The scripture says:
“(Christ) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
I Peter 2:24 NKJV
As believers in Christ Jesus we had been washed clean from all of our sins. We had been healed and made whole by the blood of Jesus Christ. Sin, sicknesses and the diseases of this world has no power over us anymore. We had been delivered from the hand of the devil.
But it’s important to know that all of these wonderful benefits of being a Christian cannot become ours, if we are not living by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross at Calvary for us. These benefits are not automatic. They do have preconditions. There has to be inputs on our part in order to be able to gain access into them by faith in Christ Jesus.
In the same manner the forces of the evil one has no power over us, because we are the children of Light and not of darkness. The evil one dwells and plans his works in the dark always. But we can and do have the authority in the name of Jesus to expose them, as we are being led by the Holy Spirit in dealing with them.
We have the authority in the name of Jesus in declaring Light to shine through the darkness of this world. And when light shines darkness has to part ways.
The Apostle John in his first letter wrote:
“Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.”
I John 2:8 NKJV
When something is passing away it means that it is getting obsolete, and therefore has no effect over us anymore.
That is what happens to the darkness of this world when our light begins to shine. Every work of darkness that are targeted against you becomes obsolete, as you are allowing the Light of Christ to shine through you. They have no effect whatsoever on you, because of the glorious light that is shining through you.
The new creation in Christ Jesus that’s on the inside of us, is radiating the Light of Christ Himself through us everywhere we go. It is that light that scares the devil every time he sees us. He can’t stand in the light, because he will be exposed by it.
That’s why the powers of the darkness of this world will always tremble, whenever they see us come into their territories. When we invade the enemy’s territory, we cause a stir in their midst.
Their initial reaction is always to start wondering what we want from them, because they don’t want to have anything to do with us. They see the Light shining and it makes them to tremble.
The Bible says again that:
“He (the Father) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”
Colossians 1:13 NKJV
That’s why being rooted and grounded in the Kingdom of God’s Son gives us an edge over the enemy. No matter how hard he tries to get you entangled into his darkness, while you’re still struggling to be rooted and grounded; he knows that he doesn’t have any hold over you, as a result of the Light that is shining in you. He will eventually flee away from you, because of the light that’s shining through you.
It’s therefore the ability of the believer in Christ Jesus to forcefully resist the devil in the midst of any dark situation, that will eventually determine the inheritance which God will allow, such a believer to gain access into, while the darkness is being turned into Light.
The ability to see your inheritance in the spirit does not necessarily mean that you have it. You may even have access into it, but you will still have to forcefully take it from the enemy.
In the book of Numbers chapter thirteen Moses sent out twelve spies into Canaan; but only two of them were ready to go in and possess their inheritance. The other ten spies saw the same things that Joshua and Caleb saw, but they were unable to possess it.
Oftentimes God will allow His children to catch a glimpse into what, He already has in store for them in the dark places of this world. But it’s only those who are willing to exercise their faith in possessing what is theirs, who will end up taking it by force from the enemy.
You will have to use spiritual violence against the devil in possessing what is yours, because he is not going to give it up easily. But thanks be to God for the victory which we have in Christ Jesus.
Darkness or dark situations are not therefore for ever. But our God uses such situations that the enemy has assigned against His children, to make them better instruments in His hand and for His glory.
The secrets of the enemy are exposed in the Light. Everything that are meant to bring the curse are turned into the blessing by the Lord God, as the Light of Christ shines through us in the dark.
The Holy Spirit administers the blessing
All that we receive from God as His children comes to us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Administrator of everything that we receive from God. He ministers to us from the abundance of the riches of the Father.
And as Genesis chapter one verse two tells us, He (the Holy Spirit) had always been with the Father from the beginning of all things. And the immeasurable treasures of wisdom that we are receiving from Him into our possessions, are administered through His gifts to us.
There are great treasures of God’s wisdom that are stored up for the righteous in the darkness of this world. All the wealth that the devil has in the secret places of the dark belongs to the children of God.
