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We claim the authority that is ours in Christ Jesus not by just knowing what the Bible says but acting on it in faith.  Living out what the word of God says!

Philippians 4:13

'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'

Acts 1:8

'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”'

John 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. '

As Christians we say we have faith in God’s love, and we find hope in His promises.  We need to go out into the world with a sense of purpose and authority that comes from that faith!  If you believe the Bible is God’s living word, then act on it and live it out in the eyes of others. 

Acts 1:8 emphasizes that when we receive the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to actively share our faith and witness for God. 

As I said we have to act on our faith and believe on God for the power that is in us from the onset of the Holy Spirit.

Living today in this world is very difficult but God’s power gives us the ability to live life in a way that aligns with the will of God and His purpose for us.

The power of God is life changing, it brings hope, strength and peace to our dark lives.  

Luke 17:20-21 says

20Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

21nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

If the Kingdom of God is within us then we need to harness that power and claim the victory in life, remember Philippians 4:13 clearly says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

That verse doesn’t say I can do some things it says I can do all things through Jesus!  Suppose the young boy David had of said I can’t, but he didn’t, he said in “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David grabbed his faith and claimed the victory that he knew he would have in God!

We have to harness that same power of Christ in our lives. This power is something we can’t understand or even fathom.  The power of Christ is one that we cannot resist nor should we want to. 

It’s a force that we need to embrace and yield to.  Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trust, and I am helped; my heart trust, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”

Smith Wigglesworth a British evangelist said:

“The trouble is that we do not have the power of God in a full manifestation because of our finite thoughts, but as we go on and let God have His way, there is no limit to what our limitless God will do in response to a limitless faith. But you will never get anywhere except you are in constant pursuit of all the power of God.”

The power of Christ in us is not limited to just certain areas of our lives.  It extends to every aspect.  Luke 10:19 says “behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Because of this power we can live victoriously in all areas of our lives.  Our faith gives us victory over the enemy.  This authority is to used to be a blessing to others, bringing healing to those in need.

Our authority in Christ is not a passive state, it is a call to engage.  It is a call to carry out God’s will on earth.  We can’t simply acknowledge His authority; we must live it out in our daily lives. 

We have to stand against the enemy and his scheming ways.  We have to proclaim the Gospel proudly and serve those in need.

We need to scream from the roof tops I am a child of God, and I claim victory in His name!

We join with each other as it says in 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you part of it”.  Our authority is not just for ourselves.  We are called to use our authority to build up the church and advance the kingdom of God.

We have to hold firm to the promises of God’s power.  We must claim the power of Christ Jeus in our lives.

These promises are not just words on paper.  They are assurances and guarantees that are never changing.  Hebrews 13:8 says “ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

 We have to go there in faith before we ever go there in the natural!

So you say ok Pastor how do I grab and hold on to the promises of God?  First off, we have to know the promises of God.  We must fill ourselves with the Word of God by reading it and meditating on it and yes even memorizing it.  If we know the promises of God, we can claim them in our lives.

Max Lucado said “Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want.  It is the belief that God will do what is right.”

God is not a genie that just gives us what we want.  He will do what is right for us and we have to trust that He will do what is right in His perfect will and timing.

We have victory Isaiah 41:13 says “For I the Lord you God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you”.  God’s infallible word is full of promises of victory like this!

Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

So we say we believe that the word is the infallible word of God and we know if we die tomorrow we will go to heaven then why not claim the victory now?

 

John 10:9-10 says it all Jesus came so we could have life and life more abundantly.

9 'I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.'

We must in the face of all adversity claim that life that Jesus promised.  We have to hang on to that promise even when it seems it make no sense at all.   The fake it till you make it idea doesn’t work we have to truly heart felt belief, trust and keep looking to Him every moment of everyday! 

We are soldiers in God’s army and God has a plan for us.  We have to be active in that plan not just bystanders. 

When we step out in faith, we need to remember that limb will hold us because God is holding the limb up and He will not let us fall.  We have to claim that victory that is Christ Jesus!