Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Eph.6:10-13)

In this section of scripture and others, Paul paints a picture of unseen spiritual warfare that is going on all around us. A legitimate question is whether or not we play a role in that warfare or if God is simply orchestrating things in the spiritual realm that we have no particular part in.

To begin with, let’s go back to Daniel 10, which we referenced in the last blog. Daniel prayed. An angel was sent. War broke out in the spiritual realm. Even an archangel got involved in the ongoing battle. It all began when Daniel prayed and continued to pray. I believe Daniel’s persistence in prayer for twenty-one days is what prompted God to release Michael to go to the aid of the first angel. If he had stopped praying, he may never have realized the answer he needed. There is resistance in the spiritual realm to our prayers being answered.

In 2 Kings 6, we see Elisha surrounded by the armies of Aram and trapped in the small town of Dothan. His servant panics when he sees the army encamped around the town. However, Elisha, who knew he was a hunted man, must have prayed daily for protection and when his servant alerted him he was essentially unconcerned. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked” (2 Kings 6:16-18). Our prayers put the armies of heaven into play to fight against the enemy as he comes against the people or the will of God. It may be one angel or a company of angels but much more is going on in the spiritual realm on our behalf than we can imagine.

When we command demons to relinquish their hold on another human-being, angels are there to enforce our commands as we represent the commander of the armies of heaven and command in his authority. In one sense, angels were created to minister to us (Heb.1:14) but in many cases they minister with us. While John was receiving the vision we call the Book of Revelation, he was so overcome by the presence of a great angel that he forgot himself and almost worshipped the angel who corrected him immediately. “At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev.19:10). As fellow servants, we and the angels both are sometimes involved in accomplishing the will of God on the earth – we labor in the seen realm while they labor in the unseen realm on the same heavenly mission.

What we fail to realize is that we live and operate in both the natural and the spiritual realm as those who are already seated in heavenly places, who already possess eternal life spiritually, and whose prayers, commands, and declarations set the armies and the Spirit of God into motion. John Wesley said, “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer.” But when we pray in alignment with God’s will, our prayers shake the heavenlies. God intends to rule the earth through his people. Spiritual warfare is just that – letting God push back the dominion of darkness through us as we pray, command, declare his word over situations, share the gospel, and do as Jesus would do – healing the sick, casting out demons, cleansing the lepers and even raising the dead. In doing so, we join Jesus in destroying the works of the devil (1 Jn.3:8).

The real work and the real enemy lie in the spiritual realm. We cannot conquer forces in the spiritual realm with weapons of the world but only with divine weapons that launch the power and authority of Jesus into hearts and into situations. If we are going to be angry, offended, or resentful those emotions should be directed toward Satan not toward the people he manipulates. Couples who fight, should start fighting the devil, not one another. Even when we stand against a force consumed by evil such as ISIS, we must remember that there are spiritual realities behind the movement that must be defeated through prayer, fasting, and other divine weapons or after ISIS that spirit will simply raise up another group filled with violence and hatred.

The church is focused too much on this world and approaches too many issues with weapons of the world rather than weapons that wield spiritual power. State-of-the-art buildings, celebrity guests, political clout, light shows, smoke machines, sports programs, and coffee bars are not wrong in themselves but these are weapons and tools used even by Vegas casinos. Holiness, prayer, love, authority, and the declared Word of God are the weapons that will win the world and the day for our struggle is not against flesh and blood. That is not only true for the church as a whole but for us as individuals as well.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:16-21)

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. (Col.1:29)

If you haven’t noticed, the devil had his way in many areas across the world during 2014. The Middle East continued to boil in turmoil. Race issues tore at the fabric of America once again. Russia ruthlessly pushed out to expand “the empire” once more. Washington D.C. couldn’t seem to get its act together at any level. Ebola is still ravaging parts of Africa and economies around the world are shaking.

For some believers, these are simply unavoidable signs of the end that we cannot stand against so we should just bunker in and wait for Jesus. That time may come but, in my opinion, this is not the time because too many people groups and nations have not yet been gathered in for the Lord of the Harvest. I believe that 2015 should be a year of pushing back against the enemy and defeating him on multiple fronts. The problem with such a view is that most of us still feel helpless in the face of such national and global calamities.

