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| The international news media tells us there are presently over 30 wars being fought in various places around the world. The cost in human pain and suffering of such hostile conflicts are unimaginable. And with tensions mounting around the world, there isn’t an end in sight of the misery and bloodshed brought on by these struggles. But there is one war being fought that is not getting any media coverage, and most of the world’s population is completely oblivious to it. It is the warfare in the spirit against principalities and powers in heavenly places. Recently that conflict has escalated to what might soon prove to be a climactic finale. In over 30 years of ministry, I can’t recall a time when so many people were in spiritual life and death battles as there are at this time. There are personal struggles, conflicts in families, and contentions among brethren, not to mention the countless physical battles being waged against strange viruses and uncommon diseases. It’s as though the pits of hell have been opened and Lord has pulled back every protective hedge, taunting Satan with, "Have you considered my servant...?" (See Job 1:8) However, I’ve read the back of "the book" and I know who wins! There will be a company of people who overcome everything the flesh, the world, and the enemy have to offer, and they’ll do it through the life of Christ in them. They’ll not allow anything to shift their vision nor allegiance from the Lord they love and draw their strength from. First John 5:4-5 tells us, "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" Two principles of note are in these verses: The faith that overcomes the world – and its spiritual rulers – is our faith. This overcoming faith is not the gift given to us which enabled us to be regenerated (for God has given that measure of faith to everyone - see Rom.12:3). The faith spoken of here is faith that has become ours because it has been proven in the fires of trial and temptation. It is a validated faith that believes in the delivering power of Jesus, regardless of the challenging circumstances or pervasive struggles encountered at a particular moment. As Jesus prepared his disciples the night before his crucifixion, he said to them, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (Jn.16:33) Jesus left an example by overcoming everything the world and the devil had offered him. Now that he has been glorified, his triumphant life enables us to also overcome everything the world and the powers of darkness bring against us. However, if we’re going to be as victorious as he was, we must learn how to utilize the power of his delivering life. The Lord revealed the basic principle of overcoming in Luke 11:21-22, saying, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils." (NKJ) Anyone guarding their goods can only be overcome by someone stronger than they are. That strength might be manifested in strategy, brawn, or authority, but whatever it is, it must be greater than what the guard has. Likewise, to overcome in any circumstance or temptation, our unwavering confidence that the life of Christ within will deliver us must be greater than the momentary diversion offered by the present circumstance or temptation. Those are merely the "guards" trying to keep us from the spiritual goods that rightly belong to us in heavenly places in Christ. (See Eph.1:3) Spiritual Warfare Revelation 12:7-12 speaks of a great war taking place in heaven. It is not my intention to engage in a great theological discussion about this text. My objective is to draw principles from it that will help all who are engaged in life and death struggles with the present powers of darkness – and who isn’t engaged in such struggles – to overcome their adversary. "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." (Rev.12:7-9 NAS) The battle was between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels. First reading might imply these were all celestial "wing-flapping" angels, but the next few verses point out that the conflict actually involved brethren engaged in spiritual warfare. Angels, especially in the book of Revelation, aren’t always "angels" as we think of them. For example, the word from the Lord to the "angels" of the seven churches in chapter 2 and 3 was obviously given to the leadership of those particular churches, as well as being applicable to the entire church age. Even a casual study of those chapters will show that what was said could not apply to celestial beings. Another prime example of this truth is Revelation 19, when after seeing how the Lamb’s wife had made herself ready for the marriage supper, John wanted to worship the angelic messenger who had shown him such wondrous things. But the angel quickly told him, "See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (vs.10 See also Rev.22:9) John’s angelic messenger was a spiritual brother and fellow servant of Jesus! When the three other verses are considered where "the testimony of Jesus" is used, this can’t possibly refer to an actual angel. (See Rev.1:2, 9: 12:17) I don’t claim to understand everything I know about this – I’m just noting it to help make my point that angels aren’t always angels as we think of them. The greatest battlefield in which we engage the enemy is between our ears! He constantly tries to interject doubts into our thoughts – doubts based on our present circumstances – that will cause us to question and go astray from the promises and provisions of God. Consequently, we are in an ongoing spiritual warfare to maintain a conscious attitude of faith concerning our position in Christ and who the Lord is in us. However, when we stand victorious in the delivering power of Jesus’ life, we cast him out of our "heavens" and onto the "earth." I know there is a time coming when Satan and his demonic hordes will be cast out of the heavens and their influence in the affairs of mankind is bound. But that will not happen until a company of saints have already cast the enemy out of their "personal heavens." And yes, it takes divine intervention to win the war on both fronts: Standing faithfully in the delivering power of the Christ life in us on the personal level, and warring in collaboration with the angelic hosts on the global level. Notice that during the great battle in the above verses, Satan is cast down to the earth. On the present and personal level, this is one reason for the many strange and perplexing diseases mankind is being afflicted with. As greater numbers of God’s people get victory over the enemy in their thoughts and imaginations, the adversary is limited to natural and physical attacks. His attacks are not just against the people getting victory, but against mankind in general. This principle and shift of tactic are seen in the life of Job. Satan implied to God that Job served him because of all the benefits he’d received, and that he would curse him if those benefits were removed. In response to that insinuated charge, God said, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." (Job 1:12 NIV) However, after losing everything dear to him, "Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." Instead of cursing God, he "arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped." (1:21, 20) Later the Lord allowed Satan to change his assault and he "smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown" (2:7) as he tried to break his faithful trust in the Lord. But that strategy failed as well, even when his wife said to him, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die." (Job 2:9) In essence, when Satan’s first attack came upon him, Job cast Satan out of his "heavens" and maintained his trust in the Lord. Consequently, the only place left for the enemy to attack was in his "earth," that is, his physical being. However, God used that physical attack to further refine Job and turn his captivity into a hundredfold blessing. (See Job 42:10) Salvation and Authority After the enemy was cast out of heaven, a loud voice proclaimed, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night." (Rev.12:10 NAS) According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions, salvation can be summed up to mean "deliverance from the molestation of enemies." With that definition in mind, we must conclude that actual salvation will only be ours after the enemy has been cast out of our personal "heavens." That is, when we’ve cast down "imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing [brought] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor.10:5) Until that is accomplished, we still need deliverance from the deception (molestation) of the enemy and everything that is contrary to the godliness of the Christ life. Casting Satan out of our personal "heavens" is also the essential prerequisite for coming into the inherent power and authority that are an integral part of salvation. As long as the enemy is able to deceive us about what is ours in Christ, and what God expects of us as his sons, the spiritual power and authority we’re able move in are limited. Consequently, the glorious "kingdom of our God" is held at arms length and the satanic kingdom of darkness prevails. When these verses speak of the authority of Christ having come, they do not mean that Jesus has finally come into his place of authority. Many scriptural passages throughout the New Testament testify that Jesus was in authority while he was on earth fulfilling his commission as the Son of Man. (See Mt.28:18, etc.) And he certainly has been in authority since ascending in resurrection life and sitting down at the right hand of God! Winning this spiritual war in the heavens brings the body of Christ – the overcoming sons of God – into their God-given place of authority. It begins the fulfillment of Hebrews 2:6-11: "But one in a certain place testified, saying, ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:’ "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." At the time the book of Hebrews was written, Jesus was the only one who had fulfilled the commission God had given mankind in the beginning. (See Gen.1:26-28) He alone had put all things under his feet and stood in authority over them – and he did it while limited in a nature that was "a little lower" than that of angels. That is, Jesus overcame all things while he was in the nature of man and in the likeness of sinful flesh. The text says that man (mankind) has not yet put all things under his feet, BUT WE SEE JESUS who has! Jesus did not overcome just for himself, but through his redeeming death and resurrection, he opened the way for MANY SONS to follow his example. When those sons come forth in his likeness, he will not be ashamed to call them his brethren. Through intense spiritual warfare, those sons will cast Satan and his hordes of deceiving demons out of their "heavens." When the victory is won, salvation, power, authority, and the kingdom of God are given to them. They will have ascended in the Spirit and obtained the last promise made to the overcomers: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Rev.21:7) The Lord and His Christ "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev.12:11) To get the correct understanding of this verse, we need to look carefully at who "they" and "him" are. If these are the two companies of angels in verse 7, the text would have to read, "and they overcame them," instead of "they overcame him." Obviously, "him" is the accuser and deceiver of the brethren that was represented by the dragon and his angels. But angels aren’t redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Therefore, "they" who overcame must refer to the brethren or "his Christ" of verse 10. Or are these one and the same? Similar phrases of "God, (or the Lord) and his Christ" are used in Revelation 11:15 and in the fourth chapter of Acts. Careful reading will show that the "Christ" in each text is not limited to Jesus, but includes his brethren, who with him, make up the body of Christ. In the Acts account, Peter and John had just been reprimanded