Ephesians, A Users Guide To Spiritual Warfare

[Meg]

Ever since I posted that thread about the serious concerns facing the Church today, I have been concerned about this topic, Christian Spiritual Warfare. I have taken it upon myself to write about this matter because I have been forced to learn first hand how it works, how it doesn't and -- to the best of my understanding so far, why. I learned what i did learn, because I blundered into all the wrong kind of spirituality after an extremely serious suicide attempt in 1998. I was finished, I wanted to die and I was very serious. God had other ideas, though, and trust me, I will never pick an argument with Him again. When He chooses to, God can win a dispute, a detail I will never forget.

I chose the Book of Ephesians because of the famous and much quoted "Armor Of God" verses in chapter 6 -- with a certain qualifier... The word "finally"

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

The word "finally" can only mean that something must be done before you can "finally" proceed. What we are proceeding to do according to the instructions in Ephesians 6 is

Ephesians 6:11

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

So before we go reaching for armor and try taking stands, there is some training and preparation in order. If there were no need for training, there would be no need for the inclusion of the qualifier "finally", so therefore, the whole Book of Ephesians works together to prepare us to take up the Armor of God and take our stand against satan.

This isn't just casual assumption based on guesswork. I had more trouble with the devil and his harassment between 2004 and 2008 or 2009 than I care to remember. I tried all sorts of things, including quoting Scripture, expecting the demons to be impressed (that usually didn't work), declaring the battle won based on my assumptions of what Revelation 12 should mean (that failed utterly), anointing oil (might actually have helped a little, but I suspect God was feeling sorry for me by then) and begging every church i could think of (that got me nowhere, so I called churches in 5 states, which garnered me one sympathetic ear and a bottle of anointing oil at an affordable price). I tried Bob Larson ministries which garnered me a few phone calls with a rather odd amateur sort of Larson trainee who lived a couple of hours away and I never did meet in person. And I did a LOT of praying, learning a dependence on the Lord that only comes when you've tried everything and have no other choice. Some Day in Heaven, He and I will tell the whole story too...

So I did finally learn some things. I learned a lot about the devil and how he does and does not operate. I learned a bit about being careful to not attribute more direct action to the devil than is unexplainable any other way. Most of the problem with sins that are hard to shake have to do with damage already done to a person by something the devil did during our individual life, leaving us to firmly believe things that aren't true. And I learned the devil is not powerful, what he is is influential. So he can't make your car float in thin air, but he does tell lies that can seem true and he does come up with really bad ideas that sound good until you see where its all leading.

This is why the Word of God is so important. Talking too much about the Bible and trying to live strictly by the Bible sounds religious until you actually try it in practice. When you live by the Word, our Great Shepherd will lead us through His Word to a way of life that is victorious, healthy and life giving. So let us then proceed to examine why the whole Book of Ephesians tells what we need to do to win at Spiritual Warfare and why.

[mattfivefour]

A person could get saved and live a sanctified and victorious life, comprehending all of the most important doctrines of the Church, simply through careful study the Book of Ephesians alone!

[Meg]

In his opening remarks as he wrote this important letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul first establishes the nature of our relationship with the Lord. Paul speaks of the depth and richness of God's love for us, expressed through Jesus Christ. This is important, because it establishes what it means to Jesus Christ to be involved in our lives and our circumstances in spite of the fact that we have willfully sinned against Him. This was extremely important to me, because I was frankly amazed at how much trouble Jesus Christ was putting Himself through to fight for me. It had been very clear from early on that He was indeed fighting for me, and I was really awed by that. So Paul is careful to establish faith rooted in the fact that however small we might be in our own eyes, God values us deeply and takes us seriously.

Just in case that might go to our heads, though, Paul follows this magnificent encouragement with Chapter 2 which says things like:

Ephesians 2:1-3

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

Now that Paul has brought us down a notch or two, he goes on to establish the difference between religion, using the Jewish Old Testament law for his well understood example, and spirituality rooted in Jesus Christ, establishing His position on the struggle:

Ephesians 2:13-18

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

This important groundwork sets the stage for dependence on Christ alone as well as a confidence that it is really God we are going to be approaching here, not some powerless myth or something.

[Meg]

A person could get saved and live a sanctified and victorious life, comprehending all of the most important doctrines of the Church, simply through careful study the Book of Ephesians alone!

Yes, dear brother, theoretically we can, but we must understand the how and why. Getting the hang of all that is harder than it sounds at first blush. I have a great book on Ephesians and Spiritual Warfare, but it took several years to understand first that the author is right and second, why he is right. I hope to fill in the basics in this discussion...

