Good morning. We are continuing our series on “Values That Make A Difference.”
Today, we are talking about “The Proper Use of God’s Name” or “Thou shalt not use the Lord’s name in vain.”
God doesn’t want us to not misuse it, but wants us to learn how to use it and use it properly. That’s the positive aspect of this commandment.
Paul Dickinson has a book written, called, “NAMES” short and sweet. He has this hobby of collecting actual names, though they’re strange and unusual. He says there’s names that seem to be sometimes prophetic. So, I’m going to give you some examples, these are real names from his book, “NAMES”.
Joe Bunt became a baseball coack.
Dan Druff became a barber.
Jeff Treadwell became a podiatrist.
Then two men, Mr. Goforth and Mr. Ketchum became police officers and actually became partners (can you imagine: who do we send? Send Goforth and Ketchum)
Two other men became partners in church equipment, Mr. O’Neill and Mr. Pray. (love that)
Will Crumble became a plaster contractor.
And, Mr. P.P. Peters became a urologist.
True stuff, real names, what can I say.
But, when it comes to God’s name, what’s the big deal. Well, I’ll tell you what the big deal is, God says His name is a big deal.
He says, “take My name seriously!”
Look at how God feels about His name as we read this commandment from Exodus 20:7 aloud together, ready…
Text: Exodus 20:7 (NKJV) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
He’s saying, “Don’t misuse My name. Don’t abuse My name. Don’t take it light or for granted or use it thoughtlessly or flippantly or degradingly. Learn the proper use of My name and then use it well!”
It sounds as though God is just as serious about this Commandment as He is about all the other nine.
You see, God knows what’s in a name. God knows a name represents one’s reputation, one’s character, and one’s authority. Reputation. Character. Authority. Doesn’t matter what we’ve done with names, this is what God intended from the very beginning.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Boy that guy’s really made a name for himself.” What does that mean? “He’s making a reputation for himself.”
Then for character, you know in the Bible when a person changed their character from bad to good, their life was changed so God gave them a new name. Abram became Abraham. Jacob became Israel. Simon became Peter.
In fact, the Bible says when we get to heaven, we’ll all be given a new name.
There’s an old song called, “There’s A New Name Written Down in Glory And It’s Mine, Oh Yes It’s Mine”
How many of you have heard that song? (kind of gave away your age, but that’s OK)
There’s something in a name in God’s perspective. So, we want to catch His perspective especially in terms of using His name.
When it comes to authority. Police used to say to criminals who were running away from the law: “Stop in the name of the law!”
Now, the law doesn’t have a name, like Fred or George or Bob.
What they’re saying is: “I have the authority of the law to command you to stop. Stop not in my name, but in the name of the law that I represent. I have the authority to command you to stop.”
There’s so much authority in a name that we just sometimes take for granted.
If you’re eating dinner, and George Brown calls you, you might let the answering machine pick it up, and finish your dinner and call him back later.
But, if you’re eating dinner and George Bush calls you, you might go ahead and interrupt that dinner and pick it up regardless of your political persuasion. Why? Because there is a difference between the names “Brown” and “Bush” when you hear “George” in front of it.
There’s just a difference. There’s an authority that comes with that name.
It represents authority. God wants us to recognize His reputation, His character, and His authority, and not use His name in anyway that is inconsistent with the truth about who God is. Let’s look at…
I. HOW IS THIS COMMANDMENT BROKEN?
The most common way is probably…
1. Using God’s name to insult.
God does not want His name to be used in the cursing and swearing and insulting of others. Don’t abuse His name. Whether it’s people or animals or whatever it might be. To use His name in a cursing way, of course, is wrong.
Now along time ago farmers used wagons to work the fields and they still do that in some areas of this country to this day. They’d come home at sundown. I heard about a farmer who was late coming home to dinner well after dark. His wife said to him: WELL DID THE WAGON BREAK DOWN? The farmer said: NO, ON THE WAY HOME I SAW THE MINISTER WALKING SO I PICKED HIM UP AND FROM THAT POINT ON THE MULE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND A WORD I WAS SAYING.
Took you awhile but you got it. And that still happens today whether it’s mules or Mustangs, or Malibu’s or Mercedes’. But the Bible says, even in the New Testament, in Colossians 3:8 would you read this aloud with me….
