the enemy”...Dunamus is the H.S. power source within us.
We also mentioned “Exesusia” power... which is delegated authority, as we are the called the Eclessia or “sent ones” who are his agents in this earth, who go in His name to enforce his judgment on satan’s kingdom.
The third Greek word which we covered for the power we have received, is “Ischus”, which means that a little becomes much. Jesus said, The little mustard seed becomes a mighty towering tree.... The little boys 5 loaves and 2 fish, fed a multitude when placed in the master’s hands.
A little widow’s oil and meal, fed the entire village through outthe famine because she gave it to God and operated in Ischuspower. Matthew 25:21 The master said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
We can see that how that as we are faithful in how we handle the little we have, it will determine how much we are given...
Ischus operates from a place of contentment. We are satisfied with what we have been given until the Lord chooses to give us more.
The fourth Greek word, for power, which we didn’t get to last week, is “Kratos”, which is invincibility. This means that the power you have within you cannot be defeated or overcome. Let me explain that....
In Mark 4:34 When Jesus told the disciples to go over to the other side of the lake, and He would meet them... They got into a storm that threatened to sink their boat and they were terrified. Jesus shows up, rebukes the storm, and then rebuked them for having so little faith... Why, because they were under His orders, to go to the other side. While they were under that powerful command, nothing could stop them except their own fear and unbelief. When you’re moving in obedience to the Lord, and you’re doing what He asks you to do... You have Kratos.
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you”.
When the 3 Hebrew children were thrown into the fiery furnace by the king, they were able to walk around in the flames with the fourth man, without being consumed, because they had Kratospower. They were fire proof! The power of the flames was not greater than the power that was with them.
Kratos is about living in obedience to God and seeking to live in the will of God. Jesus said, “Father, not my will but thy will be done” look at several scriptures on this... Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can stand against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies (restrains, conquers, prevails)”.
Also look at...1 Corinthians 6:12 “Many things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient or profitable for me: Many things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (but Christ).”
This power comes as we surrender more and more to the lordship of Christ in our life. You see, this authority and power is not something you struggle to get. If you’re still struggling, you haven’t understood it yet. If you’re struggling you haven’t surrendered.
I was hanging out with a friend who is a Christian but doesn’t always act like it. Our eyes met and I really wanted to say something to him, but decided to just let the Holy Spirit speak to his heart, knowing that my words wouldn’t be as powerful as holy Spirit’s inner work. So I just prayed for him, and after a little while I walked away from the mirror.....
(Tell someone, “you just need to stop struggling and just surrender”)
Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and outsiders, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, is fitted and joined together, and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
We are more powerful together than we are apart. Jesus sent his followers out 2 x 2 so they could strengthen one another.
I remember once two of us were in Philly, and we were knocking on doors, for the purpose of witnessing to those who didn’t know Christ. Well, a fellow let us in and he had porn all over his walls. (I mean wall to wall) Well, my witness buddy, started in judging him and I had to grab my partner and take him outside to instruct him. I told him, you pray and I’ll talk. Well we showed the man the love and acceptance of God, because this man had a perverse, orphan spirit. But when he felt real compassion, he began to open up and received Christ, and then he was open to scriptural teaching.
I was witnessing to one fellow who had chosen the gay life, and as we talked, he said he had committed every sin a person could commit. When I told him he had not committed the greatest sin of all because he wasn’t dead yet... He asked me what it was.
You know, folks think of many things when you say the greatest sin... Well I told him the greatest sin is refusing to accept Jesus Christ as savior. We ended up praying together and he received Christ...
You can put a demand on any circumstance and any situation, and command it to fulfill God’s purpose and plan.
I need to close this with a revelation that Holy Spirit brought to me, and I call it the Prayer of Peter.. I use it when I’m not sure exactly how to pray because I’m not sure what God’s will may be in a situation. You remember when Peter saw the Lord walking on the water. He said Lord if it is you, bid me come to you on the water. (He put a demand upon the Lord, to reveal himself) So wherever Jesus is in any situation, that’s where I want to be. At that time, Winnie was scheduled for a total hysterectomy. Which meant she could no longer have children. As we brought it before the Lord, and prayed the prayer of Peter, Holy Spirit told me that if she went to the hospital, it was because there was someone who needed Christ, and she was their last hope.
Well I accepted that and added.... Lord, I can only accept that she is going into the hospital if it’s for that reason, but once she witnesses to that person, I expect her to be totally healed. Soafter several cancellations, one of the new converts in our church, came up to her and asked to pray for her. He prayed and she was instantly healed. Servant authority meant that whatever purpose God had in the situation, it came first and then, all the other would be added unto us.
Matthew 6:33 “For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you”.