As this new year begins, we need to be reminded that there is the same power working within each of us that raised Jesus from the dead, toppled the Roman Empire, and spoke the universe into existence – just for starters. Paul sensed that divine power working within him and framed it as a kind of supernatural energy that enabled him to heal, cast out demons, preach in the face of fierce opposition and keep going when his natural strength had been depleted.

Paul asked the Lord to give the church at Ephesus the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that they might be aware of the power, authority, and strength available to them in Christ (see Eph.1:17-23). Interestingly, this power does not flow out of God’s desire for conquest but is rooted and established in love. Our capacity to experience the power of God is directly proportional to our understanding of the depth of God’s love for us and for all of his creation.

In order to walk in the power of God we must understand that his power is distributed in order to bless the people he loves. Jesus healed out of love. Jesus raised the dead out of love. Jesus cast out demons because he loved the people oppressed by the enemy. Jesus fed the 5000 because he had a love for these “sheep without a shepherd” and was concerned that they were hungry. He preached the good news because he loved lost people. He entrusts power and authority to us to be exercised on behalf of the people he loves. If we want an increase in power then we should be praying for an increase in love – a greater awareness of God’s love for us and a greater love for the world he cares about.

Great power resides within every believer but is released in greater ways when the exercise of that power is motivated by love and when that power reveals the love of God to those who have not known it before. My prayers this year will include a request for God to reveal his love to me in greater ways and for me to be an instrument of his love for others. The enemy cannot stand against love and it is love that will release the provision and power of heaven into every “hopeless situation.”

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (Gal.1:6-8)

Paul began his letter to the believers in Galatia with a stern rebuke of those who would change the character of the gospel. In the case of Galatia, men had come in after Paul had left to plant other churches and had begun to add works from the Law of Moses to the message of salvation. Paul preached grace through Christ alone while those who came after him preached Jesus plus the keeping of the Law of Moses as the path to salvation. Paul made it clear that to change the character of the gospel was to change it altogether and put the salvation of these believers at risk. The character of the gospel can be changed in other ways as well – by adding or taking away form the message.

Millions of Christians live under a gospel of grace without power. Grace is only half the good news. Power is the rest. A gospel without power is an insufficient gospel and leaves believers far short of God’s intended transformation in their lives. In Luke 4, Jesus stood in a familiar synagogue in Nazareth. There He announced and outlined his three-year mission to the world as He read from the scroll of Isaiah (Isa.61: 1-3). Preach the good news. Heal the brokenhearted. Set captives free. Release prisoners from darkness. Raise the dead. Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of that text and then spent the next three years demonstrating that mission.

Jesus not only operationalized his mission statement for the kingdom of God on earth but also prepared others to continue the mission after his departure to sit on his throne in heaven. He sent out the twelve and the seventy, and commanded them to do what he had been doing. He then declared to his followers, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

We are to do what Jesus did. We are to offer grace and forgiveness of sins through Jesus, but also the transforming power of the kingdom of God. A gospel with power does more than forgive sins. It frees and transforms. For years I have watched faithful, forgiven Christians continue to live in bondage to anger, depression, shame, fear, and lust year after year. They have prayed, cried, repented a thousand times, and sat at the feet of counselors and pastors looking for keys to be set free. At best they have learned to manage their sin or their “issue” but have not truly found freedom. Are they forgiven? Yes. Are they saved? Yes. Are they free? No.

But God’s word says: So, if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (Jn.8:37). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor.3:18).   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Gal. 5:1). Christ’s freedom is not just freedom from condemnation but is freedom form all the things that keep us from being Christ-like – holy, joyful, loving, compassionate, etc. Brokenness and bondage keep us living a life that falls far short of those qualities.

Every time the gospel was preached in the New Testament power and authority was on display along with the grace of God. Power allowed people not just to hear about God’s grace but to also experience it. Experiencing God always has an exponentially greater impact than only hearing about Him. Most churches enable their people to hear about God week after week. Not so many allow them to experience Him as well.

