Heaven's Realities

Todd Bentley

B C Canada

Part 1; edited by Kathy Thorne

Heaven’s realities are heavenly and earth’s realities are of the earth—different—yet just watch what happens when they converge! You’ll see the fullness of God’s kingdom, and it’s a supernatural one, at work in the earth—“on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). What’s more, by understanding their partnership (revelation) and by learning to walk in that supernatural realm (demonstration), you’ll defy human logic because both revelation and demonstration only come by the Spirit of God!

Now having said that, some of you might think this is all pretty "heady" stuff! So, today, I want to ground this teaching series by emphasizing the purpose for learning about heaven’s realities as well as the purpose for walking in the supernatural. Both are meant to glorify God—His goodness and His redemptive love—so that the lost would come into right relationship with Him.

May this truth help us to block any improper motives from creeping in, including pride, as we mature in our ability to demonstrate the reality of God’s supernatural kingdom. Now we’re ready to jump into heaven’s realities!

Heaven And Earth Partner Together

Before I share an example about how heaven and earth work together, let me preface this by saying that heaven is real. Not only does God have many angels on assignment, but there is an angelic realm in heaven devoted to finances. Why? It’s because God oversees the wealth of this world and He has certain proven strategies in place. After all, it’s His wealth, no matter whose hands it’s in. His angels are on assignment to watch over your finances, to gather money, to gather investments, to bring favor, and to bring power in your life so that you can have favor and wealth. He wants to provide for you! One of His names is Jehovah Jireh, which means God our provider.

In this regard, on three occasions over the past couple of years I’ve had a visitation from the Lord in which I’ve seen the angel of finance. Every time this happens (in our meetings) there is an incredible financial breakthrough—something is opened up in heaven, it invades the earth, and people respond by giving generously. And afterward many testimonies come in to Fresh Fire reporting the abundant blessings that people have received in return!

So let’s look at what happened in a meeting when I went into a trance-like state and I saw, for the third time over the course of a few years, the angel of finance. [A trance is simply a dream-like state but you are awake. For more information on trances, refer to Acts Chapter 10.] In that trance I experienced one of heaven’s realities and then that experience became a reality here on earth.

Here’s what happened. At first I saw heaven open, and as I ascended a ladder into the heavens I saw full vibrant wings and feathers! These feathers were white and as real as they would be in the natural realm; that’s how vivid it was. Then I noticed wings that moved and there was an arm under one wing and another arm under another wing! As the wings lifted I saw every precious gem you could think of under those wings; and then I saw the angel standing, having a body like a man with six wings. I knew it was the angel of finance.

Next, I saw a door called “treasure” and the door was open. Without thinking or considering what to do, I found myself in a treasure room in heaven. The only item in this room was gold coins, and I began stuffing those coins into my pockets until they were falling out. Then, after filling up another pocket, I opened my trousers and started filling my trousers with gold coins. After that, I stuffed them into my suit jacket. I even opened my shirt and started stuffing gold coins down my shirt!

Still in the trance, I asked the Lord, “What am I doing?” “You’re getting the offering!” He said. Now we weren’t receiving the offering yet in the meeting, but God said that I was getting the offering! Now, we don’t usually, if ever, see it that way, yet God was saying this because the offering, the money, is in heaven. After I heard that answer, I made a conscious decision (in this experience) to get even more gold. Now I was collecting more, stuffing as much as possible anywhere I could fit it, even my ears!

How Real Is Heaven?

That encounter with the angel of finance, and then the treasure room, is an excellent example of heaven’s realities. And before I share how that reality manifested on earth—in other words, how the offering that was “taken” in heaven manifested on earth in the meeting, you need to know something unique that my associates make a practice of doing.

If an anointed point is made by a minister of the gospel and an associate wants that particular point activated in their life, they will immediately sow into it. By that I mean, they will run up to the pulpit or the altar—“I want that”—and sow into the anointing in that moment of glory, by placing an offering there. Bam! Just whatever is said, they sow into it. Of course they can’t buy the anointing, but on the other hand they can sow into it.

So, after the trance, when I began preaching on reigning in God’s kingdom and on resurrection power, something I said struck a chord in one of our associates and he ran up and placed forty-one dollars on the pulpit. Then, within five minutes, someone walked up to him and gave him four hundred dollars! Two minutes after that someone else walked up to him and said, “Here’s another one hundred dollars!” Then all of a sudden as a spirit of giving hit the people in the building—people got up spontaneously and just started piling money on the platform; they just kept coming.

