LIGHT FROM THE WORD

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: The man that is born of God is seated at the right hand of God where Jesus is seated.

The words of Paul again in Ephesians 1:19-21 in the Passion Translation reads “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of the immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honour and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is every name that is ever praised, not only in this age; but in the age that is coming!”

It is important to quickly point out that the use of the word “places” by the King James Version was added by translators, that is, it wasn’t in the original manuscript. The addition of that word “places” could be misleading because it could give the mindset that there is a throne in different heavenly realm where Jesus is sitting. Hence, it should be better read with the word places ignored. The resurrection of Jesus is our resurrection. His exaltation is our exaltation. His sitting at the father’s right hand far above all principalities and powers is our sitting at the father’s right hand in the heavenly. In other words, where he is seated is where we are seated. Paul affirms this fact to us in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. Therefore, we are seated where Christ is seated. Glory! 

INSTRUCTION: Be full of your realities in Christ.                     

CONFESSION: I declare that I am seated together with Christ in the heavenly far above all principalities and power, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

QUOTE: The believer in Christ occupies the right hand of the father.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: PSALM CHAPTER 110; EVENING: HEBREWS CHAPTER 10

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that gave birth to you. You are a product of that resurrection power.

Let us pay close attention to Ephesians 1:19-21 in the Passion Translation, it reads, “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of the immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honour and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is every name that is ever praised, not only in this age; but in the age that is coming.” Words spoken concerning Jesus relates to us (believers) in him. Hence, we said that by identification;

• What Jesus has accomplished is accredited to your account.
• What belongs to Jesus belongs to you.
• Who Jesus is shows who you are.
• What Jesus has is what you have.
• What Jesus can do is what you can do.
• Where Jesus is shows where you are.

We saw that God’s power that raised Jesus from the dead got us born again. Born again is a resurrection; from death to life. Hence, Ephesians 2:1 in the Passion Translation says “And his fullness fills you, even though you were once like corpses, dead in your sins and tresspasses”. Jesus’ words in John 5:24 affirms that the new birth is a resurrection, it reads “Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”. Notice, “passed from death unto life”, that is a resurrection. So, the new birth is a resurrection life; that resurrection life is the reigning life, the life of authority, dominion and power. The resurrection life is at work in you. The reigning life is your life now. You are a product of resurrection; meaning, you are a product of power, authority and dominion. Glory!  

INSTRUCTION: Live the reigning life.

CONFESSION: I declare that I rule and reign in life because I am in Christ Jesus, Amen.

QUOTE: The believer lives the resurrection life.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2; EVENING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: The man that is born of God was born out of the womb of resurrection; God’s resurrection power is at work in him.

The Passion Translation rendering of Ephesians 1:19-21 is important in our explanation; it reads “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honour and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming!” It is vital to always keep in mind that words spoken concerning Jesus relates to the believer by virtue of identification. By identification:

• What Jesus has accomplished is accredited to your account.
• What belongs to Jesus belongs to you.
• Who Jesus is represents or shows who you are.
• What Jesus has is what you have.
• What Jesus can do is what you can do.
• Where Jesus is shows where you are.

Relating the above six points with understanding to Ephesians 1:19-21, we can deduce that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that passed us from dead to life at new birth. At new birth, the resurrection power of Jesus was our resurrection power. Hence, born again is a resurrection; a resurrection from death to life. That is, a resurrection from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ Jesus, and this life is what is referred to us eternal life. Little wonder Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins”. We were dead before new birth; at new birth God quickened us, that is, he gave us life or raised us from death to life. So, born again is a resurrection. We live a resurrection life which is our reigning life.  The Passion Translation of Ephesians 2:1 says we were like corpses before new birth. In other words, a man that is not born again is a walking corpse (spiritual speaking). So God’s power at new birth raises us from death to life. You are a product of resurrection; you were born out of resurrection, hence you rule and reign in life. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: Be conscious of your realities.

CONFESSION: God’s resurrection power is at work in me now and always, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: Born again is a resurrection.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1; EVENING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: Where authority is concerned, no other authority is compared to the believer’s authority because the believer’s authority is the highest sphere of authority.

