CHAPTER 5
THE DEVIL HAS AUTHORITY OVER THE REBELLIOUS
FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, AND STUBBORNNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. BECAUSE THOU HAS REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, HE HAS ALSO REJECTED THEE FROM BEING KING.
I SAMUEL 15:23
God rejected Saul as king of Israel because Saul rejected the Word of God.
Why do Christian’s think that God will accept them when they reject God’s Word?
You cannot accept Jesus Christ as your savior and simultaneously reject God’s Word. Jesus Christ is the Word of God, when you accept Him, you must accept all of God’s Word.
If you do not submit to God’s authority, you are destined to be in bondage your entire life. Not only you, but your children and your children’s children will be in bondage. If you disrespect authority, you are in rebellion against God. The only way you can wield God’s authority is to first be under submission to authority, otherwise you will be a slave to your own passions, you will end up becoming a tyrant if you have any power at all. God gives His authority only to those who are willing to be servants and He allows the rebellious to be under the curse of bondage.
That is what the curse of Canaan was all about. Ham disrespected Noah, who possessed authority over him as his father. When God cursed Canaan, it was because the rebellion in Ham was going to be manifested in his descendants. The curse of bondage always follows rebellion against authority. If you cannot control yourself, God will make sure that somebody else will! Rebellion against God is the reason why Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden.
After Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, something God specifically told them not to do, they immediately came under the domination of sin and the devil. All the descendants of Adam and Eve are born in bondage to the Devil. However, we do not have to continue in bondage because God has made a way of escape for us.
CURSED BE CANAAN; A SERVANT OF SERVANTS SHALL HE BE UNTO HIS BRETHREN.
GENESIS 9:25
I am trying to make the following point. If we are Christians and know God’s Word, we will also know the glorious liberty God has prepared for us. We will begin speaking God’s Word of Truth to our circumstances and to our sinful flesh until we bring every thought under obedience to God’s Word and under the authority of Jesus Christ. We can be assured that if we mortify our flesh by speaking God’s Word, God will send His Angels to enforce His Word to His creation. If we are Christians, we are officers of God’s kingdom and ambassadors for Christ. We are designated kings and priests by God and we are responsible to know God’s Word, and to let other people know, that this rebellious world, and the rebellious people in it, are in danger of judgment. There is a mighty deliverer named Jesus Christ. We are the children of God and possess delegated authority just as surely as Jesus Christ is the Son of God and possesses all authority.
AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN JESUS HAD ENDED THESE SAYINGS, THE PEOPLE WERE ASTONISHED AT HIS DOCTRINE.
FOR HE TAUGHT THEM AS ONE HAVING AUTHORITY, AND NOT AS THE SCRIBES.
MATTHEW 7:28-29
Jesus knew who He was and He knew where the Words He spoke came from. He did not doubt that the authority of His Father’s Word was available to Him. All things were possible to Him! Christians need to have the same mind set. We need to know who we are in Jesus Christ. We speak in the name of Jesus Christ and all other authority pales in comparison with His authority. We are subjects of the King of kings. We are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ! We do not have to quietly take being humiliated by the world and the devil. I remember when I was a young man and I saw another man being physically bullied.
I remembered thinking to myself, why doesn’t he fight back?
Even if you fight and lose, the bully is going to think twice about messing with you again. The same goes for the world and the devil. If sickness comes, if doubt comes, if negative thoughts come, speak the Word of God! Fight back! Do not just passively take whatever the devil dishes out!
GOD RESISTETH THE PROUD, BUT GIVETH GRACE UNTO THE HUMBLE.
SUBMIT YOURSELVES THEREFORE TO GOD, RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.
DRAW NIGH TO GOD, AND HE WILL DRAW NIGH TO YOU.
JAMES 4:6-8
Pride = I can do it all on my own!
Humble = I cannot do anything on my own, but I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENETH ME.
PHILIPIANS 4:13
God will resist us if we attempt to solve a problem or difficulty with our own strength, or knowledge, or wisdom, but God gives grace (unmerited favor) to those who rely on Jesus Christ (the WORD of GOD). If we have a problem, we must not try to figure it out on our own, or go to some expert in the field, we must first go the Word of God. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
We resist the devil by speaking God’s Word. We do not have to get a shot gun and baseball bat in order to put the fear of God into people or demons. We simply find what God’s Word says about the problem, speak God’s Word to the situation, and let God take care of our problem. I promise you, God has the authority and the power to take care of any and every problem, situation, or circumstance!
FOR AS THE RAIN COMETH DOWN, AND THE SNOW FROM HEAVEN, AND RETURNETH NOT THITHER, BUT WATERETH THE EARTH, AND MAKETH IT BRING FORTH AND BUD, THAT IT MAY GIVE SEED TO THE SOWER, AND BREAD TO THE EATER;
SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT GOETH FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH: IT SHALL NOT RETURN UNTO ME VOID, BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I SENT IT.
FOR YE SHALL GO OUT WITH JOY, AND BE LED FORTH WITH PEACE: THE MOUNTAINS AND THE HILLS SHALL BREAK FORTH BEFORE YOU INTO SINGING, AND ALL THE TREES OF THE FIELD SHALL CLAP THEIR HANDS.
ISAIAH 53:10-12
Do you understand that God has the power to accomplish his Word?
If we are faithful to speak his Word to the lost, the blind, the poor, the sick, the sinner, and all those in bondage to the Devil, God will be faithful to make His Word produce fruit in its season. God may not take care of a certain situation according to our timetable, but God will always take care of the situation, if we are faithful to speak His Word.