The first step in breaking free from the grasp of sin is RECOVERY. The recovery process deals with us recovering our understanding of who God and Lucifer are. It also deals with us understanding who we are as the creation of God and what our sin has done to us. Some of the information that we will cover in this section might have already been taught to us. Some of us might have never heard it. Still, it is very important that we understand some simple basic truths that we will deal with.
ITEM 1
Understanding God
Who is God that man should worship Him?
In order for us to gain a complete understanding of who God is, we must see Him as the Word of God describes Him. The book of Genesis begins with a description of God. It says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This opening sentence let us know that God is a creative being. Just how God created the earth, the animals, and man is still the center of many debates, but we are not here to argue if God did or how God did what He did.
This simple statement in Genesis shows us that God is much like us. He is creative. Creativity involves more than just the ability to put something together, like assembling a car or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. In order for one to be creative, one must be imaginative, innovative, artistic, calculating logical, prepared, and able to do. Though out the Holy Bible, we find evidence of God’s creativity. If we just look around in the world that we live in, we can examine perfect examples of God’s creativity.
This is what the Word of God says in Genesis 1:2, “ Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the face of the earth and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters…” God used the creative powers of the Word of God to bring into being what He had imagined in his mind. God imagined light and said ‘ Let there be light ‘ and it was. God imagined the sea and said ‘Let there be..’ and it was.
Genesis 1:26 show us a more personal side of God’s creativity. It says, “ Then God says, ‘ Let us make man in Our image..’ God imagined man and imagined how man would look and God took time to personally create man. He did not create man to look like anything in heaven. He did not create man to behave like anything He had created. He made man to be like Him. Man was created in the image and likeness of God. Man possesses some of the same characteristics of the Creator. The Word of God says that God breath into man the breath of life or His Spirit. (Genesis 2:7) The importance of this will be discussed in detail later in this course.
Numbers 14:11-20 gives us a look at God’s personality. Moses, in his plea for the rebellious nation of Israel, describes God as slow to anger, abounding in love, and forgiving. David continues to add to the list. He says in Psalms 36:5-9 that God is faithful, righteous, and just. The bible shows us that the love of God reaches out of the heavens and touches each of us. It shows us that we can count on God to do just what His word says that He will do. God will do abundantly more than we can ever ask or think because of His great love for us.
The Word of God also describes God as being different from His creation. To better understand this concept let us picture the family of God as it really is. As a family, God is our father, His spoken word is our mother, and the Spirit of God is the character traits. This means that God imagined us, then the Word of God produced or gave birth to us, and the Spirit of God brought us to life. (Genesis 2:7) As the offsprings of God, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, we, the children of God, inherited many of His character traits. These traits were automatically passed down to us when we were born. At birth, every child of God has the ability to think, imagine, and calculate. Every child of God acts, and looks, and thinks like God. Yet, in spite of these same character traits, God is still different from us. He is different from us because He is the Father.
Another reason that God is different from us is because we are the by-products of the union of three separate parts of God. When a man and a woman produce a child, the child might have his father’s eyes and his mother’s looks. Because of the combination of the different traits of the birth parent, the child will be like the parents, think like the parents, and act like the parents, but the child will also be very different. When the Word of God combined with the Spirit of God to create what God had imagined in His mind, the by-product became the child of God or man. The child of God was just that, he was the child of God. He was made in the image of God as God had imagined him to look. The union of the physical spoken Word of God and the Spirit of God brought forth a spiritual physical man. (Genesis 1:27-30)
Another description of God would be that He is eternal. Eternal in this sense means that He is everlasting. David wrote in one of the Psalms that God is from everlasting to everlasting. God is eternal because He was here when the Big Bang happened and He will be here when the Big Bang happens again. The Word of God describes eternal as being the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and the first and the last. God is definitely eternal.
