When I was a child, I loved looking at television shows depicting super heroes. I would often wish and even imagine I too had super powers. It is amazing how mesmerized we become when we view the many feats accomplished by our favorite super heroes. We like losing ourselves in the fantasy of it all. Interestingly, our fantasy super heroes acquire their power in different ways. There are those who are born with some kind of genetic mutation like the X-men, those who are half god and half man like Hercules, and those who are just really awesome at inventing really cool crime fighting gadgets, like Batman. Some were even chosen because “their hearts were pure.” The basis of the analogy is that super heroes, as portrayed on television, are not natural ordinary men and women. Born-again believers are like that. We are supernatural beings minus the fancy costumes, guided and directed by a supernatural God by the Spirit of Jesus— His Holy Spirit. Many of you may be thinking, “Is she really comparing us to fictitious characters?” Well, yes and no. The comparison is to forge an understanding that we are not normal, run-of-the-mill human beings. “Not only because of who we are in Christ but because of who Christ is in us” (Watchman Nee).
When the Triune (three-in-one) God in Genesis Ch. 1 v. 26 said “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” He made man a spiritual being within a physical body. Just as God is Spirit (John Ch. 4 v. 24), He saw it fit to make man in His image and likeness which is also spirit. The formation of a physical body was for man to have the ability to access, through his senses, this physical earth. Man’s body was also equipped with a soul where the emotion, mind and volition (free will) lie. Genesis Ch. 2 v. 7 says “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” The original Greek translation says breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives (plural) being soul and spirit. Then He said in Ch. 1 v. 28, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion…” the latter four words have been double underscored because those words are of great importance to us all. Those words are part of a God-ordained directive that never did change. The only thing that changed was man. To subdue a thing, according to the Oxford dictionary is to conquer, suppress or tame it; and dominion, derived from the Latin word dominus, meaning lord, indicates that man was made to rule the earth. Charles Capps put it this way, “if the earth or any living creature gets out of line, you put it back in line…Don’t lay down and play dead and say, “Oh, I guess it’s God’s will” …Use your faith and change the circumstances! Subdue it! Take dominion over it!”
The first man, Adam, understood the directive clearly but still gave everything up to Satan. Everything, being his immortality, his supernatural authority to subdue and have dominion and according to Capps, the ability to operate under the same level of faith as Almighty God. Well, we all know the butterfly effect of destruction, calamity, sickness and certain death that followed after Adam bowed down to Satan, making him lord over his life. Fortunately, Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, our Lord and Savior, spoken of throughout the Holy Scriptures, came to restore man to his original position. That of one who subdues and dominates the earth with supernatural power and authority through Him (Jesus) by His Indwelling Holy Spirit. Problem is, there are some born-again believers who do not know this power within them and they have God-given authority to subdue and dominate. They erroneously believe, this power and authority is for a select few, such as pastors, bishops (which is the same as a pastor), prophets, evangelists or someone who can pray for long periods with masterful elocution of words. Saints and comrades, this is not so, for every believer has the same Holy Spirit power working within them, which is the Promise of the Father (Acts Ch. 1 v. 4). “…You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts Ch. 1 v. 8). The preceding event spoken of in The Book of Acts was prophesied in Joel Ch. 2 v. 28 and Isaiah Ch. 44 v. 3. This power is released via active faith in Almighty God and what He says in His word. Let us look at what God said in His Word about the Holy Spirit. In Joel Ch. 2 vs. 28-29 says, “And it shall come to pass…that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” The pouring out of the Spirit is not merely for the believer to have knowledge of His Indwelling Presence, but for the believer to allow the Holy Spirit to do the work for which He was sent. One of His works is to “…guide you into all truth…” (John Ch. 16 vs. 13). We all know that there are many truths in scripture by which the believer ought to live a victorious life in Christ Jesus.
However, weak faith in God’s truth /God’s word, has crippled many a believer into living less than victorious lives. Believers! There is a need to acknowledge the work of the Indwelling Holy Spirit of Jesus. In his prayer for the believers in Ephesus, Paul asked that “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your hearts being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power…” (Eph. Ch. 1 vs. 17-19. That Power within is being suppressed by inactive faith, weak faith, wavering faith and ignorance of God’s Word. In most cases, the latter is usually the catalyst of the former. One of the truths believers need to believe is that the Holy Spirit is the power within. Of course, He does not act on His own accord but in union with the Father and the Son. John Ch. 16 vs. 13-15 says, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
Although, the preceding was a conversation among Jesus and His disciples, the function of the Holy Spirit has not changed. This is the same Spirit spoken of in Genesis Ch.1 v. 2 which says, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. The same Spirit God said, “…will not strive with man forever…” before the flood in Gen Ch.6 v. 3; The same Spirit that alighted upon Jesus like a dove at his Baptism in Matthew Ch. 3 v. 16, is the very same Spirit within the believing child of God guiding into all truth. It is because of the Indwelling Holy Spirit of the resurrected Christ, that we have “authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt us” (Luke Ch.10 v. 19). In other words, it is because of the Indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ that we have the power to subdue and have dominion over all the power of Satan, his demons and unclean spirits.
Saints and comrades, we are members of the Lord’s Army, a spiritual platoon with Jesus as our Commander-in-chief, Who, through His death and resurrection, has made us “more than conquerors” (Rom Ch. 8 v. 37). Therefore, we are to obey and continue to carry out the command to subdue and have dominion.
May Almighty God Bless You all and The Holy Spirit of Jesus sent to us by the Father, guide you into all truth and may you with humbleness of heart acknowledge the power within you is the Holy Spirit. Amen
By Gail Reid