Let's continue now with part III of Sanding In Your Authority and Power.
God is waiting for us to rise and stand in the "Authority" He has given us. Because with that Authority He gave us the right, the permission to enforce His word and the "Power" to act on His behalf to carry out His Kingdom purposes.
Jesus never gave us a formula to follow, He gave us Power and Authority. He taught us about order in the demonic realm so we would know and understand what we were up against and examples of what to do as we read in Matthew 10:1 that tells us:
Verse 1: And Jesus summoned to Him twelve disciples and gave (provided, presented, furnished, delivered, bestowed, granted, awarded, assigned, handed over and gave away) to 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 is the right and the Power is the might that denies the presence of a hindrance in your life if you will us it.
Beloved, God is going to bring you out of the maze of confusion. You're going to have greater clarity of who you are in Christ and the ability to grasp a deeper understanding of the authority you have over the enemy in the spiritual realm.
In Ephesians 6:12 (AMP) it tells us what we are up against.
Verse 12: For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents) but against the despots, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rules of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
We know that within the Heavenly sphere there is a real demonic kingdom that is positioned by order and rank just like an army in the natural has order and rank. At the top of that rank is a King called:
1. Despots that are "Tyrant Kings" that rule over a demonic kingdom. They exercises oppressive cruelty and have absolute power over the lesser spirits.
2. Next in rank are the "Powers" that means: Order of Angels. These powers are under the tyrent king that are given governmental authority to execute power over, to hinder, oppose us and control the lesser demons.
3. Then the next in line are the "Master Spirits" that have power to control and influence us in negative ways. Their goal is to try and destroy us and execute the commands of the tyrent kings.
What I want to point out here is that just as the Jewish nation had a tyrent king over them named Ahasurus and he as king promoted and gave authority to Haman who tried to destroy Esther and the Jewish people so do we. We are fighting a battle that can only be won in the spiritual realm and we have to start at the top and work our way down.
Remember King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon? Satin used him in the natural to physically take Israel captive and imprison them. In the supernatural, the satanic kingdoms king has the same job and his assignment is to physically imprison our bodies with sickness, imprison our minds with fear, doubt and unbelief. Take captive our hearts and imprison them to the brokenness, hurts and pains of the past. He wants to keep our souls chained and in bondage to anger, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.
These powers and master spirits job and assignments are to intimidate us so we move
from our rightful position as a child of God who is seated in Heavenly places. They will challenge our authority with lies to make us doubt our legal rights as believers. They will try to control us, manipulate us and invade our thought life. Their main goal is to keep us in bondage and blind us to the truth.
So the first thing we must do is take dominion over the demonic king (or also known as the strongman) by binding him and removing him form his headship as Mark 3:27 tells us:
Verse 27: But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and them he will plunder his house.
A good example or representation of this is the story of David and Goliath and how he came before David and the army of Israel with threats and tried to intimidate them. But God gave David a plan how to defeat the enemy and so he faced Goliath (that represents the demonic king and his kingdom) with God's Authority and Power that enabled him to defeat the enemy. So David killed Goliath, cut off his head and sent the enemy running for their lives.
These demonic kings and their kingdoms are the ones who are blocking your healing and keeping you from standing in "Victory and Breakthrough" in your life.
Next week Part IV
Blessings,
Elma Garock
Let's continue with part II of our message on "Standing in your Authority and Power".
Esther had been chosen by the king but called by God. And that call was to accomplish God's Kingdom Purpose for her people and for her generation. God used Mordecai to bring her the news in Esther 3:13 and this is what it said: A letter had been sent to the king's provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all of the Jews. And it goes on to say that while this was going on Haman and the King sat down to drink while the city was in confusion. I want you to understand what was going on in the spiritual realm and what the enemy wanted to do to God's people.
The word annihilate means: To put out of existence, demolish as if you were to drop an atomic bomb to completely obliterate as if it never existed.
And the word confusion means: Inability to think with your usual speed or clarity including feeling disoriented and having difficulty paying attention.
Once the word came to Esther it says: That the queen writhered in great anguish(terrified) because of the command that the king had decreed concerning her people.