ITEM 2
Understanding God’s position on our addiction
The sorrows of God
To better understand God’s position in our lives and His position concerning our sins, let us, now, think of God as being the parent of a wayward child. Let us imagine us as being that child. When the child is first brought home, there is much joy. Everything that the newborn does is enjoyed and laughed at. As the child grows, he begins to take on some of the characteristics of the parents. However, as the child continues to grow, because of his surroundings the child soon starts to develop his own characteristics and personality. The child soon begins to explore the world around him. As the child grows and explores, he soon goes outside of the boundaries set by his parents. We all know that a child does not have to be taught to be bad, but a child must be taught to be good.
In much the same way, we, too, find ourselves outside of the boundaries of God. When God created us, we brought much joy to the heart of God. As we grew, we started exploring the things that God had provided for us and the things that God did not want us to mess with. We soon found ourselves outside of the boundaries that God had set for us. This is where sin happens. Sin is being outside of the boundaries of God. Sin is breaking the house rules of God.
These house rules of God are what the Word of God tells us that we must be like. Remember that we said earlier that some of the characteristics of God are (1) He is calculating, (2) He is logical, and (3) He is prepared. With the influence of Lucifer and our imagination, we know how to be bad. God knew this and He logically calculated that we would sin, and He was prepared. The bible is our instructions on how to act and be the way that God created us to be. However, when we do not act, as God would have us to act, we fall into sin. When we sin, we must become aware of five things
Sin brings sorrow to the heart of God. {Genesis 6:6-8; Romans 1:18}
This does not mean that God wishes that He had never made us. Rather it means that like a parent is upset when their child is rebellious, God is also upset when we are rebellious. Sin is rebellion against God. God is upset about what we are doing to ourselves when we do sin. God is saddened that we chose death by sinning, for the wages of sin is death. God is saddened because we have substituted the truth for a lie. God is saddened because we have traded a priceless treasure for a piece of junk. When we step outside of the boundaries of God, we reject everything that God has to offer for anything that will support our self-centered lifestyle.
Sin breaks our fellowship with God. {Genesis 3:8; Acts 3:19}
Because God is holy, he cannot tolerate sin. Because He is morally perfect, He will not and cannot condone or ignore such willful disobedience and rebellion. When we fall into sin, we break our fellowship with God by rejecting God’s way of life. Then, we create in our minds ideals of what a god should be like or do. Finally, we grow to hate God. God does not cause this breakup. When we reject God, God allows us to live, as we want to. God give us over to our sin and allows us to feel the consequences of our actions.
When we chose to follow other gods and break our fellowship with God, He does not try to stop us. God will let us declare our independence from Him and allow us to go our separate ways. In time, we become slaves to our sin. In time, we lose our choice not to sin. It can be better understood if we think of our sins in term of our addiction.
Before any of us ever tried any kind of drug or alcohol, we never imagined that we would be addicted to it. The beer and cigarette commercials tell us that there are many good benefits to be gained from using their product. Nevertheless, they do not show us the addicts. The drug pushers do not tell the potential users that they could become addicted when they use the drug. The pushers tell the users only what the users want to hear and that is usually a lie.
When we believe these lies, then we soon become trapped into a life that we no longer have control over. When we drink that first beer, no beautiful people appear as they do in the commercials. However, we do get drunk. Soon, we start liking the feeling that we get. Before we know anything, we are trapped into a lifetime of getting drunk. When we take that first hit of crack, it is much the same way. We like the feeling and soon we find ourselves on our knees searching the floor for some imaginary crumbs that does not exist. Then after we finish doing the crackhead crawl, we find ourselves doing anything to get another hit. We, at this point are out of control.
God is not limited by our sins {Matthew 1:1-17)
God’s work in human history is not, will not, and cannot be limited by humanity’s failures and sins. God has often worked through ordinary people to accomplish His will. Some of the people that He worked through like Abraham, Ruth, and David are considered heroes of faith. God bless Abram because of his faithfulness. God changed his name to Abraham and gave him a son. The bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart. Still, some had shady reputations, like Rahab and Matthew, the tax collector. Nevertheless, in spite of who they were or what they might have later become, it is clear that they started as just ordinary people. They were ordinary people that were caught up in a world of sin, like you and me. They were ordinary people that did not know God and never had trusted in Him. Yet, through these ordinary people, God was able to do great things.