for healing the man at the gate of the temple. After their release, they went back to the church and reported what they had encountered. The church rejoiced and praised the Lord for his greatness, then applied Psalms 2:1-2 to what had just happened. "Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ." (4:25-26) Now notice how those brethren applied these verses: "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, (past tense, gathered against the Lord) For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: (present tense, gathered against his Christ) and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus." (4:27-30) The early church brethren understood that Christ, the "anointed of God," did not refer just to Jesus, but included the called out, born again brethren who follow in the footsteps of Jesus according to the predetermined counsel of God. Or as mentioned earlier, he who sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one, therefore, they are brethren. This takes nothing away from Jesus, but rather, it establishes him as the firstborn of a new order. The Apostle Paul spoke to this truth in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14: "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. Revelation 11 tells us that as the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, "there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.’" (vs.15) In the next few verses the 24 elders explain who the Lord and his Christ are, and who is to reign over the kingdoms of the earth: "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. (past tense, the Lord) ...and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; (present tense, his Christ) and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." (vs.17-18) What is the reward that is to be given to the servants of the Lord? "He who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received (authority) from my Father." (Rev.2:26-27 NAS) These texts clearly reveal that "they" who overcame in Revelation 12:11 are the saints (brethren) who stand faithfully in Christ and become one in nature with him. They are the "he" of Revelation 11:15 and the "man child" of Revelation 12:5 as well. Together with Jesus, who is the head (firstborn) of that new creation man, they are the Lord and his Christ to whom is given salvation, power, authority, and the kingdom. The Blood of the Lamb "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev.12:11) This company of overcomers gained their victory over the enemy by utilizing three principles: The blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and by not counting their own lives more dear than their life in Christ. The precious redeeming blood of the Lamb, which represents the life of the Lamb, is the foundational basis of any relationship with God. Without it, we would still be "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." (Eph.2:12-13) The glorious wonders of being made partakers of the promises of God are more than my finite mind can comprehend fully, or my limited vocabulary adequately express. But suffice it to say that through appealing to the blood of Jesus, we have obtained redemption from our fallen nature and received "the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Eph.1:7) I know some of this is elementary, but correctly understanding the significance of the shed blood of Jesus is fundamental to being victorious over the enemy of our soul. Much more could be said about the wonder and power of his blood than I have room for in this article, so I’ll only give a brief introduction to the subject. Jesus explained the significance of his blood while partaking of the last supper with his disciples. He told them it is the blood (validation) of the new testament (covenant) that God had promised would come. That promise was expressed by the prophet Jeremiah. "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer.31:31-34) Perhaps the most significant difference between the new covenant validated by the blood of Jesus and the covenant God made with Israel in the wilderness is that the new covenant is internal and deals with our nature. The former had been external, and though made by shed blood – without which there is no remission of sins – it only made provision to forgive trespasses and sins. It could not take sin away, nor change the nature of the people served by it. The new covenant does both. Moses had validated the former covenant by sprinkling blood on the tabernacle furniture and the people, thereby signifying that all were cleansed. (See Ex.24:6-8) Aaron and the priesthood then administrated the covenant by taking the blood of sacrificed bulls and goats into the holiest part of the tabernacle to make atonement for the people’s sins. (See Lev.16:1-19) Another significant difference between the covenants is that someone other than the sacrifice, which gave credibility to the former, had to take the blood into the presence of God. In other words, none of the animals that were offered could bring their own blood into the presence of God. Someone else, i.e., the priests had to bring the blood before God on behalf of the people. The obvious reason was that when sin was imputed to the substitute offering, that sacrificial animal died. Consequently, there was no way it could bring its own blood before God in atonement for the sinner, then return and tell the sinner the offering had been accepted by him. But Jesus, the perfect substitute, did not enter into the presence of God "by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Heb.9:12) Not only did he validate the new covenant by his own blood, he also arose from the dead to confirm its acceptance by God! And furthermore, he is able also to administer its benefits forevermore! Glory to the Lamb! God was so satisfied with the propitiation made by the blood of the Lord Jesus that he didn’t allow death to hold him. Consequently, he who had been delivered over to death "because of our offenses," was also "raised because of our justification." (Rom 4:25 NKJ) Jesus