About the Author
Suzanne Pillans, her husband Wilfrid and daughter Rebecca own and run Standlake Equestrian Centre and Ranch in Oxfordshire, UK.
Suzanne’s ministry Step Out in Faith has grown into an International Bible School for the rural parts of Africa and the Far East, as well as a Bicycle Ministry that plants churches in the most remote villages where fifty five evangelists planted 138 churches in the first year and 28 bible schools were set up. Suzanne also speaks in many crusades, conferences and churches worldwide and has written five books. Her last book Dare to Enter His Presence made the USA’s TV Harvest Show as Featured Book on May 2nd 2006.
Foreword
‘It is not often that I come in contact with an individual who is compelled by love and that can truly proclaim Acts 17:28 “In Him I live and move and have my being”’. Suzanne Pillans is not just another author; she is a woman of faith, walking in obedience to His voice and His voice alone. If you are on a quest for freedom, then read this book. Freedom is not given to those who simply desire it; it is given to those who pursue it with all their heart. Suzanne Pillans is a whole-hearted freedom fighter in the Kingdom of God. She is a forerunner in our day, with a message of faith, freedom and compassion who carries a divine treasure of His glorious love. She walks in a level of faith that sees things from His perspective. She aches for God’s people to be set free. I encourage you to read the pages of this book. It is a very dangerous book that will leave no room for passive Christianity. This is the hour that men and women of great faith must stand firm until the end for His glory. Isaiah 7:9 says ‘if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all’. God took time to carve this message in this messenger. Allow the words of this book to erupt within the fibres of your being and help you to walk in all He created you to be.”
Bob Deering, founder of Voice Ministries and the International House of Prayer, Michiana Elkhard, Indiana, USA
‘This book will encourage you to search the Word and pray until you are fired up to go in Christ’s name.’
David Hathaway, President of Eurovision
All Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise stated
Lesson 1
Do Not Limit God
Is the Lord preparing us for revival right now? Can He use mere human beings like you and me to do such an incredible thing? Is He prepared to teach us how to bring about revival? The answer is ‘Yes’! That’s if we will listen to Him, and yield ourselves to obey Him, regardless of what we may think of ourselves.
It was in Malawi, in November 2004, that the Lord began to challenge me in a new way. This was my third visit. The first visit was to Migowi for only one believer, but the Lord always has a plan. The next morning four ladies, too sick to walk to the market, came and knocked on my door. Jesus healed all four and they ran to the market and told everybody. From these four ladies many came to our crusade and many became believers and received healing, but even more than that; the Lord answered the 400 new believers’ prayer to send rain to end their devastating drought and within the hour it rained. This caused the entire community to become Christians and since then they have built a large church.
This November I was invited to speak in their new church and of all things I got diarrhoea, but I was still determined to preach. I made it to the lectern and feeling sick, dizzy and weak simply spoke what came out of my mouth. I then sat down; “Any one sick come forward now”. Thirty rushed forward. “Put your own hand on your sickness or your pain and when you are healed put your hand high in the air.” Within two minutes every hand goes up. They are all healed and go and sit down. I am then introduced to twelve pastors behind me. I had not even noticed them and one had travelled over 60 miles to hear me speak, and I cannot remember one word that I spoke! I did not feel good about this. Anyway, knowing that I was sick, they released me and I went back to the room where I was staying.
I played back the tape and was amazed to discover that it was a perfect message for pastors. How could that be?
Two days later in Blantyre I was better and it suddenly dawned on me that I was the only one who was not healed during that service! So I decided to ask the Lord about it. He replied and said, “to cause you to rely totally and completely on Me.” Then I understood. I had been too sick to give anything of self. I had to rely on the Lord and the result was a perfect sermon, the best I’ve ever preached and the healings were 100% of the people there, without even the laying on of hands or even standing up from my chair.
Less of me, more of Thee
None of me, all of Thee.
Then the Lord said, “Do not limit me. Let me be God.” “How am I limiting you?” I asked. And the Lord led me to 1 Kings 18:30-40 and said, “If Elijah had not soaked the sacrifice three times with water and filled the trench with water too, he would have limited My miracle.” Oohh!!
Yes, a high standard. I mean, if God had not answered with fire, they would have killed Elijah. Elijah really must have known God well, so well that he knew God would answer, even if he made it impossible for the sacrifice to burn. Elijah did not limit God. He let God be God, and God answered with fire and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench, and when the people saw it they fell on their faces:
‘Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"’ (1 Kings 18:39)
In one hour Elijah had turned the nation back to God. This is the faith God is looking for, and He is looking for mere ordinary people, people like you and me. Was I able to take up this challenge? I was soon to find out.
