: When I was a youngster, my dad was a part-time policeman in addition to his full time job. Of course he wore a uniform. Sometime he took my younger brother and me places while wearing  that uniform. Whenever we were with him, we got special privileges.  As the son of a policeman, free entrance and  free ice cream and free goodies etc.

There was, however, a problem for me.  I didn’t feel that my dad paid much attention to me.

These feeling grew into angers at myself  and self-rejection. I didn’t like my looks, my mind, my emotions, my name.  I felt unlucky and developed terrible temper.

Even accepting Christ at age twelve, my struggle continued.

What  God says, though, is :

“Consider the incredible love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called ‘ children of God’ – and that is not just what we are called, but what we are.” ( 1 Jn 3;1)

“ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. And so we should not be like cringing, fearful slaves, but we should behave like God’s very own children, adopted into the bosom of his family and calling to him, ‘Father, Father.”  For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts, and tells us that we really are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures –for all God gives his Son Jesus is now ours too.’ (Rom 8;14-17)

“ And  because we are his sons , God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, so now we rightly speak of God as our dear Father. Now we are no longer slaves, but God’s own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us, for that is the way God planned.” (Gal 4:6-7)

“ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. “ ( 1 Jn 3;9)

These verses assure us we are special to God. For me, it has taken a long time to accept this as truth and to arguing with God about Who I am.

I like to ask discouraged Christians “ Do you know who you really are?”  People usually answered “ a Christian” “ a believer” “ redeemed”  — These answers are true and precious.

But to me, the most precious of all the claims — He has adopted us as his children, his own sons and daughters.

This position endows us ,then, with both the authority and the inheritance that belong to members of God’s family.

Think of it, we have been adopted tight into the family of the king of the whole universe!

He wears a special uniform and has privileges wherever he goes- and we, his children, get to share in all those privileges.

Satan Doesn’t Like This At All

: Our Enemy is opposed to our discovering who we are. Indeed, he is greatly threatened by us and the position God has given us.

He is jealous of us. For we (not he) are in second place in the universe. Only we are created in God’s image.

In his jealousy that God has redeemed humans, Satan attempts  to darken people’s minds to keep them from responding to the good news of God’s redemption (2 Cor 4:4) –

a)      If he is successful, he can continue to live in the spirits of the people he has deluded. – the condition of death (Gene 2;17)

b)      If people give themselves to Jesus. Jesus comes to live in the person’s spirit, evicting any demons and preventing,  or at least severely reducing, Enemy activity there.

The Enemy apparently is able to put thoughts in our minds –especially doubts concerning  our status with God. “ Forgiveness can’t that be easy”  “ That’s not fair of God”

“ Who do you think you are, to think God will forgive you after what  you’ve done?”

Satan is the author of “worm Theology” – we see ourselves, even after we are saved, as  worms ( for such a worm as I am)

Satan is particularly active in emotional area  ; Harboring of negative emptions so easily leads to sin.

: For Example, When a person is hurt, the natural reaction is anger.  But if the person does not  get rid of that anger, it turns into sin.

“ If you become angry, do not let your anger lead into you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don’t give the Devil a chance” (Eph.  4;26-27)

“ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”  (Eph.  4 :31-32)

The Enemy has good reasons and diverse tactics to keep us from discovering who we are and how we should behave toward him. –

a)       He knows that with the Holy Spirit in us, we have infinitely more power than he does.

b)      But the question is “ do we know who we are and how God has empowered us to wage the battle?”

If we are children of King of heaven and earth,  we are certainly a lot more than either our society or our churches.

As a part of his inheritance, we get to judge angels someday (1 Cor 6:3) and to cast some dart ones  out of people right here and now.  (cf :  Heb 1; 14)

Children of a king called Princes and princesses.  Royalty doesn’t walk with heads down even in Enemy territory.

; Our Father owns this earth, even though it is temporarily under the rule of a trespasser ( 1 Jn 5;19)

If  Only We knew How Much Power We Possess

: A woman who recently had been converted to Christianity out of the occult remarked that she and her occult group felt no threat from most Christians , even though they knew Christians were more powerful than they are.

a)      For the Christians had no idea how to use the power within them

b)      Though that  power ( that is the Holy Spirit, the source of their power) afforded them to protection  from evil power, they didn’t know how to use the Holy Spirit’s power to go on the offensive in spiritual warfare.

The occult group discovered that some Christians did know how to use their power.

a)       For example, Fortune tellers,  occultic healers  and other working under the power of Satan discover that when Christians are around, they can not operate smoothly.

b)      How different things would  be for a lot of Christians if only they realized how much power they carry.