Today, God is still doing great thing through ordinary people. What is so great about the God of the Holy Bible? What so great about the God that we serve? The answer is that He is not limited by our sins. Even when we find ourselves in the deep trenches of sin, God is not limited. Even when we find ourselves helpless, lost, and stuck on stupid while stand on Crack Street, God will not be limited. Even though we might limit ourselves to the blessings of God because of our sins, God is not limited from coming to our rescue.
Psalms 23:4 say, “ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Thou rod and Thou staff they comfort me.” When we sin, we are faced with death; for the Word of God says that, the wages of sin is death. When we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we are traveling through the place where sin resides. David knew that even though he faced death, he did not have to fear it because God was his friend and God would come to his aid. This is the same promise that we, as children of God, can claim. Even though we may find ourselves in sin, we can turn to God for help. Even when we cannot find the answers to our problems, God’s rod, His word, and God’s staff, His Holy Spirit, will be there to guide, correct, protect, and lead us to the rock that is higher than we are. (Psalms 61:2)
Let us examine the Apostle Paul. The Word of God says that for years Paul, then Saul, persecuted the church from one corner of the known world to the other. No matter where the early Christians would hide, Saul would search for them and find them. To use a phrase, Saul always got his man. Then one day, God changed things around. Saul became the subject of a divine manhunt. Saul was not hunted because of his religious belief. Saul was not hunted because he had done something wrong. God need someone to do a job for Him and Saul was the best man for the job. One day on the road to Damascus, the manhunt for Saul ended. God touch Saul, changed his name, changed his mission, and change the course of human history. Sometimes, when God has need of us, we have no chose but to say, “ Hear am I, Lord. Send me.
It is the same with each child of God. God can take the worst of us and recreate us to be the best saint. Just because we are surrounded by our sins does not mean God cannot save us. Just because the world has labeled us as useless, and thrown us to the side, does not mean that God does not have need of us. In the Old Testament, God used two lepers that no one wanted to touch to save the starving nation of Israel. (2Kings 7:3-11) God will use ordinary people to do His will.
God looks for those in sin. (Luke 15: 3-6)
Even in today’s advanced society, some Christians are bothered when they see other Christians associate with sinners. The Christians that are seen with the undesirable people; the Christians that are seen coming out of the undesirable places are often talked about and even sometimes have their salvation questioned by other Christians. Nevertheless, as children of God, we need to come to understand that God is not a respecter of person. God looks for those that are lost in sin. Jesus gave us a perfect example of this. Jesus was often found in the company of sinners and even His inner circle of disciples included some notorious sinners, like Matthew, the tax collector. The Word of God says that Jesus came to save the lost. Jesus came to show God’s love for the sinner.
This love of God for the His unrepented children has no boundaries. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Romans 8:31-32 states, “If God is for us, who can be against us. He who did not even spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things.” If God gave His only Son for us, He will not hold back His salvation from us. Since God gave his only Son for us, He will come to our rescue when we need Him the most. God is looking for those in sin because they need His salvation the most.
God will forgive our sins. (1 John 1:5-10; 2:1-2)
If we want to have fellowship with God and receive his help in breaking free from our sins, we must put aside our sinful ways of living. We cannot claim to belong to God while living in sin. The Word of God says very clearly that we cannot serve God and Lucifer. If we want to break free from our sins, we must let go of our sins. Sin brings death. The Word of God clearly states that the wages of sin is death. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. He paid the penalty for our sins by His death on the cross.
At our conversion from a life of sin, all of our sins are forgiven. Yet, after we become Christians, we still sin and still need to confess our sins. Our confessions are not offered so that God will accept us, they are offered so that we can remain in fellowship with God. We cannot hide our sins or lie about them to God because He already knows them. God will not push us away when we confess our sin, rather, He will draw us closer to Him.