It is clear that the man in Christ in whom Christ resides in is he who carries him that sits in the highest sphere of authority, far above principalities and powers, and might, and dominion and every name that is named. The man in Christ reigns in Christ. And reigning in Christ implies exercising your authority, right and privileges in Christ. Thus, to reign over devils implies exercising your authority. The fact that we reign over devils is that we have authority over them. That authority that we have is what defines our reigning life. We will not reign over demons and devils if we never had authority over them. It is that authority we have over them that explains why we reign over them. In unfolding to you that you reign over devils, there is need to unveil to you your authority in Christ; your position in Christ and where you are seated in Christ. This is because it is the understanding of this fact above that will empower you to live your reigning life.

In Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:16-23, this fact on our authority where we are seated which is where Christ is seated is clear, observe verse 19-21 which reads “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”. The Amplified Translation of Ephesians 1:19-21 reads, “And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of his mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and in the world which are to come”. Glory! 

INSTRUCTION: You are in authority; acknowledge this.

CONFESSION: I affirm God’s word over my life that has made it clear to me that I am in the highest sphere of authority. Therefore, I fear no devil, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: The believer is situated and seated in the highest sphere of authority.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: JAMES CHAPTER 1; EVENING: JAMES CHAPTER 5

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: We have authority that surpasses all authority because we sit in the sphere of authority far above all principalities and powers.

In 2Corinthians 5:17, Paul says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. The man here is “in Christ”, that is, the believer. In Colossians 1:26-27, Paul says “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. The believer is in Christ and Christ is in the believer. So what took place at new birth was a fusion; a fusion of you into Christ and Christ into you. In Ephesians 1:16-23, Paul lets us see that Jesus sits in a sphere of authority far above all principalities and powers.

Christ lives in us; this implies that the one that sits in the highest sphere of authority lives in us; we house him. This by implication means that if the one that sits in the highest sphere of authority where principalities and powers, demons and devils are subject to him now lives in us; it means we are the ones that carry he that sits in the highest sphere of authority. We are seated equally in the highest sphere of authority; and thus, all principalities and powers, demons and devils, Satan and his cohorts are subject to us. There is no point in our lives as believers where the devil and his cohorts gets higher than us in power or authority and we become lesser than them; except you are in Christ, the sphere of authority you operate from. Satan has been given so much power in our minds; and by this, we find it difficult to see and appreciate the fact that we occupy a place of authority that is far above all principalities and powers. Why give the devil the kind of power he doesn’t deserve in your mind, and seeing yourself as one less of power where the devil is concerned? You shouldn’t be the one to be intimidated by demons and devils; demons and devils should be intimidated by you. Why should you be in fear of demons? Demons should be afraid of you! You are in charge; you are in authority. Glory!   

INSTRUCTION: Acknowledge your realities.

CONFESSION: I confess that I am in authority; therefore, demons and devils are under my foot, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: We don’t fear demons or devils, demons and devils fear us.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1; EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: The person of Jesus who is in the highest sphere of authority is in the believer.

It is established that the man that is in Christ, the believer, the born again man, reigns in Christ. And to reign in Christ is to enforce the reality of redemption; it is to enforce Jesus’ accomplishment on your behalf in his redemptive work (his death, burial and resurrection). Reigning in Christ is exercising your authority, power and dominion in Christ. Thus, to reign over devils already implies we have power and authority over devils. Which means Satan and his cohorts are subject to us; they are under our foot. This is because we are in the highest sphere and domain of power. This is what Paul lets us see in his prayers in Ephesians 1:16-23 which reads “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all”.

Where is Christ seated? Christ is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly, far above all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named. Christ who occupies the highest sphere of authority has put all things under the authority of the church (you and me who is body). In other words, where Christ is seated is where you are seated. If you are in Christ at new birth, and Christ is in the highest realm of power and authority, it means you are in him who is in the highest realm of power. Being in him who is in the highest realm of power and authority is a proof that you are in the highest realm of power and authority. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: You are in the domain of power. Acknowledge this!

CONFESSION: I affirm that I am in authority; therefore, I am in charge, in Jesus Name, Amen

QUOTE: The believer is the one that carries the highest sphere of authority.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2; EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3

“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

LIGHT FOR NOW: You are in the sphere and domain of authority in Christ that is far above all principalities and powers.