was raised from the dead because as God looked on the perfect life that had been so willingly laid down, and the redemption purchased by that life, resurrection was the only means by which such complete justification could be proven and confirmed! And since there was no one better qualified to administrate that redemption than the one who had purchased it, Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." (Rom.1:4 NKJ) Therefore, all who would come to God, must come through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Now that we know the way into the presence of God has been opened for us by the blood of Jesus, we can enter in boldly and draw all the strength we need to overcome the enemy. We need to stand in and appeal to our covenant as we "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb.10:22) From that vantage point, we then need to declare victory over every temptation and adverse circumstance before us. The Word of Their Testimony "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev.12:11) The words we speak are creative. They have the ability to create an atmosphere of faith and hope around us, or they can produce an atmosphere of doubt and dispar. As scripture says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]." (Prov.18:21 AMPL.) Thinking and speaking life takes a renewing of the mind and retraining of the tongue. By nature, most people are negative and programed toward death. They unconsciously think that everything in the natural "perishes with the using," (Col.2:22) so why should that not be their focus? As a partaker of Christ’s life, we should have an entirely different perspective toward life in general. Our speech and attitude should always convey the hope that is within, which in turn should be an encouragement to others in our presence. And I’m not talking about being religious where every conversation is sprinkled with "Praise the Lords," "Amens," and loud "Hallelujahs." I’m talking about having a genuine sense of destiny and focus as to what God’s goodness and provision has for us. Scripture says, "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." (Psa.107:2) Of course if we don’t believe he has redeemed us – in spite of what we might be experiencing at the moment – it will be difficult to express any confidence that he has done so. But this is where the spiritual warfare comes in: Do we agree with what God says about us, or do we agree with what the enemy tries to tell us through our circumstances? I’m not talking about a "mind over matter" philosophy, nor some humanistic "power of positive thinking" formula. Neither am I talking about motivational hype. If you think that’s what I’m saying, you don’t understand the warfare we’re engaged in. I AM talking about being so in love with Jesus, and being so focused on the glorious fulfillment of prophetic truth in the closing days of this age, that everything else dims by comparison. I AM talking about having such a passion in our spirit to see God’s kingdom come, that every puny attempt by the enemy to intimidate us is overruled by it. I AM talking about being so saturated with the promises of God that every suggestion of the deceiver is immediately recognized for what it is. Psalms 145 is a great challenge as to what our thoughts and conversation should be. I’ll only take time to point out a couple verses of its provoking instruction: "The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. "They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom." (Psa.145:9-12) As his children, we’re to bless the Lord by speaking of his glorious power and the majesty of his kingdom. This means the Lord is blessed by us when we testify to others of his goodness and tender mercies. What a radical thought! We can bless him, rather than always wanting him to bless us! We show our appreciation for what he has done for us by the words we speak to others. But before we can speak convincingly to someone else, we must first believe in what we’re saying. The Psalmist put it this way in Psalms 116:12-14: "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people." Try it: You might like it! Nothing is more powerful and defeating to the enemy than a personal testimony of the Lord’s goodness and caring mercies in the life of an individual. All of the enemy’s deceptive lies unravel in the face of such delivering truth. Agreement with God A principle given in Romans 10:10 is fundamental to overcoming the enemy by the word of our testimony. It says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Basically, we don’t actually believe what we won’t confess, and we won’t practically experience anything beyond what we profess faith in. Several key words in this verse help clarify the importance of this principle. First, we only believe what we are persuaded of and put trust in. For instance, we believe the lights will come on when we turn on the light switch; We believe the chair will support our weight when we sit down on it, and so on. The confession of what we believe, and the action that accompanies it, is the way we actually benefit from what we claim to believe. In other words, if we never turn on the light we claim to have confidence in, we’ll sit in darkness half of our life! And if we never sit down on the chair we claim will support us, we’ll get pretty tired over time. Likewise, if we believe we have new life in Christ, but never testify nor act in agreement with it, we won’t ever experience the delivering power that is fundamental to it. Consequently, salvation will only be an elusive concept to us, not a life-changing experience. Unfortunately, that is the situation of many "closet Christians" who never profess nor live what they claim to believe. Another important principle about being in agreement with God is found in Mark 11:23-24. Jesus taught this precept after he had cursed the fig tree, thus demonstrating the power of words. "Truly I say to you," he said, "whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be (granted) him. "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be (granted) you." (NAS) The tense of verse 24 is important to note. Believing we have received what we’ve asked for puts us into an attitude to actually have our petitions granted. In other words, we position ourselves with the answer to our request, rather than with the request itself. If we don’t do that, we’re essentially disagreeing with Jesus when he said that our Father knows we have certain needs, even before we seek them. (See Lu.12:30) As a principle, identifying with our perceived need is to doubt that God’s "divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence." (2 Pet.1:3 NAS) For example: Instead of asking the Lord to meet your needs, thank him that your needs are being met – even before you actually see them met. Instead of pleading with the Lord to save a loved one, thank him that he is working in their lives to bring them to himself. I don’t give this as some formula, but as a deep down conviction that God has already provided everything we need for both our physical and spiritual life. The challenge is to believe it and position ourselves in faith to receive it. Some misguided people have taken these principles completely out of context and fabricated a "name it and claim it, blab it and grab it" doctrine for their own agenda. But the truth is, we must confess our agreement with God’s word if we expect to have our petitions granted, and this is especially true when it comes to overcoming the lies of the enemy. The ultimate intention of the faith and confession principles is our redemption from the hand of the flesh, the world, and the devil, not a greater accumulation of goods and divine service. Neither is overcoming the tactics of the enemy a mere indication of successful crisis management: It is the expected way of life for all who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. The Power of the Spoken Word "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (Jn.1:1-3) These familiar verses give us a glimpse into the power of words. In the scriptural record of creation, God brought everything forth by his word. Time and again the creation account states, "and God said," and whatever he said, came forth. In fact, Hebrews 11:3 tells us that even"the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed – fashioned, put in order and equipped for their intended purpose – by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible." (AMPL) The first act of Adam exercising dominion over creation was by his spoken word. He did this when God brought every living creature to him, and whatever he called them, "that was the name thereof." (Gen.2:19) That was an example to all mankind that dominion (that is, being the one who is in authority, i.e., stronger) is directly related to the spoken word. It was also the spoken word that brought about the fall of man and the forfeiture of his dominion over creation. Eve hearkened to the misleading words spoken by the tempter, then in agreement with what she believed to be true, "she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." (Gen.3:6) The rest is history. The spoken word was the determining factor in the lives of the people God involved in bringing forth the new covenant as well. First, it was an angelic visitation to Zacharias with the announcement that he and Elizabeth would have a son. In complete disregard of the prayers they had been praying, Zacharias looked at the overwhelming circumstances of his and Elizabeth’s own inability and said to the angel: "Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." (Lu.1:18) The angel’s response didn’t take Zacharias’ age into consideration, but rebuked his spoken unbelief, saying "Behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." (Lu.1:20) Apparently Elizabeth had greater faith, because she did conceive in her old age and became the mother of John the Baptist. A few months later, Mary also received an angelic visitation. Gabriel told her she would conceive in her womb and bear a child who would "be called the Son of the Highest: and the LORD God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." (Lu.1:32) Not understanding how such a word could possibly be fulfilled, the young woman asked innocently, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (vs.34 NAS) Mary’s question was not in unbelief as Zacharias’ had been, but merely a question as to how the word could possibly be fulfilled in her chaste and unmarried state. "And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. For nothing will be impossible with God.’" (vs.35, 37 NAS) In spite of that mind boggling and unprecedented statement, and without considering the social stigma of such a pregnancy, Mary replied simply, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word." (vs.38 NAS) Her guileless confession of faith and agreement with the angel’s word brought about its fulfillment in due course. Here we can see the difference between appropriating a word given by the Lord, (to take possession of or to make use of something exclusively for oneself) and "naming it and claiming it" according to much of the faith teaching of today. There were probably many young virgins in Israel at that time who would have loved the honor of being the vessel through whom the promised Messiah would come. They could have "named and claimed" their request every day of their lives, hoping the Lord would eventually answer their insistent claim, but they could not have forced the Lord to choose them. That choice belonged within God’s sovereignty. When Mary was chosen as the vessel to bring Jesus into the world, she agreed with the word by faith and "took possession of it for herself," in spite of how overwhelming the word was to her. Her confidence was not based in her ability to fulfill it, but in the integrity of God who gave it. She simply agreed with God’s promise and confessed her confidence in it to him, then relied on his ability to fulfill it in and through her. But if God had not given her that promise, all her believing and confessing would have