The next crusade was down on the Mozambique border, for five days. It was very hot and at the first service less than twenty-five people showed up, and they were mainly women and children. Sometimes, I thought, people just don’t take women seriously.
I gave the Gospel and all that was going through my mind was, “Don’t limit God. Don’t limit God.” “How?” and then I knew.
I announced, “I want you to go out now and look for the sickest person in this community and bring her here tonight. Then I want you to invite the entire village to come and watch Jesus heal this person!” They all left to do the job.
That night the church was full to capacity, and yes they did bring the sickest person, seriously sick, not out of bed for two years. She could not walk and was too weak to stand. She was painfully thin, had sores on her body and shivered under a grey blanket. I commanded the sickness to leave her in Jesus’ name. I commanded her body be healed in Jesus’ name. I commanded strength come into her body in Jesus’ name. I then said, “In the name of Jesus stand up,” and she stood up. “Now, in the name of Jesus walk” and she walked. “And now, in the name of Jesus run down the aisle and back.” She looked at me in horror. “ In Jesus’ name you can,” I answered and she took off, running down the aisle and back, totally healed. It’s easy to give the Gospel when the people see a miracle like this and they praised and worshipped God until 3 am.
The next days the church was full and many came between services, group after group of people, to receive their healings and also Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Saviour. Even two chiefs were healed and became Christians, also two girls, Judith 14 and Maria 11, both born deaf and dumb. Jesus healed them both and they could now learn how to speak. Judith came back two days later to show me how many words she could already say. Yes, I was learning not to limit God, to let God be God, but the Lord had much, much more to show me.
Back in England the Lord began to show me how we limit God in so many ways, by our unbelief, lack of prayer, lack of commitment and worst of all by our putting other things before Him. Then He led me to Judas in Matthew 26:15:
‘"What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.’
And the Lord said, “In that moment, Judas loved the money more than me.” Everywhere people are doing the same as Judas, loving their money, or jobs, or holidays, or homes, car, sport, lifestyles, comfort, even TV, more than Jesus. Then we wonder why the Lord is not moving when we have limited Him so much.
From that moment on I began to preach this message wherever I was invited to speak, and, to my amazement, whole churches repented every time, with many of the people in tears.
Then I felt I should go further than repentance. After all, repentance is the first step into the presence of God. So I led the people into thanking the Lord for what He had done and then to praise Him for Who He is. We then came into an active, charged expectant silence. Suddenly people would sink to their knees, some flat on their faces crying. Was it us entering the Holy of Holies, the Holy presence of God, or was it the Holy Spirit coming down upon us? Or both? For suddenly, something very unexpected happened. People began to cry with joy and shake, and people were suddenly healed in their seats, set free and touched in a beautiful way.
Even in the larger churches, when we came up into the presence of God, people were suddenly being healed all over, without any laying on of hands, no calling them to the front, nothing. Jesus had simply come down in the power of the Holy Spirit and healed them in their seats. All I did is call them forward to testify and this they willingly did, some with much emotion. Some of these healings were from sicknesses of twenty years, arthritis gone, chests healed, crippled hands loosened and healed, poor eyesight healed and many other ailments.
When we step out in faith, when we are prepared not to limit God, to let God be God, then God moves in power and answers our prayer.
He actually wants to meet with us. He actively wants to come down in power and heal the sick. But it’s no use just reading the Bible without action. It’s also no use praying without believing God will answer. When we read the Bible, believe the plain Word as it says, let it become part of you, then as you walk in it, the power of Heaven becomes activated through your life.
When you pray, pray believing God, pray to the living God, knowing that He is alive and hears you. Pray with expectancy and He will hear you and He will respond.
Some Questions to Think About
Can the Lord use you to bring revival?
Are you willing to allow the Lord to bring revival through you?
What level of trust and faith should we aim for?
How does reading the Bible and action come together?
How do you know God will answer?
Lesson 2
Rise up to your potential and calling
It is a known fact that most people only use 5% of their brain potential. It is also the same spiritually. Most people barely live 5% of their potential and calling in Christ.
We do not seem to realise that there is much more for us in Christ, yet somehow so many of us seem to have missed it. I know I did for many, many years. Somehow we just seem to live at the beginning stages of Christianity, having accepted Christ into our hearts, possibly even been baptised in the Holy Spirit, yet somehow we just don’t seem to grow up into Christ our Head.