The believer in Christ, the man that is born of God reigns in Christ. The terminology “reign in Christ” simply means to exercise all the rights, privileges, power and authority you have in Christ. It is enforcing the reality of redemption. Part of that reign in Christ or the authority you have to exercise which is a benefit of redemption is your authority of devils and demons, Satan, the enemy and his cohorts. For you to exercise authority over something already shows that you are high in rank and hierarchy over that thing; that thing is subject to you. That thing you have authority over is under your feet. Whatever you have authority over has no power over you; you rather have power over it. If you are in authority over something, it means you are in charge over that thing, that thing cannot be measured up or compared to you. All of the above is a reality you have in redemption above Satan, demons and devils. In other words:

• You are high in rank and hierarchy over Satan, and his cohorts. You operate a sphere of authority that is far above all principalities and powers.
• Satan, demons and devils are subject to you.
• Satan, demons and devils are under your feet.
• Satan, demons and devils have no power over you; you rather have power over them because you are the one in authority.
• Satan, demons and devils can’t be measured up or compared to you where authority and power is concerned. You are in charge and in a realm of power above them all.

If all the above is the reality of the believer, then why have most believers accredit so much power to the devil and less power to themselves? If the above is your reality, where do most people get the mindset that at twelve midnight, Satan is very powerful, and they have to wake up every twelve midnight to engage in battle or in a combat with the devil? Why have they made Satan that powerful in their mind that they have to combat with him every twelve midnight? Ignorance is the problem; they don’t know what they have in Christ and who they are in Christ. You are in the domain of power and authority. Satan is subject to you, except you allow him use your authority to deal with you based on your ignorance of that authority. You are in authority. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: Know your realities in Christ.

CONFESSION: I declare that I am in authority; therefore I render Satan and his activities redundant and ineffective, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: You are in a sphere of authority higher than any other sphere and hemisphere.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1 EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: The believer in Christ does not go into the secret place, he was taken in there once at salvation and he is eternally there.

From a couple of analysis done so far on Psalm 91:1, the rephrased reading was thus rendered as “The inhabitants of the secret of the Most High (one with the height of all authority and power) benefits from the defence and protection of the Almighty, the one that is sufficient to protect and defend”. The secret or secret place is a person. Colossians 2:3 gave us a lead and it reads “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. The context here is Jesus, so all of God’s wisdom and knowledge is hid in Christ.

The word “hid” in Colossians 2:3 is the exact translation of the word secret in Psalm 91:1, and here in Colossians 2:3, that word sether is “apokruphos” in Greek. This Greek word has another Greek word in it spelt “krupto”. This word is used in Colossians 3:3 which read “For ye are dead, and your life is hid in Christ in God”. So, where does God hide things? God hides things in Christ. God hides wisdom in Christ (Colossians 2:3). God hides persons in Christ (Colossians 3:3). The man born of God is hidden in Christ. So;

• The secret of the Most High is not a place in the tabernacle. Neither is it a church building.
• God’s secret throughout the ages was Christ.
• God’s secret throughout the ages was hid in Christ.

The secret of the Most High is a person. You are hidden in Christ. I am in the secret of the Most High because I am in Christ. I don’t go to the secret place, I have been taken there once in salvation and I am there eternally in Christ. Glory!!!

INSTRUCTION: Acknowledge your realities.

CONFESSION: I affirm that I am in Christ, so I am in the secret place eternally, in Jesus Name. Amen.

QUOTE: It is in Christ we know all of God’s wisdom, intentions and plans.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 1CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 2 EVENING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: You are in your safety zone in Christ; no harm can come near your dwelling.

From the close investigation of Psalm 91:1, the text can be thus rephrased as “The inhabitants of the secret of Most High (one with the height of all authority and power) benefits from the defence and protection of the Almighty, the one that is sufficient to protect and defend”. It thus suffices us to say that the “secret” or “secret place” David was referring to was not a place but a person. The person of Christ who is God is that secret or secret place. To make this more clearer and more in the affirmative, since we are looking at David’s prophecy and we had established that it was about Christ even as it relates to the believer in Christ, let’s go into the epistles and see if the word secret (“sether”) was used concerning Christ.

Paul in Colossians 2:3 gives us a hint, it reads “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. He is talking about Christ in context, the post text makes this clear, “For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (Colossians 2:5-6). The pretext verse 1 and 2 also shows that Jesus is the context of this statement. In other words, “In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. That word “hid” in Colossians 2:3 is the exact translation of the Hebrew word “sether” in Psalm 91:1 which is used for a person, Jesus. Information knowledge and the wisdom of God are hid in Christ. So God’s secret is a person, and we are in that person; meaning we are in the secret place. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: You are in Jesus, your safety zone; acknowledge this.

