Do you belong to that special category of people who are more than conquerors? If not, you will remain a prisoner of sin and death.
Adam was the Heavyweight Champion of Life. But he did not know that the basis of his title was spiritual. In his first fight in the Madison Square Garden of Eden, he did not just lose his title; he relinquished it.
Adam did not know that: “To whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness.” (Romans 6:16). Adam chose to obey the voice of the devil and not of God. From that time, he became a slave of sin.
Accordingly, death became the new Heavyweight Champion of Life. Death reigned for ages and ages through sin. Men were sinners by inclination and practice, and the consequence of sin was death. This prevailed until God sent Jesus, “the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25). Jesus was born the new Heavyweight Champion of Life. With Jesus, life quickly knocked out death. Jesus, our life, came with one agenda: to annul our covenant with death and raise us from the dead to newness of life.
Reigning in life
Those who heed Jesus’s call to righteousness receive the power to reign in life. (Romans 5:17). This makes the believer in Christ the new Heavyweight Champion of Life. In Christ Jesus, he triumphs over life and triumphs over death. He reigns supreme, steadfast and unshakeable. The question then for Christians is this: are you reigning in life? Do you belong to that special category of people who are more than conquerors? If not, you will remain a prisoner of sin and death.
From the beginning, God created man to rule and to reign: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26).
When Jesus restores our dominion and says: “occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13), we have to take charge completely. We must not tolerate or entertain any areas of rebellion. The devil might come with sickness, but we must reject this out of hand. It is not possible to reign in life from a sick bed. He might come with fear, but we must insist that: “(we) have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear.” (Romans 8:15). He might come with worries, but we must be anxious about nothing. (Philippians 4:6).
We must deal ruthlessly with any rebellion or coup attempt against our dominion in life. To do otherwise is virtually to relinquish our authority. Jesus says: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19).
Believer’s authority
Jesus tells the story of a man who was given a similar authority: “But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’” (Luke 19:14). Who were those rebellious citizens? They are sin, lust, fear, hatred, malice and every evil work. Believers must not tolerate these ragamuffins.
It was reported to the Governor: “Sir, some people don’t recognize your authority.” “Who and where are they?” enquired the Governor. “They are in Victoria Island, Lagos. They insist they did not vote for you.” “Okay,” said the Governor. “Cut off their electricity and water supply. They will soon know who is Governor.”
What does Jesus say about the man in his story? He does not waste time in asserting his authority. He says: “Bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.” (Luke 19:27). Since the Lord is for us and on our side, only the foolhardy can dare to be against us. To every rebellion against our rule: “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” (Psalm 2:4).
Jesus says: “These signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18).
Kingly anointing
Your boss in the office must recognize the kingly anointing upon your life. Your friends and neighbours must know who you are. Don’t waste time in letting people know your true identity.
Immediately you arrive in that office, pray for a few people having problems. By the time they see how God moves at the instance of your prayers, they will soon know who you are. Lay hands on a few sick folk, they will soon know who you are. Decree a few righteous statutes and they will soon know who you are when God establishes them.
Pharaoh did not “know” Moses initially. But by the time God finished with him, he made Moses to be a god to Pharaoh: “The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.” (Exodus 11:3). Indeed, “when a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7).
We exercise our kingdom authority the same way we come into it. We believe in our hearts and proclaim it with our mouths. The Psalmist says: “I believed therefore I have spoken.” (Psalm 116:10). Jesus says: “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27).
Therefore, those appointed to reign in life speak authoritatively. We speak words of faith and not of doubt. We speak confidently about the God we know. Daniel says: “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32).
Double-minded man
The President of the country does not make a national broadcast and say: “I hope things will get better in this country, but I doubt it.” Once he starts expressing doubt, the people will start looking for a new President. “If you cannot make things better, then what are we doing with you?” “If you cannot make things better, why are you the President?”
One of the distinguishing prerogatives of a true believer is privileged access to God. But if we are one of those Christians who always needs someone to pray for us, or to lay hands on us, that is eloquent proof we have no personal relationship with God. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).
“But what if, in spite of my faith, I am not able to pay my rent?” “What if I am unable to pay my school-fees?” “What if I don’t find my life partner and end up on the shelf?”
Every “what if” is a thief! Jesus says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10).