[Meg]

In the third section of his letter, Paul explains what this is all about. The fact that Jesus Christ was opening the gates of God's sheepfold to the Gentiles was a great offense to the religiously correct Jews. Paul, then, made it a point that being religiously correct was not going to be effective in reaching the truth about God:

Ephesians 3:4-6

4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Thats really important, because when confronted with spiritual trouble, the first impulse is to get religious as possible. Another question would be to wonder why a clear victory can seem elusive at best and impossible at worst. Paul had undoubtedly had to ask these kind of questions in his career, and he shared the answers God gave him:

Ephesians 3:10-13

10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Paul knew all about how some folks lose heart and faith when things get really bad. Paul was an expert in hanging tight onto faith when things get really bad, so he knew exactly how to encourage the rest of us. He set a splendid example in this letter and other letters he wrote over the course of his ministry.

[Meg]

The next verses are of the sort that everyone loves to hear, how Jesus loves ME!!! But it is important to remember that Jesus loves everyone else He works in and through just as much... So to despise your brother or sister in Christ is to disagree with God Himself, in effect demanding of God "What were You THINKING when You saved THAT person"... In making that mistake, the Christian has just entered a state of foundational disagreement with God, a mistake that satan gets endless mileage out of pushing.

Ephesians 3:14-19

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

It seems clear enough that if we are to be filled to the measure with all the fullness of God, we must all be on the same side. An army at war with itself isn't going to be much good in defeating an outside enemy! I have found that it is possible to be victorious without the help of fellow believers, but it works better, and certainly faster when we enjoy the respect, encouragement, prayers and sound advice of our fellow Christians.

[Meg]

We're having electrical problems. I will continue this work tomorrow. Prayers for this project would be treasured!

[mattfivefour]

Yes, dear brother, theoretically we can, but we must understand the how and why. Getting the hang of all that is harder than it sounds at first blush. I have a great book on Ephesians and Spiritual Warfare, but it took several years to understand first that the author is right and second, why he is right. I hope to fill in the basics in this discussion...

Sis, I would argue that obtaining the FULL gospel from Ephesians is not theoretical at all ... and extremely easy to boot. However, I await with great interest the rest of your study. And, yes, I will be praying for this project.

[Meg]

OK, Adrian, here is the next installment...


What is Spiritual Warfare, how does it work and why? The basic definition of Christian Spiritual Warfare is to take a stand against the devil and his schemes (Ephesians 6:11). The devil’s schemes are all based on some sort of deception that causes us to misunderstand God’s intent and therefore make His ministry ineffective in some way. This may mean messing up God’s plan for our own life or it may mean messing up God’s plan for the lives of people around us, either way, the devil is out to cause fear, doubt, instability and distrust. When the devil’s plans are working in his favor, people are found to be working against each other, against ourselves and ultimately against the Lord Himself Who is a God of peace and stability. This, then is why how we act, what we do or don’t do matters so much. How we act and what we do springs from how we think, which is why satan attacks our thought life with negativity, lies and temptations (enticement). He accuses us against ourselves, against each other and against God, and believe me, he can be very persistent. Because satan is very persistent, and because as an outside observer, he is able to spot weaknesses in how we think that we ourselves are unaware of, his lies can and often do, come off as extremely credible, and very difficult to overcome as well. For this reason, it can and does take some deliberate effort to refuse to believe the lies. The key, then is found in believing Scripture as it is written.

One of the most important percepts of Scripture is forgiveness. Because forgiveness is so important to God, forgiveness is often the most difficult part of our walk with the Lord to master. I have no doubt that is a deliberate move on satan’s part, the one thing he works the hardest to destroy in our relationships, with first ourselves, second with our families and third with other people around us. It is very much in the devil’s best interest to destroy our faith in God as well, but I think one of the primary ways he gets at our faith is to mess with us directly and with how we all see and therefore treat each other.

Jesus Christ, working through the Holy Spirit combats these things through speaking the truth in love. It is not uncommon for us to have a hard time believing what the Lord says though, directly because His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.

Isaiah 55:7-8

7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

This is very important to pray about and understand, because as this precious Book of Ephesians unfolds, it will challenge the very ways we cope with the day-to-day challenges of life, which is the reason chapter 5 in particular is largely underestimated and dismissed…

[Elijah's Mantle]

most Christians are not ((expert at war)))
predominantly because the church body has so erroneously
confused (((power)) with authority
they don't understand satan has power
he just doesn't have the authority

to be expert at spiritual war it is critical to know a few things regarding power and authority .

for instance scripture gives account after account where Angelic powers were battling it out and only when the authority to INVOKE the name of Jesus Christ was in action did the good prevail over the evil

why is it that Christians don't learn there was only one source that prevailed over the powers of Satan and his henchmen

people can put on and take off until exasperation and defeat is inevitable
unless and until they comprehend authority
what is power ?