Spiritual Authority

“ Jesus called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority to drive our all demons and to cure diseases. Then he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God” ( Luke 9:1-2)

“ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of enemy : nothing will harm you’ (Luke 10 :19)

Jesus  drew near and said to them, “ I have been given all authority in Heaven and on Earth. Go then, to all peoples everywhere  and make them my disciples; baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and  teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age. “ (Matt 28:18-20)

“ Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do ewven greater things than these, because I am going to the Father’  (John 14;12)

“ But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” ( luke 11:20)

Jesus intended that his followers imitate his approach to witness, accompanying words with power (Acts 1:8)

Jesus meant for us to exercise same spiritual authority he gave the disciples , And same purposes,  Jesus came to defeat Satan both  during his life  and through the cross and resurrection .

Stumbling Blocks For Princes and Princesses

; Why  do so many of Christians have trouble believing in the Spiritual Authority God has given us?

Why do we go even further and question that we are God’s precious children?

1.       You may not be experiencing the freedom of Christ.

a)      Freedom  is what we have-Christ has set us free ( Gal 5:1)

b)      They are probably emotional wounds – what I call ‘garbage’- resulting from your reactions to the hurts you have experienced , often during childhood and the teenage years.

c)       Law of spiritual excretion  : we feel a sense of relief after spiritual excretion – simply giving up our right to anger, bitterness, revenge, and like emotions and giving our feelings to Jesus.

d)      “come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for   your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” ( Matt 11: 28-30)

e)      The other ministry like Inner healing,  prayer counseling or healing of the memories

2.       You may have a self-image problems

a)      Our individualism and competitiveness cut us off from relationships with others

b)      Self-condemnation keeps us from accepting what is rightfully our inheritance

c)       Jesus desires that our stumbling blocks – our self-hatred, our low self-esteem, our fears, our unworthiness- be removed.

d)      Inner healing and the freedom that follow are possible through God’s powerful ministry to you.

3.       You may not have a proper view of God

a)      Satan does not want us to understand who God is and implications of this truth.

b)      Many of us struggle with the reality of a Heavenly Father who unconditionally loves and accepts us : The reason may be that we have not experienced such love and acceptance from our earthly fathers—can’t image of heavenly Father because of the damages or abuse psychologically, physically or sexually.

c)       Another problem is their anger at  God for allowing bad things to happen to them

d)      The key to becoming free to understand and relate properly to God the Father is ‘Forgiveness”

e)      Having “forgiven” God, it is critical that we forgive our earthly father , no matter what he may have done to us and no matter how often he did it

f)       “ If you forgive others the wrongs to they have done to you, your Father in Heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done” (Matt 6;14-15)

g)      Recognize that your Heavenly Father is not like us. He is never too  busy  to spend time with you. “ I will never leave you, I will never abandon you” (Heb.  13:5)

*** Sample Prayer for helpful relationship with Father

“ Dear Jesus

I truly want to know your love for me

I deeply desire to know what it means to be a prince and princess in Your Kingdom

With gratitude for all you have forgiven me, I willingly forgive my earthly father ( and everyone else  who has hurt me) for everything they have done that has hurt me.

Please heal any blocks within me that prevent me from understanding my inheritance.

Please free me from any self-image problems or fear.

Come, Holy Spirit, teach me and lead me into the spiritual authority and power you give to your children.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me. Amen. “

Our Greatest Weapon- Intimacy with Jesus

“ Not by might nor by power, but my Spirit” says the Lord Almighty (Zec.  4;6)

1.       Our greatest weapon in fighting satanic influence is our intimacy with Jesus

a)      Jesus set the example by living his life in constant closeness to the Father

b)      He was listening to the father all the times : “I say only what the father has instructed me to say “ ( Jn. 8;28)

c)       He was continually watching what the father was doing

; “ the Son…. does only what he sees his Father doing . What the Father does, the Son also does” ( jn.5:19)

d)      He lived in absolute dependence on the Father

: “ by myself I can do nothing. As I hear from God , I judge, and my judgement  is true because I do not live to please myself but to do the will of the Father  who sent me” (Jn. 5:30)

e)      To be a solitary place to be alone with the Father :  daily prayer with regularly spent time

2.       Healing and deliverance don’t happen because we are gifted. We are not the healers.

a)      People are touched, healed and delivered because God himself is with us.

b)      It is important to remember that it isn’t by our might or power, but by his Spirit.

c)       Cultivating the intimacy with Jesus that enables constant working with and dependence on his Spirit is the first order of business.

3.       Try always to be prepared by staying close to Jesus

a)       Spiritual authority is in direct proportion to spiritual intimacy.

b)      Our power comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit

c)       Our authority comes from keeping on good  terms with  our Lord

EX) Transfiguration in Mountain—Matt 17 ;1-20 , Mark 9:29 Three Disciples compared to the other disciples who did the deliverance ministry which was failed