Our confessions free us to enjoy fellowship with God. It allows us to enjoy the blessings and the joy of God. True confession involves more than remembering what we did wrong and reciting it back to God. God already know all of our sin, so He does not need to be reminded. True confession involves a commitment not to continue in sin. True confession brings us closer to God and gives us strength to defeat the temptation the next time. In confessing our sins, we are agreeing with God that we are sinners and we want to turn from our sins.
ITEM 3
Understanding Lucifer
Who is Lucifer that man should fear him?
The reason that we, as children of God, need to understand Lucifer is because we are under constant attack from him and his evil forces. In order to defend ourselves from his attacks, we need be able to see him as the Word of God describes him. We need to become aware of his power, his battle tactics, his way of thinking, and his limitations. With this kind of knowledge, we will be better armed to fight the good fight of faith against Lucifer and break his death hold on our lives.
In this world, we are surrounded by incompatible and compatible opposites. The opposite of man is woman. Sometimes they are compatible and sometimes they are not. The opposite of dog is cat. In most cases, they are not even close to being compatible. The opposite of God is Lucifer. This pair sometimes will tolerate each other, but they are beyond being incompatible. They are eternal enemies. To be blunt, they do not get along at all.
The words, demon, devil and Lucifer are the commonly used pronouns for an evil being or an evil presence. However, Lucifer is more than just an evil being or presence. His proper name is Lucifer and God created him. When we hear the names Satan and Lucifer, we might picture a strange looking being that has human like features. This creature usually has a tail and horns and carries a pitchfork. This being is thought to reside in the deepest and hottest parts of the earth. His residence is said to be the place where souls burn for eternity. Even though this is the common perception that we have of Lucifer, it is the wrong one.
The Word of God describes Lucifer as being a fallen angel, a snake, a demon, the accuser of the brethren, and the father of all lies. He is said to be like a roaring lion and can appear as an angel of light. The Word of God says that he is a very deceiving spirit that can come into the presence of God. He is represent by a dragon and is destined for the pits of Hell. Furthermore, the Word of God warns us that he is to be considered an enemy to the children of God. We are told to separate ourselves from him and anyone that is associated with him.
Lucifer was at one time a very important angel of God. Some theologians say that Lucifer was the angel in charge of the worship and praise in heaven. They say that he was completely adorned with every precious stone you could imagine. Lucifer could just think of a melody and it would start playing. Lucifer is describe as being the best looking of all the angel and the scholars placed him as fourth in the line of authority in heaven before he was thrown out.
In Job 1:6-12, we can find some additional information on Lucifer. Here in this passage of scripture we can see some of his character traits. They are: Lucifer still has access to God.
Verse 6 says, “One day, the angels came to present themselves before the Lord and Lucifer also came with them.” This passage reveals to us two things. First, even though Lucifer lost his position in the kingdom of God, He did not lose his access to God. That is why a lot of the Word of God calls him Lucifer, which means accuser. When he rebelled against God, Lucifer went from praising and worshipping God to finding fault in God and the things of God. Secondly, Lucifer is often found in the company of the people of God. The reason for this is because he is busy trying to steal God’s praise. He is trying to kill any hope of man ever being saved. He is trying to destroy the children of God.
Lucifer can only be in one place at a time.
God is the creator of Lucifer. Since Lucifer is a created being, he is limited like the other created beings. God is the only heavenly being that can be at more than one place at a time. (Daniel 10:12-14) Lucifer uses the fallen angels to fool us into thinking that he is everywhere. When Lucifer was thrown out of heaven, a third of the angels in heaven were thrown out with him. These angels make up the entire spiritual force of Lucifer. These demonic angels are the ones that Lucifer sends to torment us. Still, even though these Demonic angels are under Lucifer’s evil control, they cannot do any harm to the child of God without God’s permission. These Demonic angels work to tempt people into sin. Even though all illness does not come from Lucifer, we can be sure that our addiction to sin does.
Lucifer converses with God and man.