[Meg]

To the best of my understanding, Elijah, power is something God (rightly) reserves for Himself, ans any authority we might have is tied directly to our place in His family. So when we call on the name of Jesus Christ, He answers precisely because we are His. For example, and this has happened to me many times and to Robert several times as well. We wake up in the middle of some weird bad dream and call on Jesus Christ, and the dream stops immediately, and doesn't come back. Only God has the power to stop the dream, but we have the authority to trust Him and have that trust affirmed. I think thats accurate, I hope it is. It took me a long time to even begin to understand what authority in Christ even might be. If anyone has a clearer answer, please post it!

As to why the church is in so much trouble, we look for easy answers and clear victories. Sometimes what we get is anything but, and people tend to get desperate and try just about anything... Others give up entirely. The least common, yet most effective thing to do is read the Word and keep praying even if it takes years to get the issue straight. In our push-button world, though, many people won't wait for that... This is absolutely tragic, because in some cases thats exactly what we should be doing! Just because there is great power and profound answers in Jesus Christ doesn't mean the process is effortless and instant! A hard lesson, but a very important one...

[Elijah's Mantle]

yep
No human being, in themselves, is any match for the devil.
So we must not resist him in our own ability or name.
we must Remember, we are talking about authority over the devil, not power over him.
We are not more powerful than the devil, but we do have more authority as believers in Jesus Christ.

LUKE 10:19
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.

We have (((authority))), which if used, will insure that nothing shall by any means hurt us. The choice and responsibility is ours.

MATTHEW 28:18-19
18 Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
"All"""((( authority))) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

PHILIPPIANS 2:10
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

Notice that it is at the Name of Jesus, not just to the person of Jesus, that every knee will bow.

As true believers in Jesus Christ, we are members of His body, and joint-heirs in His authority.

what does it mean to be a joint heir in HIS authority

most Christians know something about the cross of Jesus Christ as it applies to salvation , but not sanctification . They literally don't know how to live for God . Ways and means devised of people will always fail ad fail miserably

Stand fast therefore in the LIBERTY !! where with Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage

when people abandon the cross and go under law of any kind it guarantees bondage again to the sin Nature . Satan is a outlaw and does not recognize law .

victory is found in only one source
satan was subtle enough in the garden to succeed at taking what he was after from Adam . The power to use the authority to name satan and rebuke satan for his lie was well within Adams ability

[Meg]

most Christians know something about the cross of Jesus Christ as it applies to salvation , but not sanctification . They literally don't know how to live for God

Exactly!! Which is an issue I intend to address in this thread. Right now I am waiting for Mattfivefour to find the time to answer a question we discussed last night before I can do the important next installment in this thread, that I need to work in before I can write anything else. Thank you for your insights, Elijah. Your input is going to be important as this topic gets developed.

[Elijah's Mantle]

well I would love to state the scriptures of Isaiah as to how satan snared and deceived himself At the time of Jesus's crucifixion, satan was snared by his own deception that he had killed the Son of God and exhalted himself above the Holy Mount of the congregation of believers where God is enthroned found in Isaiah 14:12-14.
but what really happened is so so very important
there again we must understand what exactly it was that satan was really after when he went after Adam and Eve

This (((authority)) was first given to Adam. When Adam bowed to satan's temptation to disobey God, Adam gave his authority in the world to satan.

But, Christ's death and resurrection returned this authority to God's people (His children and servants) so they could represent Him in the earth. Then He returned to heaven.

This authority is the triumph of the cross for each Christian who believes and for those who are servants of Christ in the ministry of His grace and love to others.

When Christ was resurrected He gave (((authority and dominion))) to the disciples (church). Mark 13:34 ""For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch."""

when Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead in front of all the powers of darkness. In a moment of time, the powers of darkness had to deal with one indisputable fact they truly did not have the power to kill the Son of God.

[Elijah's Mantle]

It is extremely important that we understand that spiritual, physical, and eternal death are all manifestations of God’s wrath upon sinful humanity, and that Satan has a part in all of it. Satan has been permitted by God to rule over the kingdom of darkness and over all those who “love the darkness” (John 3:19).

