But God
When we think of the Bible we think of it as a Book of Promises. Promises that are available to every "whosoeve" will receive. We should also think of it as a Book of Covenants. Covenant promises are made and sealed in blood.
We regard the Bible as the Word of God, printed on paper, that offers us salvation, deliverance, hope, encouragement, and healing both physical and spiritual. Its a Book of revelation, revealing the nature of God. Its a Book of love. A Book of victory, victory for every Believer.
And if there are victories there also has to be defeats. So the Bible is also a Book of defeats. Not for the Believer, but for the Devil. Sometimes we miss that point. In any battle there is a winner and if there is going to be a winner there is also going to be a loser. Whos the biggest loser of them all? The Devil. The Bible is a Book of defeats for the Devil.
Let me tell you something, if you dont get anything else out of this, remember this . . . . God always wins! Hes never lost a battle yet. Losing is not one of His attributes. If we will let Him, He will fight our battles for us. Sometimes when fighting our battles for us He is hindered by us getting in the way. We tend to think that God is sitting on the sidelines waiting for us to win the game but God doesnt sit on side lines and He doesnt play games! Besides, the battle is not ours. We can say that with authority because the fact that we dont fight our battles alone is part-and -parcel of a Covenant Relationship.
Weve talked about covenant relationships before. In a blood covenant there is at least two parties involved. One of the steps taken in a Covenant is for both parties to agree to terms and then swear an oath to that agreement. One of the things that makes a Covenant so unique is that one person promises the other to come to their defense if their help is ever needed.
Were in a covenant relationship with God through the cutting of the flesh of His only Son, Jesus. Thats what Calvary was all about. Jesus was not only the covenant sacrifice but, because He passed all the tests and didnt sin, He qualified to be your representative in the Covenant with God, the Father. When Covenant partners enter in the covenant they mix cut their wrists and mix blood. That act makes them one. We should have entered into Covenant ourselves but we couldnt because our blood is tainted with the sin of Adam. So we needed Someone who was all man but all perfect and without tainted Blood to represent us in cutting the Covenant with God. That Someone was Jesus.
So, what we have here is a Divine Covenant, and a Blood Covenant at that. God, the Father, is One of the parties in the covenant. God is always the Party of the First Part in any situation. But in this Covenant you are the other party, the party of the second part. Represented in Person by Jesus Christ, the perfect Man.
So, being in this Covenant with God, when we are attacked by the enemy (who is the enemy? The devil) . . . BY Covenant oath, God comes to our defense. Where do we get that? First of all remember that, spiritually, we are grafted-in Jews.
Galatians 3:29 says: "And if ye be Christs, then are ye Abrahams seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Best out of Living Bible) What were the Children of Israel promised in the Old Covenant? Lets just look at one promise.
Isaiah 43:1
"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour"
Thats a promise under the old covenant. Today weve got a Covenant even better than that!
Under the Old Covenant sins were covered by the blood of bulls and goats. On the Day of Atonement the High Priest would sacrifice a goat and then he would take the blood and enter into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant rested. He would sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat and that was to cover the sins of the whole nation for a year. But there were faults in that system. For one thing a man chose to sin but the goat that was sacrificed was just a dumb animal and he didnt choose to die for anyone’s sins. But it was the best they had at that time. Before he killed the goat the High Priest would place his hands on it and then lean heavily onto the goat. This symbolized the transference of all the sins of the whole nation. Then he killed the animal. It covered sins for a time but it didnt take away the guilt of sin.
Jeremiah 31:31-37 tells about a new covenant.
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, this new Covenant is will be built on better sacrifice, better Blood and it will yield better promises."
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Just a side note. Remember when I said that the High Priest would lay his hands on the sacrificial goat on the Day of Atonement? That symbolized transferal of sins from the people over onto the goat. Turn to Is. 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" That word "laid" means the same thing as when the High Priest laid his hands on the goat. Our sins were transferred over on to Jesus while He was on the Cross. _____________________________________________________________
Now, what happens when two parties enter covenant together and one is attacked by the enemy? His covenant partner rushes to his defense. We are in Covenant with God. When we get into trouble what happens? The Lord comes to our defense and fights our battles. And when God gets in trouble what do we do then? Nothing. We cant help God because Hes God. He always wins. So, in times of trouble, its always one-sided deal. Its always God helping us.
