John 10:10 tells us Jesus gave His life so we can "have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
We are joint heirs in Christ Jesus!
Matthew 10:1 says, "Jesus summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity."
This authority has been given to every believer. It's important to understand that the devil has power, but we have power and authority in Christ.
Our enemy only has the authority that we give him, and many times we give him the ability to attack us through ignorance.
We need to learn how to be proactive and resist the devil immediately when temptation comes.
1 Peter 5:9a (AMPC) says to "withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined]."
Notice this verse says to resist him at his onset. Many believers and churches are living in a reactionary state not even realizing what’s happening. Don't wait to see how bad things will get, or how much you can get away with before you get in trouble.Be firm in your faith at all times, and resist the enemy immediately when he comes against you.
God has a plan for your life, and walking in the authority you have in Christ is an important part of experiencing His will for you.
The Word of God is an offensive weapon in our warfare against the enemy. It contains life and has the power to renew our minds, heal our brokenness, and change our lives!
I’m sure you know this already. My question is do you live this? Do you walk with a Holy Spirit attitude? The power and authority in God's Word equips you to release Heaven and to resist the devil. Satan hates the Word yet he must bow down to it. Scripture tells us that spiritual battles are taking place all around us because we live in two atmospheres at the same time. One is a physical atmosphere that we can see, smell, hear, touch and taste. The other is a spiritual atmosphere that we cannot see with our natural eye or experience with the rest of our natural senses, but it is very real.
The devil knows the power of atmosphere, and as believers, we need to know it as well. Whenever possible, Satan will try to tempt you into the wrong atmosphere in order to make it easier for you to fall into sin. Think about it—would you be more likely to fall into sinful behavior in a library or in a wild club or party scene? The answer is pretty obvious because it's the atmosphere that makes the difference.
The atmosphere creates a climate, and the climate creates a culture.
If the enemy can get you in his culture, he knows he can get you to sin. God understands the power of atmosphere as well. He is everywhere, but He does not manifest His presence equally everywhere. He will manifest His presence when the atmosphere is right, and He loves an atmosphere of praise and true worship from His people.
The Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).
Don’t mistake atmosphere for location. When you fill the atmosphere with complaining, faultfinding, and murmuring it's not inviting to the presence of God. The same is true with the Holy Spirit: atmosphere is everything. The atmosphere of holiness, purity, praise, worship, prayer, love, and unity attracts the Holy Spirit—just as an atmosphere of lust, drunkenness, anger, and hatred attracts demonic spirits. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and He is dominating your life, then the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control and gentleness—will become increasingly evident in your life (Galatians 5:22-23).
When the fruit of the Spirit is in your life, you naturally create an atmosphere for the presence of the Holy Spirit.
What is the evidence of your life?
Blessings,
Scott