IT IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH THAT YOU ARE SAVED AND NOTHING OF YOURSELVES: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN UNDERSTANDING AND EXERCISING OUR AUTHORITY IN CHRIST IS TO FIRST UNDERSTAND CHRIST HIMSELF AND WHAT HE HAS ACHIEVED THAT HAS CAUSED US NOW TO BE “IN CHRIST.” GOD’S COVENANT- A PLACE OF SALVATION: “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;” (Ephesians 2:8) Greetings in the ALL POWERFUL NAME OF JESUS. It is great to be with you. Words cannot adequately express the bond between us through Jesus Christ. Today I want us to feel what Paul felt about the bond that exists between us and our loving Father. I further submit to you that this bond does indeed exist between believers. See what Paul says in Romans 8:37-38: “Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is upon this foundation that I write to you today. But first, I must address a condition in the Body of Christ today that is causing many sincere believers to suffer defeat, frustration, anxiety and in some cases, doubt and worry. We have had a great amount of teaching on the authority of the believer and as believers we do have great authority. So that is a good thing, right? What is wrong with that? Here is what has gone wrong. Many speak authority over circumstances, but nothing changes as if the words were simply tumbling into the air with no results. Healing does not come, provision seems scarce, Satan still runs wild in our lives and circumstances do not change or may even be getting worse. WHY? BECAUSE TOO MUCH AND THE WRONG KIND OF EMPHASIS ON MY/OUR AUTHORITY BEGINS TO MAKE IT ABOUT ME/US RATHER THAN……JESUS. MY/OUR AUTHORITY COMES BECAUSE OF HIS COMPLETED WORK AT THE CROSS. THAT IS WHERE WE MUST FOCUS. It is by grace through faith that we are saved. Remember the word, “saved” means wholeness, deliverance, health protection provision, etc… How is this salvation to be appropriated and then manifested in our lives? Paul tells us. First, it is appropriated to us strictly by grace. Paul goes on to tell us in verse 9 of Ephesians 2 that it is “not of works, lest any man should boast.” Our salvation with its many aspects is totally undeserved and unmerited favor. We can’t do a thing to earn it. Furthermore we cannot add to it or enhance it in anyway. It is a gift from God. It is available completely because of what Jesus did for you and me at the cross. How is this free gift of “wholeness, deliverance, health protection provision, etc…”-what is known as salvation, manifested in our lives. Paul says it simply and with power IT IS BY FAITH. WE ACCESS THE GIFT OF THE GRACE OF SALVATION BY FAITH! So, what is the problem? The problem is that we have gotten to a point where we begin to put our faith in our faith, in our authority, in our confessions, etc… instead of focusing our faith on what Jesus did for us at the cross. We’ve heard so many teachings on healings, taking authority, speaking authority, etc… that we have taken our focus off of the one who actually makes all of these things work. The grace of His work at the cross is the total and true source of all that is available to us as believers. WITHOUT FAITH IN THE GRACE OF WHAT JESUS DID FOR US AT THE CROSS NOTHING WILL WORK. HEALING WON’T WORK, SPEAKING AUTHORITY WON’T WORK, GOD’S SUPPLY AND PROVISION WON’T WORK, AND THE PROMISES OF GOD WON’T WORK IN OUR LIVES. BRUTALLY HONEST BUT TRUE. WITHOUT OUR FAITH FOCUSED ON THE COMPLETED WORK OF JESUS, THESE WILL NOT WORK FOR ME AND THEY WILL NOT WORK FOR YOU. What are we to do then when things don’t seem to be working in our lives the way God promised in His Word? We need to go back to meditating on Jesus and what He has done for us and renew our minds so that we may understand the true source and authority that we have. Our authority does not come from focusing on it, but rather it comes from focusing on Jesus. We need to take our eyes off of ourselves and place them on Jesus and on His finished work. WE LOVE YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS- WALLY & JAN
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:07:27 +0000
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