“Also get rid of your anger, hot tempers, hatred, cursing, obscene language and all similar sins.” (Colossians 3:8 GWT)
Just in case you don’t think he covered your verbal habit, he says all similar sins. Whatever that might be. By the way, we’re not to abuse His name nor should we laugh at those who do. Certainly not pay them to do it for us to entertain us.
As a little kid perhaps the first time you swore maybe it made you feel a little more grown up because you’re doing something only grown ups are supposed to do in your mind.
But in fact, any idiot can swear. It requires little, if any IQ, it certainly doesn’t reflect being more mature. I can teach a parrot to swear. But it takes discipline and a real maturity to control your speech especially when your angry.
Think about this for a minute: Having a Constitutional right of freedom of speech does not exempt you from being held in contempt of court when the Judge says, “BE SILENT!”
And having a Constitutional right of freedom of speech does not exempt you or I from being judged by God if we take His name in vain.
There’s a higher court that we Christians answer to. You see, living legal lives is not the same as living righteous lives. There’s a higher standard for us.
America has succeeded in all it’s freedom of being the most foul mouthed nation in the world and the rest of the world knows that by the way.
Our movies, our music, or TV programs intentionally add bad language because the warnings and the ratings of such actually attract more viewers. Why? Because as Americans we like it.
When we stop paying they’ll stop producing. It’s supply and demand. It’s a simple thing.
On a more serious note when you use His name to insult you’re defaming his reputation as the God of love, misrepresenting His character as the God of forgiveness, and you’re violating his authority because he’s the one who commanded you not to do it in the first place.
2. Using God’s name to indulge.
This one’s a little less obvious.
This is when we use God’s name or his authority to get out of something we want to get out of or to get in to something we’d like to get into and can find no other way.
For instance, even in the church someone says, “Well I’d really like to continue my service in such and such a ministry but God told me I need to quit everything for awhile.” It’s possible that God would tell you that, if you’re overworked or burnt out and neglecting other things. But, did He really?
Be careful not to say, “In God’s Name or under his authority” you’re obeying something He said when he never really said it at all.
Or the other end of the spectrum, you go up to a leader and say, “God told me that you’re supposed to make me the ‘co-leader’ of this ministry.” Or you may just be praying with someone and give this word of encouragement or whatever.
Even noble words that aren’t really God’s words are taking his authority in vain. Misusing his authority and his name.
Job 13:7 says…
“Must you go on ‘speaking for God’ when he never once has said the things that you are putting in his mouth?”(Job 13:7 TLB)
It’s dangerous territory. When you abuse his authority you are abusing his name. Because name is representing authority, character and reputation.
3. Using God’s name to intimidate.
This is just like indulging but with greater force. Now there’s a consequence if you don’t buy into it. It’s a do it or else mentality.
Perhaps you’ve heard ministers not all are this way, and not all televangelists are this way, but maybe you’ve heard one say: “You need to send me $1,000 by Thursday or your marriage is going to fall apart.”
That is using God’s authority to intimidate, to deceive, to manipulate, to get something you want. Leviticus 19:12 reflects that the Lord knew that would happen and says…
“Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your God. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:12 GWT)
I am Jehovah. Revere my name, don’t abuse it to deceive someone. You know, in the world, they call that “forgery”.
Forgery is when you use someone else’s name to get what you want.
There are a lot of spiritual forgerers in the world that use God’s name by saying “God told me…” and then you’re supposed to just buy in to that, “must be true then” and it may not be. Jeremiah 23:16 says…
“This is my warning to my people, says the Lord Almighty. Don’t listen to these false prophets when the prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for me!” (Jeremiah 23:16 TLB)
Now must of us would recognize a televangelist who is in error, abusing people by intimidation, that scenario, we would recognize that it’s wrong.
But let me ask you this: How many parents say to their children things like this: “If you don’t stop that God’s going to get you?” It’s the same as “if you don’t give my $1,000 by Thursday your marriage is going to fall apart.”
God’s not going to get them but I’ll tell you who he might get. He says, “if you abuse my name I won’t hold you guiltless. If you misrepresent my reputation, my character and my authority I hold you accountable.” Even parents.