The Word of God tells us that Lucifer talks with God. He has to talk to Him in order to do anything to a child of God. The conversations between God and Lucifer are usually filled with accusations by Lucifer and rebukes by God.
Like God, Lucifer also talks to us. He does this by placing ideas and thoughts in our minds that are against the will of God. Lucifer will use our friends, family and anyone else to talk to us. As children of God, we need to know that the voice of Lucifer is a lying voice, because the Word of God calls him the father of all lies. However, as children of God, we need to know the voice of God and we need to know how to tell if what we hear is from God. The Word of God says to try the spirit by the spirit. If some thought or idea comes to us, we should try it by the word of God. If it is in the smallest way not in agreement with the Word of God, then it is not from God.
Lucifer is limited on what he can do.
Through the Word of God, we find limits that God has placed on Lucifer. In Genesis 3:14-15 and Revelations 20:10, God limits the life span of Lucifer. In Job 1:6, Lucifer is limited in what he can do to a child of God. Whatever it is that he might do has to be approved by God.
Lucifer is not only limited by God, he is also can be limited by us. The Word of God gives us many different ways in which we can limit the power of Lucifer over our lives. The Word of God says that if we seek God, and resist Lucifer, he will flee. David said, “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly or stands in the way of the sinner or sits in the seat of the mockers.” (Psalms 1:1) Jesus told us that we have the power and authority in His Name to cast out demons. He also said that one shall put a thousand (demons) to flight and two shall put ten thousand to flight. Lucifer tries his best to convince us that we are helpless in our struggle against him, but we are not helpless. God did not give us a weak and helpless spirit; He gave us a spirit of love, power, and a sound mind.
Lucifer is real and active on earth.
By knowing these things about Lucifer, we can better prepare for his attacks. The aware child of God will look for Lucifer in every situation and circumstance. The aware child of God will judge and test any situation with the Word of God. The Word of God informs us that the best and quickest way to rid ourselves of Lucifer is to seek God, resist Lucifer, and he will flee.
Lucifer is not a mere fantasy or folk tale; he is real. He has a powerful army that fights against God, Christ, the Spirit of God, and anyone who is on God’s side. Lucifer will try anything to get us to turn our backs on God. To be able to with stand his attacks, we must learn to rely on the strength of God. We must also use every piece of armor that God has given us. (Ephesians 6:10-18) The reason that we must rely on God is because we fight not against flesh and blood. We are fighting against principalities, powers, and wickedness. We are fighting a spiritual battle and we need a supernatural spiritual force to fight against him.
ITEM 4
Understanding Lucifer’s role in your sin.
Sin makes us fall short of God’s purpose. (Romans 4:22)
Now that we have developed an understanding of God and His position concerning our addiction and an understanding of Lucifer, let us take a deep look at the role that Lucifer and his angels play in our sins. The Word of God states that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. This statement reveals the first truth that we will touch on.
The Word of God says that when God made man He created him for a purpose. That purpose was to tend and take care of the earth and everything that God had given to him. (Genesis 2:15) When Adam and Eve sinned that introduced sin into the entire human race. From then on man became corrupt and soon left the original purpose that God had created him for. Because we were born of Adam, we have inherited his ability and desire to sin.
When we think of sin, we often think of some willful or intentional form of sin like murder or adultery. However, when Paul says here that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, he is not trying to remind us that we commit intentional sins, so therefore we are sinners. Rather Paul is trying to get us to understand that no one regardless of position, wealth, or circumstance can claim to be without sin, because we were born into the world as sinners. As sinners, we knew what was right, we knew how to do what was right, but we had no desire or intention to do the right thing. As sinners, we followed the instructions and commands of our master, Lucifer.
Even though, we are born into this world as sinners under the control of Lucifer, we are still important to God. We are important to Him because we were made in his image and He loves us. Nevertheless, none of us are perfect and righteous. In our sinful condition, we become unacceptable to God. This is the main thing that Lucifer tries to do to us. He tries to make us unacceptable to God. When we become unacceptable to God, we are placed under His wrath or curse. For the bible does say, (Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death.” This curse is against all sinners, therefore against all men for all have sinned, and are guilty before God: and if, we are sinners then we are unacceptable to God.
