November 22, 2007
Yesterday I said would start a mini-series of positive affirmations. This morning I received this from one of our ministry members and decided it was a timely word for today. The series will resume tomorrow.
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 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. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20
As
I awoke this morning thinking of the Thanksgiving and all I have to be thankful
for, the Lord brought Luke 10:20 to my mind. It was an ancient custom in
kingdoms to write the names of all the citizens as they were born, in a public
register so that families might be known and the inheritances preserved. As we
come to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our names are written in the
Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven as well. In a kingdom, when you are given
authority by the king, others are subject to you because of his name. We as
believers have been give authority over the enemy. Nothing he brings your way
can harm or hurt you as long as you are in submission to the King. This is your
inheritance as a child in the kingdom.
The
seventy returned with joy, and I would venture to say happily surprised, because
their prayers were answered and the enemy obeyed their commands. We too, often
find ourselves in awe and sometimes surprised when our prayers are answered or
the enemy is subject to us. However, this is our inheritance and should be the
norm if we ourselves are subject to Christ. He told us this would happen in Mark
16:16-18, “And these signs will accompany those who
believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it
will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they
will get well."
Jesus
replied to the seventy that He saw Satan fall from heaven. We too, will see
Satan fall from the hearts of those we preach the gospel to. It is what we are
called and trained to do! Are you surprised when you take your car into the
mechanic and he actually fixes it? No, we would be disappointed if it was
returned to us not working properly. Jesus wasn’t surprised. He did add a word
of warning to the seventy: Be careful to place your joy in the right place. If
we focus on our gifts, our power, or our abilities, all which were given by God
in the first place, we risk falling. Satan fell from heaven because of his
pride. The Bible warns us in Proverbs 16:18, Pride goes
before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Instead our joy
is to be because: