03-27-13 Tenebrae Wednesday

Why is Wednesday of Holy Week called Tenebrae? Tenebrae - is literally translated from Latin to mean 'darkness' or sometimes we'll see the word   'shadow'. 

Both are true.  In the evening of today, many church will observe a solemn, quiet service - where the lights are turned down slowly and the candles or lamps are extinguished to symbolize the shadow of the darkness of the suffering that Jesus endure in the next few days.

This evening turns our focus off of the miracles that Jesus performed; the parables He spoke; the triumphal entry into Jerusalem where people, including children were shouting out 'Hosanna in the Highest - Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord'; the driving out of thieves from His temple.  

It's interesting to note that Hoshana (Hebrew) literally means 'Save us'.  The people were looking to Jesus to be their great deliverer from the hand of Rome.  To us now it's a term of adoration, because He has become the Great Deliverer in our lives in many, many way.  

Tonight takes our focus off ourselves and our own suffering and places our focus on the suffering that Jesus went through to 'Save us'.  

It's a time to reflect; a time to remember; a time to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord - Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."  Tonight - many of us have church services to go to or times of reflection.  

Let us all remember what the next few days represent and really put some thought into what it means personally to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God, the Father - just as Jesus was no doubt beginning to think the same thing.
We know how the story ends (or was that just the beginning?) - but let's go back with Jesus to where He was during this time - let's share in His sufferings and really make this Resurrection season meaningful for not just today, but throughout our lives.  

May this be a day of quiet reflection.  May you be changed by sacrifice.

No Sacrifice - Jason Upton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGV_LEnx79I

03-26-13 Holy Tuesday

On this day, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  There are several roads we can travel down today.  I want to focus on one of them.

John 12: 23-29 States that Jesus knew the time had come for Him to fulfill the mission God had given Him on this earth.  The parable He gives is about a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground.  When it dies and is buried, it comes back up to produce many more seeds.  To give life, if you will, to many.  He could have stayed away from Jerusalem, but He chose to go - to go to His death so that we might Live.  He goes one to say that His soul (His mind, will and emotions) were troubled, but He knew why He had come to this point in time.  He actually praised Father and Father answered in a voice that others around Him heard.  He glorified His Name through Jesus and He would glorify His Name again when Jesus rose from the grave.  

Jesus then said that "now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” I'm reminded as many people are Numbers 21, the people had once again given in to complaining and such... God sent a plague of snakes - I would say as a kind of discipline.  Many people were bit and died. The people repent right quick.  The Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole and those who looked at it would be made whole.  It was a symbol of their suffering and a symbol of the consequences of their sin.  Just as Jesus taking on our suffering was our salvation and the consequences of our sin was His death.  It would've been our death if He would not have consented to go through with these final days.  

People questioned whether or not He was the Messiah, saying things like "We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” 

I don't think Jesus even really answered their question. He basically just said either faith to believe that I am the Messiah or not, but there are consequences if you don't.  

“You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” 

WE are children of the light, because we put our faith in Who He says He is.

Then, when all was said and done, he left to go away by Himself - He wanted to be alone - with Father (He wasn't really alone).  If I had the weight of the world about to be put on my shoulders, I would want to be alone also.  He was starting to prepare Himself for the coming days - I can't even begin to imagine what was going through His mind and heart.  I also believe His mind and His heart wasn't on just Himself, but what was He going to leave His disciples with?  

Lift Up the Suffering Symbol - Michael Card  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5E8CmqGVVI

03-23-13 Releasing Pain - The Flip Side

Isaiah 61 (Like the whole thing) "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."

 

Wow - there just didn't seem to be a good place to break in this chapter.  And yes, I did go a little crazy with the highlighter also, but hey, it's my blog ;)

There's really only one thing I want you to see:  The Lord is a God of ACTION.  When His children hurts, He moves into ACTION.  Now, we may not see it at the time - and wonder where in the heck He is/was.  But when we ask Him where He was when we were hurting, He shows us... look for Him.  He was there. 

Bad people do bad things out of the hurt in their own lives - that's not to excuse them - but it's to say that the Lord gave them free will as well as He's given us free will to do with what we will.  He didn't create us to control our actions or even the actions of others.  But He did promises He would NEVER leave us or forsake us.  He was there... and He was hurting... just like He hurt for us while He was on the Cross.

Look at the highlighted portions. Words, such as; Bind up, Proclaim freedom, Release, Comfort, Provide, Bestow, Rebuild, Restore, Renew, Reward.  Does that sound like a God Who sits idly by and lets us suffer for our own sins or the sins of others?  No. 