Children are expected to be disciplined when they misbehave but God is not the one who does that. They’re under your authority until they’re of an age that’s somewhat older.
We need to be careful not to misrepresent him.
4. Using God’s name to impress.
Some people think that the more times they can get the names of God in a sentence the more spiritual they appear. I always wonder about these people, when they say things like this to me:
Praise God. That was a great message. Bless God. Thank you Jesus.
Good message would have been good enough. When people start talking like that you start wondering what sin they’re overcompensating for when the name of God or some religious jargon is thrown in every other word.
Some people pray great public prayers but they live a life that is anything but a vibrant life radiant of signs of intimacy with God. It’s just religious terminology.
Would you read, Isaiah 29:13 aloud with me. Ready? “The Lord says…”
Okay. I’ll back up to Titus, that’s okay. If you’re not going to play I’ll back up. Titus 1:16, ready…
“Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live.” (Titus 1:16 NLT)
OK. They sound good but they live differently. Now will you read Isaiah 29:13, and it is Isaiah…
“The Lord says, ‘These people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. But there hearts are far from me.”
(Isaiah 29:13 GWT)
You see the trend, the pattern that goes on here. Some people even in their worship aren’t thinking about God. Another way we Christians misuse God’s name in worship is by…
5. Using God’s name impulsively.
Now bridging from what we were just talking about—people who were intentionally using God’s name to impress, there are some people that aren’t trying to be manipulative, they just impulsively, thoughtlessly, carelessly use the name of God.
How many times have you and I, I’m just as guilty of this as anybody here. Thank goodness there is forgiveness of sin. Thank goodness there’s grace. AMEN! Oh wow! Africans here! Good.
It’s amazing to me how many times we can be speaking in song, we call it singing, but it’s speaking words in song. We can speak or sing the name of Jesus but because of the familiarity with the song we’re not really thinking about the power of His name. We’re just kind of saying it in vain.
Our words are vanity. We’re not really being changed by what we’re saying or singing.
This commandment that we’re studying today, the text from God’s Word Translation, Exodus 20:7 see if you catch it from a little different angle…
“Never use the name of the LORD your God carelessly. The LORD will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.”
(Exodus 20:7 GWT)
Now does God’s grace still allow that we will go to heaven if we blow it here? Of course.
There’s still consequences. Like, if we break the commandment about murder there are still consequences. It could be the way we sing, it could be in our every day talk.
I don’t want you to get so paranoid or legalistic that you can’t carry on a conversation after today, but if you will please forgive my examples they are just that.
I wonder how many of us, not intending to misuse his name, certainly not to slander God will thoughtlessly say things like: “Dear Jesus! What were you thinking?” or “Good Lord!” or “Oh my God!”
It’s not always intended to be swearing or insulting, but thoughtless and careless use of his name. I tell you it’s dangerous territory.
You say, “Well, it doesn’t bother me when I say that?” The question is: “Does it bother God?” not, “does it bother you?” it’s his name.
We can even come dangerously close to breaking this commandment, if not outright breaking it when we’re praying.
This is how serious God takes his name. When we’re talking to God we’re to talk to him the way we talk to our very best friend, our very closest friend. And if I’m your closest friend, and you need something from me and you come to me and you say:
“Bill, I just want to ask you, O, Bill, right now, dear, Bill, if you would, O, Bill, consider my Bill, giving me the keys, dear, Bill, to your car, just for today, blessed Bill. Thank you Bill. You’re the greatest, Bill. Love you, Bill.”
I’d think you were crazy, I would, I’m sorry.
Now, don’t get so paranoid that you can’t even pray because you’re afraid you mentioned his name too many times that’s what some of you will do. Somebody did that last night, “I’m afraid to pray now. I said “Lord” twice, and I thought I was breaking the commandment.”
Maybe say it three times instead of thirty times, ok? Or 13 times instead of 130 times.
But, get the point!
I don’t know where you learned to pray that way, but I am sure that you heard it modeled from someone who didn’t grasp the truth of this.
Thank God for His grace.
I’ll tell you how Jesus taught us to pray if that matters to anybody?
Jesus didn’t say “Pray this,” he said, “Pray like this.” Then he gave us a model to follow, and we’ll put it on the screen for those of you who didn’t learn it in King James, most of us did. We’re going to recite this prayer out loud together. Let’s do it, okay? Notice what you’re praying as you pray it.
Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day, our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespassed against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
Forever and ever
Amen
Now, let me ask you a question: When Jesus gave us that prayer and said, “pray like this.” How many times did he call on the name of the Father?
One time.
Don’t get legalistic and don’t get paranoid. Let Jesus teach you how to pray. It’s not just once, you can say it twice, you can say it three times. But when every other word is God or Father or Lord we’re just vainly repeating that name.
God says: “My name is so important it doesn’t have to be begged. My name is so important and powerful I’d like you to know the power of what you’re saying when you say it. I would like it not to be used as filler in conversation or filler in prayer because you just don’t know what else to pray.”
Don’t be afraid of just being silent when you’re talking to God until you think of something else to say. It’s okay, it doesn’t make God nervous when you’re silent. What does kind of bother him is found in Matthew 6:5
Jesus said…
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
(Matthew 6:5 NKJV)
Vain repetition. If I am repeating his name more times than I ought then that becomes a vain repetition. I must be using his name in vain. Again, please don’t get paranoid, don’t count how many times you do it next time you pray. Just, be aware and know that when you do say his name that there’s a reason for it. Kind of gravitate towards center. Don’t go from never saying it because you’re afraid you might say it four times. Just let God help you find center. Understand the reasoning behind this.
Out of all of the sins that God could have put in the “Top Ten”; there’s more than ten sins, just in case you didn’t know, would you look at somebody next to you and say: “There are more than ten sins.” No, don’t tell them what they are. You were kind of taking advantage of that I see.
God picked the “Top Ten” and said “these are the Top Ten for a reason.” And out of all the thousands he could have picked, misusing his name made it in the “Top Ten”. So, it must be important to God whether or not it’s important to you. It’s important to God, it’s his name.
Think about this for a minute: God knows that over the long term abusing his name is going to hurt us and that’s why it hurts God. We will belittle God by belittling his name over the long term and then that will hurt us. Over time our whole life follows our words. What we say is what we become. Just as God spoke the worlds into existence then created us in his creative image, we too speak things into existence for good or bad. God says, “Watch your words. They’re powerful. You may not even realize how powerful they are. Take my name seriously and use it properly. Learn the proper use of my name.”
So…
II. HOW SHOULD I USE GOD’S NAME?
1. Reverence God’s name continually.
Treat it with the utmost respect. Use it carefully. Use it lovingly. Use it as an act of worship. Don’t just let it slip out flippantly. When you say “God” mean it in your heart. When you say “Jesus” remember the cross. When you say “Lord” remember He is your master—the one calling the shots in your life, your Lord, your leader. Psalm 29:2 says…
“Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2 NKJV)
When we honor his name worshipfully and even discipline our prayers to never abuse his name there are blessings awaiting us. Psalm 61:5, would you read aloud with me…
“For you have heard my vows, O God, to praise you everyday, and you have given me the blessings you reserve for those who reverence your name.” (Psalm 61:5 TLB)
If I reverence that name there are blessings awaiting me.
2. Represent God’s name clearly.
Our lifestyle can misrepresent God if we claim to be Christians, that term is derived from the name, Christ, and it represents his authority as Messiah, the anointed one, the King, the Messiah. Not telling anyone of his power, the power that’s in his name to save, to heal, to deliver is to misrepresent his name through silence by withholding the truth when we had an opportunity to share it. We can’t tell everyone but we can tell someone. Acts 4:12, this is why it’s so important that we know this and share this, would you read this aloud with me…
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12 RSV)
If there is no other way to be saved but by his name then to not tell people that then is to take that only way of salvation for granted. It can be done in a strategic and positive way, you should never force your message on people but do you even offer it? At the very least is your life a testimony of God’s faithfulness and goodness? Is your life and mine bringing glory to God or does it dishonor him in the eyes of the people around you and me? Colossians 3:17 says…
“Everything you say or do should be done in the name(or under the authority of) of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17 GWT)
Name = reputation, character, and authority. No matter what we’ve done with names, he hasn’t changed how he views names. He hasn’t changed his name. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Why will he never change his name? Because he will never change his reputation and he will never change his character and he will never change his authority. He takes names seriously.