Every time the Devil comes against a Covenant child of God the outcome is already certain. He loses and God wins. There are a lot of stories in the Word of God that illustrate defeat for the Devil. One of my favorite ones is the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the story of Joseph but the most powerful one is that God will never leave or forsake a Child of Covenant.
We sometimes wonder where God is in our time of trouble. We look at circumstances as they appear instead of what the word of God says they can be. We take a negative view of those circumstances and see them as proof that God is off somewhere else, probably ministering to Benny Hinn or Kenneth Hagin. But God has promised Hell never leave nor forsake us and Hes no respecter of persons. He will dwell on the inside of any "whosoeve" by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph knew all about negative circumstances. When he was 17 years old his own brothers plotted to get rid of him. (Genesis 37:22)
Joseph had a beautiful coat his father gave him and it made his brothers jealous. Not only that but Joseph was always dreaming and telling his dream to the others and that made them mad too. So, one day Joseph goes out into the desert looking for his brothers who are watching the flock of goats for their father. They see him coming and decide to do away with him. Rueben, the oldest talks them out of killing Joseph. So,Joseph was thrown into a pit, or a dry well, while his brothers sat around eating planning what to do with him.
Then a caravan of Arabs pass by and the brothers see a possibility of making a little money from selling Joseph as a slave. About this time Joseph was probably wishing he was an only child. Here his own flesh and blood is plotting to kill him. But I can imagine Joseph down in that pit and, instead of fretting, praying out, "O God, is this any way for a child of Covenant to be treated? Deliver me from the hands of my own flesh and bloo". Or, he could have been sitting down resting, knowing that he was a child of covenant and that God would take care of him. Well, things went from bad to worse.
Joseph was sold off for 20 pieces of silver to the Arabs. They took him to Egypt where He was sold off as a slave to a man named Potiphar, who was the captain of the Pharaohs guard. It was obvious that something was different with Joseph. He was smarter than the rest of the slaves. Not only that but, he was always praying, which proves he was smarter. He found favor with Potiphar and was put in charge over his entire household. Everywhere he went, people knew something was different with Joseph, he even caught the eye of Potiphars wife. She tempted Joseph to lie with her but Joseph refused and ran out of the house. She caught hold of his coat and called the guards and lied to them saying Joseph had tried to rape her. Of course, theyre going to believe the bosss wife before Joseph so, Joseph was thrown into prison.
Joseph has gone from a pit to a prison. If it had been any of us we would have been wondering, "Where is God". In prison was soon learned that Joseph had a gift of interpreting dreams. He correctly interpreted the dreams of a couple of prisoners. One was a baker and the other a butler of Pharaoh. The butler ended up serving the Pharaoh once again, just as Joseph said he would. The butler had promised Joseph that when he was restored back to good standing with the Pharaoh he would speak to the king about releasing Joseph. Well, two years went by and the butler forgot all about Joseph being in prison. Then one day the Pharaoh had a dream that needed to be interpreted. It was then that the butler finally remembered Joseph and told the king that God was with Joseph and could interpret the dream that was haunting him.
Joseph was brought before the king and he told him there would be 7 years of plenty in the land, followed by 7 years of famine. He suggested that the king put someone in charge of storing grain during the years of plenty so it would carry them through the bad years. Pharaoh liked the idea and he put Joseph in charge. In one instant Joseph became the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Now think about it.
Joseph went from the pit to prison and from the prison to the palace. Why?
Turn to Acts 7:9, This is Stephen speaking to a council in his defense for preaching the Gospel,
"And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. 7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: (now the descendants of Abraham are in a covenant relationship with God, that makes them the apple of His eye) and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs (the brothers of Joseph), moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house."