In effect, God said to Satan, “You may hold in captivity through your power those who are not submitted to Me.” Satan became a subordinate instrument of God’s wrath upon human rebels. Because all have sinned, all are under Satan’s power, filled with his nature in their spirits and held captive to do his will ( 2 Tim. 2:26).

Jesus’ substitutionary death satisfied the claims of divine justice, all those who believe in Christ can escape from spiritual death and Satan’s captivity because they are no longer under God’s wrath.

When we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into our spirit and eradicates Satan’s nature from it, causing our spirit to be born again (see John 3:1-16) and allowing us to become partakers of God’s divine nature ( 2 Pet. 1:4).

When the writer of Hebrews stated that Jesus, through His death, rendered “powerless" him who had the power of death, that is, "the devil,” he meant that the power of spiritual death, which Satan holds over every unsaved person, has been broken over all those who are “in Christ.” We are made spiritually alive because of Christ; He has paid the penalty for our sins.

Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us “Since then the children (that’s us, the children of God) .. share in flesh and blood (that is, we have physical bodies) He Himself (Jesus) likewise also partook of the same (a physical body) , that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”........ (emphasis added).

Note that Jesus, through His death, rendered Satan powerless.
To what extent did He render Satan powerless?
Obviously, Satan is not completely powerless, or else the apostle John would never have written that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19, emphasis added).

Neither would James and Peter have told us to resist the devil, because if Satan had no power, there would be nothing for us to resist ( James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).

Nor would Paul have written, “And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Rom. 16:20)

Satan was not rendered totally powerless or inoperable by Jesus death. Thus we need to know in what area or to what extent Satan was rendered powerless.

Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us...... It says that through His death, Jesus rendered “powerless" him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (emphasis added).

Satan was rendered powerless in regard to “the power of death.”

we can understand more over why Jesus told peter what he told peter
we have to reckon before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ peter denied knowing him 3 times . Yet it was the money keeper Judas who betrayed the Lord Jesus . One of those disciples experienced ""DEATH" on all levels and the other one did not This also helps us understand Paul’s statement about the “disarming of rulers and authorities” found in Colossians 2:13-15:

And when you were [spiritually] dead in your transgressions...He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (emphasis added).

Paul uses obvious metaphorical language in this passage. In the first part, he compares our guilt to a “certificate of debt.” What we could not pay was paid for us by Christ, who took our sin-debt to the cross. There our account was paid in full.

In the second part, just as ancient kings stripped their defeated foes of their weapons and triumphantly paraded them through their city streets, so Christ’s death was a triumph over “rulers and authorities,” the lower ranks of demons who rule over rebellious humans, holding them captive.


the demons who ruled over unsaved humanity were not literally disarmed of their swords and shields and paraded publicly through the streets by Jesus. The language Paul uses is symbolic of what Jesus accomplished for us. We were held captive by those evil spirits. By dying for our sins, however, Jesus released us from our captivity. Jesus didn’t literally fight against those evil spirits and they were not at war with Him. They, by God’s righteous permission, held us in their power all of our lives. Their “armaments,” as it were, were pointed, not at Christ, but at us. Jesus, however, “disarmed” them. They can’t keep us captive any longer.

Let us not think that there was some age-long fight between Jesus and Satan’s evil spirits, and finally, Jesus won the battle on the cross.

If we are going to say that Jesus defeated the devil, let us be certain we understand that He defeated the devil for us, and not for Himself. He didn’t need to overcome the devil for Himself.

that's why we must ever make the cross our object of ""faith" and appropriately place our """FAITH"" in what JESUS CHRIST did for """US"
we can more over understand what Paul was saying when he told those seeking after the ""LAW" and traditions that Jesus Christ would benefit them nothing and they was in bondage

Jesus Christ never sinned or did anything to loose power or authority
what he did do for us on the cross is where we gain the benefit of taking back dominion and authority from the ""usurper of it""

understanding the difference of power and authority it is important in being a expert at war
not because God is in a war
because we are

God can never loose a war with satan
because God is ""ALL Power""
satan has not been dis-armed of having power
he however has been dis-armed of having any legal authority or legal right

[Elijah's Mantle]

Let’s define the difference between Authority and Power

Authority is our legal right to do something, while our power is the ability to back up that right. Using the example of a Police Officer, his badge shows his authority while his gun is his power source to back up that authority.

In Romans 15:19 Paul says that he only ever preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ in power, and all the signs and wonders were produced by the power of the Spirit of God.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We have to always remember, it is not us doing things, it is the Holy Spirit working through us. God wants us to open ourselves up to be used as channels for the Spirit to move through, and for us to always give Him the glory.