Here is the picture. She was in agony and suffering great emotional distress. The meaning of writhed means: To twist in pain into coils or folds. It sounds to me like her stomach became twisted up in knots because of the news she just herd.
Beloved, this is exactly what the enemy wants to do in your life. He wants to annihilate you and keep you in total confusion because you are a threat to his kingdom. And if he can keep you in confusion, you won't be effective.
In Esther 4:14 Mordecai told Esther's servant to tell her: For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?
And church, you also have been chosen by the King of King's and called to fulfill God's Kingdom Purpose for such a time as this.
Esther 5:1 tells us: Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the kings palace in front of the king's rooms, and the King was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace.
What I want to focus in on in this verse are the words "Esther put on her Royal Robes".
If we look up the word"Royal" in the Lexicon of the Old Testament this is what it says: It is a realm of authority, someone having sovereign power, dominion and kingdom.
And the word "Robe" means: A mantle and an emblem of Authority and Power.
So what Esther did was she put on her "Authority" that gave her the "Power" to stand in the presence of the king that represented the enemy.
This is what the Lord is saying to us through this scripture. We know that the king was the one that originally gave the order to have all of the Jews killed and spiritually speaking he represents the enemy.
Esther represents us and the robe that she put on represents our Authority in God. He is calling us to "stand in that authority". Because that Authority gives us the right, the power and the ability to enforce, overthrow and defeat the enemy. Amen!
Here is what the Lord said to me concerning His people:
1. Some of us don't know who we are in Christ, nor do we fully comprehend all that that authority represents in our lives.
2. And then there are some of us who have put on that Authority, but we're wearing it only on one shoulder and this is causing us to be unbalanced in our stand against the enemy.
It's called being double minded and not balanced in our thinking.
3. And there are those who have stood in their authority, fought the good fight of faith but have become discouraged and confused because they see no change.
The Lord also showed me what looked like a maze. You see a maze is an area of interconnected weaving paths that are difficult to find a way through especially when hedges or walls stand between the paths. You can't see above them and around every corner stands another wall of hedges that seems to go nowhere and each path you walk down leads to more confusion.
The dictionary says that a "maze" can also be: A confusing muddle in reference to any confusion in regulations or procedures.
And this is exactly what the Lord said to me: He said that some of man's formulas and how he has interpreted and taught the word of God have been conceived and birthed through their own wisdom and understanding. And this has caused confusion in our thinking and a lack of understanding of our position of Authority we have in Christ and in His word. Beloved, we don't understand the timing of God. And because things didn't work out the way we thought they should or the way the formulas of man were supposed to work, we have lost faith, hope and the enemy has taken us captive just like he did the Jewish nation.
Some of us have a mind set on "who you're not" verses "who you are in Christ" and you end up comparing yourself to others.
Next week Part III
Blessings,
Elma Garlock
I will be teaching today from the book of Esther and as the story unfolds you will begin to see that like Esther, you have been called for such a time as this.
And in this season and timing of God's plan and purpose for us He's not only been testing us, but preparing us just like He prepared Esther. But what areas did God test her in?
1. Faith. As we read through the book of Ether we see that she was a woman of faith in her God. We will also see how she put her faith into action and the consequences of that faith ultimately delivered her people from impending death and destruction. God had a plan and He had a purpose.
But what does faith do? It enables us to believe in what God has spoken to us through His word even when we can't see a way out of our circumstances, a way through, or light in the midst of our darkest hour.
In James 1:3 it says: Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance
What does this word endurance mean: It is the quality that does not surrender to circumstances.
My prayer for you today is that God will reveal unto you a greater revelation of faith and an understanding why God uses tests to reveal and expose just where and in whom our faith lies.
In Hebrews 11:1 tells us: Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction (a belief that is held firmly) of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses).
God is testing our faith on a new level and why? Because of the times we live in. We are called to live by faith and not by sight. If we were to focus only at the circumstances around us we probably would bury our head in the sand to escape or run as far as we could from the situation so we wouldn't have to face it. This is where endurance is tested and called into action.