There are two words in those verses that spell out the difference between a Covenant child of God and anyone who doesnt know God. In every challenge that comes from the Devil to the Covenant child of God there are two words that spell the difference between victory and defeat. They are two of the most powerful words in the Bible. Those two words are, (verse 9) "But God". Look back at verse 9, "And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him".
Those two words, "but God", are used a total of 43 times in the Bible and they are the Holy Spirits answer to every attack, every stronghold of the Devil in the life of a child of covenant. "But God" is the bottom line. Its the last word. "But God" says its all over but the shouting!
No matter where you go, whether its in a pit or prison or in the White House, "But God" is there and ready to serve, protect, and uplift a Covenant child of God.
"But God" says that you can boldly walk into the enemys camp and take back what he has stolen from you. I want you to know that if you are Born-Again then youre a Covenant child of God and its never over until God has had His say.
Whenever the Devil comes to you with a lie that youre not going to make it, remind him that you are in Covenant with the most high God! And thats reason enough for you to hang in there . . . .the jury is still out on your situation . . . . all the votes are not in yet. . . . God hasnt had His final say in the matter.
The Devil tries to tell you he still has power over you. "But God" says that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!
The Devil says youre sick . . . . But God says, "By his stripes you were healed".
The Devil says youre defeated . . . But God says, youre more than a conqueror!
The Devil says you cant do anything . . . But God says you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!
The Devil says you dont have anything and you never will . . . But God says that He shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory!
The Devil says he will put so much grief on you that youll give up . . . . But God says, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn". (why?) "This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD".
The Devil comes to you and says, "Remember all those sins you used to do? Sometimes you still sin and would like to sin more often?" Then he says, "Youre not really saved after." BUT, First Corinthians 6:11 says, ". . But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
Why can you claim a part in that heritage? Because you are a Covenant Child of God through Jesus Christ.
The Devil works overtime to discourage us and to defeat us. I want to make it clear that this Book called the Bible is a Book of Covenant Promises sealed in Blood and they are meant for every Child of God. Those promises spell out defeat for the Devil in every situation. The world would try to make you believe that the Devil is powerful and in charge. "But God" . . . are the two words that proves them wrong. Those two words will haunt the Devil, day and night.
One of the greatest stories of a man who knows he is in Covenant with God and takes advantage of it was Jonathan, the son of Saul. Before we turn to the scripture, Saul has an army of about 2 thousand men. He was about to fight the Philistines until Sauls army sees how many men were in the Phillistine army. There were 30,000 chariots, 6000 horsemen, and so many soldiers on foot that scripture says they were like sand on the desert.
When Sauls army saw how greatly outnumbered they were they turned and ran. Saul was left with 600 men. Saul was on one mountain and the Philistines are on another one. There was a great ravine separating the two armies. Saul is scared to death. He operates on what he sees, not on Covenant Promises. Being in Covenant with God hasnt even entered his mind. He sits under a Pomegranate tree and wonders what hes going to do.
Then he gets "religious" and calls for someone to bring up the Ark of the Covenant. Hes going to use it like a rabbits foot to bring him luck.
Then he made a burnt offering to the Lord. That was a big mistake because he made the offering himself and only a priest was authorized do that. Sauls faith was in himself and "things", notable the Ark of the Covenant and the burnt offering. Hes forgotten, or just ignored the fact, that hes in Covenant with God through Abraham. But theres someone who hasnt forgotten. This is not about David. He hasnt even entered into the picture yet. This is about someone who knows about Covenant relationship.
Turn to 1 Sam. 14:1
Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.
What Jonathan is telling his armour bearer is that just the two of them are going to attack the Philistines! Now, the rest of the Israelites dont have any real weapons. The Philistines had been in control of the land and they didn’t permit any blacksmiths in the land of the Israelites. King Saul and his son, Jonathan, were the only two who had weapons and they were swords. These two men are symbolic of two types of Believer today. They both had swords, or the Word of God, to use in their defense but only one of them used it.