The devil and his demons surely know when a Christian is speaking in authority. So the more we build ourselves up in the spirit and in the Word of God, the more we build up our confidence in our authority.

Ephesians tells us to put on the whole armour of God. Why would God want us to put on armour and tell us to take up the sword of the Spirit, if He didn’t intend for us to go into battle?

John 8:31-32
"Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him ‘If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free".

When we continue in His Word, that is, we meditate in the Word day and night, we are engrafting the Word within our hearts, and increasing the strength of our spirit man. This in turn increases the confidence in the authority within us.

Whenever we come up against the enemy, we
use our authority against him. We speak the Word of God with power and authority, and destroy the works of the enemy.

WHERE DO WE BEGIN TO LOOK?

By now, we know what authority is, and how to get and strengthen our grasp on it. This next question is quite simple to answer. We look for our authority in the Word of the Living God.

In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, it tells us that the Word was in the beginning, that the Word was with God, and that the Word was God. It goes on to say that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14).

When we are taking in the Word, we are literally taking in Jesus, and when we use the Word of God against the enemy, we are using the authority we are given, in the name of Jesus.

In practical terms, what we are doing is standing fast and presenting Jesus, and His authority. We defeat satan not in our own authority or strength but in His!(Christ's).

As we grow in revelation of our position in Christ, then we exercise more of our authority.
Our faith for authority comes from hearing and knowing the Word of God on authority.

James 1:5 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

WHEN CAN WE USE IT?

Our authority, which is within us, is to be used whenever we need it. This means we are to show it in our everyday Christian walk. Jesus tells us that we are to take up our cross daily, and follow Him. (The cross symbolises Jesus’ authority which we have been given).

Mark 8:34
"And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me".


WHY DO WE NEED THIS AUTHORITY?

If you look back to creation, man was made in the image of God. In other words, man was made in the image of the Trinity - God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Man is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a body.

When Jesus was twelve years old, He showed signs of authority, because the Bible tells us that when He taught in the synagogue, He taught as one with authority. From then on, no matter what part of His ministry you look at, you see that Jesus had authority and used it.

When He was in the desert for forty days, and the devil tempted Him, He took His authority, and defeated the devil every time. He never gave in. What He used against the devil was His authority in knowing the Word of God. Every time the devil tempted Him, He would draw His sword out and cut the devil down.

Matthew 4:3-4
"And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If thou be the Son of GOD, command that these stones be made bread
But He answered and said, IT IS WRITTEN, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God".

If Jesus needed authority to walk on the earth, and if we call ourselves Christians (Christ like), then we too need that same authority.
Jesus gave His twelve disciples power over unclean spirits;


Mark 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Mark 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
Luke 9:1
"Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.

Jesus gave seventy power over unclean spirits;

Luke10:1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
Luke 10 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luke10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Luke10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Luke10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Matthew10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Matthew 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Jesus gave ALL BELIEVERS power over unclean spirits

OVERCOMING IN THIS LIFE

A. "The key to overcoming in this life as a Christian is understanding authority "and power
In the following scriptures Jesus commands us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In His Name We will cast out devils …and shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
And the works that Jesus did We will also do and greater works than these because He has gone to The Father.
We must understand our power and authority and the name of Jesus before these scriptures can work in our lives.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Mark 16:15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.


So we can say that when we become born again, we are instantly given power authority, just by the fact that we have accepted Jesus into our hearts. He has given us His authority to fight, and to stand triumphant over the devil. We do this by showing the devil and his demons our credentials, which is Jesus.

The Word says that every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Our credential in Jesus is His name, that every time we take authority in the name of Jesus, the devil will flee.

SUMMARY

It is important for us as Christians to be Christ like. If we are to do as Mark 16:15 says, that is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, then we certainly need to walk in authority. That is why I believe that one of the first areas new Christians should look at when first born again, is the area of knowing who we are in Jesus Christ. Searching the Scriptures, meditating on them day and night, learning how our Lord walked and how we can be just like Him. There are many stories that can be told of how people have come up against the enemy, and how they have succeeded in beating him by standing and using the Word of God, with authority and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 13:8
"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever".

2 timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed

The key to overcoming in this life as a Christian is understanding authority and power in three realms.

(1)God’s power and authority

(2)satin’s power and authority

(3)Man’s power and authority

B. In the new testament there are six words translated from the Greek for the word Power. Let’s examine the meaning of three of those..
1. Dunamis.
2. Kratos.
3 Exousia.