Meditate on the highlighted portions above.  Let Him speak to you today.

Beautiful, Beautiful - Francesca Battistelli (one of my faves)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB5BlYsn6nk

 

 

 

03-22-13 Releasing Pain - Anger

Ephesians 4:26-32 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 

"In your anger do not sin." Really? No, I mean R-E-A-L-L-Y? 
Now, how in the heck am I supposed to do THAT? I mean, c'mon, I'm really ticked off here.  God's bringing all this 'stuff' up and I can't even get angry?
That's not exactly what it say, it says basically - yeah, we can be angry; but don't harbor resentments, don't become calloused, don't turn away from the Lord and away from all that He's done in us.  Anger is a 'secondary' emotion anyway, so I've heard.  It seems to be the 'primary' emotion that pops up in my life though.  Why is that?  Well, don't you think it's a lot easier to be angry over something that's happened, than to deal with the pain and the wounds underneath.  Ouch!  Yeah, I know. 
We can be angry at the sin against done against us - God is angry over the sin done against us.  He doesn't want to see us hurt.  He doesn't particularly like sin, it's oppose to His holiness.  The Father turned His face from Jesus because of all the sin that was on Jesus.

Jesus, at times was angry because of wrong.  Look at Mark 3:5 or how about Matthew 21:12-13 - I don't think he overturned their tables politely, He was sickened by what they had turned the temple into - it was a place of worship, not making money.  Or Luke 17:1-3 "Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them."  It's within our best interest to forgive them anyway, to release our 'hold' on them so we can get on with our own lives. 
But did you see what He said.  "Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come" but He's not very being all that nice and cozy with the ones who cause us to stumble - He goes on to tell us to 'watch ourselves'. 
Does this mean God hates us.  NO! NO! NO! and by the way, NO!  God is a God of love.  He loves the sinner, the sinner is still His child.  If they continue to sin and not turn to Him - ever - and die in their sins, then there are consequences that may seem contrary to His love.  But His desire is to see everyone come to repent of their sin and be restored to Him as Father to Child.  He sent Jesus into the world to die for sinners because He hates the sin clinging to them.  He wants to wash all the sin, the anger, the pain off.  All of that is not from Him.  He hates to see us suffer under all that, even if we don't THINK we're suffering. 
He wants us to be free to love the way He loves - forgive the way He forgives - to comfort the way He comforts.  To do that we need to shed off the anger, allow the pain to flow - 'but you don't know what they did to me'.  Doesn't matter.  Jesus took it upon Himself, so that we can be free.
Let's take a step towards being free today.

The Hurt and the Healer - MercyMe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrPQ-isJnd8

03-21-13 Release Pain - "Wasted" Years

Joel 2:25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed." NIV

 

Joel 2:25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame."

 

I know in my own life that when I looked back a couple years ago, right after the Lord finished a season of healing in my life - I felt a sense of loss for all the years that had been 'wasted'.  The years that had been 'wasted' on my own sin, the years that had been 'wasted' on dealing with the effects of others sin against me.  The years 'wasted' mentally - because I couldn't remember much of the past 15 or so years that I've been on this healing journey - and even less before that.  Spiritually 'wasted' because I could have been doing so much for God IF this didn't happen or that didn't happen.  Emotionally 'wasted' because of all the energy and time it takes to process the wrongs we've done and the wrongs done by others.  Physically 'wasted' because time goes on.  Whether we're in the 'right' frame of mind or not, we do keep getting older.

 

Sometimes, in this case, we do feel a loss and it's real.  We HAVE lost time.  We may feel a loss - a grief that tells us that we'll never get those years back.  That we've wasted 'X' number of years ourselves; dealing with our issues, not dealing with our issues, trying to cover up our issues - and not doing so great a job at that - they always seemed to come back....

 

BUT, what IF those years really WEREN'T wasted?  What IF those years were some sort of 'training ground'.  I'm not saying the Father put us there, because He doesn't do that.  People put us 'there' - WE put us 'there' - the demonic puts us 'there' and sometimes, circumstances beyond our control put us 'there'. 

 

But what IF those years, could be redeemed?  Did you just feel a twinge of hope inside?  Y'know, it's happened before. 

Look at the life of Moses... he started out his life being abandoned float down a river to who knows where.  He was picked up by the Egyptians... and just any Egyptians but Pharoah's household.  Later, He even killed someone.  But look how God used him to bring about a mighty literal deliverance of the people of God. 

Look at the life of Joseph, his brothers threw him in a well and sold him into slavery.  He spent many years in Egypt, slowing rising from slavery to being very important to Pharoah.  God used him to save people from famine and restore his family.