Over the course of the evening the offering was almost three times as much as all the other offerings combined! Yet it didn’t stop there. People began giving financial gifts away to others in the meeting, as the Holy Spirit led. In fact, the meeting was so supernatural that when one person grabbed an envelope to give, when they opened the envelope there was already money in it! And the next day a very excited man said to me, “Todd, you’re not going to believe what happened! I gave in that offering three times last night. I received $300,000 today!”

As a confirming sign that a spirit of giving and revival hit in the meeting, when our Road Manager, Mark, was taking the offering in the morning he saw something by divine revelation. He saw gold teeth; people getting gold fillings. Then, right in the offering, a man got one giant gold tooth! And more people got gold teeth; I think there were seven others. But here’s the best part! Remember, the purpose for heaven’s realities (the supernatural) being manifested in the earth is for God’s goodness and redemptive love to touch the unsaved, so that the lost would come into right relationship with Him. Well, one of the hired workers, an unsaved man, was totally blown away when the first man got a gold tooth. He said, “I don’t want to even look in his mouth and see a gold tooth because it will wreck me!” Nevertheless he did take a look—he got wrecked!—and gave his life to Jesus Christ. Yes, Lord!

Friends, it was all blessing upon blessing—on earth as it is in heaven! Pondering all that happened in the meeting, I asked God, “Why was that one offering so supernatural?” Here’s what He told me: “It was because you went into heaven and by a revelation you got the offering in the spirit-realm. So it showed up in the natural realm.” Listen. Not only was that offering affected by a spirit of giving, the people were affected too, to the point that they poured out financial blessings freely on each other!

Wow! Heaven’s realities became visible, manifesting on the earth—financial blessings, people encouraged, gold teeth—and because of that “wonder” a man made a decision for Jesus Christ. Still, even with this evidence, I want to challenge you. “How real is heaven? Can we really go into the invisible realm, change something in the invisible, and then see it show up in the natural realm?”

Heaven’s Realities Become Real In The Earth

I say we can change things, and the reason why we can is all because of God. His faithfulness! His desire to teach us by giving us revelation! By a revelation I got the offering in the spirit-realm (in the invisible) but it was birthed, first, by God’s rhema word to me. Romans Chapter 4, Verse 17b teaches: “. . . God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” God calls those things into existence that don’t exist in the visible realm. He calls them forth and speaks them into existence as if they already are, because they are—in heaven, in the eternal purpose of God in eternity—in the real world.

Remember, heaven is real. In heaven, they already are. There’s already a true copy. For example, Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. God told him to “make all things according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain” (Heb. 8:5). David was given the pattern for the Temple that his son Solomon would build (1 Chron. 28: 11–19). The blueprints existed already in heaven.

Once we learn how to partner with God by seeing whatever He directs us to see in the heavens in the invisible realm—touch it, and see it in the heavens—and once we learn how to speak with authority in that realm, then it manifests here on the earth. What you do in that kind of experience will change what happens to you in this realm.

Part 2 of 2 -

Hey! First things first! Everything hinges on God! I say that because it’s God’s idea to open up heaven’s realities (the supernatural) to us. What’s more, not only does God see fit to open up the supernatural to us, He does it in a natural way. For instance, recalling the supernatural experience from Part One, blessing upon blessing happened in that meeting because I had been doing what was expected—in other words, what was natural and what I ought to do. Spending close times with the Lord, taking His word seriously, and being open to the supernatural made the difference.

The same goes for you! If you want to experience the reality of the heavenly realm, then be open to it, get on excellently in your walk with God, and honor Him. As you do, you’ll be in the right position for God to teach you about the supernatural; and in a natural way He’ll take you into heavenly experiences. The key is divine revelation. God speaks to you, and you believe what He tells you—it might be in a vision, a trance, a dream, or something else—and you do it. It’s not, “name it and claim it,” or let’s have a bunch of visions, or let’s have a bunch of dreams. And always remember, the purpose for walking in heaven’s realities is to glorify God so that the lost would come into right relationship with Him. He is mighty to save!

Heaven’s Realities Are Divine Interventions

Now I want to share some great supernatural stories that not only testify about heaven’s realities and how they manifested in my life, but also how they came forth in the lives of other believers. You’ll see that what manifested in the natural in the earth, we got first in the spirit. As divine revelation, visions and dreams connected with faith, and as we partnered with God, circumstances changed in the natural realm. Finances were provided; people were healed; a young man dropped his drugs; a prisoner recommitted his life to the Lord; the prisoner’s brother received deliverance from witchcraft; and the fire of God fell! Yah!