3. Rely on God’s name completely.
I rely on his reputation. I rely on his character, and I rely on his authority and the power that comes with that. That’s what it means to trust His name. Psalm 33:21&22…
“In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”
(Psalm 33:21-22 NLT)
This is the hope for day to day provision. There’s more. Let’s take this commandment about the proper use of God’s name into New Testament territory, from John 20, beginning at verse 30…
“Jesus did many other miracles in the presence of his followers that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you may have life through his name.” (John 20:30-31 NCV)
Not just an abundant life here, which he also offers, but eternal life, the hope of eternal life is in his name and his name alone. But wait. There’s more, God didn’t just save us to provide for us in this life and to give us eternal life but he saved us with a mission in mind. We are to use his name to reproduce other Christians otherwise the moment we were saved he would just take us to heaven if that was the only point. He leaves us here with a mission. John 15:16, he’s giving us that mission, let’s read it aloud…
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” (John 15:16 NLT)
He’s saying, “you may have not signed up voluntarily, but I drafted you the moment you became a believer. You may not want to go and produce fruit but that’s your mission.” You can accept it or reject it. Not just produce fruit but produce fruit that will last. When we pray in his name we can expect an answer because we’re busy about his mission especially when we’re praying about the results of the mission. Those prayers get answered.
When we pray in Jesus’ name we’re saying: “Father I realize that only perfect people can get what they’re asking from for you in terms of this or that kind of favor or grace. I realize that I am not perfect therefore I ask you not according to my name but according to the reputation, the character and the authority of your Son, Jesus who gave me that name, and the authority to use it which was, by the way, your plan.”
God’s not tolerating us when we use his name. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” So that we could use his name because he knew we were imperfect.
Now we begin to see the New Testament twist on this Commandment. Once again, God raises the bar in the New Testament on all of his commandments and then gives us the grace to do it. This commandment in the New Testament, you see has to do with abusing by not using His name.
For instance, your call to produce fruit, that’s evangelism—sharing your faith in ways that lead people to accept Jesus Christ, but your call to produce fruit that remains that Discipleship—ongoing mentoring of new believers and you will not do either of these effectively without learning the proper use of his name.
Besides and because there is a real adversary that stalks you he does not want you to learn about your true purpose in life, he fears those who accept that purpose as their mission. He doesn’t just fear Christians, he fears disciples. He doesn’t fear believing, he fears behavior. Disciples who are determined to reproduce more disciples, that puts the devil to flight.
The Bible refers to the devil, as among other things, “the serpent” and his demons as “snakes” and “scorpions”.
It refers to poison that might be slipped into someone’s drink as “the plots of the devil to harm us,” not the intentional consumption of poison just to show off, or taking up snakes just to make a spectacle.
The fact is these adversaries are real. They come to trip us up in our spiritual walk. They have a certain power with certain limitations.
Jesus said, the proper use of His name would bring a powerful victory, Mark 16, verse 17, Jesus speaking, He says…
“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.”
(Mark 16:17-18 NKJV)
Jesus is speaking of a spiritual kingdom at war with another spiritual kingdom. Would you notice who these signs will follow? Who these signs are to be a regular part of their lives, not just apostles, or prophets, or evangelists, or pastors or teachers. It says: “And these signs will follow those who (what?) believe.”
Believe—that’s you friend! It was assumed they were talking to Christians. It’s not just believing in Jesus Christ and the redemptive work of the cross, but to believe goes beyond that, it means I expect these signs to follow me.
I believe that he was commissioning me. If you don’t believe these signs will follow you, I promise you, they won’t, but if you believe they will, you can expect it; they will, because it’s the mission of every believer. It is not only your right, but it is your commission.
There is an enemy that’s keeping us from doing it, that means that we are bound by whatever keeps us from being whatever we are called to be.
In other words, even if you are a Christian these things don’t just happen automatically you have to have faith that they will and trust him. And the reason most of us don’t—it’s usually fear. It’s why we avoid anything spiritual or supernatural, but while we’re avoiding, Satan is assaulting.
When it comes to spiritual warfare, he never takes a day off, do you?