They are stored up for you. But the Holy Spirit will still have to lead you and guide you into them, with the gifts that He will impart you with in the very dark place.
These treasures are meant for the children of God in doing exploits on the earth, with the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it’s only by the Spirit of God as the Administrator of the spiritual gifts, that we can be able to gain access into them.
The importance of praying in the Spirit cannot be overstated concerning this. If you’re not filled with the Holy Spirit and also stirring up your spirit man every day, there is no way you can be able to gain access into such treasures, through His word and by the Spirit. They are there for you, but you are not able to see them, so as to be able to go after them in the spirit.
This is what the devil wants to deprive you of. And it’s for this reason that many are often trying to do the work of God’s Kingdom in the flesh. They then will get frustrated when they don’t have the results that had anticipated.
As the Apostle James said:
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
James 4:3 NKJV
Everything we receive from the Lord God is first of all spiritual, before they can become physical. Faith calls those things that are not as though they are, because faith sees them in the spirit before calling them as it sees them.
It’s when are praying more and more as we are being led by the Spirit, that our spirit man will begin to yield to the Administrator of the gifts (the Holy Spirit); who shall liberally make His gifts available to us, even as our Father in Heaven wishes to give them to us.
Call to the Lord and He will answer
A child of God prays in the spirit, and also by crying out to the Father in the midst of the dark circumstance that he finds himself. The Lord God hears him. And He will always respond to such deep cries from the heart of His children to Him.
Being in the midst of a dark situation is not the time for silent prayer. People who are in desperate situations will always act desperately. They don’t sit down silently in the dark. They will do desperate things to get out of their dark situations.
That’s why Jesus advised us to be spiritually violent against the enemy, who is doing everything to hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus said:
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Matthew 11:12 NKJV
It’s the use of spiritual violence against the devil that brings God’s Kingdom to the earth. The Kingdom of Heaven had been suffering violence for a long time. The devil is in fact increasing in the amount of violence, that he is bringing on the Body of Christ today.
That’s why we should never let him get away with it. It has to be by spiritual violence that we can take back God’s Kingdom through prayer and intercession.
David said in the dark moments of his own life, that:
“The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.”
II Samuel 22:6-7 NKJV
David was in a dark situation here, which he actually described as being the place that’s meant for the devil and his fallen angels – Sheol.
From inside the darkness that surrounded him David cried out to God. The enemy will do everything possible to prevent your voice from being heard before the Father. He will create distractions so as to prevent you from praying effectively.
And Sheol or darkness (as in this case) is one of his instruments of distraction. David therefore had to cry out until he was heard by God. This is why we must be persistent in prayer.
David continued by saying to the Lord God while still being engulfed in the darkness of the enemy:
“For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall… He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
II Samuel 22:29-30, 35 NKJV
The Lord teaches us how to do spiritual warfare in the midst of the darkness, which the enemy places around us. He alone knows how to get His own children out of the darkness of the evil one.
That’s why we must always listen to hear His voice, and see His glorious light in showing us the way out of it. He alone can teach us the appropriate spiritual strategy, that is best for every situation in our lives.
Every dark situation from the enemy may be different; but the Lord alone knows how to get His own out of each one of them.
David was in deep darkness because of the Kingship, which he had been anointed by the Lord to have. The devil recognizes those who are anointed by God. He will surely use darkness against them in an attempt to prevent that anointing from flowing.
This was what David was going through here. In the midst of the troubles of his life with various people and nations; the reigning king of Israel (Saul) was also after his life.
The proof of the anointing over your life can be seen in the darkness that the devil is using against you. You will encounter all kinds of oppositions to that anointing. For David his various troubles actually brought out the very best in his life, that God had seen in him before anointing him.
If God is your lamp or light in the darkness, that means you are to be looking out for His lamp or light in the darkness. This is how we are able to see the clue into the inheritance that He has for us in it.
