New Covenant Thinking

"but they are Him"

WE MUST get out of the habit of continually saying things like, “The devil in my ear,” “The devil made me do it,” or “the devil kept at me.” One, because it’s a bad confession. You have what you say (Mark 11:23). But also, it’s based on incorrect knowledge. The truth is, only God is omnipresent, meaning in all places. The devil is not. So that loser cannot be speaking to all of us at the same time. By addressing him one-on-one continually, we overlook the Truth of Scripture.

God said Jesus came to destroy the devil (Hebrews 2:14). The word translated “destroy” there means to “render useless”, and what is useless is of no effect. Yet we talk otherwise.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might DESTROY him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” (Hebrews 2:14)

We don’t know really what Jesus did. That is the issue. The church digs up Old Testament Scripture a lot to explain the devil’s work, seeing him as doing what he is no longer able to do. We must know NEW TESTAMENT Truth. Jesus’ Resurrection destroyed all the WORKS of the devil, meaning the doings of unclean spirits, their abilities to harm and harass. In 1 John 3:8, we are told this Truth. The word “destroyed” here means “to dissolve.” This comes from the Spirit.

We CAN ONLY read Scripture with the Spirit. That’s ONLY. Even an unsaved person will see Christ when the Spirit, my Papa, speaks. And a saved one will go astray when they don’t seek His Voice.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might DESTROY the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

The devil’s works are dissolved. The devil has been rendered useless. And now, we must read 2 Timothy 1:10. Speaking of “our holy calling”, the apostle Paul says:

“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath ABOLISHED DEATH, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (2 Timothy 1:10)

Our Saviour Jesus Christ hath ABOLISHED DEATH. That word “abolished” is the same word from Hebrews 2:14. Death has been RENDERED USELESS. Are you seeing it?

• The devil is rendered useless.
• Death is rendered useless.
• The works of the devil have been destroyed.

Our thinking must change to NEW COVENANT thinking, and our language must change to show the work of Christ.

What the devil and unclean spirits did in Old Covenant times will not happen, cannot happen today, BECAUSE JESUS IS ALIVE. Because He defeated death. The witchcraft of foreign nations, from the imitation works of Pharaoh’s magicians to the Gadarene demoniac being possessed with at least 2,000 unclean spirits, cannot happen any longer. The battle in the heavens which prevented an answer to Daniel’s prayer will never happen now. That’s the apostle Paul’s point in these verses. It’s Jesus’ point in Luke 10:19. And there we’ve missed the complete Truth.

Luke 10:19 speaks of our having authority (exousia) over the devil’s ability (dunamis). But we miss that in us and upon us, when we invite Him, is the DUNAMIS OF THE RESURRECTION. We’ve turned the Holy Spirit into nouns, into descriptions and objects.

• The ANOINTING is the Holy Spirit.
• THE GLORY OF GOD or of the Lord is the Holy Spirit.
• The UNCTION referred to in 1 John 2:20 is the Holy Spirit.

And all of our modern references to “A MOVE OF GOD” are the Holy Spirit. He is the VIRTUE which flowed from the hem of Jesus’ garment and, later, from the aprons of Paul. He is the shadow of Peter which healed the sick as he passed by. All references to God’s power to heal, to deliver, and to create are the Spirit. Not just WHAT HE DOES, but they are Him.

Jesus gave us His authority. The Spirit of God is heaven’s power or ability. We must know this, know of our useless enemy, and not take it lightly. Because these are not who we are absent of our relationship with God. Jesus living in us, the Spirit of God connecting us to the Father, is so that They work on our behalf. They work in us and through us.

We are too disconnected in our thinking. We are only able to speak in Jesus’ authority and to lay hands on the sick and see them recover with the Holy Spirit’s ability, because we know Them. Most have knowledge but lack relationship. The name of Jesus works because we speak it hand-in-hand with Him. Because we talk to Him and hear His Voice. The Spirit is His Voice, and I can tell you that He speaks clearly. I never have to wonder what He said or what He meant. He always explains it. And always points to Jesus, who points to the Father. They are ONE, and we have WON because of Jesus’ work on the cross and in being Resurrected.

It’s time we listen to our words and refuse to speak untruths. We must correct our thinking, through time in the Word and time in God’s Presence, who is the Holy Spirit. And stop fighting a war with an enemy that Jesus destroyed.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

“Now, you know that this man here had weak legs. But Jesus is powerful. Jesus’ authority caused this man’s legs to become strong. This really happened because Jesus is powerful. You can see that. This man believed that Jesus could cause his legs to become strong. SO JESUS MADE HIM WELL. And you yourselves can see that he is walking.” (Acts 3:16, EasyEnglish)


----------
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com