January 11, 2018
The world was in darkness and God said “Let there be light (Gen. 1:3).” He divided the darkness from the light and gave beauty and life where the darkness once encompassed the earth. God’s intention was for that light and life to remain in control of the earth but darkness always tries to consume the light. God stands watch over the earth. (Prov. 15:3).
God, not wanting to exercise this power alone, entrusted some of His power to man. The first man, named Adam along with his wife, was given authority over the earth to rule and protect it under the sovereignty of Creator God. Unbeknown to man, there was another powerful force working in the earth named Lucifer, who adamantly opposed God’s light. Man was seduced into allowing darkness into the world and ever since has had to fight to prevent darkness from consuming mankind and the earth.
Creator God never makes a mistake and He did not take back man’s authority and rule over the earth. Even though darkness inside man allowed the earth to be diminished from its former glory, God had a cure prepared from the very beginning; and He unleashed it to help mankind regain control and again diminish the darkness.
In the Old Testament, we see that God unleashed a holy power upon specific people to fight back the darkness. They were people on whom God poured His Holy Spirit to stand in the land as His anointed prophets, protecting and restoring His rule. There were prophets over time like Elijah that did great works and who fought back powerful enemies so that the inhabitants of the earth could enjoy life. But the darkness never gave up trying to reclaim the earth by any means necessary. At its peak, where it had corrupted the earth, God did a “reset” to restore the earth back to life and beauty. Flood waters washed away the filth upon all the earth and the earth was allowed to grow anew through Noah’s family and descendants. A rainbow was placed in the sky forever as a token of God’s promise that He would never again destroy all the earth with water because of the wickedness of mankind (Gen. 9:11-13).
Before the New Testament days, we find darkness again trying to consume the earth and evil seemed to have been prevailing. There had been four hundred years of silence from God between the Old and New Testaments. People wondered if God had forsaken them and the earth. But the Omniscience God already had a plan working through time. Some people had heard and remembered the prophetic word repeated through the generations that God would one day restore His kingdom by sending a Savior and King who would forever rule in the earth. Of course, there were many that had no faith in this promise.
We have seen the witness of the coming of Christ, the King of Kings, born in the earth to restore all things. Though He no longer walks the earth in physical form, He taught mankind how to be like Him. He left a seed and a power that has the miraculous ability to restore the light of the earth. This seed is like the mustard seed that when sown and matured becomes a great tree where the fowls of the air can lodge in the branches of it (Lk. 13:19). Christ left for us the very power of the Holy Spirit that He possessed to dwell in all those that believe. We saw Him use the power of the Holy Spirit while on earth to cure illnesses, heal all sickness and raise the dead. We saw Him use the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver men from demonic possession and set them totally free (Mk. 1:32, 5). We saw Him rebuke Satan’s attack upon man and calm the raging sea (Mk. 4:39). We saw Him debate, confound unbelievers and defend the faith against power-enthralled leaders who defied the truth.
This very same power that Jesus Christ possessed, He left invested in a few believers who would be that mustard seed, maturing into the great tree where others could lodge on its branches. That tree is the powerful Christian church that possesses the very power of Christ Himself to push back the darkness and restore God’s light. Satan knows he is no match against Christ or His church; but do today’s churchgoers know it? God and Christ illustrated their power to speak the word with the miraculous following. That same power is invested in God’s people, making up the Christian church. The power to heal, deliver and raise the dead was invested in the Holy Spirit-filled people of God’s church, the body of Christ in the earth. The very joy and excitement of the first Spirit-filled believers on the day of Pentecost that caused them to run and spread the news of Christ everywhere is the very excitement that empowers the church today to do the same. They walked and moved by faith just as believers today must do. The first apostles of Jesus Christ went everywhere spreading the light, pushing back the darkness and establishing new houses of faith, full of faithful believers in Christ. They were so overwhelmed with the love of God that they even rejoiced in their sufferings (Acts 5:41). They went through their sufferings, were healed, raised up from the dead, delivered from jail and continued rejoicing in their gospel journey. They rejoiced in that they knew Christ, possessed ever-lasting life and had the eternal assurance of heaven as home.
In the darkness that we see today trying to consume the earth, that same power of the Holy Ghost that resided in Christ lives in believers to push back the darkness and restore true faith and light in the earth. That mustard seed is still in the earth growing and maturing into great trees across the landscape of the earth to do the work of the Lord. The church triumphant is the light that pushes back Satan’s darkness. The full power of Christ is invested in His church to do even more work than Christ Himself did while walking the earth in bodily form. He told us we would do greater works than He because He was returning back to the Father. Believers have the ability to do the greater works.
