John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
It makes the inheritance, Blessing and favor that we've received in Jesus useless, if we believe they're only for when we die and go to Heaven and not for while we're here on earth. When we arrive in the full Presence of the Father, we don't need anything else. It's Grace that has given the honor of being accepted to the Father, but when I'm in His full Presence, then I won't have to try being accepted, because He's accepted me into His Presence. Most of what Jesus left us in His will, is to be used and operated during our earthly life.
What will you do with the ability to pray for the sick, when you're in Heaven? How many sick people do you think there are in Heaven? Having the commission to cast out devils, will be of no use in Heaven, because there aren't any devils in Heaven. Even the Blessing we've received, will be of no avail in Heaven, because all who are in the Father's Kingdom have no needs.
We won't need the Promises made to us through Jesus throughout God's Word, when we're in Heaven, because no on there will have any needs. I'm not sure when God's people came to believe that these Spiritual Blessings were for when we go to Heaven. These Spiritual Blessings are the Gift of God's Spirit poured out upon us and in us, while we're here. We're to use them, in order to set mankind free. We cannot free mankind on our own, but only through the Spiritual Blessing of God, on and in our lives.
In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us that we are in a Spiritual battle and how we're to stand in that battle. Our opponent isn't man, but are the spiritual forces of the enemy. We're useless in this battle for mankind, unless we have the Spiritual Blessings and Gift to fight with. Our being nice, doesn't discourage or dismiss the forces of darkness, we need the Spiritual Blessing of the Holy Spirit and the Blood and Name of Jesus Christ to do so. We sometimes forget that we are in warfare with a spiritual outlaw who has nothing but contempt for mankind and who refuses to abide by anything other than the Power of God in our lives.
Satan isn't the "boogeyman" and he can't be dismissed by anything, but the Power of the Name and Blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus has delegated the authority to use His Name in combat, to the Church, His Body. Jesus has given us the Power of Attorney to use His Name and He will back it up by the Word and Spirit of God!
The Spiritual Blessings are backed by the entire force of Heaven, God, the Holy Spirit, the angels and the Power of His Word, in order to do what He sent us here to do on earth. Not one believer has been left without all it takes to set the captives free. We've been commissioned to cast out devils and we've been supplied with the Spiritual Blessings to do this and set someone free. If it takes cleansing a leper, then we've been commissioned to do so. We have the Spiritual Blessing to do whatever is needed to bring mankind out of captivity. God has supplied all of Heaven's resources to us, in order to do what He's commissioned us to do.
If we lead people to salvation, but don't teach them about who they are in Christ Jesus, then we're leaving them babies who are in danger of being tormented by spiritual forces, but without any idea how to stand against those forces. We don't dare say that "You have victory in Jesus, while you're on this side of Heaven," but we tell them that, "These are the troubles of being saved." We center more on the tribulations, instead of the triumphs. We are not victims, but we God's Own family. We were never left to be defeated by an enemy who has already been rendered helpless, by Jesus' Sacrifice. We must stop with the "grasshoppers in the sight of giants" mentality and look up unto Jesus, Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Satan's influence over the minds of men, could ever convince God's children that we're to be bullied and run over by the foe Jesus defeated and whose power, Jesus complete broke. The only weapon satan now has over God's children, is deception. If he can deceive us into thinking it's God's will for us to be sick, suffer and die prematurely, then we will be subject to what he designs for us.
While carefully reading Paul's Letters to the Church, you'll find that he never quit when things were tough. Paul continued on, until he had finished the course God set before him. If Paul had not been so determined to do God's will and finish the course, then we wouldn't know the full extent of what Jesus did and who we are in Him. Thankfully, Paul didn't stop teaching the Revelation Jesus gave him.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:13 (Amplified), "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me); I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency." This is the Spiritual Blessing we share in the Body of Christ. His sufficiency is infused in us and is flowing through us, for His Glory. We would only be mere men and women, if we didn't have the Spiritual Blessing which is "Christ in us, our hope of Glory."
We're born-again from on High, by the Holy Spirit, Who now lives in and through us. This Spiritual Blessing has not only given us new Life, but also bring new Life to others. Ephesians 6:11 (Amplified) instructs us to, "Put on God's whole armor (the armor of a heavily-armed soldier which God supplies), that we may be able to successfully stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil."
Notice that we are to put it on and God is to supply it. He has done His part by supplying it, but we've been slow in putting it on. We cannot successfully stand, without the full armor. Satan is insane, but he's not stupid and he knows what has been working for him for centuries. The things he's been using, are all that he still has to use, according to 1Corinthians 10:13 (Amplified) which says, "For no temptation, no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man, that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience and such as man can bear. But God is faithful to His Word and to His compassionate nature and He can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure; but with the temptation He will always also provide the way out (the means of escape) to a landing place that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently."
Many Christians read the above scripture and believe it means, "God will not put more on you, than you can bear." This isn't what it says though. This scripture never tells us that, "God put it on you," but it does say that, "God will not allow the enemy to introduce some new and different trials and temptations that aren't already common to man." There is nothing new under the sun. Whatever comes, God is faithful and can be trusted. Through Jesus, God has already supplied everything we need to stand the tests and be victorious in it. This is why we must "Put on the armor." God doesn't put it on us, but He supplies it for us to put on.
Many might reply, "None are Righteous, no not one." When we deny that we've been made righteous, by faith in Christ Jesus, then we've failed to put on the breastplate of righteousness that Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:14. If you don't believe in this faith teaching, then you don't have the shield of faith that quenches the flaming missiles of the wicked one. The Armor of God is for battle. The first thing we learned in Boot Camp, was what our armor is and how to put it on. Then, we were ready to battle. The only piece that is for offense, is the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word. If you don't know God's Word, then you don't have a weapon of offense, so you're only defending yourself and not advancing.
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