Faith at work through DIVINE REVELATION brings financial miracles:

One of my first experiences in the supernatural happened during our first month of ministry. My wife and I needed $500 for our rent. Although we didn’t have a single partner or any support, I did have faith. It burst on the scene as I wrestled all the way through in the spirit—divine revelation came! Finally I could say with assurance, “God, I believe I’ve got my rent. That $500, I have it!” By faith I knew that the provision was already in heaven. Yet, in the natural, when the countdown reached the two-day mark my wife was stressing because the rent was almost due. But I told her, “Honey, I have it! I know I have it because I broke though in the spirit!”

Still, the day before the rent was due, I didn’t have it. But, by faith, even though the money wasn’t actually in my hand, I knew I had it because I had a divine knowing. And so I was bold and confident. After all, God spoke to me that I had it! So the next day, the day to pay the rent, I said to God, “I know that I know that I know that I have it. You told me I have it.”

Later that morning, as my wife and I were sitting in church our miracle happened. A woman, who was also at church, had a vision. She saw herself going to the bank and withdrawing all the money she had. Then she saw (in the vision) that she walked up to Shonnah and me and gave us the money. So that morning, rent day, she came to us and said, “I had a vision. I saw in the spirit, and I took out this money ($500), and God told me to give this to you and your wife, that you needed it.” “Thank God, I have it!” I said.

Now, guess what! The very next month we were in the same tight spot! Is it going to be like this every month? I wondered. Yet I knew that the rent money would come in because I had a visitation from the Lord; He spoke to me that I had the money for the rent. So, as I was waiting on the Lord to fulfill His word, one of my friends came over to our house the night before the rent was due. “Todd, I’m sorry,” he said, “I was so disobedient; the Lord has been speaking to me for the last three weeks about covering your rent.” He gave us six post-dated checks, paying our rent for half a year!

Those first two miracles set the stage for our ministry and they reveal how Fresh Fire Ministries continues to thrive to this day.

Faith at work through A DREAM brings healing:

Before a group of our interns went to a university campus in Bellingham, Washington to do “power evangelism,” one of the interns had a prophetic dream. He dreamed of a large man who had a leg injury, wearing a cast/boot. Then he saw himself praying and the man got healed. So the next day he went with a group of interns to that university, and as he walked around all day, in faith, he looked for the man he saw in his dream.

Finally he saw him, this big guy who actually was an all-state pro linebacker! So he walked up to him and said, “I had a dream last night and you were in it. In the dream I prayed for you and you got healed. Strange as it seems I dreamed about you and here you are!” They spoke with each other for a while and when the man felt comfortable with the idea of being prayed for, the intern prayed. Right away he was healed! He took off the boot and ran around! The doctors had just told him it was going to be five, six more weeks with that boot on!

Faith at work through PRAISE AND WORSHIP brings heaven to earth:

A young man I know of who lives in California had it in his heart to change the spiritual atmosphere by bringing heaven to earth. So he went to the mall by himself and started playing his guitar, all the while impressed with a revelation about the power of praise—God inhabits the praises of His people. As he began praising the Lord, dancing around a little bit, taking authority over the spiritual atmosphere, he actually began to open up a spiritual portal in the middle of the mall.

He was worshipping away, and then he decided to stop playing and to sit down. It wasn’t long before he noticed a young man walking toward him. As the young man came by the very spot where the worship had just taken place, he took out something, dropped it on the floor, and kept on going. It was his drugs! Now, why did that happen? It happened because there are no drugs in heaven! Heaven was so real that when he came into contact with that reality he was forced to drop his drugs. We’re talking about a real world—on earth as it is in heaven—heaven’s realities!

Faith at work through A TRANCE brings hope, deliverance & God’s fire:

One time when I was in Atlanta, Georgia, about to preach, I fell into a trance. Suddenly, I was traveling down a highway moving as fast as a car but I wasn’t in a vehicle! It was so real. I could see the cars and the pavement; the Lord told me to pay attention to the road signs because He was taking me somewhere. So I did, and I saw the name of the exit, Chattanooga highway, and I took the exit. Next, I was standing outside a prison still in the trance, looking at the prison.