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. Joh 14:12
Something has happened in the earth that has slowed down the progress of the Christian church in its mission to spread Jesus’ message and make true disciples of men. We know the opposition to God and Christ is the devil and we can assume that the devil is the culprit. We are seeing a powerful phenomenal in our world today that is the usurping power of the lie. We are seeing the lie perfected in people of prominence in our society; people who are able to lie with such a straight face that one is compelled to believe them. This power of the lie is evidence of the power of Satan that has risen up in the land. The boldness of these lies reveals the daring challenge that Satan is willing to bring against truth and believers. But truth is on our side. Believers must reinforce and stand up for the truth that will destroy those lies. Our enemy is a bully that will stand boldly until he is pushed back. We are compelled by Christ to first submit ourselves to God, then resist the devil and make him will flee (Jas 4:7). Christ came to bring us grace and truth and now we have the truth. Christ said: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Joh 8:32). Jesus is the truth and He has already defeated the lie and the Liar. When Jesus walked the earth in a flesh body, He declared:
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. Joh 12:46
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Mat 5:14
Satan deceived the first family with a lie and caused them to give up their high position with God. Satan is the source and father of lies. Through his lie, he caused the first heirs of God to give up their position of power and let him take leadership. Many are being deceived through the lies of the devil today and some have diluted the gospel message, weakened the saints and given power to the enemy.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jud 1:4
Satan is a thief and deceiver but he has been defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns in heaven until Satan and every enemy is put under Christ’s feet (1Co 15:25). Our Lord was sacrificed on Calvary’s cross for the sins of men so that He could redeem back the power of God given over to Satan through the first family’s sin. He went down to hell to pay our sin penalty and He took back the keys of death and hell so men would no longer have to live in fear of either death or hell. Christ triumphed over all the power of Satan, death and hell for us. Christ has now given that triumphant power over Satan to the Church through the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Believers in Christ’s church have power over Satan, sickness, demons, fear, death and hell; but it only works through continual faith. That is where the enemy of our soul fights his greatest fight against the church: through weakening the power to believe God and His word. God’s word is the power that created the world believers stand on. That word is the power of our next breath. It is the same word that brought life to Adam at God’s command. Jesus spoke to Lazarus’ dead body and it breathed again.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Joh 11:43-44
As believers, we must always remember the devil is a liar and his power operates through deception. We must believe the word of the Lord. The mind is indeed the devil’s workshop where he spins lies of deception to cause believers to weaken in faith. This is the battle he brought against Eve in the garden. We must not entertain his lies. The word of God is the power that gave us the ability to believe and be born again. It is that same miraculous power that raised Lazarus from the grave. God has proven His word to us through Christ, the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9). We must believe our God because He cannot lie and His word cannot fail.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17
After Christ’s ascension, believers became that light of the world. Christians must now stand up in truth, using that light to challenge the lies and darkness of the devil. The power of God is in those who believe in Christ’s Lordship through His miraculous birth, death and resurrection. We possess the power to push back the darkness and let God’s glorious light shine. We are the church triumphant! Jesus said:
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. Lk 10:19
He, who cannot lie, has declared:
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Mt. 16:18
We walk in the power and victory of Jesus Christ! So the church must denounce and put off the weakness of a polluted gospel, lies of the devil, compromised ways and sin; to stand up for Christ. Christ died for the church’s washing, forgiveness, healing, restoration and empowerment. Sin brought condemnation to the soul of mankind but repentance brings Christ’s forgiveness, restoration and holy power. The purpose of the fire was to separate the wheat from the tares and destroy the chaff so the wheat could strive and shine forth. The price of redemption has already been paid by Christ. He now waits for all the church to stand in faith believing their forgiveness, receive it, and rejoice in their salvation. That salvation is power to stand against all the power of the devil and live triumphantly. We must remember that while we fight in this life we win; and if we die, we win heaven. But at all cost we must fight this battle and fight from victory, not defeat. The victory has already been won and we fight to proclaim that victory in our day. The children of God now rule with Christ. The joy of our salvation causes the light of Christ to shine brightly in the earth and all those lights shining in the earth will dispel the darkness of this hour. The end has already been written: We win! The church must shake off its lethargy and every lie to embrace Christ’s power that restores light in dark places. When light is restored, we will shout together victoriously the triumphant cry: Our God Reigns!
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 2Co_2:14
joycerebapayneministries.com
Truth and Life Ministries of Christ with Apostle Joyce Reba Payne 