When God’s power is manifested, we experience Him. When we experience Him we are set free and changed. Where significant transformation in the lives and hearts of God’s people has not been profoundly experienced, then, perhaps, an insufficient gospel is being preached. That insufficiency, then, puts some believers’ salvation at risk.  Through the years, I have seen a number of believers give up on their faith and their walk with the Lord because they could not overcome their brokenness or bondage. They felt that God was not hearing their prayers or that they were so defective that even God didn’t care about their struggles. A gospel of power could have set them free. Paul declared, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1Cor.4:20). God is not content to simply be talked about. He wants to be experienced. May this coming be a year of greater power and “experience”  in the church and in our own lives than we have ever known before.

Acts 2 describes the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that God would pour out his Spirit on all people. We know from the words of Jesus that this “pouring out” is closely associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the power that would be imparted through that baptism. The question is whether that was a one-time event for the early church or whether it is available to believers today. We might also ask whether it is a one-time experience for believers or whether it can be experienced multiple times. Let me list several scriptures that may give us some insights to these questions. Notice the language in the scriptures and the ways in which the Spirit manifested in these believers.

Acts 2:1-8                   

 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…(emphasis added)

Acts 4:23-24, 29-31

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God…Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (emphasis added)

Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. (emphasis added)

Acts 8:14-18             

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (emphasis added)

Acts 19:1-7                

 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (emphasis added)

As you look at these verses, several things become apparent. Several phrases seem to be used interchangeably that describe the same experience. In Acts 2, the moment that tongues of fire appeared over the disciples and they began to speak in tongues is obviously the moment that Jesus had pointed them to when they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and receive power for witnessing. In this text, baptism with the Spirit is described as being filled with the Spirit. The same language is used in Acts 4 when the same people who were filled in Acts 2 seem to be filled again. Both “fillings” resulted in miraculous signs and boldness to declare the word of God. In Acts 10, the Spirit is poured out even on the Gentiles so they are experiencing the same manifestation that the Jews experienced on Pentecost. The result was speaking in tongues and praising God just as the disciples had done on Pentecost as well. This “baptism with the Spirit” is also described as the Spirit coming on those believers and having been received by those believers. The same language is used in Acts 8 when the Samaritans responded to the gospel and again in Acts 19 in Corinth.

It appears that “baptism with the Spirit” is a moment when the Spirit comes upon a believer in abundance and when the believer receives something from the Spirit not previously given. The idea of receiving suggests that the believer is open to the experience and, perhaps, even desires more of the Spirit or more of what the Spirit offers than what he/she has already received. This idea parallels 1 Corinthians 12-14 where Paul discusses spiritual gifts (a form of empowerment by the Holy Spirit) and tells us that the Spirit distributes those gifts as he determines and invites believers to ask for more.

In summary, the baptism with the Spirit seems to be a moment when the Spirit falls on a believer and imparts power for ministry in some form. The fact that Jesus said that those who had faith in him would do what he had done and even more, requires that the baptism of the Spirit (the empowering of the Spirit) is still available today. It is often referred to as being filled with the Spirit or the Spirit coming on us or falling on us and can happen multiple times. It seems that our first experience of being filled is often called “baptism with the Spirit” and, indeed, a level of spiritual power or gifts remain in us from that point forward although the Spirit may add to that or magnify what is in us when circumstances call for it.

So what about tongues and prophecy and other miracles being manifested when the Spirit first empowers us? I will talk about that in my next blog.

In John 20, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” but then told them a few days later that they should stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Spirit. This suggests that we can receive the Holy Spirit but then have an additional measure of the Spirit available to us at a different time. The best way to understand this this is to associate “Baptism with the Spirit” with power. In the first chapter of Acts, Luke tells us, “On one occasion, while he (Jesus) was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:4-5,8).

In this text Jesus, clearly associates baptism with the Spirit with power for witnessing. We see that demonstration throughout the book of Acts. On the Day of Pentecost, we see it manifested through boldness, preaching, and a miraculous gift of tongues. If those manifestations of the Spirit only came after the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost then what was the Spirit the disciples received in John 20?

I think it helps to understand that the Holy Spirit has two broad functions or ministries in the life of each believer. One is transformation while the other is empowerment for ministry.

When we come to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within each of us and begins to transform our hearts, our minds, and our character to make us more and more like Jesus. First of all, he gives life to our spirits that have been dead in sin (see Eph.2:4-5).

Secondly, he begins to give us an understanding of spiritual things. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they can only be discerned through the Spirit” (1 Cor.2:14).