Although my physical body was in the church, the next thing I knew I made a decision to go into the prison. Boom! I was in. I began to walk down a cell block to a particular prison cell and there I met a young man locked up in that cell. We had a conversation about why he was in prison, and with renewed hope he gave his life back to Jesus. Wow!

When the trance was over I asked God two questions. “God, what do You want me to do with that experience? Is something going to change in this realm (one earth)? Immediately the answer came. By divine revelation I knew from the Lord that there was a woman in the meeting who needed to hear about what I had seen during the trance. So, as I described where the prison was, as well as what the young man looked like and what we had discussed, a woman jumped up and said, “My best friend was supposed to be in this meeting tonight; she was coming, but she had an emergency. That’s her son in that prison!”

So I said, “Get me a cell phone. Let’s call her right now!” What happened next is incredible. Just as we called her friend, right at that very moment, her friend’s other son was trying to kill his father! The mother was panicking on the phone! She blurted out, “Right now, my son, he’s involved in witchcraft, he’s trying to kill his father,” Quickly, I said, “Let’s pray! I take authority over witchcraft; I render it powerless in the name of Jesus!” BAM! Right then, something happened. I don’t know if he fell on the floor, but instantly the violence stopped—deliverance took place!

The woman arrived at the meeting two hours later. Coming up onto the platform she said, “My son was involved in witchcraft; he was just trying to kill his father. When you called and you prayed with me, the assignment stopped! My son got free! My other son, 22 years old, is in prison . . .”

Another time I was one of the guest speakers in a conference in Seattle, Washington, and while I was listening to one of the other speakers, suddenly it was like I was in a trance. About three feet in front of me a blue pillar of light appeared, and I began putting my hand into it. I could feel something sort of “electrical.” So I asked a couple of people sitting beside me if they could see it, but they couldn’t. Seeing that pillar, and it went up like a tornado into heaven, I began asking the Lord, “What do you want me to do with this?” He said, “Get in it.” But I wondered if I would disturb the meeting, and while I remained seated, God repeated, “Get in it.” So I jumped off my chair and jumped into the pillar of blue light. Instantly, I was in heaven. (I won’t go into what took place in heaven.)

Back at the meeting, when the experience was over, God said, “Go back to your hotel room. I’m going to visit you in power for one hour.” So I told this to a few of the other guys, and after I asked if anyone wanted to come with me, they decided to come.

As soon as we got inside the hotel room I was impressed with the thought that it was important to remember what time it was, so I said, “Everybody, take note of the time.” Then, in unison, we all said, “It’s quarter to eleven.” Now the “atmosphere” had been normal but as soon as we said, “quarter to eleven,” instantly, bam, the glory fell, and fire. I was lying on my bed. Everyone was suddenly having a supernatural encounter, shaking—two people were in the same vision and another guy was in different one. I was screaming, “The fire, the fire, I’m burning up! The fire!” and right then, an angel appeared. His appearance reminded me of the angel spoken of in the Book of Revelation in Chapter 10: “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven . . . and his feet (legs) were like columns of fire” (v. 1, Amplified Bible, emphasis mine). He stood over my bed; two pillars of burning fire!

Then, just as quickly as it all began, it was over. All of a sudden the atmosphere was ordinary again and everyone was as normal as you and I. We looked at the clock and it was quarter to twelve, to the exact minute. The power of God fell for one hour. We were all awed by the experience. But what happened next really shocked us! About twelve hours later not only did that particular hotel room catch fire, but so did some other rooms! Totally burned to a crisp! Why? Because the reality of what happens in the spiritual heavenly realm affects what happens in this (earthly) realm. We’re talking about heaven’s realities, making heaven real.

Trying To Take A Stab At It Just Won’t Do!

Listen. Certainly, God wants His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven! He wants to partner with us and show us what’s going on in heaven, heaven’s realities, so that they will be real on the earth, too. I tell you, when your partnership with God is at a level where you can co-labor with Him so that heaven and earth converge, your whole life in Christ will take on a whole new meaning. Ponder that!

We have a big, big God. He wants us to live our lives “out of the box” just like He does! How is the world going to know who He is if we don’t look like Him?! Look. What captures the world’s attention—witchcraft in books and movies, drugs and perversion, to name just a few—will continue if God doesn’t get His chance to put on a big display about Himself through Christians a whole lot more than how it’s currently happening! We need to get with it! We need to find out what God wants us to do and really do it!