Jeremy! Come help me. Come here. We’re on overtime and now I can blame you! OK. Jeremy is going to be a military soldier for right now. And, uh, he’s going to be the good guy, and I’ll be the bad guy. All right. So we’re at war. I want you to just picture that he has this M-16 strapped around his shoulder, OK. There you go. But what I want you to do is, no, don’t shoot me yet. OK. I want you to just keep your hands down at your side no matter what. OK. I’m the enemy. Now, he’s got an M-16, all I have is a knife. OK. But if I’m going to come up to him, and I’m going to start slashing at him and he’s just standing there with that M-16 not doing a thing. He’s just taking it. So, I just kind of beat him, I kind of insult him now, I just start to belittle him, and slap him, and cut him again, and slash him. I don’t want to take him all the way out because I want to torture him. And so I do, and he’s not doing anything.
Thank you! Isn’t Jeremy a great actor. Yeah. Thank you so much. (applaud)
What’s the point. The point is: God has given us this incredible power, the incredible weapon of His name. Listen this is New Testament truth on this Commandment. It’s revelation, this is fresh bread. Here we are with the power of his name strapped on us and the enemy’s weapons pale in comparison to the weapons of our warfare. How many times do we sit there with this power and just take it as our families are being eroded and our businesses are being dried up and our lives are feeling empty and destitute and lost and we’re dazed and confused on the battering of the enemy and we’re just sitting there with all the weapons necessary to defeat him, but we don’t use it. We abuse it by not using it.
That’s the New Testament truth about this Commandment. To have this beautiful weapon, this powerful weapon that is greater than anything the devil has and to not use it is to have it in vain.
Might as well not have it if you’re not going to use it.
God is saying: “Don’t use my name wrongly, but use it! Don’t take it in vain, but take it and use it against everything that’s coming against you, driving you back, or keeping you still, that’s still not forward progress.”
There’s a power of darkness that is working overtime because he knows his days are short. What are we doing to drive that back? Are we using the weapons of our warfare? It’s very important that you catch this.
Stop being afraid of spiritual things. I’m not afraid of it. I’m not afraid of what people will think of it.
This is what I know about spirituality: You are a spirit, you have a body, you have a soul, but you are a spirit. How much attention does the spiritual realm get from you?
We are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience. We will be spirits forever. There is an invisible dimension that is more real than the invisible and certainly will last longer and you’re in it, ready or not.
The devil’s coming after you to choke out, to steal, to kill, to destroy your influence, your effectiveness, your purpose. If you’re not fighting back you’re losing.
I want to help you see that and know that and know what to do about that because you are so important to the kingdom, to advance the kingdom of Light and drive back darkness.
We will never win the war in this region until we first win the war within, and we stop settling for mediocrity and fire escape religion and we become warriors, grown up, men and women of God who know skillfully how to use the weapons of our warfare and we win victories in our life and we begin to lay hands on other people who are hurting.
If we drink anything deadly by mistake it’s not going to hurt us. We can take up serpents meaning whatever demonic forces are at hand, we can deal with it. Then we can help bring healing to other hurting people. It’s so important.
Jesus promises us victory by not reminding us that he was just some nice Jewish carpenter’s son, that became a nice man and a good teacher, He’s God, always has, always will be.
He was in heaven when Lucifer the most beautiful angel in heaven sinned and was immediately evicted. Here is where He was, and what He saw, and why He reminds us of it, in Luke 10:18…
“And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven(now this is a 30 year old saying, “I saw something that happened 4,000 years ago or before, could have been eons before. So would you read the rest with me…). Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19 NKJV)
Would you circle the word “all”? How much of the power of the enemy has he given you power to tread upon? All of it. Now it doesn’t mean you’re doing it, he could still be tearing you up but it’s not because you don’t have the power it’s because you’re not using it. You have that power in vain. That power comes from his authority which is his name. Jesus saw it by the way because Michael was strong enough and he just delegated it to Colonel Michael. General Jesus didn’t even have to lift a finger.
In other words, Jesus has more than enough power in reserve to destroy anything that’s come against you but you’ve got to learn to use that name and that authority.
This is a real world. You can’t live spiritually with your head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist because in the meantime it is destroying you.
God has called you to a life beyond mediocrity, beyond the status quo. The question is: will you answer that call and say, ‘whatever it takes Lord. I surrender all and I will answer the call’?
We need to continue to learn the proper use of God’s name. Let’s bow…