Can you see here, that the things you might struggle to get, will come through surrender, and putting God’s plans, and his purpose first in our lives....If you’re struggling, you haven’t surrendered.
Jesus said, Matthew 9:5 “For which is easier, to say, Your sins be forgiven you, or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then He said to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house”.
What the Lord is telling us is that salvation is a package deal, for spirit, soul and body.
The Greek word for salvation, which is the language the new testament was originally written in... is “Sozo” which means wholeness, completeness, and wellness. It carries the idea of being physically healed of diseases and to be delivered from the power of sin and Satan.
Psalm 103:2-4 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy…”
We see this also in Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
We need to accept the whole ball of wax, the package deal. Your complete salvation package is waiting to be received. We not only are able to say, Thank God I am saved, but we can say, thank God I am healed and delivered from the power of sin and Satan!
Our actions in faith, put a demand on God’s power
It’s time to put a demand on what God said was yours!
Jesus said more blessed are they who not only hear my word but do it!
My Sunday morning message, April 3rd, presented at Eagle's Rest Ministries, Located in the Double Tree Resort, Key West, Fl. Join us each Sunday Morning in the Tortugas Banquet Room, at 10:30, for a time of prayer, praise, worship and the Word.
This message is titled
Putting a Demand On The Word Of God
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of God, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
OK....Fasten your seat belts boys and girls, we’re going to cover a lot of ground today as we encourage one another in the Lord...
I will open this message by saying that when we put a demand on God by declaring and standing in faith, on His own word over a situation, He is obligated to back up what He has promised. Isaiah 45:23 “I have sworn it by My own self, truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance”.
When God told Moses what to do to open the Red Sea, and he did it, God was obligated to cause the waters to part and open a path across.
When we obey the requirements which the Lord gives us, which tells us the things that are pleasing unto Him, He says that it puts a demand upon His integrity, because God cannot lie... so that He must honor what He has said, when we come in the right spirit.
Isaiah 45:11 “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and God His Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me”. (Let me give you an example) When you put a seed or a plant in the ground, it immediately puts a demand on the soil, to nourish, supply and sustain it. God’s word is seed which we plant by faith in every situation and circumstance of life, and by doing so we put a demand on the situation and command that it line up with God’s word which He has sworn by His own immutability.
When a woman is pregnant, the baby inside begins to put a demand upon her body, which changes her physical appearance. The baby feeds off of the mother’s system, demanding nutrition and whatever it needs to come to the place of development so that it can be ready for birth and survival outside of the womb when the time of deliverance and manifestation has come.
When we are born again, (which is another term for salvation), we are placed in a womb of spiritual development. In that place, we grow and develop by feeding on the word of God, we draw nutrition from Christian fellowship, as fellow believers impart guidance and wisdom from their own experiences, and we gain insights into the practical application of truth and knowledge. God provides pastors, teachers, those with spiritual discernment, and leadership which keeps us from error and deception.
Look at Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come, (He came once on the day of Pentecost, so He doesn’t keep coming, now He in-dwells us, the moment we receive Christ) and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
There is no Holy Spirit for children and another for adults... We all receive the same Holy Spirit when we are saved. The only difference is that we are in different stages of development in understanding spiritual principles and concepts.
I wouldn’t give a 10 year old child the keys to my car and say “drive down to the grocery store and do my shopping for me”...If they somehow made it, I would probably be eating candy, ice cream and soda pop all week!
Scripture is clear that there is a “filling” of the Spirit, which brings us into the operation of the gifts of the Spirit.... 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 — 1. The word of wisdom 6. The gift of prophecy 2. The word of knowledge 7. The gift to discern spirits 3. The gift of faith 8. The gift of tongues 4. The gift of healing 9. The interpretation of tongues
When Acts 1:8 says “You shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come”....
This word Power, has 4 Greek meanings... (I realize we have touched on this several times, but it’s at the core of this message...”Putting a Demand on God”....and we need to revisit it...
The first word in the original Greek, in which it was originally spoken, is “Dunamus’, Which means “The ability to overwhelm what’s been overwhelming you”.... Someone said, If what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I should be able to bench press a semi-truck by now!!!
It also indicates that the very source of power is now within us, by the Holy Spirit! It’s not your might or strength, it is God’s power flowing through you....The source of the power, the dynamo or generator of power, is now within us.
Listen to the words of Jesus... Matthew 12:28 “If I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could bind him up and then plunder his house”. Strong men are demon spirits which rule over strong holds. Strongholds are addictions and patterns that people struggle to overcome. They may be Unbelief, or Orphan spirits where you Feel Unloved or unwanted, it can be Sexual strongholds, Feelings of shame or guilt, poor self worth on one hand or pride and hedonism on the other. A stronghold is a lie that we have allowed to distort or confuse our thinking. With our permission, a lie can gain the power to affect our behavior and our life style. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that has molded itself into our way of living and it keeps us from spiritual freedom, development and success. Satan takes advantage of these patterns to get authority in our lives ...