Take Moses. In his day the magicians had power, occult power, big time. Had Moses failed to recognize and walk in God’s power, had he just tried to take on Pharaoh and his magicians with a “let’s try and take a good stab at it” attitude, would the might of God’s glory been seen? Would the fear of God come? Remember, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that He was going to display His power so that the whole nation of Egypt would see that there was no other God like Him, that His fame would spread throughout the earth (Ex. 9:14, 16). Friends, how is the world going to see God’s power and majesty, how will nations be won to Christ unless we—that’s you and that’s me—get serious and boldly demonstrate who He really is?

If this teaching is grabbing your heart, then today, I want you to “take it to the Lord.” Maybe you need to get on our knees and get serious with God. The hour demands it! The days are evil, my friend! God needs you, and He needs me, fully equipped and ready for action!

Reigning And Resurrection

Todd Bentley

B C Canada

Part 1 of 2

It’s true! We don’t need resurrection power in heaven; no one is going to be raised from the dead in heaven! But we certainly need the anointing to flow out of our lives here on earth. I mean the anointing that gives life—it’s essential if we’re going to partner with God to overthrow the powers of darkness—because both death and destruction stalk the earth continually. That anointing will empower us to walk full-out in our authority—reigning—being determined believers who advance God’s kingdom in the earth, just like it is in heaven. The stakes are high, but resurrection power will make the difference!

Now, you might be wondering how “resurrection power” and “reigning” work together and how both can be activated in your life. To answer that, we’ll examine several essential elements in this teaching series, real keys for reigning and walking in resurrection power. So here we go!

THE NEW BIRTH OPENS GOD’S KINGDOM!

First of all, let’s acknowledge together that God is a God of order. Just try and imagine what the world would be like if He wasn’t! He is orderly, and it’s by His design that our first nature is spirit. Yes we have a body but the spirit comes first. He created us that way.

Now, think for a few moments about your first nature, spirit, in the context of your born again experience. Your new birth was momentous! Because everything about you today, in Christ, hinges on that experience! That’s when your spirit came to life—alive in Christ (1 Pet. 3:18). You are no longer a natural being that has a spirit; you’re a spiritual being that has a body! You’re a brand new creation in Christ who lives, for a time, on the earth; one who is learning to live in your true nature, in Christ Jesus, which is spirit (2 Cor. 5:17).

The fact is, (for all true believers), the moment we’re born again an earth-shaking shift takes place. We are transported from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son! As well, we come into the right position for receiving God’s great benefits, which include the necessary keys for activating our spiritual senses. So, you can see that the new birth opens up God’s kingdom. However, if you don’t have the new birth, then you certainly won’t be seeing or entering His kingdom!—(John 3:3, 5).

Yes, we have a body but we’re spiritual beings first, and though we’re here on earth, our citizenship is actually in heaven (Phil. 3:20). I’m a citizen of heaven first, and I’m a Canadian citizen. Keeping that revelation in mind, did you know that you and I don’t have to wait to die and go to heaven for heaven to be a reality in our lives? I say that because God’s word says that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15)—it’s a “now” word—and “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). It’s “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” NOW (Col. 1:27).

LIVE IN CHRIST, DIE TO SELF & EXPERIENCE YOUR RESURRECTION!

Ironically, soon after the new birth, a death experience comes along—death to self, death to our carnal nature—that “old man!” But we can thank God for the resurrection that follows! One way to illustrate this whole paradox is by sharing about my water baptism. I was told, “Todd, something is going to happen when you go down in that water; you’re going to come up a new man!” It was true. At the convergence of two acts something happened. Here’s how:

First, when I went under the water, I purposefully identified with Christ when He died and was placed into a tomb; symbolically I was dying to self. In other words, when you’re baptized—you identify with the truth, and that truth is that you have died—your old nature; its sins and passions—you’ve died. Believe it!—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom 6:3, emphasis mine). It’s done!

Second, when I came up out of the water, just as Christ was resurrected, so was I! Resurrection into newness of life!—“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (v. 4, emphasis mine).” Done! A spiritual impartation happened; it was activated by the power of what was taking place in the spirit by that prophetic act.

Although we tend to put resurrection in the future, it isn’t just a future event! And when that revelation hit me I started developing a resurrection mindset, thinking: My spirit has been raised from the dead. I know what it’s like, that same “glory” that raised Christ from the dead. That same glory is what’s touched my spirit and made me alive! I’ve already experienced the very same resurrection power that raised Jesus up from the tomb; it not only has touched me, it’s working inside of me! It’s the anointing, the Holy Spirit that dwells in me! That revelation was like being gloriously born again, again!