So Jonathan and his armourbearer sneak out of the camp and head for the Philistines. His armourbearer must have had some doubts about the two of them taking on the whole Philistine army. Let me repeat those numbers to you again: The Philistine army consisted of 30,000 chariots, 6000 horsemen, and so many soldiers on foot that scripture says they were like sand on the desert. Jonathan isnt just a kid with a lot of spunk. This is a Covenant child of God who knows hes in Covenant and is about to exercise his Covenant rights. I see Jonathan as a type of Jesus and the armourbearer as at type of Believer. Jonathan leads the way and the armourbearer follows in faith. Jesus leads the way and the Believer follows in faith. The armourbearer carried the sword. We carry the sword, the Word of God, in our hearts.
So, here is Jonathan, a Covenant child of God, looking across the valley at the enemy, snickering and saying, "Those poor Philistines dont stand a chance." His faith was riding on Covenant promises.
One of those promises given to Moses was Deut. 31:6, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
Back to 1 Sam 14:6:
"And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised..." (Thats the key to victory right there. The Philistines were pagans, not under the Covenant with God) "....it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. 7 And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart . (That is certainly a statement of faith by his armourbearer)
From that point on the Philistines were beat. Jonathan and his armorbearer climbed up a steepest slope right into the middle of the enemy. What do you think the Philistines were doing at this point? This is just an outpost, or lookouts. They havent alerted the rest of camp because two Israelites shouldnt be any problem. Of course they dont know anything about them being in a Covenant with God. So, theyre looking down and they have all the weapons they need. They shoot arrows down at them, they throw spears and even rocks. But something keeps them from hitting Jonathan and his armourbearer. Heres Jonathan, climbing up this steep mountain with both hands, grinning and he just cant wait to get to the top.
Jonathan reaches the top and immediately kills 20 of them. In the meantime, God caused an earthquake to shake up the Philistine army and they turned against each other.
Saul heard the ruckus going on across the valley and could see the Philistines killing each other in confusion so he took his 600 hundred and went over to finish the job.
Another promise in the Old Covenant: Joshua 23:10. "One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you."
Lev. 26:3-8, "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, . . . . .7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword."
Saul and the 600 hundred that was left of his army were all in the same Covenant with God that Jonathan was but there was a difference. Jonathan put his faith in it.
I want to tell you something, when you are in a Covenant with God and are going up against the enemy, it doesnt matter how many there are in your camp. If youre a Covenant Child of God and numbers dont apply. Age doesnt apply. Gender doesnt apply. What you have in the bank doesnt apply. The only thing we have to do is what Jonathan did, he stepped out in faith on Covenant promises.
The Devil has tried to stop the plan of God in various ways but lets turn to Exodus 13:17 Here are the Children of Israel leaving Egypt after God has dealt with Pharaoh.
"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed (meaning in ranks of five) out of the land of Egypt."
The Children of Israel didnt just walk out of Egypt and they didnt just wander in the desert for 40 years. They were led by God every step of the way. The men all had the seal of the covenant by circumcision but they were a backslidden nation. They had all but forgotten God during their 300 years of captivity. God put them down at the foot of Mt. Sinai while He gave them the blessings and curses of the Covenant. It would have appeared that they were in a hopeless situation. But they had something the rest of the world didnt have: a Covenant with God and that made all the difference between victory and defeat. Between sickness and health. Between bondage and freedom. Between poverty and prosperity. The Devil tried every way in the world to stop them from leaving Egypt BUT GOD made a way.
We were in the same predicament. The Devil tried to stop everyone of us and hes still trying. Before we were born again we werent just backslidden, we were on our way to Hell. Then we heard the Word and it got from our brain to our heart. We got saved and that step of accepting Jesus as savior automatically entered each of us into that new Covenant with the Lord. Spiritually at that point we were perfect and without sin.
We were just as spiritually perfect as man was originally created to be. Genesis 1:26 says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
Adam was created as a king to have dominion over the earth and every creeping thing. But Adam sinned and became imperfect and lost dominion. He became a slave of Satan. And thats what became to each of us as we were born into this world. We were in captivity just as the Children of Israel were. We were under the dominion of the Devil. And, just as the Devil tried to stop the Children of Israel from leaving Egypt, he tried to stop us from leaving his kingdom of darkness. Theres a passage of scripture that tells this.
