A REASON FOR REJOICING
Sunday, November 08, 1998
Luke 10:17-20 (NKJ)
17Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19"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. 20"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
As a children of God, washed in the blood, saved, sanctified and redeemed – we have authority over the devil and demons. Jesus Himself gave us the authority and the power. The Name of Jesus gives us His authority. Because of Jesus, the devil and his demons are powerless against us. They may try, but they will fail, as long as we walk submitted to God.
However, Jesus tells us to find our reason for rejoicing in the fact that our names are written in heaven, not in our authority over devils. Authority over devils is just a by-product of our redemption. It is something we should know about and operate in, but we should not make it our main focus.
There are many Christians who run around crowing about how they dominate the devil and yet, in their hearts, they are secretly afraid of him. Other Christians pay too much attention to the devil and give him too much credit. We should be focusing on Jesus and lifting Him up, instead. Some people arrogantly brag about their authority over the devil and yet their arrogance opens the door in their own life, for the devil to take a shot at them.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NKJ)
10Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
We should not be ignorant of Satan’s modus operandi and we should deal with him and take authority over him whenever it is necessary to do so, without giving him undue attention. Jesus treated him this way: “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.” (Mark 1:25-26 - NKJ)
Proverbs 24:17-18 (NKJ)
17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.
We should not find our reason for rejoicing in the failings or defeat of another, but we should rather rejoice in the goodness of God toward us. In the same way, we should not be congratulating ourselves over the devil’s defeat or give him any excessive attention in our thoughts, our conversation or our celebration. It is a fact that he is defeated and that we are victorious, but our rejoicing and our praise and our talk should be centered on Jesus – King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 3:5 (NKJ)
5"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 21:10 & 27 (NKJ)10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 27But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
We can celebrate the goodness of God and our redemption and the fact that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life!
Recent:
Defeating Strife
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP
Faith Facts
Faith is persistent
Luke 11:9-10 AMP
So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
John 16:24 AMP
Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.
Faith is single-minded
James 1:5-8 AMP
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the
Faith & Praise
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb. 20 No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, 21 Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. Romans 4:18-21 AMP
Faith is defined as: confidence or trust in a person or thing; a belief that is not based on observed proof or evidence. Abraham had no proof – other than God’s promise to him – that he would have a son. According to his and Sarah’s advanced age and her barrenness, it was physically an