Who you are

And a week later...

This week we learned about spiritual authority. And the biggest question was "Why haven't we ever heard this before?!?!" In our evangelical, especially Mennonite, churches, we don't really talk that much about the Holy Spirit. I mean, we know He's there, and that's about it.
But what we learned this week is that the Holy Spirit is not only living, He's active. And through Jesus we as Christians have the AUTHORITY to heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. [Note: I learned way more than I could ever suitably explain on here, so please bear with the short version. Everything might not be explained as well as you might like.] The most fascinating thing for me this week was the idea that we don't have to pray for healing. The apostles never did. They had authority through Jesus Christ. And so do we. We can command, in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord of all, diseases. Sickness. Lies. Evil spirits. Even bad weather. We have authority over these things, and because Jesus is the most powerful, they have to obey. This isn't saying that every time you pray for a sick person, they'll get well, because that is God's prerogative. We don't do the healing. God does. But if the person doesn't get well, they should have an understanding of why not. Listening to the Holy Spirit is very key in this whole thing. He speaks a lot. And so praying with authority becomes a mix of praying (asking God, or intercession) and speaking against something with the authority we have in Christ's name.
I don't know if that makes much sense. But it's hard for me to put everything into words, and I want to tell you all this. Some more comments from this week: The proclamation of Jesus as the Christ affects things in the physical realm (John 18:5-6) and the spiritual realm (Acts 2:36-37). The authority we have been given is not because of who we are but who we represent. Accept God's healing the way He wants to bring it; it's not necessarily instantaneous or obvious. Strongholds of evil in a person's life are not necessarily demons, they can be lies or addictions, but these are still strong and need to be dealt with. Go to the Lord with everything. Ask the Holy Spirit to show the root of the issue, and don't just fix the "fruit" of the problem. The less you know, the more you rely on Jesus. Having freedom (from lies, addictions, etc.) gives you the ability to be healed. Humility is being dependent on God. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in me. Surrender everything to God, submit your mind to Him. Healings are a sign of the Kingdom of God - they're a demonstration of God's victory over evil, they point the way to Jesus. The purpose of healing is to point people to Jesus. Putting out a challenge is an act of faith - we have no certainty that God will come through, but He will. If He doesn't, He looks bad. He'll come through to glorify Himself, and if that were anyone but God, that would be the most prideful thing ever. But it's God, so it's not. There is salvation through no one but Jesus. Screw being politically correct. At every presentation of the gospel, call people to a decision. Always go out in twos, the second person is then covering the first in prayer so the first can be effective praying for someone else. Love must be the first thing in healing - the person is more important. Focusing only on the healing is counterproductive to relationship. Always go back to God's Word, otherwise you're going to start relying on your own feelings and experiences, and these will fail you. Quote the Bible. Get used to things not making sense. And realize that the thing is never the thing. I was created as a poem, unique in Jesus Christ. Pray against retaliation, because evil is not happy when Jesus happens. Other people, possibly even meaning well, might pray to their gods for you, so be aware of this, reject those prayers, test spirits, and submit to God. Spirits are regional, but God is everywhere. Forgiving people sets you free. Do spiritual warfare as the Spirit leads, because this isn't magic. And focus in on freedom and healing.
Anyway, there's a snapshot of what I learned this week. And here's something I wrote:
There is no longer any time
To go out
Or turn back
That time has passed
You have given yourself
To follow a path you cannot see
To go down a road you will never regret
Never forget
And you can no longer let go
For this is who you are.