Whilst running the Spring Valley Holiday Farm and Riding Centre in South Africa, I noticed that in the Christian camps that came to us many Christians had come to a certain place in Christ and then gone no further. I thought to myself, ‘There must be more’. At first I turned to man for the answer, but got no answer. Then I turned to the Bible and Jesus and I did get an answer.
Jesus says in John 3:31:
"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
What is this saying? This speaks of two realms, the earthly realm and the heavenly realm. This passage follows the famous passage of how Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. In John 3:3, Jesus answered him:
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
In verse 4 we read:
‘Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"’
Then, in verses 5and 6:
‘Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit"’
This is speaking of two realms. Nicodemus was speaking in the earthly realm, Jesus was speaking in the heavenly realm, but at the same time he was showing Nicodemus how to live in the heavenly realm. First he had to be born anew, or in modern language born again of the Holy Spirit.
Now if we go back to Genesis we read in Chapter 2: 16-17:
‘And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."’
We all know that Adam and Eve ate of this tree and from that day became spiritually dead. We are born of the flesh only and we all know that all flesh has to die too. That leaves man in a very helpless and hopeless condition for eternal life. It means we shall all die in our sin, for we have all sinned, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, each has gone his own way.
But the Good News is in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...”
The moment we receive the forgiveness of sins that Jesus made available for us by taking our sin upon Himself on the cross and receive Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Saviour we receive the Holy Spirit. The moment we become born again of the Holy Spirit we become born again to eternal life. We become children of our Father in Heaven, we become spiritually alive in Him: our dormant or dead spirits are made alive in Christ and become united with the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to us from Heaven to dwell in our hearts. We can now call God ‘Our Father’, not only our Lord or our God, but our Father, who art in Heaven!! Now Jesus would not have taught us to say, ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven’, unless it was possible to get there, while we are still on earth. How? Through prayer, through abiding in Christ, by dwelling in His presence. This is what raises us above the earthly realm to live in the heavenly realm. We become whole in spirit, soul and body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says:
‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.’
Jesus came to save men, not just souls. He came to save the spirit from death, to give us eternal life. He came to save the soul from sin to give us peace, and the body from sickness to give us healing, even as it says in 3 John 1:2:
‘Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.’
Now in the world we know the studies.
Physiology - The knowledge of the human body and the conditions of the body.
Psychology - The knowledge of the mind and its powers, speaking of the soul.
Pneumatology - The knowledge of the spirit and its activities and forces.
Ontology - The highest study, which is manifestations of man’s body, soul and spirit.
Now God does not demonstrate mind over matter as the scientists do mentally. He demonstrates a higher fact: the power of the Spirit over mind and matter. All men are born in the flesh with a soul. Without the Spirit of God, the soul will gratify the flesh and its desires. When man is born again of the Holy Spirit he becomes spiritually alive. Now as man grows up into Christ, who is the Head, just as it says in Ephesians 4:15: ‘but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head –Christ --’ the soul will begin to yield to the Holy Spirit, who is greater than the body, thus transforming man more into the image of Christ, until we realise that we are actively spiritual beings with a soul that dwells in an earthly body.
Firstly, putting away sin is essential for the heart of man to become one with the heart of Christ. This relationship is like a transfusion of His life and love through all our being, through the Holy Spirit coming to dwell in our beings and spirit, and then His healing to our bodies becomes as natural as His peace to our minds or His rest to our spirits declaring that Christ has become our all in all. When we receive Jesus into our hearts and are baptised in the Holy Spirit, we must not just stay in the earthly realm as so many do, but instead spend time reading the Bible and in prayer, to bring about the renewing of our mind. Romans 12: 1-2 says:
‘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. 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.’
This scripture, along with also hearing the voice of Jesus, will help us to recognise and resist the lies of the enemy. Jesus will speak truth to us and the truth sets us free. Then as our soul stops just gratifying the desires of the flesh, it takes on the character of Christ. When this happens, we stop living in just the limited earthly realm; we begin to live in the heavenly realm instead.
Ephesians1: 3-5 says:
‘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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,..’
Then Ephesians 1:16-23 says:
‘I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 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, 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, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE, according to the working of HIS MIGHTY POWER WHICH HE WORKED IN CHRIST WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES, 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. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His BODY, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.’
We can know God!! We can rise up in prayer to that which God has called us to. When we receive Jesus and His indwelling Holy Spirit into our lives we are born to eternal life and our spirits come alive. But there is still another level.