SO WHAT DOES RESURRECTION LOOK LIKE?

I’m talking about the likeness of His resurrection and the idea that as we walk in “newness of life” we walk in victory. You can’t tell me that there is resurrection power and ruling operating in your life if you’re being defeated in your own spirit. That resurrection power is yours if you’ll use it! At your disposal is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4), which is the Spirit of resurrection, and only He can make death die; only the Holy Spirit can help us to overcome what the flesh wants. He responds when we seek holiness and demonstrate reverential fear of the Lord.

Actually, the Spirit of holiness is seven things. The Holy Spirit: corrects, counsels, strengthens, helps, intercedes, is our defense attorney and the comforter called alongside. It’s the Holy Spirit residing within us, and the effective working of His power working within us, that makes us holy, that sanctifies us, and makes us righteous. Two keys are: His grace and our obedience. We can’t say that we’re holy without obedience. In fact, we can only manifest God’s kingdom to the extent we’re willing to sacrifice, surrender and be obedient. The greater the obedience and total surrender, the greater the manifestation of power, and the model is Jesus.

With resurrection power, our old self becomes so dead that we become dead to the things that the flesh wants. It’s newness of life, which means: overcoming sickness, disease and poverty; reigning in resurrection; raising the dead. What a rich inheritance! And it’s ours today! Not just when we get to heaven.

FIRST INTIMACY, THEN INHERITANCE ON EARTH & IN HEAVEN

Just look at what the Apostle Paul said in his prayer to the Ephesian church about our inheritance: “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). He goes on to describe three aspects in our inheritance: that we may know one, what is the hope of His calling; two, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; and three, what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (vv. 1:17–20, emphasis mine).

So, I’m not just focused on who I am in Christ, I’m focused on discovering who Christ is in me. In that discovery, I’m being drawn into a deep friendship with God in the secret place. That’s where I’m finding out more and more about the scope of my inheritance—for instance, reigning and resurrection power, and more. Conversely, if I was continually ignoring the Holy Spirit, even though I am born again and God’s word says I can enter the kingdom of God, I would not be in the right position to receive all of my inheritance.

Think about this. We can enter the kingdom of God, yes, but not everyone that enters the kingdom of God inherits the kingdom of God! The key to inheritance is intimacy and revelation and through this I know that, spiritually, I’ve been made a “king”. This is my spiritual status, to reign on this earth—and so I’m beginning to reign today! But, of course, without intimacy with God, I won’t have the reigning and resurrection power!

What’s more, what we gain as we advance and grow here, we take with us into eternity. Don’t miss this. The degree to which we faithfully act on the revelation God gives us, is the degree of responsibility that we will have in eternity. There are degrees; and this will affect our “brightness” in heaven. Every “star” differs in glory. We’re mistaken if we think that if we all ended up in heaven right now, we’d be equals; that somehow once we enter the pearly gates everything that I see, you see; and everything that becomes my experience, becomes your experience. Or that whatever we’ve done here doesn’t count.

I, for one, want to get to know God; I want to rule and reign in the universe and hang out with the angels. “God, can you create another planet with souls on it that need to be saved and send me there?” I want to talk about different things with Michael (archangel) and Gabriel (angel). “Come on Abraham! We’ve got to have a conversation about . . .” Heaven would be pretty boring if we just kind of showed up and said, “Here I am! Done!”

CLOSING

Reigning and resurrection certainly goes hand in hand with understanding the scope of our inheritance in Christ in the light of both the here and now, and eternity. Not only do we reign in eternity, we are meant to reign here on earth now. Resurrection is about reigning in life, having dominion, taking authority, advancing the kingdom, and destroying the works of the devil NOW!

Part 2 of 2

In God’s kingdom there is just so much to look forward to! In fact, God will take us as far as we want to go. I’m talking about depth, the deep things of God. And yet, as I’ve been thinking about how the whole concept of resurrection is perceived by many in the church, it’s like a lot of believers only see its relevance in light of an Easter Sunday sermon. Or others think that resurrection is all about our heavenly bodies, the rapture, or the second coming—it tends to be something in the future.

RESURRECTION IS ACTUALLY AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLE

On top of that, some Christians consider the whole idea about resurrection, or the opportunity to actually raise the dead, to be pretty radical. But according to scripture, resurrection from the dead is part of the foundation of Christian belief. It’s actually an elementary principle! The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, says:

“THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, with teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.]” (vv. 1, 2, The Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

Still, even though resurrection from the dead is a foundational principle, in order to actually receive and walk in all the benefits involved in what resurrection promises, we need to have our minds renewed.

