Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Romans 5:17
If by the sin of one man, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
The world is in a mess, but who is responsible and who can fix it… who is in charge, and can things really be fixed, or is what we are experiencing just the new normal?
Civil unrest, protests, political upheaval, economic recession, unemployment and covid 19 are continual news headlines… about one American is dying every minute of C-19, babies are being shot in the streets, and it seems like civil war may become a real possibility in America if something is not done soon… this global crises is just that, it goes beyond America’s borders to the whole world… something needs to be done, but who do we turn to?
Let me begin by asking some important questions…
IS GOD SOVEREIGNLY IN CHARGE?
IS THE DEVIL RUNNING THINGS?
ARE THE STRONGEST PEOPLE WITH THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP ABILITY IN CHARGE?
ARE ALL CHRISTIANS IN CHARGE?
Let’s briefly answer these questions in the light of the Word of God…
IS GOD SOVEREIGNLY IN CHARGE?
God is sovereign, and He is in charge, but He has delegated His authority to people…
Genesis 1:26-28 - Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” - So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. - Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
People say things like, “God has got this”, or “God is in control”, but the reality is that He has delegated dominion over the earth to human beings. If God had sovereign dominion authority over the earth, it would be like Heaven… do you think that there is covid 19 in Heaven? Do you think that there is sickness, poverty or war in Heaven? Of course not, that is because God has sovereign dominion over Heaven – when He has sovereign dominion, everything is wonderful!
IS THE DEVIL RUNNING THINGS?
Some say that the devil stole our dominion authority in the garden of Eden… we read how the devil deceived Adam and Eve, but we do not read anything about Adam and Eve or their descendants being robbed of their dominion authority.
The truth is that the devil did not and could not steal anything that God had given… he has not stolen our dominion authority over the earth! We are still in charge! He did, and does, however continually talk people into using their dominion authority to bring about disaster on earth – he influences people and deceives people that are open to his delusion.
The Bible says in Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
The devil and the spirits of darkness work in and through the sons and daughters of disobedience! He is not running things in the sense that he has dominion, he is doing his work through deceived people who have dominion.
The devil has limited ability to run what he can through the sons of disobedience (unsaved, deceived people)
ARE THE STRONGEST PEOPLE WITH THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP ABILITY IN CHARGE?
Strong people with great leadership ability are taking actions that do affect the lives of many, but all people are influenced by the spirit realm… mankind did not lose dominion authority, but many have yielded to deception and are now using their power to do the devil’s work… knowingly and unknowingly.
Let’s read Ephesians 2:1-2 again… “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…”
THE DEVIL WORKS THROUGH YIELDED, DECEIVED PEOPLE AND GOD WORKS THROUGH YIELDED ENLIGHTENED PEOPLE – ALL PEOPLE ARE INFLUENCED.
ARE ALL CHRISTIANS IN CHARGE?
NO, ONLY THOSE IN CHRIST, WHO RECEIVE AN ABUNDANCE OF GRACE AND THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS…
Romans 5:17 says, “If by the sin of one man, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 1:5-6 says that “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Many Christians claim to be apostles, prophets and God’s generals that are self-appointed, or appointed by men and not God. They are not reigning in life as kings and priests in Christ, they are only leading in the way of the world… only those who receive an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Why does God require that His kings and priests first receive an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness? Because the Father wants His leaders and His representatives who carry His power to lead His way with His heart! The Father will not make legalistic, ambition filled, fleshly, controlling individuals kings and priests in His kingdom!
Those that have received the revelation of grace and the revelation that they are righteous in Christ because of Jesus, and not because of their works humbly receive an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness… individuals who receive both grace and righteousness from the Lord lead differently from those who have not. They lead in love, in grace, as servants that bring freedom… not as legalistic, controlling rulers that bring subjection and bondage.
OUR AUTHORITY AS KINGS AND PRIESTS OPERATES THROUGH GRACE AND IN KNOWING THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A GIFT
GOD IS IN CHARGE AND HE HAS MADE US KINGS AND PRIESTS IN JESUS!
WE ARE IN CHARGE UNDER THE FATHER, IN JESUS NAME, AS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, ACCORDING TO THE WORD, AS LAID OUT IN THE NEW COVENANT!
WE DO NOT HAVE A BLANK CHECK OF AUTHORITY!
Recently a major global Christian leader and pastor, together with several global ‘so called’ apostles engaged in a bizarre — but what they called a “prophetic”— act to end racism in the America by reenacting the wizard Gandalf’s “You shall not pass” scene from the movie based “Lord of the Rings.”
One of them, dressed like a wizard, holding a wizard’s staff led the charade…
All of them held the wizard staff and slammed it onto the platform three times, declaring to the spirit of racism, “You shall not pass!”
This is not operating as kings and priests in Christ, exercising New Covenant authority of the believer! This is an example of a horrific lack of the Word in these leaders lives. Our authority is in Jesus Name, according to His Word as led by the Holy Spirit, not by using a wizard’s staff, dressed like a wizard, using the wizard’s words in some movie! JESUS HELP US!
The devil is not afraid of the wizard Gandalf or his staff, but he is afraid of Jesus, the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus and the Word of God!
OUR AUTHORITY IS SUBJECT TO…
THE FATHER, IN JESUS NAME, AS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, ACCORDING TO THE WORD, AS LAID OUT IN THE NEW COVENANT!
WE MUST REIGN IN GRACE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS, WE HAVE ONLY BEEN GIVEN DOMINION AUTHORITY IN CHRIST!
“FATHER, WE RECEIVE AN OVERFLOWING ABUNDANCE OF GRACE IN CHRIST, WE RECEIVE YOUR FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST, WE NOW REIGN IN LIFE AS KINGS AND PRIESTS UNDER YOUR AUTHORITY, THROUGH THE ONE, JESUS CHRIST!
WE COMMIT TO DO THE WORKS OF JESUS IN HIS NAME, WE COMMIT TO YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AS HE LEADS US TO BRING GOOD NEWS, FREEDOM, HEALING AND LIFE ABUNDANTLY TO ALL WHO WILL RECEIVE JESUS!
USE US TO DO MIGHTY MIRACLES IN JESUS NAME, USE US TO CAST OUT DEVILS, TO BE LIGHT TO THIS DARK WORLD, TO BRING A MESSAGE OF HOPE, TO BRING RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES AND TO PROCLAIM GRACE IN CHRIST TO THE NATIONS, IN JESUS NAME!”
Blessings on you, Nick