CONFESSION: I declare that I am in Christ, and thus safety, preservation and protection is mine, in Jesus Name. Amen.

QUOTE: The person of Jesus is God’s secret place.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 2CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 4 EVENING: ROMANS CHAPTER 5

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: The Almighty is the sufficient one, the double breasted one; He is the one that shields and defends you. 

In our investigation of Psalm 91:1, we’ve looked closely into a couple of words. The last word to be looked at in verse 1 of Psalm 91 is the word “Almighty”. This is a word you will see used in Genesis 17:1 which reads “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect”. That last word we are looking at in Psalm 91:1 which is Almighty was translated from the Hebrew “shadday”; it has a general usage. The word “shadday” implies sufficient. It also means “double breasted”, describing a person who can handle things. Our God is the sufficient God; He is self-sufficient. Our God is the double breasted one. The one with the height of all authority and power (the Most High) and the one that is sufficient and double breasted is the one that shields you; you are too protected, shielded and defended. Bringing the entire analysis on Psalm 91:1 together, the text can thus be rendered revelatory as “The inhabitants of the secret of the Most High (one with the height of all authority and power) benefits from the defence and protection of the Almighty, the one that is sufficient to protect and defend”. Glory!!!   

INSTRUCTION: Never quake nor shake, the double breasted one; the self sufficient one and the one with the height of all authority and power is your shield.

CONFESSION: I declare that I am too protected to be destroyed; too shielded to be harmed, in Jesus name, Amen.

QUOTE: We serve a self-sufficient God who is sufficient all by himself.

DAILY READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2; EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: The Most High is the one with the height of all authority and power.

Having examined a couple of words up till the word shadow, let’s observe the next word which is “Most High”. The word “Most High” was gotten from the Greek word “Elyon” which implies height, lofty, supreme, the height of authority and power. Note it was used for authority and power and not height. In Genesis 14:18-19, we see a use of this word, it reads “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth”. David’s use of the word “Most High” (Elyon) refers to the height of authority and power.

Bringing the understanding of the word Most High back to Psalm 91:1, it can be rephrased as “The inhabitants of the secret of the Most High (one with the height of all authority and power) benefits from the defence and protection of the Almighty”. So who is shielding you? The Most High is the one shielding you. Who is the Most High? The Most High is the one with the height of all authority and power. If the one with the height of all authority and power shields you, who is that devil that can hurt you and harm you? The one with the height of all authority and power is your shield and covering; He is your defender, preserver and protection, no devil can hurt you. Glory!!!

INSTRUCTION: Fear not! The one with the height of all authority and power is your shield.

CONFESSION: I affirm that I am shielded by the one with all authority and power; He is my God and Father, in Jesus name, Amen.

QUOTE: The believer is too shielded and defended to be afraid.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: PSALM CHAPTER 91 EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: Being shielded, protected and defended is a benefit we enjoy in Christ in salvation.

Psalm 91:1 upon investigation was being rephrased to “The inhabitant of the secret of the Most High lives in the shadow of the Almighty”. David is talking about the power of God to hide things. God hides me; God hides you. And whoever is hidden by God is not far from him. Meaning, God hides with himself or God hides us in himself. Hence, the believer who is born of God is hidden by God in God. Paul in Colossians 3:3 will say “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God”. That’s how secured you are. The next word to be looked into in Psalm 91:1 is the word “shadow”. This word is the Hebrew word “tsel”; it implies shelter or defence.

In Genesis 19:8, this word “tsel” was used, it reads “Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the SHADOW of my roof”. It was equally used in Numbers 14:9, and it was rendered there as “defence”, it reads, “Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their DEFENCE is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not”. So the word “shadow” means defence or protection from its Hebrew word “tsel”. At this point, Psalm 91:1 can be rephrased as “The inhabitants of the secret of the Most High benefits from the defence and protection of the Almighty”. You are defended and protected by God. Glory!!!

INSTRUCTION: Acknowledge that Christ is your defence and protection.

CONFESSION: I affirm by faith and in faith that I am shielded, defended and protected by the Almighty, in Jesus Name. Amen.

QUOTE: The man in Christ is shielded, protected and defended in Christ.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1 EVENING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: Your safety, preservation and protection in Christ are benefits of being hidden by God in God.