We can also be baptised in the Holy Spirit. This is what happened to the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost. Read for yourself what it says in Acts 1:7-8 and Acts 2:4. When we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit we also receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and power.
We then come to know the power of His Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts, the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead!! Yes, this same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in our mortal bodies!! If only we could realise this and live it, we would come to know His great power that enables us to live and witness for Him, who is seated at God’s right hand far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named. That is, above all evil, all sin, all sickness, all demons and every force of darkness. This is not all. Ephesians 2: 1-10:
‘And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), AND RAISED US UP TOGETHER, AND MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’
Where? In Heaven or here on earth?
The Bible speaks of this happening now and in the coming ages, while we are still on earth, that we should walk in them now. Jesus wants to raise us up above sin, sickness and all demonic powers and raise us up with Himself into the Heavenly places. When we live in the limited earthly realm, sin is a struggle, sickness is stronger than us, demons, curses, evil spirits and all demonic things are stronger than us, but when Jesus raises us up with Him into the Heavenly places, He raises us up, above sin, above sickness and above every demonic thing, into His victory.
Then He gives us the authority of His name to cast out sickness, to cast out pain, to cast out demons, as it says in Mark 16:17-18:
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 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."
In Luke 10:19 it says,
"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.
How can this be? Philippians 2:8-11 tells us:
‘And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 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, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
The authority of His name He gives to us is that which enables His healing on earth. He secured this victory on the cross, and from that moment, every knee must bow to the authority of His name. When we command sickness to go in His name, it must obey, pain must obey, demons must obey, that is if we are truly living in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:1-2 says:
‘If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.’
When we seek to live in the Heavenly realm in Christ Jesus, He raises us up above the earthly realm into another dimension of living in Him. To this life He has called us, for this life He has prepared us, even before the foundations of the world, that we should walk in Him.
Let us no more be limited to walk in the earthly realm, let us look to Jesus and let Him raise us up to the full potential and calling that He has called each of us to live. We can all live in the heavenly realm in Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Questions To Think About
What is the difference between living in the earthly realm and living in the heavenly realm?
How can we be lifted up into the heavenly places where Christ dwells?
Name three areas in our lives that Jesus changes by what He did on the cross.
What power does the authority of Jesus’ name have on the earth?
How do we receive this power and authority, to live as Jesus wants us to and to do His work on earth?
Lesson 3
The Power of The Cross
The very first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine. This was a creation miracle, a miracle over creation. He also walked on water, calmed the storm and fed 5000 people with only five small loaves and two fishes. Then, if that was not enough, he had His disciples collect twelve baskets of crumbs.
What is Jesus showing us here? He had power over creation. He also had the power to cast out demons and much of His ministry was doing this very thing. He also healed all who came to Him, healing many by His word or by laying hands on them. He also had power to forgive sin. He even had power to raise the dead and waited four days before calling Lazarus forth. Not only that, He Himself rose from the dead after three days.
What is Jesus trying to tell us? What is the meaning of these incredible miracles?
Is there something behind all this, something each one of us needs to know?
One clue is in Genesis1:28:
‘Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."’
God gave man the earth to rule over.
Psalm 8:4-8 says:
‘What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honour.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen -
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.’
God made man ruler over the works of His hands, to be only subject to God and His love, to be in complete control over all God’s creation on Earth.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Up to that time the earth was perfect. There was no sin. There was no sickness. There was no death. Creation was perfect. There were no weeds, no disease in the crops or animals. All that grew from the ground was perfect. What did Adam and Eve do when they ate of the forbidden fruit?
Genesis 3:13 says:
‘And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."’
The devil deceived Adam and Eve, causing them to doubt God and then to disobey Him, which is rebellion, and they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which allowed sin into this world that God had given to man. Sin came into the world through disobedience. This was the Fall of Man. Now sin had come into their world, the world God had created for them, as described in Romans 5 verse 12:
‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.’
In John 14:30 Jesus says:
"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me...”
Now the devil was thrown out of Heaven and is in rebellion against God. In Psalm 74:10 - 11 the psalmist prays:
‘O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever? Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.’
The devil is in rebellion against God and also hates human beings, because human beings are made in the image of God as it says in Genesis 1:26a:
‘Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...”’
How can the devil take revenge against God? By taking as many people, whom he knows God loves, down to Hell with him, and how can he do that? In any way he can, by tempting man to sin. If he cannot do that he will inflict them with sickness, or curses, or attack the mind with satanic spirits, fears, or deceive them in any way he can through worldly ways, worldly thought, sects and false religions. If he cannot do that he will try to lead them away from the Bible, into complacency or through lies or any way he can.