Turn to Eph. 2:2-6.
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (We used to be heirs of the Devil because he was our father. All we could inherit under those conditions was a place in Hell) 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Now comes the answer in just two words) 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"
And now, because he has quickened us, or made us alive and transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to light we have been promoted to sit in the heavenlies. Weve gone from the pit to promotion. Man was made to have dominion over every creeping thing. We lost that dominion thru Adam but gained it back thru Jesus and now we have dominion over the biggest creep there ever was, the Devil.
Go back to that phrase "made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus". It doesnt take a rocket scientist to tell you that youre sitting in church and not in Heaven. There have been times when listening to radio and tapes I have heard it taught that what that means is, we are here on earth in the natural but, spiritually speaking we are sitting together in the heavenly places. And that is true.
But let me share something with you. That phrase, "sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus is an absolute. What is an absolute? Sometimes you will hear someone use the word to describe something. For instance, they might say, "Thats absolutely the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen". But there is another way of using the word, "absolute". According to the dictionary, to refer to something as an "absolute" means that is "something of an unquestionable finality".
In other words its cut and dried, its a done deal and theres no two ways about it.
When Paul was writing to the Ephesians and he said, "But God hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." He said it in the past tense. In other words its already done. That is how certain, how absolutely positively secured your position is, in Christ Jesus! Were not sitting in heaven yet, but its just a matter of time.
By the way. Have you ever wondered what were doing sitting in Heaven? Shouldnt we be on our face before the throne of God? Rev 3:21: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
The Devil has always tried to hinder God and His people.
But God are the two words that cut him down to size. Those two words let him know you are in Covenant with God. At one time,
The Devil said "Youre dead in sin and youre my slave".
But God, thru Jesus, made us alive and made us sit together in heavenly places, heirs of the promise and joint heirs in Christ.
The Devil said, you couldnt leave his kingdom. You need to go back to your old friends drink your problems away. But God, thru Jesus said "come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
The Devil said its not over. Hes not done with you yet. But God, thru Jesus, says "It is finished" Hallelujah!
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The Devil thought he could stop the plan of God but failed every time. He thought he could stop the people of God but every Born-Again Believer testifies to his defeat. Lastly, he thought he could stop the power of God.
On that hill called Calvary 2000 years ago three men were crucified. Two were convicted thieves and the third One was innocent of any crime. Lets turn Psalm 22, this is an account given of the crucifixion of our Lord long before He was born. He has already been nailed to the Cross and lifted up. Here He is praying to His Father. Beginning with verse 11:
"Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13 They gaped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. 18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. 19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog." {my darling: In original Hebrew means, "my only one"} {power: In Hebrew means, Hand).
On that day on Calvary hill the Devil and his demons were gathered around that cross believing they had the Son of God where they wanted Him. At one time Jesus said: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matt. 28:18) The Devil had tried in the past to stop the plan of God. He tried to stop the people of God and now hes trying to stop the power of God. The Devil had seen Jesus use that power in healing people, delivering them from demons and even raising people from the dead. Now the Devil is standing before the Cross wringing his hands and gleefully shouting, "Ive got Him! Ive finally put an end to Him. Now whose power is the greatest?"
Even the disciples were convinced that it was the end of Jesus as He was laid in a tomb and sealed with a rock. But God!
Acts 13:29
"And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him from the dead:"
The devil thought he had heard the last from Him but now Jesus says in Rev. 1:14,
"I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
A final word. Dont ever let the Devil intimidate you again. You are in a Covenant relationship, a Covenant cut in the Blood of Jesus Christ, your representative and your final sacrifice. And because of His sacrificial death, you are an heir of the promises and a joint heir in Christ, which means that all the promises in the Bible now belong to you.. Learn those promises and when the Devil comes at you with his lies, put him in his place and say, "But God says . . . ."