In our previous studies, we got in to examine the word “dwell” in verse 1 of our above text and we saw that it is the Hebrew word “yashab” which implies an inhabitant. Yashab is actually where people live. That means the Most High is the one that will keep people there. It is the Most High that makes it secret, it is not the inhabitants that makes it secret. Thus, at this point, Psalm 91:1 can be re-read as: “The inhabitants of the secret of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. A rephrasing of this for better understanding will read “The inhabitants of the secret of the Most High live in the shadow of the Almighty”. That is, this is a privilege; it is a benefit of being hidden by God.

The word “abide” there was translated from a Hebrew word that implies a benefit or privilege of being hidden by God. It therefore, follows the line of thoughts that the secret of the Most High does not refer to a geographical location but the power of God to hide things. In other words, “He that is hidden by God lives in the shadow of the Almighty”. So, you are an inhabitant of the protection of the Most High. God hides me! God hides you! He that is hidden by God abides under the shadow of the Almighty. In essence, whoever that God hides is not far from him. This in other words means, God hides with himself or God hides us in himself. Glory!!!  

INSTRUCTION: God hides you with himself; acknowledge this.

CONFESSION: I declare today that I am a beneficiary of being hidden by God in God, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

QUOTE: The believer is hidden in God.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: ROMANS CHAPTER 1; EVENING: ROMANS CHAPTER 8

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: At salvation, you and Christ fused into each other; you are in him and he is in you; you are in each other.

We have carefully looked at the word “secret” and the word “place” which was not in the original manuscript; and thus, Psalm 91:1 can be rendered as “he that dwells in the secret of the Most High…” or “he that dwells in the hiding or protection of the Most High…” The next word to understand there is the word “dwell”. The word “dwell” here was translated from the Hebrew word “yashab”; it implies an inhabitant, where people live. In Psalm 23:6, we have a use of this word “dwell”, it reads, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will DWELL in the house of the LORD for ever”. Paul opens up this in the epistles revealing that we are the house of the Lord; that God’s spirit dwells in us. You can see this in Romans 8:9 where he says “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God DWELL in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. In verse 11 of Romans 8, he affirms saying “But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead DWELL in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that DWELLETH in you”.

So dwelling in the house of the Lord forever has nothing to do with staying in a physical building/structure for a long time, it is a salvation reality; that is, it has to do with salvation. Your arrival in Christ which equals Christ’s arrival in you equals dwelling in the house of the Lord. Meaning at salvation, there was a fusion of you into Christ and Christ into you; and in that fusion, you became the resident/house of God by virtue of his spirit living in you and Christ became your new zone, location, secret place. You are in Christ and Christ is in you; meaning, you are in each other. In other words, the believer doesn’t go into the secret place, he is in the secret place. The secret place is your habitation, so you don’t pray or sing to God to take you into the secret place. You are an inhabitant in the secret place. Glory!     

INSTRUCTION: God will not take you into the secret place; the secret place is where you are. Acknowledge this.

CONFESSION: I declare that I am in the secret place eternally because that is my eternal abode, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: You are in Christ and Christ is in you.                                                

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2; EVENING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.” – Psalm 91:1-9

LIGHT FOR NOW: The believer treads upon serpents and scorpions and over all the powers of the enemies.

It is already established studying through this subject that Psalm 91 relates to Christ and us in him. It is important to note that Psalm 91 is a very important Psalm because even Jesus referenced it in his teachings in the four gospels, and we will see the epistles making reference to this psalm equally as we study through. Interestingly, the first person to reference Psalm 91 is the devil. We are not saying that the devil spoke concerning Christ, but that he is the first person to reference it. Many people result to saying that the devil misquoted it. If the devil misquoted it and Jesus was being tempted, that means it was a film or a movie. It means Satan and Jesus was acting out a script. But we all know that it wasn’t a movie, and then Matthew 4 where Satan referenced Psalm 91 wasn’t a misquotation. The devil did not misquote it; he only quoted out of context, which is different from misquoting. Misquoting means you added something or you took away from it.

Matthew 4:6 where we have the first reference of Psalm 91 reads “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone”. Here, Satan is referencing Psalm 91:11 which read “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways”. Another important and very direct reference of Psalm 91 is in Luke 10:19 where Jesus says “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”. This reference Psalm 91:13 and thus, shows us that we are situated or seated in the sphere of authority and power where demons and devils are subject to us. Yes! We render Satan’s power redundant. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: Stay with the word, and speak the word.