The Focus of Lucifer’s Temptations (Luke 4:1-13)
All of Lucifer’s promises are deceitful; and if he is able to do anything, he uses it as bait to trap us and lead us to destruction. When Lucifer tempts us, he focuses on the main area of concern in our lives, us. He deals with our physical needs and desires and promises to fulfill them like we never imagined possible. These promises often lead us into areas that are in direct conflict with the Word of God.
Lucifer also focuses on our desire and need for possessions and power. He fools us into thinking, that if we have enough of the right things, then we will be happy. He tricks us into believing, that if we listen to his evil advice, we will be successful. However, the Word of God says that Lucifer is a liar and no matter what he does for us, it will only lead to our ruin.
Lucifer also focuses on our pride. He encourages us into thinking that we are more important than we actually are. He lies and tells us that if we are to be acceptable, then we have to behave this way or that way. However, as children of God, God has given us instructions in the Word of God and He expects us to behave the way the Word of God tells us to.
Directly after Jesus was declared the Son of God and the Savior of the world, (Matthew 4:1-11) He was tempted. Even when we declare our love for God, we, too, still go through tempting by Lucifer. However, when the Spirit of God enters into us and we are adopted as children of God, God will give us the strength to resist Lucifer. If we depend on our own strength, and mess with Lucifer, we will provoke God to leave us to ourselves. We must understand that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and very daring; but he can be resisted. Lucifer’s aim in all his temptations is to get us to sin against God.
Lucifer tempts us to lose hope in God’s goodness, and to question God’s care concerning us.
It is one of the tricks of Lucifer to take advantage of our outward condition; and as children of God, we need to double our guard. Christ answered all the temptations of Lucifer with “It is written;” to set an example for us. He used what was written in the Scriptures. This is the same method we must us. When we are tempted to sin, we must remember what the Word of God says. When we are tempted to sin, we must remember in some way or other the Lord will provide us a way to escape every temptation that Lucifer brings.
Lucifer tempts us to doubt God’s power and protection.
No problem is more dangerous than despair and presumption. Lucifer has no objection to coming to church or messing with the children of God. The church is one of the main places where he does come to tempt us. Lucifer is well versed in the Word of God. He is able to quote it from memory. It is possible for us to have our heads full of Godly notions, and our mouths full of Godly expressions, while our hearts are full of sin. Lucifer misquotes the Word of God and tries to trick us into believing his lies. If we listen to and believe his lies, we forfeit the promise of God’s protection.
Lucifer tempts us to idolatry with the offer of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.
The glory of the world is the most charming temptation that a person can be offered. Christ was tempted with this proposal. Nevertheless, He answered Lucifer “Get thee hence, Lucifer.” Some temptations are openly wicked; and they are not merely to be opposed, but rejected at once. It is good to be quick and firm in resisting temptation. If we resist Lucifer, he will flee from us. However, the child of God that gives consideration to Lucifer will be overcome. There are some people who can easily reject the temptations that Lucifer offers; yet, each of us must rely on the Word of God and the strength of God to help us to overcome the tricks of Lucifer.
ITEM 5
Understanding Who God made us to be.
God made us in His image.
Imagine that you are the only person left in the city after a bad nuclear disaster. After the heat dissipates, you slowly ventures out of your hiding place only to find everything that was familiar to you is gone. The family, you sometimes were close to, are no longer alive. The friends and enemies, you had, are no longer around. One thing that we know for sure is, that after the joy of being alive subsides, you will definitely be lonely. For Adam, loneliness was quite different because he had never known the company of another human being.
It was both an honor and a favor that man was made last of all the creatures. Yet, man was made the same day that the animals were made; his body was made of the same earth as theirs; and while he is in the body, he inhabits the same earth with them. Man was to be a creature different from all that had been made. God said, “Let us make man.”