The empowerment of every child of God in making spiritual warfare with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, comes through the enlightenment of that particular dark situation by the Lord. He is the One who teaches us, how to do spiritual warfare in the spirit and by the Spirit.
This was how David was able to win every battle that he fought. He never went to war without first consulting with the Lord about every battle.
David did spiritual warfare by crying out to God and hearing from Him, before going out to win every physical battles that he won. He never goes to battle without first of all consulting with the Father about it. He was a man who understood the principles of spiritual warfare.
It’s after he had lifted up his voice to the Lord in prayer, that the darkness began to fade away. And as the darkness faded away, the blessings of the Lord started coming to him.
He said:
“Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, And I spread them out. “You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!”
II Samuel 22:43-47 NKJV
Several kings from the neighboring nations of Israel started coming to bow down before David, as he became stronger and stronger in Judah. David began to increase him more and more, until his fame spread throughout the world (2 Samuel 3:1).
Many of these nations never came empty handed to him, but they came to him heavily loaded with precious gems and other items, as gifts to him as the King of Israel.
The darkness over him was completely faded away, because he sought the Lord his God, who came to his rescue and delivered him from the troubles of his life.
We need to note here that even as David was being delivered, the Lord God had put it in the heart of these kings to favor him. When the devil was messing up with David in the darkness of his life, God was lining up the blessing for him.
What God did for David by taking him through many trials and troubles, before the blessings were lined up before him, is still being done by the Lord today for His children, through each gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ.
God’s immeasurable gifts are available for every Christian on the earth today. Each one of those gifts are meant to lead us into our inheritance, which the Father has prepared for each one of us in the camps of our enemies.
The scriptures also tells us about the Apostle Paul, who also went through a very rough journey to Rome. He had found himself engulfed in a total darkness on the sea.
Luke recorded what happened with these words:
“Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.”
Acts 27:20 NKJV
There was total darkness for two weeks at sea. Everyone had lost hope that they would make it out of the darkness. But Paul sought the face of the Father, while the others on the ship with him were worried about the situation.
And the word of the Lord came to him:
“saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.”
Acts 27:24-25 NKJV
In the midst of a shipwreck and the darkness that they went through on the sea, they had lost everything that they had. The devil was really messing up with them.
But as they arrived on the Island of Malta, God’s blessing started manifesting through the healing ministry of the Apostle Paul:
“And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.”
Acts 28:8-9 NKJV
God’s favor went before then to the Island. The people of Malta showed them an unusual hospitality. Paul prayed for the sick islanders to be healed. Many people were healed through the ministry of Paul on this Island.
As they were departing the scripture says:
“The islanders honored us greatly, and when we were preparing to set sail again, they gave us all the supplies we needed for our journey.”
Acts 28:10 TPT
Everything that they lost on the sea were restored as they left the Island. All that Paul needed for renting a house to stay in Rome was supplied by these Islanders.
While the devil was messing up with them, God was preparing a blessing for them. Paul never had to rely on the believers at Rome to take care of his needs. The Lord supernaturally provided everything that he needed for staying in Rome for him.
When the darkness came upon them in the midst of the worst storm at sea, the devil had thought that he had finally put a stop, to the plan of God for Paul in Rome. He never knew that God was preparing a blessing for Paul and for the people with him through the disaster.
Whatever the devil is doing right now to mess up with you, has created an opportunity for you to be blessed by the Lord God.
That’s why you ought to be rejoicing in the midst of your dark moment right now.
Is anything obscure and unresolved in your life, and you don’t know how the Lord will finally resolve it?
It’s time for you to do what David and Paul did in coming out of their dark situations. God’s light is about to shine through in showing you the way out, into your prepared blessing in the midst of it all.
So, don’t just sit there depressed and disgusted. Open your mouth wide and cry out loud to God for your deliverance. Your help is closer to you than you can ever imagine.
Something good from the Lord is coming your way, as you are coming out of it. So rejoice in the Lord and again rejoice.
Your song will be at the end of it all like David’s:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
Psalms 23:5-6 NKJV
