Does your focus provide power and authority to deal with the spiritual warfare waging against you?

Enjoying the Grace; Extending the Glory; Establishing the Throne From the laying on of hands to the casting out of demons the bible is full of examples that offer us a look at the effective use of power and authority. This season of consecration calls the church to focus on her access to heaven through Jesus Christ her High Priest that we might enjoy the grace, extend the glory and establish the throne of the kingdom of God. This dimension of kingdom life is not for those who, like lone rangers, attempt to work their specialized ministries without bridging their FOCUS (faith, obedience, commitment, unity, and servant-hood) in cooperation with the purpose of the church. Resisting evil is a key component of the gospel ministry given to the every believer in the church. Believers literally make up the Body of Christ on earth, and carry the seed of His life through the indwelling of His Spirit. However, when God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and returned Him to heaven, the enemy no longer had access to afflict Him as the seed of redemption. Following Jesus’ baptism, the bible says, the Spirit of God took Him into the wilderness of Judea. There Satan made his move immediately to tempt Jesus; God in His sovereignty allowed it as a test to prove the superior power and authority of His Son. When Jesus emerged victoriously, He immediately proclaimed the power and authority of the kingdom of God with signs and wonders. One of the signs was the exposure and expulsion of evil spirits, prophetically proclaimed in Genesis 3:15; “He will crush the enemies head.” What the church lacks in its focus is where the text goes on to say, “…and the enemy will strike his heel.” This is spiritual warfare and as New Testament believers we are in an ongoing attempt by the evil one to destroy the seed of God’s chosen redeemer Jesus Christ, the Lord. Jesus claimed victory over the evil one as He crushed the power of Satan and took authority in the wilderness, in the Garden of Gethsemane and finally on the Cross. The forces of darkness, in their unrelenting attempt to destroy the seed, continue to try and bruise Christ’s Body. The church will continue to take hits, spiritual attacks, abuse and accusations from the evil one. In reaction, we are to engage our FOCUS to overcome the schemes of the devil’s warfare. In Romans 16:20, Paul closes his correspondence to the Church at Rome by saying, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Notice that it is God doing the crushing, and our feet doing the victory dance on the devil’s head. In Jesus Christ, complete victory over the evil one has been accomplished. As believers making up local congregations, it is our responsibility to receive the power and authority of Christ as provision and protection and put the powers of darkness in their place. Most believers concern themselves with life’s daily struggles, rather than focusing on the greater cosmic issues of spiritual warfare. The enemy’s target is our daily life; where we face issues related to our spiritual survival, protection of our children and finding God’s power to deal with the trials and bondages we face. The question is; “How do we receive the promised protection from Jesus? How do we deal with friends and loved ones caught up in the snare of drug addiction? What do we offer as protection for disintegrating marriages, diseases of infidelity, lack of integrity, and lost sense of responsibility of those who lead in the home, community and the church? How do we pray for our children attacked by the temptations of the enemy daily as they go to and from school? What must we do to protect our youth and ourselves from the predatory stranger, who like a roaring lion is seeking to kill, steal and destroy lives through negative television programming, the Internet, the mall, cell phones, through our unfocused conversations, abuses in our homes, destructive activities in our neighborhoods and unfaithful actions in the church? Does your focus provide power and authority to deal with the spiritual warfare waging against you? We have confused the need for the presence of God with the need for power in the authority of the glory of God. Psalm 97:10-11 says, “Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright of heart.” Grace and peace J. Faraja Kafela