Although man was created to glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, it is the soul of man that resembles God’s image. Man was made upright, Ecclesiastes 7:29- Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. Man can understand the divine things of God; man has the capacity to increase his knowledge and understanding; he has free will that can and sometimes does run contradictory to the will of God. Man has affection, and he has appetites and passions. Man can think and reason. Our first parents were happy in having the image of God upon them. However, sin soon defaced this image of God.
God made us to be in control over the things that He has made for us.
The very next thing that God did, after He decided how man was to look, was to assign man a job. God said,’ … and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ Hebrews 2:5-8 states, “For not unto angels did God subject the world to come, whereof we speak. But one hath somewhere testified, saying, ‘ what is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visits him?’ Thou made him a little lower than the angels; Thou crowned him with glory and honor and did set him over the works of thy hands. Thou did put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that God subjected all things unto him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.”
God gave human beings tremendous authority. He put us in charge of everything on earth. This is the marvelous truth that every child of God needs to understand. Man is too godlike in his origin, too glorious in his destiny, to waste himself in a life of sin. If we were animals, we might live as they live on the low plain of animal intellect. If we were no more than a machine, our fate would be of no concern. But we are children of God. We are made in the image of God, with a glorious destiny made possible to us, and we are crowned with glory and honor!
When God created Adam, He gave him complete authority and rule over everything. Adam was the one that named the animals. He was the one to tend the garden. He was made after everything else and specifically crafted for the job. God said ‘Let us make man in our image.’ God was capable to create everything and He made His image capable to take care of it.
Not only was Adam given control of all the animals and plants, he was given control over Lucifer. Lucifer had been dismissed from the celestial paradise to roam the earth along with a third of the angels. God did not forget that Lucifer was here, rather God equipped man to be able to resist Lucifer. God equipped Adam with the knowledge of what was and was not to be done and the ability to be able to choose to do it. This is what we call free will. God enables us with the knowledge of the Word of God and free will to be able to do what the Word of God instructs.
Additional honors are also in the fact that Jesus; having picked up the poor, ruined, cast-a-ways of Lucifer; saves us, sanctifies us, and then is “not ashamed to call us brethrens.” We are sentient beings, capable of joy or suffering. We are capable of endless development, either in God’s likeness or the opposite. Nevertheless, none of us can ever speculate what an eternity of development will make us become. But we do know that when we accept the suffering and sacrifices of our lord and savior Jesus, we once again regain the authority over all things that Adam forfeited to Lucifer through his sin.
The children of God live in complete dependence upon the Divine Providence and Promise of the Word of God that God will be for us. (Romans 8:31) The Word of God is our sword, and faith in that word is our shield to fend off the attacks of Lucifer. God has many ways of providing for his people, and they can be at all times depended upon. These spiritual weapons will be discussed in detail Chapter 6- Rearmament.
God created us with authority.
Prayer is the appointed means for the children of God to obtaining what we need to assist us in our fight against Lucifer. The Word of God instructs us to pray and to pray often. We should make it our business to pray, and be serious and earnest about it. We are to ask, not as a beggar asks for help, rather as a child of God. We are to ask, as a traveler asks for help when lost. We are told to seek; as if we are looking for something of value that we have lost. Because of our sins, we have lost our fellowship with God. We are to knock, because we desire to enter back into the presence of God. Our sin has shut and barred the door to the power and presence of God; but by prayer, we knock on that door. Whatever we pray for, according to the promise of the Word of God, it shall be given us, as long as it is within the Will of God. This truth applies to every child of God; every one that asks receives, whether they are Jewish or Gentile, young or old, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, all people are welcomed to come to the throne of God, if they come in faith. God is intelligent; he knows what we need, what we desire, and what is best us.
When we ask God in Jesus’ name, we are acknowledging our unworthiness to approach the throne of God. We are acknowledging that we are sinners. When we ask in the name of Jesus, we are showing our full dependence upon Christ as our Lord and our Savior. And God will hear and answer our prayers. God will go to great lengths to help His children. Furthermore let us keep in mind, when we talk to God, the Father in the name of Jesus, the Christ, we are calling on the One that made everything. And He is capable to do more than we can ever ask or think.