1. Dunamis:- GOD’S power. AUTHORITY

2. Kratos; GOD’S power AUTHORITY

3 .Exousia MAN’S power AUTHORITY FROM GOD. Satan only has exousia. We give him that exousia power over us with our mouth or sin in our lives.


1. DUNAMIS
a). Miraculous power, that which manifests God’s power; power or ability residing in a person or God’s power in action; force.

b) .(English words - dynamite, (explosive power) dynamo; (power, to be able)
Dunamis power belongs to God, (man does not have Dunamis power).

2. Kratos means power. An example of this is God gave Adam dominion. Adam gave dominion to satan, but Jesus took that dominion back from
him.
LUKE 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power (Kratos; ) will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

satan was attempting to have Jesus Christ gain the world without going through the cross he is still today purposing the same and mostly going through the (church) to do such that is why we must always tell every believer they are a ""heir"" of the world but ONLY THROUGH THE CROSS
Romans 4:13 ... in the very next verse what is satan caught redhanded doing ? MIS QUOTING scripture specifically Psalms 91:11-12 the correct quote is ""to keep you in all your ways""
which refers to the ways of God and in verse 11 satan again mis quotes by adding the word
"" at any time"" he still does it as often as he can he changes the meaning
satan knows the word very well and uses it to his own advantage Take notice however
satan did not quote the thirteenth verse in the 91st Psalms did he because it ((PREDICTS)) HIS DESTRUCTION by THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
reckon that was reason enough old devil did not quote that one

GEN 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

1. Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power (kratos) of death, that is, the devil,

C. Satan does not have "dunamis" or "kratos;" only "exousia".
Satan only has "exousia". We give him that exousia power over us with our mouth or sin in our lives.
He no longer has "kratos" or strength - it was taken from him by Jesus.

Kratos; GOD’S AUTHORITY


3 Exousia authority; freedom of action; the right to act.

Exousia MAN’S power AUTHORITY FROM GOD
2.Luke 10:19 (NKJV) Behold, I give you the authority (exousia) to trample on serpents and scorpions. and over all the power (exousia") (demons ) of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Jesus has given us ALL authority over ALL power of the enemy.

3. Therefore the only kind of power that Satan now has is "exousia" or "authority", and it comes only through the authority that he is given by men; therefore his only "strength" or kratos comes from the "exousia" or authority that we give him. If we don’t give him any, he doesn’t have any!

D understanding of authority is absolutely crucial in order to be effective in overcoming in this life as a Christian, and helping others to be set free.

E. It is only through the Name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit that we have authority over the powers of darkness.

What does the word (EXOUSIA) POWER authority mean?

EXOUSIA ( POWER) which means "privilege".

Other words used in this same capacity are as follows:
Permission, Justification, Power, Permit, Testimony and Witness.

When a person is given any authority then he/she has been given the permission or permit or power to carry out what he/she is supposed to do.

Jesus gave His disciples authority over demons.

An example is when a person takes up a position as a Sergeant or some sort of Commander in the armed forces. Certain authority is expected to be carried out within the boundaries of this position.

The authority that the armed personnel have is the amount of stripes on their shoulders.
It is by these stripes that the enlisted personnel know that an officer has the authority to carry out certain commands, and the lower ranked personnel are expected to carry out the order.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.


Therefore when we are born again, we are made joint heirs with Jesus, and we take on the authority He gives to us. Our authority can then be defined as the permission, power and permit Jesus gives us to use to destroy the works of the devil.

makes it a little easier to grasp what ole Belzebub satan was really up to when he took Jesus up on the high mountain to temp him and offered him ((power))
we know how Jesus defeated him in that treacherous act

[Elijah's Mantle]

Meg I wont post the whole of it ,it is long and much is contained in it regarding (((authority))) A Bible Study on Authority

Christians need to know all of the benefits of ((the word)) of God
how they have the ((authority and power)) because of what Jesus did for us at the cross and finally understand that the Holy Spirit will only operate from God's word and Gods authority and power to prevail over
specifically (((TRIUMPHING OVER))) that was done By Jesus Christ on the cross when Faith is misplaced or dis-jointed from people placing faith in anything else besides the word and the benefits gained from Jesus going to the cross the Holy spirit will not work or operate in it.

we can more over understand what Paul said when he said the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish

what is satan's agenda in todays world and church ???????
to ((denigrate)) the cross

you see it more and more
and also in some who preach and teach

the link I pray will be of help to you and others .

I don't endorse everything from amazing Bible . org
however there is some good information on specific things one may want to study out
however it is always recommended more over people read the book((The Holy Bible )) for themselves I guess I can't preach that enough

[Elijah's Mantle]

As to why the church is in so much trouble, we look for easy answers and clear victories. Sometimes what we get is anything but, and people tend to get desperate and try just about anything... Others give up entirely. The least common, yet most effective thing to do is read the Word and keep praying even if it takes years to get the issue straight. In our push-button world, though, many people won't wait for that... This is absolutely tragic, because in some cases thats exactly what we should be doing! Just because there is great power and profound answers in Jesus Christ doesn't mean the process is effortless and instant! A hard lesson, but a very important one...

the number one reason why failure is so rampant in the Christian world that we see and know and hear week after week is due to the fact the majority does not have a clue what Paul was saying when he referenced the ""law" and how snaring entanglements come from people attempting to keep well with it .

when some one tells you do this fast pray use anointing oil so forth and on they are telling you to do something and in you doing that something the very instant you place faith in that you just made a law of it
and it wont benefit you in the least . No one is saved by works or kept by works or sanctified by it either . Our faith is our part , and our faith must be fixated on the atoning finished work of Jesus Christ .

The church world is filled full of rules laws and whatever they tell people to do and it is clear as day why Jesus Christ said ""The truth will make you free"" .................so now how in the round world of churchism and religion do we approach overcoming sin . The first factor is determining what camp were in
here it is addressed soundly and scripturally
no one can be in or stay in 2 oppositional camps one being law the other being Grace .
Galatians 2:21 ... "" I do not frustrate the ""GRACE"" of God
If we make anything other than the cross of Christ the object of our faith we frustrate the grace of God . To frustrate the grace of God means we stop its action and the ""Holy Spirit"" can not help us . For if righteousness come by ""law"" Jesus Christ is dead in vain. Now we know more about why we can not successfully live by 'any means" other than for if we attempt to then the death of Christ was a waste .

people just don't understand that
so we got 99 percent probably frustrating the grace of God
how do you overcome sin ? ask the question see what answers religion and church gives you then go to the word of God and compare it . There in you will realize what people are more over ""Faithful"" to .

Its not fasting prayer anointing oil tithing or anything else devised that is the ""correct" method that overcomes sin . we overcome sin by placing our total
""FAITH" in Jesus Christ and what he did for us at the cross .
Yet look just how far people have drifted away from that

If you tell somebody to do something ,anything and you get them to place their trust in it what happens to their Faith ? Faith is TRUST in something or someone . It is not right for anyone to tell someone they need to do this or that and they can achieve victory . Especially if the this or that they are being told to go out and do is not lining up with the "TRUTH" and most the time in many cases it does not . So what happens Ill tell you precisely what happens that person has a subverted from the ""WORD" misplaced faith
and that is why the Holy Spirit can not help that person ""ACHIEVE" victory
now truly I know that delivers a death blow to the egotistical religiosity of mankind but truly when it is written ""you shall have no other God" people best get to reckoning God accepts no subversion's from his Holy word neither does he reward even the most subtle forms of spiritual adultery a condition many are in because the good man preacher told them to fast pray so many times a day and use anointing oil and there in they would find Victory " ....... satan laughs at such he really does
now how can he
How can he Not

the WORD written in scripture is not deviated or separated from the ""TRUTH"" so what is that truth ""Jesus Christ Crucified " is where the ""POWER" has always been will always be and in no other source can it be
so we can work till we drop dead literally and what Jesus did for us will benefit us nothing . It is when we place our total faith in him in Christ Jesus and what ""HE DID " we are over comers and the promise is given to those who overcome . There is only ONE that makes it all possible
God does promise that he will Bless but one faith
so we cant have a perverted or divided faith now can we ?
not and be a over comer
and I know what people are told to do sounds right usually
but is it according to scripture ?

people look to results rather than they are the underlying cause
God does lead people to pray fast so forth and on but none of the doing
will give us victory over sin ""OUR FAITH"" ALONE is the only thing the Holy spirit is going to recognize and operate in and bring us to victory ""IN CHRIST" in what he did for us on the cross .
kinda gives a straight definition to ""Having Faith and in what and in whom and what the whom did .

Romans 8:2 tells us how the Holy spirit works , it was the cross that Jesus went to that gives the Holy spirit the ""LEGAL MEANS"" to do what he does before the cross the Holy spirit was limited greatly . Hebrew 10:4 tells us what the blood of bulls and goats could not do for us .