been in vain. This principle is what enables us to take full possession of every provision given in the new covenant purchased by the blood of Jesus. Knowing he has overcome the flesh, the enemy, and the world, we can also overcome them by identifying with his life. This means that every time we’re faced with the lies of the enemy, we draw upon and confess that his life, his power, his authority, and his provisions are in us. When we stand in complete identification with the overcoming life of Jesus in us, the battle in any adverse situation is won. They Loved not their Lives "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev.12:11) The greatest hindrance to overcoming the enemy is our love affair with our own life. Therefore, the most effective strategy the tempter uses is to keep us focused on our natural life, because he knows that if he can keep our attention there, he has won the war. You might think that because you’ve been born again, the life you now live is not all that bad. Yes, the occasional sin causes you to stumble momentarily, but you know forgiveness is available to cleanse you from it. Certainly you don’t engage in obvious fleshly sins, and you have a respectable place in society and the church. But in spite of all its honorable trimmings, your life is still your life. As long as you are content with life on the natural plain, that’s what you’ll have – natural life. But if you really have been "risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col.3:1-2) Jesus gave the right perspective when he told the people who claimed they wanted to follow him: "Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters – yes, more than his own life – otherwise he cannot be my disciple. And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me." (Lu.14:26-27 TLB) The point Jesus made is that even natural, moral, and legal relationships have to be in a correct perspective in order to be his disciple. He had just given the parable of the man who had invited many people to a supper he had prepared, only to have the invited guests give all kinds of excuses as to why they couldn’t attend. Their excuses were legal, moral, and responsible, but they were all excuses that pertained to natural life. (See Lu.14:16-24 and INSIGHT vol.9/num.4, "It’s Supper Time") Consequently, none of those guests ever came to his table. Jesus said that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Mt.6:21) In other words, whatever we consider to be precious will determine where our affection and focus is, and where we’ll spend our energies. If we’re more concerned with the natural things of our present life than we are with the spiritual things of our new life in Christ, we will never win the war in the heavens and obtain the prize of our high calling. The Apostle Paul was an example of having a right perspective. He said, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." (Phil.3:8) Notice that it was his choice to "take up his cross" and follow the Lord, no one made it for him. The things he counted as dung, in comparison to what was available to him in Christ, were very respectable. He had been born among the right people; He had been educated in the right school; He had a prestigious place in his religion, and a practically unprecedented zeal for God. But he had come to realize that none of those things mattered when it came to knowing the life of Jesus and the power of his resurrection. Having a passion to know the power of the resurrected Christ, Paul told the Philippians, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil.(3:13-14) If we’re to win the spiritual war we’re in and overcome the enemy, we too must let go of the "things" of the natural life. Notice that I did not say the "sins" of the natural life. Our natural life, as good and respectable as it might be, is still the life of Adam and under the curse of God. Therefore, ANY part of it that we give more priority to than we give to knowing the life of Christ will keep us from gaining the victory over Satan. Neither will we know the salvation, the authority, the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, unless we begin living in his resurrected life and love it more than the natural life we’ve been rescued from. Second Corinthians 5:14-15 says it well: "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:" (Before God, all mankind died in Adam. Otherwise, he would not have needed to provide the means for us to be made alive again through Christ.) "And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." Since the resurrection life of Christ is the only life acceptable to God, and Jesus is the one who paid the ransom for our deliverance, should we not live in the life he made available for us, rather than insisting on living in the death he redeemed us from? How acceptable our natural life is to society is irrelevant: It will never live before God. The resurrection life of Christ is the only life that will maintain an eternal victory over the devil. Therefore, if we truly want to overcome him, we must "put off the old man with his deeds," and "put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." (Col.3:9-10) The only way we can do that is to love the life of Christ more than our own. An example came out of the recent massacre in a Colorado high school of a young Christian who chose the life of Christ over her own. She had been converted for only a couple years, but when faced with the decision to deny her faith in the Lord or face immediate death, she looked into the eyes of her demonized assailant and chose to remain faithful. She was killed an instant later. Shortly after Cassie Bernall’s untimely death, her family found the following lines she had written just two days before she died. I include them to provide an inspiration to take seriously the warfare we’re in. "Now I have given up on everything else "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." May all who aspire to overcome and stand victorious take heed.
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