Dead or Alive:

            Rendered powerless him who had the power of death:                    

Hebrews 2:14-15

14     Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

     15     and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

     

            Before Jesus came, man had no assurance in what the future held after death. What would it be like? Would it be oblivion? Or would it be some fantastic, but very much worldly place? With no certainty about what was to come, man was filled with fear about the hereafter … that is, if there was one. Jesus went through the same possibility for fear. He shared in our flesh. He had the potential of dying at any time. He had to have faith in His Father that no matter what it seemed like, His Father was going to be there to “catch” Him. He had to believe that the Father would raise Him from the dead. We should have the same confidence. We should believe that one day the Father will raise us from the dead also. Hallelujah!

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You have heard Me say it before that you are over-comers. You have no need to fear the devil. He cannot do you any harm as you walk in My Word. I will show you how to be victorious in all areas of your life. You cannot fail. You will be victorious over him. He once dominated you, but now he has been rendered powerless. He is a toothless lion, but only if you trust in Me. He devours those that let him; but you do not have anything to fear of him for you shall be victorious over him in all things.”

            66. The devil has been rendered powerless and has no power over me. Therefore, I have been set free and have nothing to fear from him or death.

            

Answered Prayer:

            Ask according to His will:

John 16:23-24

23     “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.

     24     “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

     

1 John 5:14-15

14     This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

     15     And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

  

            These two Scriptures together are breathtaking! If we ask in Jesus’ name for anything that is according to the Father’s will, it’s ours! You can take it to the bank. Of course, we must determine what His will is. The best way to do that is to continually read and reflect upon His Word. You can’t know His will without knowing His Word. Then we have the legal authority to speak on His behalf in any situation … for ourselves and for others. It is like a legal document that gives us the power of attorney to act in His name. When we abide by the document, we just speak the Word, and it is ours. This, of course, is not a license to get just any old thing that we want no matter whether it’s good for us or not with disregard of its effect on others. It’s according to His will, which is always good, acceptable, and perfect.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I would not tell you to ask Me for something if I were not going to give it to you. As you stay in My Word and in My Spirit, you will not ask Me anything amiss. You can be sure that I will hear you, and that I will answer your prayers. I will do what I said I would do for you. Ask Me! I want to supply your every need so that you may live victoriously. You will be a shining light unto Me that will draw others to Me. When you realize the power that is in your prayers, you will not hesitate to ask miracles of Me with confidence. For I will do for you whatever it takes to make you succeed in the midst of a perverse generation.”

            65. As I read His Word daily, I will come to know what His will is for my life. I can then ask in Jesus’ name for anything according to His will. I can then be certain that I will receive whatever I have asked for.

Greater is He who is in us:

1 John 4:4

4     You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

     

            Have overcome them … not - maybe will overcome them. This is actually the Greek perfect tense. It means that it happened in the past, and has effects in the present of the one saying or writing the word. When Jesus died on the cross, that is when we overcame. His action two thousand years ago, affects my life today. Because He who is living inside is greater than all, then we can always overcome whatever comes against us. We overcome, because He overcame. Surely it was perfect!

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You have heard Me that you are over-comers. My Son, who won the victory at the cross, is inside you. He cannot fail. He will always be victorious. He it is who is inside you and will be victorious in you if you will only believe. He will take you over the top because He knows how to be victorious. You shall reign in life when you allow Him to have His way. He always reigns victoriously and will bring about victory in your life as you let Him.”

            64. Because He is in me, I have overcome all those against me. That’s because He who is in me is greater than anyone who is in the world. I am an overcomer!

Results in Your Life

  

            Having a relationship with the Father and the Son as your destiny is a glorious thing. But what about our every day life? Is there a destiny to how all that we’ve seen up until this time shapes our lives? What can we confidently anticipate happening as a consequence of our being Christians? How will our lives be altered or shaped as a matter of course?

Overcoming:

            Overcomes the world:

1 John 5:4-5

4     For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

     5     Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

     

            Are you born of God? Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? Then you overcome the world! The world and its system are very powerful in the lives of people. They work insidiously (the last three letters give you a clue as to what that word means) to affect everyone on earth. “You deserve it … now! It doesn’t matter what it takes, or whom it hurts. Only you matter.” The great I. That’s what did in Satan. He wanted to be like the Most High. He wanted to rule the Universe. While man knows he can’t rule the Universe, he tries to rule his own little universe around himself. Sure, we get tired of everyone telling us what to do. But we can’t stoop to trying to run things ourselves with disregard for how it affects others. Through our faith in Jesus and what He accomplished for us, we can rise above the world’s ways. We can overcome the world.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children … you have been told by the devil that you are nothing, and you have believed him. Know this – that you have been chosen by Me, not to be run over by him at his will, but to be overcomers in all areas of your life. You are the head and not the tail; you are above and not beneath. You are the ones to achieve all that I have planned for you, and you cannot do that without being overcomers. You shall not fail as long as you trust Me to provide all that you need. You shall achieve great exploits in Me. You shall be the victorious ones. You shall not fail because I cannot fail.”

            63. I have been born of God. Therefore, I overcome the world through my faith. I am no longer a loser, but a winner. I shall have victory because I have believed that Jesus is the Son of God.

       So we see the importance of the Word in bringing about our destiny. We need it for direction and to provide the Spirit with material to work with. We don’t always have a “word from Heaven” to direct us. We need the written Word to help us to go on the right path. Even when we do get a “divine direction”, we should make sure it agrees with the Word. God will never disagree with Himself. His word spoken to you through someone else or through your spirit will always agree with His written Word. If not, watch out.