Look at the life of Paul.  He spent years and years studying the laws and went around persecuting- even killing Christians.  Jesus met him when he least expected it and totally transformed his life.  He went around preaching the gospel of Jesus to everyone that the Lord sent him to.

 

1 Corinthians 1:27 "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty..."  

 

Go ahead, look up some of the 'great' Bible characters... see where they were before God started to use them.  If the years that the locusts had eaten in their lives could be redeemed and redeemed in Power and Authority, then ours can be also! 

 

Let us today, take back what is rightfully ours.  We have an inheritance in Christ.  We are co-heirs with Him.  Everything the Father has is ours.  Will we take hold of it?  Can we take our eyes off of the 'lost' past and put our eyes on what the Lord has for us now?  Knowing that what we have been through He so totally can use for His glory in someone else's life, if we let Him?  Or will we continue to mourn the loss of those years and stay bound up in grief. 

 

Let's shed those 'wasted' year graveclothes and put on the righteousness of God in Jesus; shedding the shame and grief and embracing the here and now.

 

Sharon Daugherty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZxb9oOo-O8

 



03-20-13 Release - Pain Part 3

2 Corinthians 7:10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.."

 

So, we left off yesterday putting our faith in the facts (Truth) and not so much in our emotions.  I explained that emotions are good, they let us know when some is wrong and can even be rather pleasant at times. 

 

If we haven't really didn't have that great of an upbringing, we need to be careful that we don't associated ALL emotion as being 'bad' or painful - therefore, we make a 'vow' that we aren't going to 'feel' anymore.  We just walk around in life like little robots - maybe even slipping into apathy.  Apathy is indifference - not feeling one way or another - neither sorrow, nor excitement; neither happy, nor sad.  Doesn't sound like LIFE, does it?  That's not how our lives were designed to be. 

 

That's the thief coming to steal the the joy in Jesus that is rightfully ours, to kill (or deaden) our ability to receive or give love, to destroy (or shred) our minds and hearts towards any sort of sense of peace.  BUT Jesus came to give LIFE and to give LIFE in abundance (to the full) - John 10:10.

 

So, what is the Truth?  We will focus on one today.  When we've done our part with God and man and still 'feel' guilty over what was done in the past - that's the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).  It's demonic influence whispering in our ears that we're still stained and dirty. 

 

I'm reminded of Isaiah 6, the Word says, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  'Woe to me!' I (Isaiah) cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'

 

I thought about why these verses were brought to my attention, and this is what my thoughts turned towards...  Isaiah was repenting of sin.  Having 'seen' the Lord - he came to believe, in a very dramatic experiential way, in The Only Power greater than himself.  Other versions say 'I am undone', which signifies humility and brokenness.

The seraphim to a live coal from the altar.  Altars were for sacrifice - the coal was burnt.  I thought about Jesus on the Cross was The Sacrifice for our sin.  I thought about coal - coal gives heat, fire, power.... Jesus sent us Holy Spirit cleansing fire.  The coal touched his lips.  Matthew 15:11 "What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them. Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. " When the burning coal - the cleansing fire of Jesus' sacrifice by the Power of the Holy Spirit - touched his lips and made him CLEAN!

 

When we repent and turn our eyes to Jesus and accept His cleansing fire in our hearts and minds, we are clean.  John 8:36 "So if (since)the Son sets you free, YOU ARE FREE INDEED."

The only thing that we need to do is accept that Truth and the lie of the accuser that says we are still 'guilty' is obliterated.

 

Set Me Free - Casting Crowns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2HwtWLokSc

 

Be free of guilt in the Name of Jesus!

03-19-13 Release - Pain Part 2

2 Corinthians 7:10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.."

 

Yeah...yeah, I know... we've already talked about repentance.  What I want to talk about is grief.  Today, particularly grief over our sins that can cause us pain - even after we've repented and turned away from those sins and made amends to whoever we had to, if we had to.

Most times when focusing on this verse I've seen 'ok, if I have sorrow over my sin than that leads me to repentance' - and I get it.  If I feel some discomfort about something, I want to get rid of it.  Sometimes the Lord will let us feel uncomfortable until we do something about it. 

But what I believe the Lord wants us to focus on today is that after we've repented, turned away, removed ourselves from any association with the sin, made amends - it's done.  It leaves no regret... eventually. 

In the Lord's eyes it IS a done deal. Gone - "lock, stock and barrel" -great, now I'll have to look up to see where saying came from ;) 
But in OUR eyes, it's not so completely a done deal.  We may still 'feel' guilty over what we've done in the past - we may see all those years we've 'wasted' and 'feel' saddened by the loss - we may 'feel' like it's still all our fault when we go to make amends and that person doesn't accept our repentance - we may 'feel' sadness over any number of things.  But we do not have to accept those feelings as truth.  I realize at least in my own life... that my emotions sometimes need to catch up with the truth.  They tend to lag behind - like I did on my first marathon ;) - The winner finished and I was 3 1/2 hours behind - but I did finish. That's the kind of 'lag' I'm talking about - just like me in the marathon, our emotions will eventually catch up... if we turn our eyes to the truth.
It is grief and it's real and it feels crummy, but remember that train picture (fact first, faith second, feelings last)?  We don't need to stay in that place of grief!  If we do decide to stay there, we will slowly die inside, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and it can even affect us physically. 
We don't put our faith in our emotions, we put our faith in the facts - The Truth.

Tune in tomorrow.... for the rest of the story....

Blessings to you today!


 

03-18-13 Release - Pain

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

 

Sometimes sin is the issue and sometimes sin is the cover for an deeper issue.  So now that the sin has been taken care of by our realization of it, our asking forgiveness by repenting, and our rebuking the enemy - removing the demonic influences from our lives; there may be some pain that the Father wants to remove.  There may be some wounds that He wants to heal.

"Whoa, wait a minute.  The past is the past and I just don't want to go there.  Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, wore out the t-shirt.  I've been through the stuff once, I am not going to go through it again."

 

Ok.  The Lord is gentleman and He is incredibly patient.  He knows that if our desire is to grow in Him, then we will eventually have to let Him into those areas that make us squirm and gives us that sinking feeling inside.  That's fear.  Why do we sense that apprehension, fear or sheer terror whenever we think about getting down into the 'heart' of the matter (pun intended)?

 

I think it's two-fold.  One, the enemy does not want us to be free.  C'mon, he's here to kill, steal and destroy.  That's their job description.  Bring confusion.  Keep us in bondage.  Make every effort they can to block us from receiving more of the Lord's mercy and grace in our lives.  Why?  Because they know our potential once we are free. We have all the Power of Christ at our disposal. When we are truly set free from the pain - the grief - the wounds of the past, we become unstoppable warriors in our Lord's army! 

 

The other reason is it hurts!  Normal people do NOT like pain... and especially the emotional kind.  The kind that after we become defensive and angry with all four walls enclosed around us - the Lord peeks in a crack and soon 'stuff' starts oozing out.... and then the dam breaks.  We feel like it NEVER going to stop - like how can someone cry for almost a solid hour (that seemed like days, by the way)?  Where do all the freaking tears come from?  Is there like some little widget guy in there in our tear ducts with some fire hose looking thing shooting them out?  Seriously!

 

No, it's the pain coming out.  It's all those bottled up emotions that led to the pain or that we felt after being wounded.  IT'S MORE THAN OK TO CRY - IT'S CLEANSING OUR SOULS! Yeah, I was like, 'so?' also.  But you know what, it's worth the pain to get it out... it really is.  Jesus will be right beside you... friends will be right beside you.  Whatever it is you need at that moment, when it's in the Lord's timing... if you let go of the junk you feel, He'll take it away and give you above all you could imagine. 

Ephesians 3:20 "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."

  

^{Worth the Pain - Disciple}

^{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX0aaYIUSKw}

03-16-13 Rebuking - How?

In the NIV version of the Bible - go to Biblegateway.com and type in (speak word) and then (spoken word). Altogether, there are 111 references to speaking out the Word of God and something happening.

Isiaih 55:10-11 "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

We learned a couple weeks ago about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. How did he overcome the devil? He spoke the word.

How do we rebuke the demonic in or around our lives, we speak out what we know to be true based on the Word of God and our Authority that Jesus has given us.

It's not enough to ask forgiveness and repent, we must kick the enemy out of our lives (through the Power of Holy Spirit Who lives in us). All Christians have this Power flowing in them - no matter if we feel it or not - if we have been baptized with Holy Spirit. See, in Acts 1, Father sent His Holy Spirit in Jesus Name down to His disciples so that they could receive power from on high. They needed the Power of God to heal the sick, cast out demons, overcome the power of the enemy at work in their lives. It's only through the Power of Holy Spirit that we even can remember. In John 14:26 Jesus says, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

Ok, the Lord is speaking to me also in this... I have this propensity to forget what they Lord has said about who I am and Whose I am - about Who He is - about what He's already accomplished in my life. So when trouble hits, I go pretty close to the edge of the deep end. I have a strong sense that He's not just talking to me. He wants us to remember what He said, so when we do realize we've slipped (or actually jumped) into sin - that we have a way out. For example, if I'm tempted to drink, I can say, "Spirit of Alcoholism and Addiction, I command you in the name of Jesus to leave me alone. I will not listen to you. I will not agree with you. The Word of God says 'Don't get drunk on wine (or high on drugs), but be filled with My Spirit.' I choose to be filled with the Spirit of the Living God, not go back to the death that is in the bottle, can or pill. Whom Jesus sets free, is free indeed. I will not turn back to you. I hate you and I will not be your friend - so get away from me. I choose to follow Jesus."