2. Esther was a woman God could trust: And that trust was revealed when God put her through the biggest test of her life. Because when someone puts their trust in you it's because they've seen qualities in you and they know when times get tough those characteristics will come through. They know that the fruits of the Spirit are going to be manifested in you and through you. And that your going to stand in your position of responsibility and purpose. God had gifted her with purpose and he trusted her with the destiny of the Jewish people.
3. She was a woman of Courage: She had the ability and the boldness to face danger knowing the possibility of death in approaching the King. She faced uncertainty without being overcome with fear or allowing anything or anyone to prevent her from her chosen course of action.
Beloved, courage is facing the enemy head on in spite of your fear. Remember when David faced Goliath on the battle field? David stood in his authority and looked straight at the enemy and said: You come to me with a sward, a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.
God took what appeared to be an impossible situation for David and the army of Israel and turned it into victory and sent the enemy running in defeat.
4. She was a woman of Purpose: Before the decree had been issued to destroy the Jewish people, Esther had no idea of the plans and purpose for her becoming Queen. But once she knew what she had to do......Her purpose was set in motion......She focused in on her mark......Took her aim......And shot the arrow into the heart of the enemy.
5. Esther walked in Humility: In her attitude and obedience to Mordecdai's request. She not only humbled herself before God, but showed a quiet meekness to those that served her in the palace by calling a fast once she heard the news that Haman (which was Prime Minister under King Ahasuerus) had a plan to destroy the Jews.
In Proverbs 22:4 tells us: The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.
6. She had a Servants Heart: She was willing to serve her people and serve her God even if it meant death. God took her from being an orphan to a queen and from poverty to untold riches and wealth.
7. Esther was called to Unite her people: Because God had given her a plan and a strategy and that was that Esther and her people were to come together to fast and intercede for three days.
This is interesting to note that the number 3 biblically represents: Resurrection, Perfection and Divine Completeness
And this is what the Lord is going to do in your life. He will give you a plan and a strategy to defeat the enemy in your life. And where there is unity there is power because when we come into agreement with God and His Kingdom Purposes, resurrection comes to those things that you thought were dead. Healing is manifested in your body, your mind and in your emotions. Restoration talks place and the power and the anointing that you have walked in is not only restored, but God brings increase.
This is why the power of "Agreement" is so important. If we look up the word
agreement in the dictionary this is how it is explained: You come into a contract that is binding and enforced. It is having total consent in a situation in which everyone accepts the same terms and has the same opinion. It's standing in the Authority and Power of the Kingdom of Heaven and enforcing what's already been done as Matthew 16: 18,19 tells us:
Verse 18: And on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades (the powers of the internal region) shall not overpower it (or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it).
Verse 19: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.
Part of these keys to the kingdom are standing in His Authority and His Power. When we stand in our Kingdom Authority we are established, immovable and remain permanently in position. And when we pray, those prayers go forth as spiritual warfare that acts like an arrow that hits it's target and penetrate the darkness like bolts of lightning.
When we stand in our Authority and Power, heaven back us up and nothing can stand against us.
Next week part II
Blessings,
Elma Garlock
Today I want to talk about a deeper process of discipline, correction and training we must go through.
In I Peter 1: 6 & 7 it tells us what that process is.
Verse 6: In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.
Verse 7: That the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at the word "distressed" and find out what this word means. It is a combination of two Greek words. The first one is "Thlao" that means: To break and "Thlibo" means: To crush, press, compress, squeeze and pressure.
So what happens is God takes us through a breaking process that pressures the flesh into submission through tests by fire that ultimately reveals our true nature and character. It's only through the fire can the quality and purity of gold be revealed. The hotter the fire the purer the character and then Jesus can be revealed in you.
Going back to our main scripture text Hebrews 12, let's continue now with verses 12 & 13.
Verse 12: So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and totering knees
Verse 13: And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet (yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction), so that the lame and halting (limbs) may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.
Let's dig deeper into some of the words in these scriptures so we have a better understanding of what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us.
In verse 12 it tells us to "brace up" and "reinvigorate" which means: To be strong and resolute in facing difficulty. Some translations say: Lift up which means: To restore to straightness or erectness and was used by medical writers of the act of setting dislocated parts of the body. So when someone is "reinvigorated" they are made to be energetic or have more energy to finish the journey and not fail the test. But how do we do that? By strengthening them, coming along side them in prayer and by encouraging those that have become feeble and paralyzed are able to stand erect, straight and upright to finish the race that has been set before them.
In Proverbs 4:25 & 26 tells us:
Verse 25: Let your eyes look right on ( with fixed purpose) and let your gaze be straight before you.
Verse 26: Consider well the path of your feet, and let all of your ways be established and ordered aright.
When we set our eyes on the truth and we cut through all of the fear and doubt, it's then we can begin to see the path that is set before us clearly. We can see all obstacles and the pitfalls in our path. We're able to avoid falling and becoming lame because we're walking in the right direction. We're established because we know that our foot steps have been ordered by the Lord. The limbs that were once weak and unstable have become strong and are healed.
Verse 14: Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
Verse 15: See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up causes trouble, and by it may be defiled.
Part of the disciplining and correcting process that God takes us through is for sanctification purposes.
If we look up the word "sanctification" it says that it means: Separation and a setting apart.
We know according to the word of God that we are "positionally sanctified" because we are in Christ as I Corinthians tells us:
Verse 30: But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom from God, (revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as) our righteousness, sanctification (thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God), and our consecration (making us pure and holy), and our redemption (providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin).
Another aspect of sanctification that I want to talk about is "experiential "sanctification" that is brought about through trials, tests, discipline and correction from the Lord. It's only through our day to day experiences can wrong thinking be exposed and we see the true intent of our heart. When test and trials come our wrong emotions and reactions begin to surface and God shows us where our character needs to be reformed into His character. This is when the fire gets hotter and the dross begins to surface, but we must go through this in order for us to go on to maturity and understand the grace of God.
Let's go back to verse 15 that says: That no root of bitterness springs up causes trouble, and by it may be defiled.
What is a "root of bitterness"? If we look up these words in the dictionary this is what it says:
Root: A root is the part of the plant that anchors itself to the top layer of soil and extends itself deep into the ground to find water and nutrients.
Bitterness: Someone who expresses anger, resentment and intense hostility.
If we harbor bitterness in our heart for any length of time it opens the door for demonic activity in our lives. That bitterness turns into unforgiveness, resentment and hatred. Many times we are bitter towards someone who has hurt us very deeply or someone who we think has wronged us. Sometimes it's from disappointment in a person, in ourselves and even in God. We harbor angry thoughts against Him because He did not do what we wanted Him to do nor did He act and respond the way we thought He should have. We blame Him because we expect Him to rescue us out of the trial or test not understanding the reason or the depth that He is trying to work in our life. So we put up our wall and allow our hearts to become hard and we slowly but surely loose intimacy with God and we become morally and spiritually corrupt that leads to defilement.
In closing let's go to James 2-4 and see what God is saying to us.
Verse 2: Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials.
Verse 3: Knowing that the testing (proved, trying) of your faith produces endurance.
Verse 4: And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The word that is so important to understand in these scripture is the word that I have underlined twice and that word is "endurance".
Once faith has produced "endurance"; it's perfect result will manifest the qualities in your character that will not surrender to adverse circumstance's nor give into the enemy under trials. And the thorough and complete work will result in bring forth maturity and being fully developed in the areas where before there was lack.
I know that many of you are going through severe trials and tests that seem to come to now end, but beloved, God is right there in the midst of your storm. He cares and is working in all aspects of your life even if you can't see it, feel it, or understand it. I want to encourage you to stand fast and allow Him to work His perfect work in you because He has plan and a purpose or everything He allows to happen in your life.
Be strong and courageous in his season and in due time if you faint not there will be produced in you the precious fruit of the Spirit that will bless many others that I will bring in your path. Increase will come as you learn to lean on me and not your own understanding. And as you learn to trust me you will grow in leaps and bounds in you faith and you will speak to that mountain in your life and in others and it will be removed by and through the power of My Spirit. This is the season for Increase in My people....expect it and thank Me for it and I will reveal unto you the arena of ministry that I have for you in this season and time. New things ahead and openings in places that you thought not possible....Am I not a God of the impossible? All things are possible in Me and through Me.
Blessings
Elma Garlock