Thirdly, he begins to bear his fruit or character in our lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal.5:22-23). For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)” (Eph.5:8-9).

One part of the Christian life is simply to walk in righteousness as Jesus walked in righteousness. We are to become godly people with the character of Jesus reflected in each of us. We are to be salt and light in a world of darkness. We are to care for the poor and the hurting and even love our enemies. All of these things reflect the heart and character of Christ and without his Spirit we cannot overcome the flesh (our fallen nature) to become like him in our heart as well as our actions. But there is more to the Christian life.

Jesus established a pattern for establishing the kingdom of God on this earth. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Mt.9:35). Wherever he went, Jesus preached the kingdom of God and then demonstrated it. He then commanded his followers to do the same. “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Mt.10:7-9).   The expression of power to destroy the works of the devil is inherent in the kingdom of God and is part of the ministry of the Spirit through us. Baptism with the Spirit is directly related to such power. More about that in my next blog.

Partnering with the King

After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”    So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. (1 Kings 18:1-2) And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:41-45).

This section from 1 Kings is one of the most interesting in all of the Bible. In the middle of the account above, Elijah challenged the prophets of Bail to a showdown on top of Mt. Carmel. He built an altar, placed sacrificial animals on it, and challenged the false prophets to call on their God to consume the sacrifice with fire. They prayed, screamed, danced and cut themselves all day but no response came from their god. Toward the end of the day, Elijah poured huge amounts of water on the sacrifice along with the wood and stones of the altar and called on Jehovah. Immediately, fire came down from heaven consuming not only the sacrificial animals but also the entire altar. Elijah then had the false prophets of Bail executed.

Bookending the demise of the prophets of Bail is the account of the great drought. As punishment on Israel because of her wicked leaders, God had given Elijah a prophetic word to speak in the presence of Ahab. “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Then, three years later, just before the Mt. Carmel showdown, God told Elijah that rain was coming. Interestingly, after the showdown, Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel again and began to pray for rain which God had already declared was coming. Why would he do that? Wasn’t God’s word good enough for him?

Of course it was. But this account once again reveals how God partners with his people to do his will on earth. Undoubtedly, God could have stopped the rain and released the rain whenever he wanted to without involving any human. But remember, God has determined to rule the earth and expand his kingdom through his people – his representatives. God did not stop the rain until his prophet declared the word of the Lord in front of Ahab. God would not begin the rain until his prophet prayed and released the rain through a prayer of faith. What an honor and what a responsibility.

God’s will was done after a man declared the word of the Lord over a situation and after a man prayed fervently for the thing God had already told him he was about to do. God holds much of his will in reserve until his people hear or sense his will and then declare it, command it, or pray it. In Elijah’s case, he apparently prayed seven times for God to release the rain. There will be times when we will have to pray earnestly and persistently for something that we know is God’s will. We know that God desires that all men should be saved. We already have his word on that but we may have to pray for a loved one for years before God’s will is manifested in that person’s life.

The honor is that the King partners with us in accomplishing his will. The responsibility is that we have to seek his will and then declare it, command it, or pray persistently for it. It may not happen if we do no do our part on this end even if it is something God desires. God has decided that we can release his will or stifle his will on the earth – not in all things, but in very many things. So…we need to ask his what he wants us to do to release his will and then do it. After all, much of what heaven wants to do is in our hands and in your hands.

Once you have discovered that you are royalty, you must understand how royalty operates. In the kingdom of God it is not about perks, servants, living large, or living in constant comfort with every material desire coming your way. It is about relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. It is about contentment with what we have. It is about expanding the borders of the kingdom through faith, love, and sometimes war.

To be successful in your role of governing earth on God’s behalf, you must understand that you have authority as a member of the royal family and as an ambassador of Christ. Many believers today have no sense of authority or power in their Christian life. They believe that Jesus has all authority but have no concept that they also walk in authority and should exercise that authority on behalf of their king.

Jesus demonstrated the authority that a man in fellowship with God can wield on the earth. He demonstrated it as Son of Man not as Son of God. We know this to be true because Jesus declared, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn.14:11-15).