2 Corinthians 10:4 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world (or human origin). On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
There are strongholds over people’s lives, over businesses, over communities and cities as well as countries.
To change these things, we must attack the strongman that is holding it together through the divine power of Jesus Christ and His words which He has put in writing for us to use.
This country began under a stronghold of greed and lust for power. There are many great things, but these constantly want to undermine it. Our city has many great things going for it, but underneath everything, there is a stronghold of pleasure, perversion, and excape-ism, constantly at work.
Our capital in Washington, is a symbol of our democratic form of government, but it is under a constant threat from the strongholds of lust for power, greed, lawlessness, and deception.
If you can identify the strongholds you can bind the strong man and dismantle his kingdom which he has built around himself.
Listen to something powerful from Jesus....
John 16:7 “It's for your advantage that I'm going away, because if I don't go away, the Helper (Holy Spirit) won't come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 When He comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment 9 upon sin, because they refuse to believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I'm going to the Father and you will no longer see Me. 11 and of judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged”.
I want everyone to see here, that The strongman, has already been judged. You are appointed to carry out the judgment that has already placed upon him! As we enforce what God has already judged, we’re putting a demand upon His judgment, that it be carried out in the earth.
Jesus sent 72 followers out into the surrounding area to practice what He had been teaching them.... Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (demons) and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Notice he said as he sent them out, that “Satan had fallen from heaven.’ That was describing the judgment upon the devil... so as he sent them out, it was to enforce the judgment which had already been passed on Satan. Satan falling, meant that he had lost his authority with believers who know how to command through God’s word.
The strongman of sickness, injustice, poverty, lack, deception and perversion has already been judged.... Now, we are impowered to enforce that judgment. When a law has been established, the judge has the power to carry out or enforce the sentence.
Pray this prayer with me.... “Lord Jesus, help me to see any area of my life that is dominated by rational or irrational strongholds. Forgive me for allowing the devil to develop his lies into my mind, and help me now to uproot and cast down every one of his lies by the power of Your word. I know that Your Word will renew my mind to think in agreement and in harmony with You, so that I can put a faith demand, on all that you promised. I am asking You today to help me make Your Word a priority in my life! In Jesus name”.
It starts with me. I must be willing to honestly face any stronghold in my on life, and pull the log out of my own eye, so I can see to take the splinter out of someone else’s eye!! As I grow in spiritual practice, I will begin to bring others with me on the journey of freedom and authority.
Sometimes our problem, as one fellow said, is that I want to follow Jesus, but I just want to give a good slap to some people too!
The Second, word for power, is the Greek word “Exusia” which is delegated authority.
Ephesians 1:22 “And He (the Father) has put all things under His (Jesus’) feet and given Him to be head over all things unto the Church, (that is a description of delegated authority and power of attorney) which is His body (His physical and spiritual representative in the earth). You and I, as believers, have become God’s agent in the earth, with all of heaven backing you up.
With that authority, you are like the police officer, who steps out in traffic, puts up his hand, and 18 wheelers grind to a halt, because he has delegated authority and the entire police force stands behind him and backs him up. That truck knows that it may be bigger than the officer, but it’s not bigger than the entire nationwide police force that backs him up! In Christ, you are far more than you may be seeing right now!
Our authority is servant authority.... Our authority is always given to serve others and lift them up. The believer’s authority is never to lord it over, or to elevate ourselves. If we are doing it right, others will elevate us and give us position and recognition.
Mark 10:42-44 Calling the disciples to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant... Jesus washed the disciples feet.....He cooked them a meal on one occasion, He paid the ultimate price for our sins, by taking our place on the cross....
Power always has within it the possibility to corrupt and be used for selfish gain unless it is servant authority. We don’t have to blow our own horn all the time. If you play the piano, you don’t just tell them, you convince people by sitting down and playing the piano! Someone said that every parent of teenagers should have a dog, so that when they get home someone is glad to see and appreciate them.
I recall in a blizzard in Connecticut, a lady came flying out of a side street and crashed into the side of my car. I pulled over, said a little prayer and walked over to her car. She was crying and in shock. I asked her to crack the window and said “God has brought us together today”... I prayed with her, my wife and I followed her to her house to get her information, and led her to receive Christ. She was in church that Sunday and many Sundays after. She went off to Bible college and became a missionary. Servant authority operates in compassion.
I had to choose to operate in servant authority, not civil authority....or human strength and effort, I only had to let the compassion of Jesus shine through me.
Our authority is always to serve and lift those around us.
Next week I will continue this message, Putting a demand upon the Word of God...
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