When we are dedicated to God, through the baptism of water and of the Spirit of God, and our faith in Jesus, the Christ, we can ask anything of God. And we will receive it, as long as it is within the will of God. When we approach the throne room of God, we are to go boldly and when we petition God for anything, we must ask for the right reasons. If our motives are wrong, we will not get. James 4:3 reveal the reason that some of our prayers do not get answered. The Word of God says, “You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts.” God is not stupid. He knows our every secret thought. If we ask God for something selfish then God will not reply. But if we ask not so that our will can be done rather so that God’s will can be done, then God will answer our requests.
ITEM 6
God gives us power to change through His Spirit.
The union between Christ and the children of God is bound together by the Spirit of God. We may believe that God is good, gracious and capable; yet, when our faith rest in the promises in the Word of God, the Spirit of God starts to work in us. This Spirit of God creates a change in every born again child of God. The Spirit of God changes us from an instrument under the control of Lucifer to a righteous heir to the kingdom of God.
The Spirit of God changes our heart, Ezekiel 36 25-27.
Every born again child of God is given a new heart and a new spirit in order to help them in their new life as a Christian. God will give us a soft and tender heart of flesh that will comply with His holy will. The Word of God works as a catalyst to transform the dead sinner into a usable instrument of God. The Spirit of God will make us fit for the task God has for us. These promises are to be believed because they will be fulfilled to every born again child of God.
The Spirit of God allows us to do God’s will, Ezekiel 37: 9-11.
There is no power on earth or in the heavens that can bring a person back to life like God can. Doctors have figured out a way to shock the heart back to life and revive a person. But if to much time pass, there is nothing that even the doctors can do. However, our God is not limit by the laws of our sciences. God can not only bring the dead back to life, as Jesus did with Lairises, but God said that He will bring those long dead and forgotten back to life.
Not only will God resurrect us in the last days, He constantly is resurrecting us from the death of our sins. Remember the Word of God states that the wages of sin is death. This death is not something that has to catch up with us some time in the future. This death is immediate, because it kills our fellowship to God. Without fellowship with God our spirit dies. However, when we are in fellowship with God, the Word of God says that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
The Spirit of God teaches us how to pray, Romans 8: 26-27.
Though the sins of the children of God are to numerous to count, the Spirit of God still helps us. The Spirit of God teaches us what to pray for. The Spirit of God works and stirs up prayers when we are in no condition to pray. The Spirit of God silences our fears, and helps us overcome the temptations of Lucifer. The Spirit of God is the focus of all desires toward God, because that who’s spirit it is. The Spirit of God is the power behind the statement of Paul: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The Spirit of God enables the child of God to do the will of God. The Spirit of God that Paul is talking about is the very same Spirit of God from Genesis 1. The Spirit of God makes intercessions for us to God so that the enemy does not prevail.
ITEM 7
God makes us new creations
The renewed child of God acts upon new principles, by new rules, with new ends, and keeps new company. The renewed child of God is created one more time. His heart is not merely changed, but a new heart is given him. (Ezekiel 36:26) The renewed child of God is the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. The renewed child of God is changed in his character and conduct. This change is more than the change of the outward appearance. The child of God is changed from within first and the transformation continues to the outside.
The hatred that Lucifer placed in the heart of the child of God is removed and replaced with love for God. God has reconciled us to Himself by Christ. Jesus By the inspirations of the Spirit of God, the Scriptures were written, which are the Word of God concerning our reunion with God. The Scriptures shows that peace has been made by Jesus’ death on the cross. The Scriptures tells us of the power Jesus’ death and resurrection has provided for us. The Scriptures tells us how to use this power in our fight against Lucifer. The end result of our being renewed is to make us righteous before God. Once we regain our righteousness before God, we also regain all the power and authority that God gave Adam and Lucifer stole.
