Adam disobeyed God, ‘the earth came under the dominion of darkness’ – Col 1:13
Satan became the “ruler of this world” – John 12:31
When you understand that, you can answer the nagging question:
“Why does God let things happen?”
The earth is under the dominion of darkness & Satan is the ruler of this world
Our purpose is to restore the Kingdom of God – King / Domain
God needs a body – to function legally in our domain. Emanuel God with us
Now, the spirit of God dwells in us
God needs our minds – The mind of Christ: regeneration then transformation
Eph 3:10. His intent is that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.
Both are areas of warfare: lust of the flesh
2 Cor 10:4-5
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
The mind can be a place of Strongholds
Thought patterns formed from how 1we were raised, 2experiences, & 3doctrine
Salvation (transformation) of our thought patterns
Submit our reasoning to the knowledge & mind of Christ
Thoughts not always sinful… just limiting us from the dominion God intended
Jude 5-6
I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day
When we don’t function in our dominion, we are subject to be bound in darkness
Darkness = ignorance
So, what do we need to avoid darkness? Knowledge
Hos 4:6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
The enemy wants to keep us ignorant of our true nature
We think being saved means simply believing God will do everything
We must come to know that God empowers us to do everything
Example of old thought pattern:
2 Chron 20:17. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
Bad doctrine has caused us to be ignorant, with a timid nature
This is what the Bible teaches about who I am & my nature
He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
5. John 14:12. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do
I play a critical role in what God does in the earth
When I pray, I am setting things in order for His dominion in the earth:
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
He has given me Keys – Open & Close, Bind & Loose
We are the ones who release God to act, or limit God
His activity is connected to the power in me
Eph 3:20. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
We are supposed to be involved in the counsel of God
1 Cor 2:16 (Is 40:13). "Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?
Or become His counselor?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Ex 32:9-14
And the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."
11 Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: "Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
We have quenched the Spirit – 1 Thess 5:19 Stop my spiritual nature
Our ignorance has kept us too passive, too timid
2 Kings 13:15-19
And Elisha said to [Joash, king of Israel], "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the Lord's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them."
18 Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped.
19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times."
Be aggressive – Don’t Quit
We are supposed to make things happen
Pray to understand and function from your spiritual nature
There are people who make things happen. There are people who watch thing happen.
And there are people who wonder “what happened?”
Successful people make things happen.