Jesus clearly says that those who have faith in him will do what he had been doing which he clearly identifies as his miracles – healing, casting out demons, raising the dead, stilling the storm, etc. He goes on to say that those who have faith will do even greater things than he did. Hard to imagine isn’t it, but that is what he said. As a member of the royal family and as a representative of Jesus on earth (who should re-present Jesus) you should expect Jesus to do miracles through you. If you read the context above, he not only gives you that opportunity but also commands you to ask him to do miracles through you for the glory of the Father.

Jesus modeled his plan for the church by exercising the authority of heaven himself and then delegating that authority to others. First he delegated his authority to those he called apostles. “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Mt.10:1). Secondly, he delegated heavenly authority to a wider circle of followers who go unnamed in the scriptures. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Lk.10:17-20). Snakes and scorpions in this context are metaphors for demonic spirits.

After modeling his “delegation strategy” he continued with his declaration that those who had faith in him (any believer in any century) would do what he had been doing and would do even greater things. He then delegated his power and authority to his church by the distribution of spiritual gifts through his Spirit. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues”(1 Cor. 12:7-10). Notice that power and authority are the benchmarks of the Kingdom. As a member of that Kingdom and the household of God, power and authority are attached to your position. You are appointed in the Kingdom and no appointing comes without anointing. Your anointing is the Holy Spirit who releases power and authority through you.

It’s interesting that we often teach people to pray for healing by asking Jesus to come and heal. That’s not a bad prayer but it is not what Jesus commanded. He told us to go and heal rather than to go and pray and ask him to come and heal. We often approach healing and deliverance like deputies who have been given authority to enforce the law but every time we should make an arrest we locate the criminal but then call the sheriff to come make the arrest. Deputies have been delegated power and authority to enforce the law. We have been given power and authority to enforce the laws of heaven. When we begin to walk in the knowledge of that authority and begin to exercise it for kingdom purposes, then we will be living as royalty.

That is who you are in Christ – appointed, anointed, empowered!

Faith can be hard when life does not meet our expectations. Faith can be hard when promises we read in scripture that seem black and white and iron clad do not unfold as we anticipated. Faith can be hard when we expect God to intervene in supernatural ways to right every wrong yet we see wrong prevailing. This is not a new dilemma. The psalmists struggled with the same issues.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.      For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills…This is what the wicked are like—always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. (Ps.73:2-5, 12-14).

Here was a man who tried to live for the Lord every day and to so what was right. And yet, his days seemed like a constant struggle. Nothing was working out. God seemed to be ignoring his prayers. Perhaps he had health problems or financial struggles. Maybe his business was failing or his boss was a tyrant. Maybe he had a rebellious child or his marriage was slipping away. Those things in themselves were hard enough but the kicker was what he observed in the lives of those who gave no thought to God at all. They were prospering – good looks, great health, a fine house, the best of food and wine, an upper tier education for their kids, amazing vacations and a Roman spa membership. Along with that they enjoyed fame and fortune built on deceit and unscrupulous business practices. Where was justice?

There is a slice of biblical theology in which God promises good things to the faithful – health, safety, prosperity, obedient children, and long life along with vengeance on the wicked. But there is also another slice that promises persecution, hardship, warfare with an invisible enemy, a need to put on armor every day and a prayer to keep the evil one from us. If we ever believe that our faith will smooth every road, give us favor in every situation, and that every prayer will be answered immediately just as we had envisioned it, we will probably live with disappointment. The greatest danger is that we will take up offense against God and decide that he is untrustworthy.

Scripture calls on us to preach, teach, and understand the whole counsel of God not just one facet that we find particularly appealing. All of God’s word is true and all of his promises are certain but they often come later than we anticipated. Think about Joseph who was given prophetic dreams that he would be a ruler some day with his brothers bowing before him. All that came to pass but only after being sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. Eventually there was prosperity and power but a season of hardship filled the parenthesis between the dream and the reality. Neither the suffering nor the prosperity contradicted God’s word. The key for Joseph was not to judge God as a liar because his dreams were not fulfilled immediately or even soon but to continue to trust God that his promises would come to pass – some in this life and some in the life to come. We greatly differentiate between this life and the life to come, but I suspect God sees them both as one continuum. Promises made now but fulfilled then are just as faithful.

