CFVM Solingen
God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.
Ephesians 1v3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
We are seated where those blessings are.
Ephesians 2v6
And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
So we should not pray, “Lord bless so and so”, instead we should pray that they will receive the blessings that God has already given to them. That is why Paul prayed the Ephesians prayer for the believers at Ephesus. He wanted their spiritual eyes to be enlightened, in order for them to see what they have already received in Christ and for them to lay hold of it.
Ephesians 1v17-23
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
We are seated with Christ in heavenly places far above the enemy and far above every name that is named.
What is your position as a believer?
You need to know who you are and your authority you have in Christ.
Matthew 28v18-20
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen
Luke 10v19
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.
God has given you authority over all the power of the enemy. All authority is in the name of Jesus. When you use the name of Jesus, you are exercising your authority over the enemy. You have been given a name that is above every other name.
Philippians 2v9-11
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Mark 16v17-18
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
As a believer you can cast out demons. You can cast the devil and his demons out of your affairs.
The Position of the devil
Jesus stripped satan of all his power and authority that he once had.
Colossians 2v15
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Hebrews 2v14
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
1 Peter 5v8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The devil is always walking around like a roaring lion. He is not a lion. We are righteous. The righteous are bold as a lion.
Justification
When you get born again, you become instantly justified or righteous.
2 Corinthians 5v21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Sanctification
Sanctification on the other hand is a process. Through this process we get rid of habits and ways which are not of God. This process allows us to grow as Christians and become more like Jesus.
2 Peter 3v18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 3v18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Salvation of the Soul
This is still the sanctification process, where our soul is being saved. Your spirit was saved, your soul is being saved and your body will be saved.
James 1v21
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
This is where many Christians are. They are saved but they have never taken the time to save their souls. They continue to live and act as the world does, even though they are new creations in Christ. Their minds need to be renewed with the Word of God.
Romans 12v1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12v2 NLT
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
God transforms you and changes you into a new person by the way you think.
Our mind is the Battle Ground
Your soul is made up of your mind, your will and your emotions. Satan attacks in the mind. He knows that if you change your mind, your way of thinking, he will not be able to rule over you anymore.
Proverbs 23v7
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you won’t. How do you see yourself? The way you see yourself will determine the way others see you.
The Life of Gideon
Judges 6v11-16
Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” 13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” 14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” 15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Gideon saw himself as poor, the least but that is not how God saw him. God saw him as a mighty man of valour. Gideon had to change the way he saw himself. We need to change the way we see ourselves.
Gideon was in hiding. After he realised who God said he was, he came out of hiding and defeated the very enemy he was afraid of. Get into the Word and find out who you are and Whose you are.
The Power of the Tongue
Proverbs 18v21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Deuteronomy 30v19
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.