Jesus was a king with a difference. He exercised complete authority in all areas of life.
My niece was getting married and the wedding was outdoors. But just as it was about to commence, the weather changed; a bleak rain cloud overshadowed the place.
I called out to a so-called pastor nearby: “Come,” I said, “Let us shift this rain.” Immediately, a cloud came over him. I could see fear written all over his face. But I did not allow him to equivocate. I grabbed his hands and decreed that the rain must go away from the location for the wedding in Jesus’ name.
Just as soon as I finished, the cloud broke and moved away. I could not help but laugh at the “pastor.” “You were so scared,” I berated him. “But don’t you see, the cloud has moved.”
It rained elsewhere on that day, but no drop of rain came near the location of the wedding.
Heritage of Peace
Jesus says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). On his departure for Calvary, he gives this assurance to believers: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27).
Jesus is our Prince of Peace. Therefore, those who have Christ have received the peace of God that surpasses that all understanding. We not only live in peace; we have peace to give. We can decree peace and God will establish it.
This also means that a lot of prayers that Christians still pray are not prayers of faith. Jesus says: “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24). Since we have received peace, we should not act like those who have not received it.
There is no point in continuing to pray for what we have already received. For instance, Peter makes us understand that: “(Jesus) Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes (we) were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).
If we were healed, then we are. It makes no difference if we occasionally feel sick. “Thank you, Lord, for healing me” is different from “heal me, O Lord.” Praying for healing now means thanking God for taking sickness away from us, according to His word.
Asking again and again for what we have already received shows we are still in the school of unbelief. It is not surprising, therefore, that the psalmist says: “O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, how long will you be angry with our prayers?” (Psalm 80:4).
In the Book of Acts, we often find the disciples praying to God. But once it came to healing, they issued commands. When Dorcas died, Peter simply said to her: “‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.” (Acts 9:40).
Likewise, when he saw a lame man at the Beautiful Gate, Peter told him: “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6). And immediately, he lifted the man up and he started to walk.
Kenneth Hagin
Kenneth Hagin claims Jesus appeared to him in a vision. But while he was talking to him, an evil spirit crashed the meeting, causing a racket. Soon, he could no longer hear what Jesus was saying. When Jesus took no action against the demon, Hagin finally cried out: “You foul spirit, get out of here in Jesus’ name!” Immediately, the demon ran off.
Jesus insisted it was up to Hagin to do something about the situation. He told him: “If you hadn’t done something about that, I couldn’t have.”
The moral of this story is that Jesus has given us the authority to put the devil under our feet. What we do with that authority is now entirely up to us. Jesus says: “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.” (Luke 10:19).
This authority does not only apply to those who work in deliverance ministries, it applies to all believers, including old and new converts.
Jesus says furthermore: “These signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18).
Jesus does not even talk here in terms of prayer. He says we only need to touch the sick and they will recover. This is because this prophecy is already fulfilled in the believer: “It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.” (Isaiah 10:27).
Like Father, Like Son
Jesus was a king with a difference. He exercised complete authority in all areas of life. He healed the sick and cleansed the lepers, exercising authority over sickness. He stilled the storm and walked on water, exercising authority over nature. He cast out demons, exercising authority over the forces of darkness.
He forgave sins, exercising authority over sin. He awarded eternal life and raised the dead, exercising authority over life and death. Jesus cursed the fig tree and it dried up from the roots. He multiplied loaves and thereby fed the multitude. He caused fishermen to catch more fish than they could handle.
“When the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.” (Matthew 9:8).
Indeed, God has given such power and authority to men. This is the believer’s authority. John revealed that Jesus gave the power to become children of God to all who received him and believed in his name. (John 1:12).
The Bible affirms that: “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31).
The believer is born from above. He is born of God therefore he is above all. The natural man is not only earthy but under the bondage of elemental spirits. The believer, on the other hand, has full authority over them.
The centurion understood this. He said to Jesus: “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
“When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’” (Matthew 8:8-10).
Faribisala@yahoo.com; www.femiaribisala.com