The psalmist struggled with the idea that God’s justice should punish the wicked while all he saw was the wicked being blessed. He lamented, “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me” (Ps.73:16). Sometimes our assumption in such matters is that God is blessing the wicked while we forget that the prince of this world can bestow wealth and fame as well. As he continued to seek God, however, he was given a revelation. “Till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Ps.73:17). In a moment, God revealed the eternal destiny of the wicked and the certainty of God’s justice. We are also told that the kindness or goodness of God calls men to repentance. So judgment and mercy are both reserved for the wicked to be dispensed in different seasons.

All this is to say that when we live by faith, we trust in the promises of God and often we cry out for those promises believing God for an answer. When we don’t see his answer quickly or as we had imagined it or when we see those who are indifferent to God already enjoying blessings that we are still praying for, we may take offense at God when he is still being true to his word. Remember, Paul had to learn to be content in moments of abundance and in moments of scarcity as well. Faith and expectations must be rooted first in the goodness and faithfulness of God so that I know God will grant a harvest for whatever I am sowing into with faith and prayer. Then I wait on him to see how and when the harvest comes. May he always give us eyes to see what he is doing and understanding to know what he has already done and to always count him faithful.

Because I spend most of my time with believers who are fully convinced that the Holy Spirit still operates through his church today as he did 2000 years ago, I can forget that there is still a great number of Christians in America who do not believe that. In fact, we seem to be living in a season where some who do not believe are becoming much more vocal in their disagreement. A book entitled Strange Fire recently released by John MacArthur, a well known west coast pastor, author, and teacher seems to be more than a presentation of “cessationist” theology but rather an angry attack against all those who believe in the present supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit. In his book he stated, “Charismatic theology…has warped genuine worship through unbridled emotionalism, polluted prayer with private gibberish, contaminated true spirituality with unbiblical mysticism, and corrupted faith by turning it into a creative force for speaking worldly desires into existence.” I don’t want to get into a rebuttal of all that was stated in his book but just wanted to give the flavor of the criticisms being leveled by some toward “charismatic” believers.

Even though I served in “cessationsist” churches for 20 years, I am still surprised when someone pushes back so strongly against the idea that the Holy Spirit does today what he did for believers in the beginning. I believe that deep in our hearts, nearly every believer must long for God’s miracles in his or her life, a personal word of encouragement or direction from the Lord, and an intimacy that Jesus offered when he called us to be his friends rather than servants. Who would not want God to still move in miraculous healing when a child has been diagnosed with incurable cancer or in supernatural protection when someone’s son or daughter has been deployed to a hot zone in the Middle East?  It seems we would try to find a way to believe rather than to discredit the supernatural move of God on the earth today.

The good news is that there are some very bright and articulate believers speaking out on behalf of charismatic theology today even in camps that by and large have been cessationist in their thinking. One of those is R.T.Kendall. In his excellent book entitled Holy Fire, he offers an interesting thought about such a mindset. He begins by reminding us that the apostles themselves were initially uncomfortable with the idea of the Holy Spirit coming in place of the physical Jesus whom they had gotten to know and with whom they had become comfortable. Maybe they had become so confortable with Jesus that they felt secure and even saw him as predictable. Of course he wasn’t but until the last few weeks of his ministry they were in their comfort zone with him – even picturing themselves in prestigious positions when he ushered in his kingdom. But this invisible Spirit didn’t feel quite so safe. He felt threatening. Not so predictable.

Kendall goes on to ask, “Do you feel threatened by the Holy Spirit? … if you feel threatened by the Holy Spirit is it because you are happily in your confront zone? Are you afraid of what the Holy Spirit might do to you? What he would require of you? What he might ask you to do? Do you think you will lose something if you make yourself vulnerable and totally open to him? Are you afraid he will embarrass you?” (p.12).

Maybe many believers push back against the idea of a Holy Spirit who, like the wind, “blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going” (Jn.3:8). Perhaps, the Spirit seems less predictable or less manageable than the Jesus we imagine. I believe that “cessationsist” theology is much more “manageable” that charismatic theology.   In my personal experience, I have found that the belief that God no longer acts in miraculous ways, distributes supernatural gifts, and still gives personal revelation to his people requires less faith and fewer struggles because those who hold the position do not allow God to work outside of their theological box. If I believe God not longer heals miraculously then I don’t need faith for healing nor do I have to struggle with the mystery of some being healed while others are not.