Sorry, got on my soapbox (an improvised platform, as one on a street, from which a speaker delivers an informal speech). I just couldn't resist looking it up. I think that's maybe a good temptation though ;) But that's what I'm striving to do when I'm caught in a particular sin or am tempted to sin. When I need help, I get help... I ask for help. Do I do it all the time? Unfortunately, no. Why? I forget. What do I do about that? Post it around the house, car, work (which you can have fun with because you can put one little word in an inconspicuous spot that no one else will notice - but you know it's there). Post the truth that you - that I - have been given all authority OVER all the power of the enemy. If say 'it' has to leave (in Jesus' Name - which means we're saying it under and with the authority of Jesus)... 'it' has to leave. No ifs, ands or buts.

Still on my soapbox... oh well, I get angry at the enemy. I don't like demonic influences in my mind - my thought, my emotions. I just do not like satan or his little minions. I want to rout the enemy - breaking and defeating them from working in and around and through my life. I want to serve Jesus and Him alone. You can make that your declaration also!

So, let's resolve to get rid of the sin in our lives - asking the Lord to reveal what He sees in us that needs to be cleaned out. Then let's clean it out. I want a clean house for my Lord to dwell in, what about you?

Word of God Speak - MercyMe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTY-UKgLlXs

03-15-13 Rebuking

To Rebuke: A strong expression of disapproval, as by one in authority; reprimand; reprove sharply.

So, we've learned that repenting is asking for forgiveness and turning away from the sin, renouncing is totally separating ourselves from any contact with that sin. What about rebuking? Should we rebuke the demonic and their influences in our lives? What about rebuking satan? Of course.

First of all, let's see what Jesus did.

Mark 4:39 He (Jesus) got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

This isn't talking about rebuking the enemy, but it is talking about the AUTHORITY Jesus has that even the natural elements obeyed His command.

Luke 9:42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

Ok, now this is more like it. There was this boy, who had maybe epilepsy or something like that. Whatever it was, Jesus discerned that it was an impure or unclean spirit in Him. Jesus used His AUTHORITY given to Him by Father to rebuke the spirit (sending it away from the boy), and the boy was healed.

Mark 1:25 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

Or what about this one? Some guy came into the church where Jesus was at and (the demonic) recognized him as the Son of God. Well, Jesus wasn't into letting that be fully known to everyone quiet yet. He rebuked the demon and the demon left the man.

Ok, two more verses Matthew 10:1 "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."

Luke 10:17-20 "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.”

What did He just do and say? Well, first He gave the authority He had to rebuke (drive out the enemy) and to heal to His disciples. Then He said to the 72 additional disciples (representing us) that He has given US His authority to overcome ALL the power of the enemy. The demons listened to them because they knew their AUTHORITY. But Jesus warned them / us not to get all worked up about casting out demons - like that should be the norm... really. But to rejoice because they / we are His.

"But wait, what about where it says that we shouldn't rebuke satan? Well, it doesn't quite say that. It was talking about Michael the archangel and we don't really know what authority he has. So, he said 'The Lord rebuke you (send you away)."

Jude 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."

Well, one thing we should know is that satan is a created being, not God's opposite. He is not all-powerful. He is not all-knowing. He is not everywhere. So, the chances of satan himself being around is quite slim. But his demonic horde are all around... trying to wreak havoc wherever they can get a foothold.

What's this mean to us. Well, it means that WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY to tell the demonic influences in our lives to get out of our lives. We don't need to go running to someone else all the time (though there are times when another believer is helpful). We can tell the enemy to flee in the Name of Jesus', because we bear the Name of Jesus' inside of us - and they MUST flee.

Isn't that good news? And Jesus is right there beside us with huge smile... saying well done.

So, let's get rid of the enemy's influences in our lives and shut those doors once and for all. It's not only possible - it's our heritage!

I'll finish with a quote from St. Augustine, "He who confesses and condemns his sins, already acts with God. God condemns your sins: if you also condemn them, you are linked on to God."