2 Corinthians 4:4 describes unbelievers:
‘whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.’
Also, in Ephesians 2:1-2 we are told:
‘And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,...’
This is a very interesting verse as it answers the much-asked question “Why does God allow us to suffer if He is a loving God?” God loves man and wants us to love Him by our own free will, not like robots. He has therefore given us free choice, to choose whom we love and serve, for it is impossible to love two masters.
We have made the choice between good and evil and God only wants those of us who love Him to be in Heaven, those who have chosen to stand strong against sin and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. If we choose sin, we will receive all that goes with it and this will cause much suffering. If we choose righteousness and life, we will more ably enjoy this life on earth as well as receiving eternal life.
Deuteronomy 30:15 - 16 sets this out for us:
"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
God was not happy with so many choosing to turn their backs on Him and choosing evil and death instead. Though God is greater than Satan, He cannot stoop to satanic methods in order to take back what Satan has stolen from man to give it back to man. God did not give Satan this power over man on the earth. Adam and Eve did it, and since then Man has often found himself in hopeless and helpless situations.
SO WHAT DID GOD DO ABOUT IT?
John 3:16 says:
‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him the world might be saved.’
When Jesus walked this earth He said in John 12: 30-32:
"This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
Jesus was speaking about the devil as ruler of this world, soon to be cast out once He, Jesus, had gone to the cross. This we will see in Hebrews 2:14-16:
‘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, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.’
It could not be plainer than that. Jesus came to save us, the descendants of Abraham, from the bondage of the devil.
In Colossians 2:13-14 we read:
‘And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.’
Colossians 2:15 then says:
‘Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.’
Let us read how man was supposed to live, this time from Hebrews 2:6-9:
‘But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honour, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.’
Let's look at this closely: For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. BUT WE SEE JESUS, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death CROWNED with GLORY and HONOUR, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
Jesus had power over the following:
1) Power over creation
What was the first miracle Jesus ever did? He turned water into wine. He could also walk on water, calm the storm and feed 5,000 with only five small loaves and two small fishes and then tell his disciples to gather up the crumbs resulting in their gathering up twelve baskets full. Let’s look at one of the scriptures, Matthew 8:26:
‘But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm..’
Jesus had power over creation. Jesus did miracles with creation and gives us the power to perform miracles as well, but we very seldom see one.
In 1983 we ran a Youth Camp in the Transkei in South Africa. More children attended than those who had booked and this resulted in a shortage of food. The camp ended on Sunday evening and the seventeen of us who organized the camp stayed on until Monday morning as we had 200 kilometres drive to the nearest town. Our host prayed over our breakfast and seeing only a small amount of cereal in the cereal box decided to give us a spoon each. She then began to spoon the cereal in to the seventeen bowls and seeing there was still some left, carried on spooning and spooning and spooning until there were seventeen bowls full of cereal and still the same amount in the cereal box. Only then did we realise a miracle had happened. What a wonderful way to end a camp!
2) Power over demons and sickness
Jesus drove out demons wherever he went and healed all who came to Him. It is interesting that Jesus dealt with deliverance and sickness in a similar way. That is because both came from the devil. Matthew 8:16:
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick...
Today Jesus will still drive out demons and heal the sick, that is, when He can find someone who believes Him and has the faith to walk in the area of deliverance and healing.
In Africa I have watched the Lord deliver many people. Once a hundred people came forward for deliverance and the Lord told me to treat it in the same way as for the sick. So I pointed and said, “Every demonic spirit, every witchcraft spirit, every curse, every demonic thing, leave these people now in Jesus’ name”. I stood back in amazement as eighty people were instantly set free; some screamed, others fell to the floor. After five minutes eighty people raised their hands having been delivered and went to sit down. I then prayed for the last twenty individually until all were set free. After that I prayed for the sick, telling them to put their own hand on their sickness or pain and receive their healing in Jesus’ name. There were five blind people healed that morning plus many suffering from other sicknesses. Jesus is still healing the sick today and you can move into this area as well, for it is Jesus alone who does it.
3) Power to forgive sin
Matthew 9:2 says:
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."
4) Power to raise the dead:
Jesus had the power to raise the dead and even waited four days before calling Lazarus forth as described in John 11:43:
‘Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"’
Then Jesus did something even more incredible than that, for he himself rose from the dead in three days in complete victory over sin and death and over every scheme of the devil.
