“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth. (Genesis 1:27-28 BSB)
“The heavens belong to the LORD, but he has given the earth to all humanity.” (Psalm 115:16 NLT)
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)
I am so glad you made it through Life Lessons 66 and 67 and decided to come back for more. Trying to share what the Spirit has been teaching me for over 30 years in this “Readers Digest” format is quite a challenge. When I started this blog the Spirit challenged me to keep it “short and sweet.” Both of those areas are tough for me (especially “short”). But since this blog was His idea, I guess the least I can do is follow His leading.
The reason I am taking the risk to “turn over the apple cart” is that I am convinced that there is infinitely more for us to experience and enjoy in our relationship with Jesus now. As wonderful as Heaven will be some day, I am learning daily that I don’t have to wait until I get there to begin experiencing what it has to offer. Actually, everything that will be mine when I get to Heaven has already been deposited in my heart. I am already seated in at the right hand of the Father with Jesus, and have Heaven in my heart. The Kingdom of Heaven is in me. So what does this have to do with my current lessons dealing with the idea that “God is in control?”
I have learned that as long as I credit God with everything that happens in life I am giving Satan an open door in my life. When I am attacked with sickness, if I believe that God is in control (like Job) then I have no choice but to accept the sickness in my life. If I believe that my financial struggles are part of God’s will for me, and He is in control of my finances, then I have no choice but to accept poverty in my life. If I truly believe that the Bible teaches that God micro manages every aspect of my life then all I can do is sit back and go for the ride. However, as I have started to learn about God’s plan for his children to rule and reign in life, I have been learning that anything less than “Heaven on Earth” is due to Satan’s work to kill, steal, and destroy.
So many times I have begged God to intervene and take care of Satan for me, only to be reminded that it is my job to kick him out of my life. My loving Heavenly Father already did everything He needed to do when He sent His Son to this Earth. Jesus lived His life on this Earth modeling for me how to live victoriously. He laid aside His innate deity and became a man. As the son of man, everything He did was done in submission to the will of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. He did not function as God. If He had then His expectations for me to walk in His footsteps would be unjust and unattainable. However, since he lived as a man His command for me recorded in John 14:12 is both just and doable:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me WILL DO the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (Notice He said “will do,” not “may do,” or “can think about doing.”)
Adam was given the Earth, and fully equipped to take control (dominion) of it. He in turn rebelled against God and gave the Earth and his dominion (control) to Satan. Jesus came to the Earth and through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, took the Earth and dominion (control) back and gave it to those who follow Him. Ponder that a bit.
Tomorrow we will go deeper as we continue to move forward from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 69: “Time to turn over the apple cart.” Part 3: God is in control. What in the world does that mean? (continued)