If the Holy Spirit no longer gives me personal direction or prophetic words then I have no need to test the spirits or the prophecies and wonder if I have tested then accurately. If God does not deliver from demons then I have no responsibility toward the tormented. I simply give them the name of a good psychiatrist. Since my understanding of scripture is based on intellect and education I can easily entrust my understanding of scripture to the experts in the pulpit rather than pressing in and asking the Spirit to give me understanding and revelation. And most of all, there will be few surprises in our worship services or small groups. When we confine God to his Word, as we understand it, he is fairly tame. The Holy Spirit is not so predictable because through him we experience God rather than just sermonize about him.   When Jesus showed up, the Pharisees had no theological box for him and the supernatural move of God that came without their permission, so they tried to control him, and then discredit him, and finally killed him.

We must be careful not to do the same when God begins to act in ways that make us uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean that anything goes because we are to test spirits and prophecies but it does mean that God does not always sit in the pews with his hands folded. Pentecost seemed out of control to many. David dancing before the Lord with all his might seemed “improper” and emotional to some. The assemblies of the New Testament church at Corinth got disorderly from tome to time and Paul cautioned them about that but did claim the gifts and revelations they were experiencing were from the devil. I have lived in both the cessationist world and the charismatic world. In my experience, the cessationsist world was easier but the charismatic much more rewarding and I believe much more biblical. I would love to answer any concerns you have about that. Be blessed!

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalm 145:8-9)

F.F. Bosworth wrote, “The first statement in our text above is, ‘The LORD is gracious,’ meaning ‘He is disposed to show favors.’ This glorious fact, which shines with such brilliancy throughout the Scriptures, has been so eclipsed by modern theology that we hear everywhere, the Lord is able instead of ‘the LORD is gracious.” Hundreds needing healing have come or written to us saying, concerning their need of deliverance, ‘the Lord is able.’ Their teachings as well as their lack of teaching, have kept them from knowing that the Lord is willing. How much faith does it take to say the Lord is able? The devil knows God is able, and he knows He is willing; but he has kept the people from knowing the latter fact. … Before praying for the healing of people, we have to wait to teach them the Word of God until they can say, “The LORD is gracious,” instead of, ‘The Lord is willing.’ This is exactly what Jesus had to do before healing the leper who said, ‘If thou wilt thou canst.’ He showed His willingness, so that the man could really expect healing…But even when we can advance from saying ‘He is able’ to saying ‘He is willing,’ this is not enough. The word willing is too tame to fully express God’s merciful attitude toward us. ‘He delighteth in mercy’ (Micah 7:18).” ((F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer, Revell, 9^th Edition, p.68-69).

Those observations were made years ago but are still quite true today. In your own prayer life you have probably been convinced that God is able to do anything you ask but you are not so convinced that he is willing. Even when we pray for others we may list all of their great qualities and the works they have done for the Lord as we pray for God’s favor for healing or safety or provision in their lives. In one sense, we lift up their resume because we feel we must make a case for them in order to persuade God to meet their need at the moment. We know he is able but we are not sure he is willing.

Faith is simply believing that God will do what he has said he will do based on his character rather than on our character or our performance. The fact that God is “The God who heals you” and delights in showing favor (mercy) to those he loves is the foundation of our faith for healing. God does not have to be persuaded to heal. He does so because he delights to do so. There are conditions, of course, for receiving healing. For those who should have faith, some faith is required. For those who have known the grace of God, grace must be extended to others through forgiveness. For those who have been given the standing of righteousness in Christ, there must be a heart that desires to be righteous and that is given to repentance because of that. Faith tells us that the compassionate heart of Jesus still desires to heal now just as it did when he was on the earth. He will work with us to make sure that hindrances to our healing are removed if our hearts are turned toward him and if we have some faith for healing because we know his character. For those who do not know Christ at all, healing may be given simply out of his kindness because the kindness of God calls men to repentance.

Before praying for healing, reflect on the goodness of God and his delight in showing favor. Remind yourself that he is anxious to heal unless roadblocks exist in the spiritual realm and that he will show us what those things are so that he can do the very thing he desires to do. He is certainly able, but more than that he is willing. Even more than being willing, he delights in answering our prayers. If we can ever get that single truth into our hearts, we will certainly see God heal. Ask the Spirit to give you a deep revelation of that truth and keep asking until you have no doubt.