Last weekend Mark and I hosted a mini-conference on Inner Healing. We invited approximately 40 or so people who, having been through a deliverance session and received freedom in Christ, had answered our invitation to now learn how to extend that same freedom to others. In fact, these precious people were an answer to our prayers for the last couple of years. We have been praying for "laborers to come into the harvest"; there is an abundant harvest of people who need to be set free from their bondage to Satan, and learn to walk in their power and authority as redeemed believers and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. Inner Healing and the Harvest go in hand-in-hand!
You see, we believe that the ministry of Inner Healing mirrors Jesus's command in Matthew 10:7-8, And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Notice that proclaiming the Kingdom of God on earth is coupled with doing those acts toward our fellow man. Furthermore, the disciples are told that they have received this training/teaching from Jesus for free, and should therefore offer it freely to others. FACT: It is incumbent upon us to share the freedom that we freely receive.
But before we gave the attendees of our conference the step-by-step instructions of how they could begin to do Inner Healing sessions for others, we needed to establish an understanding of what it meant that the Kingdom of Heaven "is at hand". NOTE: Other translations might read "the Kingdom has come near". In essence, they both are saying that the Kingdom of God is present on the earth.
This understanding of the presence of the Kingdom of God on earth must necessarily include an understanding of DOMINION -- what it is; who has it; and how it relates to Inner Healing. So, we always begin any discussion on why Inner Healing is necessary by going back to Genesis 1:26-28, and establishing that God gave Man dominion over the earth: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Other translations substitute the word dominion in place of rule. It is important to know that the word dominion encompasses the broad concept of power, authority, rulership, and government. God designed us to rule the earth [and have power and authority over "every living thing that moves on the earth"], just as He rules Heaven. Got that? So, dominion was given to us to rule the earth, "as it is in Heaven".
BUT, God also gave us Free Will. Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: 15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Tend and watch over it -- meaning to cultivate it, and to guard, protect, and preserve it. But also notice this -- God didn't make them robots and force them not to eat of this forbidden tree. In fact, He tells them they can "freely" eat of every tree in the garden except this one. But because He gave them Free Will, they were able to choose, on their own, whether to obey Him or to choose and eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
I am making a point of this concept of Free Will interacting with Dominion because it became a sticking point for one of my dear friends who attended our conference. I had explained that Man was given dominion over the earth, but Adam and Eve gave it up to Satan when they disobeyed God, and now Satan has dominion over the earth, resulting in mankind's bondage to him [and the need for Inner Healing to be set free from this bondage]. Jesus came to earth as the Son of God to re-establish the dominion of the earth for God's Heavenly Kingdom and to reinstate us in our original role -- to dominate, rule, and govern the earth. But I didn't go far enough in my explanation and incorporate how Free Will plays a part in whether we walk in that identity or not, and it resulted in confusion for my friend, and perhaps for others that attended. [That's why we encouraged people to ask questions, and how I hate that she didn't, because it grieves me that she left not fully understanding what we presented. It was also my fault for not taking the teaching to its final conclusion.] That is why I am presenting it here. I want everyone to see the "big picture"!
Her confusion arose from her understanding that Jesus and God are all-powerful, so could Satan have dominion over the earth? I explained that Satan has power, but he's not all-powerful. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have dominion in our lives and on the earth. That's where our Free Will comes in. When Jesus came to earth and proclaimed the Good News that the Kingdom of God had arrived, He brought the power and authority of Heaven [with Him] to begin the transfer of the earth from Satan's dark kingdom back to God's Kingdom. And when He died and rose from the grave, He transferred that power and authority to us to continue His work of reclaiming earth [and lives] for Heaven. But here's the thing.... Jesus doesn't impose that power and authority upon us. We have to choose to accept it and walk in it. If we don't, then Satan can become all powerful in the life of someone who chooses to sadistically murder a child because that person has given Satan authority in his life. There is no evidence of the power of Jesus in that individual. BUT, he doesn't have to stay under the authority of Satan if he chooses to repent, renew his mind, and turn to Jesus as his Savior.
You see, there is a BATTLE FOR DOMINION between Satan and Jesus -- between Satan's kingdom [where we see his authority and rulership in sex trafficking, child porn, the abortion industry, Hollywood, etc], and the Kingdom of God and Jesus's authority and rulership in the lives of Saved people. There would be no question that Jesus is "All-Powerful" and Satan has no power, if we all walked in the power and authority [to rule our lives and this earth] that Jesus gave us and as God planned for us to do. But the truth is, we don't! Jesus is not all-powerful in my life if I should choose to dishonor my parents, or abandon my husband in his time of need. The FULLNESS of the Kingdom is only a reality when Jesus returns, defeats the Enemies of God, and establishes His full Sovereignty in the Millennial Kingdom.
That's why Jesus called Satan "the ruler of this dark world" (John 14:30) -- ruler, meaning "one who has authority, dominion" -- because he still rules/has dominion in some people's lives. And that's why Paul called the devil "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) -- because people have given him power and authority in their lives.
I make this distinction because it is important for us to understand that, yes, Jesus is more powerful than Satan, and Satan has no claim on Him. But because of Free Will, given to us by the Father, we can choose to relinquish our power and authority as a co-heir with Christ and an ambassador of the Kingdom, opening ourselves up to Satan taking over areas of our lives and ruling them. That's when Shame, Guilt, Anger, Depression, Lust, Pride, for example, take up the territory that Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control should occupy. Those gifts are the fruit of walking in our power and authority to let Jesus have dominion in our lives.
But because we are human, and Satan is battling to gain some of that dominion for his kingdom, we may "miss the mark" and find ourselves in bondage to him. Inner Healing is what Jesus commanded in order to re-take that territory and restore our lives [and the lives of others] under the rulership (dominion) of God, the Father, and His Kingdom. Yes, Jesus is ALL-POWERFUL, but only if we use our Free Will to choose to walk in the power and authority He gave us, and if we choose Him!
Daniel 7:14 And to Him was given Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
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