DEATH NO LONGER HAS DOMINION

In this regard, in Part One, I shared about how I was developing a “resurrection mindset” and how I realized that the same glory (or resurrection power) that raised Jesus up after his crucifixion had not only touched me; it was working inside of me. Let me explain another aspect concerning this revelation; my point being—today, I’ve come to understand that “death no longer has dominion.” Romans Chapter 6, verse 9 says: “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Rom. 6:9).

Now, because I am a born again believer and I believe that death no longer has dominion, and since sickness and disease cause death, then I have the right to refuse the diseases of the world, the viruses, the sicknesses, the bacteria—or whatever exists in the world that brings death. I refuse it!

Now, I don’t deny the circumstances; I mean if you have cancer, or a tumor, it’s real. But there is something about when your body begins to understand that your spirit is raised from the dead—“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rm. 8:11) Cancer! You can’t live here!

The same goes for poverty. Poverty is death. Look. Any kind of oppression in your life, any kind of torment, any kind of depression—it’s the work of the devil—and it is defeated because death no longer has dominion! In fact, death has to bow! It bowed to Jesus wherever He went. Can you imagine how tense darkness became every time Jesus showed up on the scene? The Lord would show up and devils would start screaming. And the dead were raised!—(See Mk. 5:7 and Jn. 11:38–44.)

Likewise, when believers know who they are in Christ, sickness and death must bow! For example, when I’m ministering in a crusade, I think like this: The death around me in this crusade isn’t allowed to be at work here! Since death no longer has dominion, I take my God-given authority and make a decree; then whatever is of the “realm of death” has to bow to resurrection! There are times when I walk into a room and the diseases in people’s bodies can only hold on until I cast out a (demonic) spirit with a word. “I see you, devil. Get out!”

DEATH IS ALWAYS ROOTED IN SIN

Now let’s go on to Romans 6, verses 10 and 11: “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, count yourselves to be dead to sin in the same way—in that Jesus counted Himself dead and resurrected—count yourselves dead and resurrected. That means death no longer has dominion over you!

Equally, don’t let sin reign—“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts” (v. 12). Friends, there is a place where because we love Jesus, we obey His commands; and because there is a love, we don’t want to wound His heart. After all, we’re in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and we don’t want to hurt the One we love. There is a choice—if you let sin reign, then death reigns because the power of death is always rooted in sin—especially willful, habitual sin, offense, bitterness, and unforgiveness.

In fact, it wasn’t until one man sinned by disobeying God that sickness, poverty, bondage and death came into the world and spread to all mankind (Rom. 5:12). Initially, the one, Adam (and Eve) brought the curse, and it became the curse of the law. Then every conceivable sin that you could imagine, every conceivable sickness or disease, came into the curse. But we were (and are) rescued from the curse because ultimately, the One, Jesus Christ conquered death. Through His death and resurrection, our sin and death are defeated and now both freedom from sin and resurrection can spread to all mankind!

“For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22, The Amplified Bible). “The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]” (v. 45).

The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). Look. There is a law! That law of sin and death is a spiritual law and all of hell is ready to back-up that law. But the law of the Spirit of life, the law of resurrection in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death and all of heaven is ready to enforce that law! Therefore, the truth is, it’s a law that I’m not sick (sickness can be defeated)! It’s a law that I’m the blessed one. It’s a spiritual law: “Devil you can’t hold me down!” There is a law of the spirit realm, the law of the spirit world, the law of resurrection!

But, in order to ensure your freedom from the curse of the law, don’t miss these three vital principles: First, remember, the law of sin and death can only be broken by Jesus Christ and if you’re born again. Second, God can only enforce the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus as you do your part by confessing your sins and asking Him to forgive you and cleanse you (according to 1 John 1:9). Third, you must also take responsibility for wielding your authority against the enemy’s attacks, but you can only do a thorough job if you know who you are in Christ.

Then the ruler of this world (the devil) has nothing to hang on to, no claim on you. After all, Satan couldn’t do a thing to stop anything Jesus did! Why? It was because Jesus was without sin—“. . . the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." (Jn. 14:30). That’s what I’m aiming for! How about you?

As I said last week, only the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of holiness can help us conquer what the flesh wants. True overcoming only happens as we abide in Christ, not having our own righteousness “which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” And overcoming happens by knowing Him: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” (Phil. 3: 9, 10, emphasis mine).

You can’t even get to the power of His resurrection until you can say, “I know Him!” There will be no power of Christ’s resurrection working in your life unless you know Him intimately. It’s about intimacy, but not just an intimacy wherein you spend time with the Lord. I’m talking about being “one in the spirit.” (Study John 17:20–23). Then God’s glory is sure to shine through you and the people around you will notice this—“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Friends, when you’ve “been with Jesus” like Peter and John you’ll know what real faith is.

REAL FAITH BRINGS REIGNING AND RESURRECTION POWER

Look at what Paul the apostle said about faith: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, emphasis mine). It bears repeating: “the life that I now live, I live by faith. . .” You see, you’re not going to have resurrection without faith. We must understand what faith, real faith is and how faith works! As a matter of fact, get every book, get every series that you can on faith!

Equally, always remember that faith and intimacy go hand in hand. Just as I said in Part One, if intimacy with God is lacking there will be no reigning and resurrection power, so too, anointing will not manifest without you being full of faith.

TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR FAITH & PRESS IN ALL THE WAY

So we need to remove the unbelief. Actually, Jesus “removed unbelief” by having the people who were in fear and/or unbelief leave the location where He was about to perform a miracle (Lk. 8:51–55). Because there is something about being sure that those that are with you are just as “in faith” as you are. Unbelief hinders miracles. Jesus, Himself, was hindered from doing miracles in his hometown because of the people’s unbelief (Matt. 13:58). For instance, I’ve had meetings where I was full of faith, but other people there brought their unbelief into the meeting and their lack of faith hindered the flow. I’ve had to say on a few occasions, “If you don’t believe and you’re a skeptic, I want you to leave the meeting right now.” Until they left, I could not move in the realm of miracles fully.

So protect your faith. Put boundaries in place to protect what you believe. Here is an example of what I mean by “boundaries.” Sometimes there are certain influences—it might be from the people around you who want to challenge your beliefs—yet not in a positive way. But when you have worked through your Christian beliefs with good, sound, mature, men and women and, for instance, you believe that healing and prosperity are inherent in salvation; protect that belief. There are things that I won’t even entertain because I don’t want to mess up my groove. I won’t even debate it. I don’t want to be sidetracked or waste my time by allowing such things to get into my grid!

Faith is something you go after and you keep. “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Contend and be aggressive about pressing in. The Bible says: “And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing . . .” (Matt. 11:12 NIV, emphasis mine). So keep warring, don’t let up; be persistent like the widow (Luke 18:1–8). She just kept coming to the judge, asking for justice and in the end the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (vv. 6–8).

Press in, contend and be aggressive like the Prophet Elijah, after he discerned that rain was coming. He went into intercession seven times on Mount Carmel, each time sending his servant to check and see if rain was on the way (1 Kings 18: 43–45). So don’t stop praying and believing mid-way. Pray through till you’re convinced, based on what God already said and begin to walk in an attitude of thanksgiving even if your circumstances aren’t changing. Remember, you’re pressing in for what you know God wants you to have. Receive what He said, by faith; yes, acknowledge the circumstances, but at the same time, what you have received from God by faith is more real.

THROUGH FAITH IN THE WORKING OF GOD

Resurrection happens through faith in the working of God. Let’s take a look at Colossians Chapter 2, verse 12: “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). There is a connection between understanding the effective working of His power, the power that works within you and me, and the outward power that manifests. An example would be when someone is healed in their body when the manifest power of God is evident in a meeting, but it works according to the connection between the manifest power, outward manifest kingdom power, and the power that works within you.

Also, instead of being so focused on getting more power, we need to focus more on having faith “through the working of God.” We need to understand how the power that’s on the inside works and begin to focus on strengthening the inner man, and learning how to tap into the anointing that we already have on the inside. So we need to build ourselves up and recharge the “dunamis power” of the “battery” that we already have on the inside. And one way to build ourselves up in our most holy faith is to pray in tongues. We’ll activate the “dunamis generator!” As we do, through faith and working with God, resurrection life and power will manifest!

CLOSING

I don’t want to close this series, without mentioning how the dunamis generator is directly connected to the virtue of Christ that’s inside you and me—“Christ in you” (Col. 1:27). It’s a river that works on the inside, 24 hours a day. It’s like a generator, seven days a week.