Ephesians 4:8 Jesus led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men
Satan could not hold them after the blood of Jesus was poured forth
that poured forth blood is the only atoning were to look to .

were to be captive of Jesus
not to anything else or anyone else and not to good works as commendable as they are . For there is but ONE righteous work finished that of Jesus Christ the lamb that taketh away the Catch this """SIN OF THE WORLD"

satan has one fear
what Jesus Christ did on the cross
his poured forth blood secures validates confirms and completes all the scriptures written that we may have the ""promises"" written

we cant have self originated domination of good works and gain anything
to bad the church world will not teach the gospel they are suppose to preach Instead they tell people to do the most foolish things

""Oh foolish Galatians as Paul would have said who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth and WHAT DOES THE REST STATE ??//
when he said bewitched you he was speaking of ((malignant influences)) a power of influence that mal aligns

that ye would not obey the truth refers specifically to Jesus Christ and him crucified
before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth crucified among you ........... Paul preached it so vividly his hearers could not have a Mal-Alighned perception and a subverted from ""faith"" and in today's church world regrettably only a few will preach what Paul did and there in is the reason for so many subverted from faiths with folks worshiping another Gospel and another Jesus and defeatism is relatively the majority.
we can almost hear the Holy spirit saying OOH Idiot Americans when will you repent and come back to your first love Jesus Christ and recognize fully what was done for you all , he is saying it to the Nations and to the laity as well the church world the preachers !! . Time is short we can not afford to stay in doing well with religiosity and stupidity were insulting a higher power and authority if we do . And look how the occults effectively use their power to Mal-alighn peoples perception and belief and faith . Is it any different when people follow mindless works ? as commendable as they appear to be ? Ive been a fool and went down the road of folly and ignorance in the past thinking all the things I could do would some how free me yet it was only when the ""TRUTH" hit me like a brick and knocked over every other "TRUTH" and I grasp what was said and why that I even begin to understand the great words and the truth of the great words that set me free and set me on a course of overcoming delusional ignorance of religiosity and all sorts of spiritual adultery . And no satan did not stop attempting to subvert but he did make a door and depart when he was thumped with the authority that defeats him in totality. My "FAITH" is transfixed on ONE GOSPEL AND ONE JESUS and his finished work benefits me greatly and greater than anything I can do .

[Meg]

As I entered the latter parts of Ephesians chapter 4, I got hung up on verses 11- 13:

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

These verses are extremely important, but I have never seen church leadership functioning properly, so I asked Mattfivefour for his advice. The following is quoted from his reply:

Ephesians 4:1-6 is a call to the members of the Church to function as the members of the church, in their daily behavior (their walk) and their functioning together.

In furtherance of this point, Paul, writing under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, makes it clear through Ephesians 4:7-16 that God not only has a purpose for the Church, but a structure.

This structure is critically important, but is largely smothered by the habit in the Western church of a few select individuals claiming the spotlight while assuming and/or insisting that others are somehow qualified only to watch the superstars in dumb admiration. This is a brutal mistake, driven by egos of a few at the expense of the Holy Spirit and by extension, Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord, however is not totally thwarted by the rebellion of the church, He can and does step neatly around such people and accomplish His sovereign Will in spite of these problems... That is the good news. The bad news is that many people will be red-faced rather than congratulated when the time comes to answer to the Lord for how we have stewarded His Gifts...

Ephesians 4:1-7

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

[Meg]

I am departing from this last point, or rather continuing to build on this, as it is so very important. I talked to Matt on the phone for a while, in order to be as certain as possible of what i am trying to communicate here, so let us depart from this point:

Ephesians 4:1-7

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

Now to drop down to the next point Paul is working towards, we shall pick up at verses 12-13:

12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

"To prepare" is expressed in the Greek word καταρτισμὸν (katartismon), which (special thanks to Mattfivefour) is, according to Vocabulary Of The Greek New Testament by GH Moulton and G Milligan,

to repair a thing for its full destination or use

.

Now this is so important, precisely because religion tells us that we have offended God, that He is very angry, and we had better toe the line OR ELSE!!! Which has the working effect of scaring many people into being too afraid of the Lord to really trust Him, and thus hiding our failures and imperfections from Him (as if that were possible), from each other (in most cases that's probably a good idea) and from ourselves. However in trying to bury these things, we actually are giving satan a place to hide in our hearts, our thoughts, our lives, and we weep in secret over agonies we know we cannot overcome, without daring trust that Jesus Christ cares more about healing whats wounded in us than He does about the sins we are committing because we are too weakened by our wounds to do any better.

Before we proceed (or I get jumped here), there is a BIG DIFFERENCE between a wounded and faltering person who is seeking the Lord and an arrogant hard hearted person who is sinning deliberately indifferent to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Let those who have ears hear...