Even today Jesus is still raising the dead and He can use anyone to do it. He does not always use the big men of God to do this either, but can choose anyone.
One of our team in Malawi, 26 years of age, not even a pastor, visits a hospital near Blantyre after church every Sunday to pray for the sick. On the 7th August 2005 he was not allowed into the front entrance of the hospital because of repair work, so he went round the back and entered through the mortuary. Seeing a young-looking dead man to his right, he felt the Lord wanted him to pray for the man. He went up to the man and said, ‘In the name of Jesus sit up’ and to his amazement, the dead man sat up alive and well.
The whole hospital praised the Lord that day and the doctors insisted he stayed in hospital for two days for observation. The man was 36 years old and had died of malaria. Now he was also completely healed so, after two days, he was allowed to go home.
SO WHAT DID JESUS’ DYING ON THE CROSS RESULT IN FOR US?
1) The breaking of the power of sin and death
Jesus’ death on the Cross became necessary, following the Fall, because God had made it clear that anyone who sinned, even once, would be cut off from Him forever, once they had physically died, and that no one could ever redeem themselves by any method whatsoever. The only cure would be the death of the sinless person who, in dying, took on Himself the punishment that would otherwise have to be paid by the sinner, i.e. us. God said, “the soul that sins shall die”. (Ezekiel 18:20) God sent His Son, Jesus, who being fully God as well as fully man, was perfect, i.e. sinless, and therefore able to become the sacrifice and He died on our behalf, so taking our punishment. He died in our place. So long as we individually accept that we are sinners and separated from God and that He, Jesus, has died for each one of us personally, we can live in newness of life by accepting Jesus into our hearts.
The threefold purpose of water baptism is set out in Colossians 2 verse 12 where the repentant sinner is:
‘buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.’
i) Death – into the water. As we go into the water we are saying our old sinful nature is done away with. We are free from slavery to sin. There is a complete break with the past.
ii) Burial – under the water. Just as Jesus was buried in the tomb, so as we are baptised under the water our lives as sinners are put out of sight, as Paul explains in Romans 6:4:
‘Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life..’
iii) Resurrection – out of the water. Romans 6:5:
‘For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.’
Jesus was raised by the power of God. We are lifted out of the water to live a new life with Christ, as Galatians 2:20 says:
‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.’
In John 6:39 Jesus says:
‘And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.’
Jesus has also given us eternal life.
2) Power to live in Christ’s victory whilst still alive on this earth
In John 14:12-13, Jesus says:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
On the cross Jesus reversed what man had brought on himself in the Garden of Eden. Jesus Himself has made it possible for us to receive this glorious victory from Him, and the power of the Holy Spirit to live it.
So the next question is:
How do we receive this glorious victory?
How do we receive this victory that Jesus has made available to us through the Holy Spirit? After we have accepted Jesus into our heart as Lord and Saviour the baptism and giftings of the Holy Spirit are available to us. Then a wonderful change takes place.
It says in 1 John 4:4:
‘You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.’
The Holy Spirit within us is greater than the one who is in the world. The Holy Spirit connects us with our Father in Heaven in the heavenly realm, for it also goes onto say in John 3:34:
‘For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.’ (i.e. God gives the Spirit without limit)
When we spend time with God in the heavenly realm, He fills us and fills us and fills us with the Holy Spirit and then sends us forth to flow with rivers of living water. What glorious service: limitless power to heal the sick, gifts of the Spirit given without measure! These never run dry as long as we spend time in prayer receiving this glorious love, joy, peace, instruction, giftings and all we need to witness His power on earth, that man may be saved from the destruction of sin and death and live instead in righteousness to our Lord. We are also given power over sin. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13:
‘No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.’
We therefore have no excuse, for we have all been given power over sin.
We are also given authority and power over the enemy.
Luke 10:19 tells us:
‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’
I need this verse in Africa so very much. This gives me boldness when I have to come against witchdoctors and all kinds of evil spirits.
In Cameroon we had to visit a seaside village built on volcanic rock from a nearby volcano. This village was under the curse of witchdoctors, marine spirits and the occult. Even the elders of the village were involved and two had been arrested for horrible crimes.
We were supposed to have been somewhere else, but the pastor never showed up to collect us, and we had not gone to Cameroon to sit doing nothing, so the pastor in Nimba phoned Pastor Emmanuel, and Emmanuel said, “Please come. These are the white people we have been waiting for to set our vi