CONFESSION: I declare that I am in the sphere of authority and power where demons and devils are subject to me, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

QUOTE: The believer is in the sphere of authority and power above all other authority and powers.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: MATTHEW CHAPTER 4; EVENING: LUKE CHAPTER 10

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” – Isaiah 60:1-5

LIGHT FOR NOW: As believers, we have a part to play in the miraculous.

A vital faith we must take note of is that miracles are in Christianity; you cannot remove miracles outside of Christianity, because the miraculous is part of Christianity. God’s power is not magic, and magic is not God’s power; therefore, miracle is not magic. Luke 1:34-35 “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”. Therefore, Mary had a part to play in the miraculous. In Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible”; the word “nothing” in Luke 1:37 is the word “rhema” in the Greek; which is God’s word communicated in the prophets’ utterance that was yet to fulfill. Actually, what the angel was saying is “no word of God is void of ability” or “no word of God lacks the ability”. In other words, God speaks before he does; he will speak then you will receive it. God works by his word: God speaks then he acts; He doesn’t act then he speaks. Therefore, the incarnation did not just happen; a woman believed it and received it. Mary believed and received, she said “be it unto me according to thy word”; she believed and that is how God works.

A miracle does not preclude or exclude your participation. Man is involved in what God does. Look at all the miracles Jesus did when it had to do with men and resources (men put water in the jar, a boy gave five loaves of bread and two fishes), there is something somebody did. There was no magic, it wasn’t like a show. God is a convincing God; He will not just change men; He wants to change all men and give them the new birth but men have to believe it and receive it. It shows you he doesn’t just act; men have to be convinced by what he does. Many times as a believer, you must learn to persist in faith stand strong. Truth is, every time you refuse to give or help to people in need when you have the capacity, you refuse to allow somebody to be helped by God through you. Doing this show you don’t understand that you have a love nature; a nature that does not have bad motives but just to get people’s needs met. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: Be the miracle that someone needs.

CONFESSION: As God is meeting someone’s needs through me, I have to be persuaded, I have to yield to his spirit and do his word; I must choose not to give up, I must stay in faith. Through this, my needs are met, my bills are paid, God’s power is working on my behalf, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: No word of God is void of ability.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: LUKE CHAPTER 2; EVENING: LUKE CHAPTER 19

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” – John 5:24-27

LIGHT FOR NOW: As believers, eternal life is not what we will receive at the end of our lives when we die; it is what we receive at the beginning of our lives when we believed.                                              

The word “condemnation” used in verse 24 of our text above from its original manuscript (the Greek) implies judgment. In other words, the man that has eternal life shall not come into judgment, and this is because he has passed from death to life. Passing from death to life here is passing from spiritual death (separation from God) to life (eternal life in Christ or eternal union with God). The judgment in verse 27 of John 5 will not be executed on them that believe because those that believe shall not come to judgment, but they have passed from death to life. So the judgment here will be executed on the unbelieving ones. That’s why Paul says in 1Corinthians 6:2 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” He calls believers saints, and he says “we (the saints) shall judge the world”. This is because we have the very life of God; we had passed from death to life; we had passed from condemnation or judgment unto righteousness. But for the man without Christ, he is condemned or judged already. This was made clear in John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.

The phrase “condemned already” is the phrase “judged already”. Meaning, the judgment is even on the earth when he rejects the gospel. At the point of salvation where a man believes the gospel, he passes from condemnation/judgment/death unto life. This tells us that eternal life is not what we will receive at the end of our lives when we die; it is what we received at the beginning of our lives when we believed. Notice, both John 3 and John 5 lets us see that this eternal life is received in the present (on earth). He said in John 5:24 “He that believeth in me hath eternal life”. Eternal life is not after death, it is life on earth when we believe. It is the understanding of this fact that makes us not to mourn like those without hope when the believer dies physically because he had passed from death to life. That’s why for the believer in Christ, what happens when the spirit leaves his body is not death, the bible calls it a sleep because the believer will awake in glory in the end. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: Be conscious of your eternal life in Christ.

PRAYER: Lord, I believe I have the very life of God, I have passed from death to life, I have passed from condemnation and judgment unto righteousness; therefore, eternal life is at work in my inside, in Jesus Name, Amen.

QUOTE: Believers don’t die, believers sleep.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 1THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 4; EVENING: 2CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 2