Meta Alla ħalaq lill-bniedem, God gave dominion to man to rule on the earth. Man only walked in his dominion for a short period. Because of the disobedience of man, man fell from his position of authority and lost his dominion. But God had a plan to restore the fallen state of man, restore the dominion, and reconcile man back to God. And so God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth to redeem man from the power of the devil and deliver them from the darkness and to reconcile man back to God and give them back the authority and power of God. How do you walk in the dominion that God has given you?
What dominion did God give to man?
U Alla qal, Ejjew nagħmlu l-bniedem fix-xbieha tagħna, Wara x-xebh tagħna: u ħallihom ikollhom ħakma fuq il-ħut tal-baħar, u fuq it-tjur tal-arja, u fuq il-bhejjem tal-ifrat, u fuq id-dinja kollha, U over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Allura Alla ħalaq lill-bniedem fix-xbieha tiegħu stess, fuq ix-xbieha ta' Alla ħalaqlu; raġel u mara ħolqu hu. U Alla berikhom, u Alla qalilhom, Agħti l-frott, u immultiplika, u timtela mill-ġdid l-art, u ssussidjaha:u jkollhom ħakma fuq il-ħut tal-baħar, u fuq it-tjur tal-arja, u fuq kull ħaġa ħajja li timxi fuq l-art (Ġenesi 1:26-28)
Alla, El Elohim, created man after His image and gave dominion to man over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
God gave man (male and female) the responsibility to rule over the earth and all there is within.
Adam and Eve should have taken responsibility and walked in the dominion that God had given them, but they didn’t do that.
How did man lose his dominion?
When Adam and Eve became disobedient to God, they fell from their position and lost their dominion.
Their position was taken by someone, they had to rule over, namely the serpent. The serpent belonged to the creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
When the serpent approached Eve and asked her a question about what God had said, she should have walked in her dominion.
She should have taken her position of authority and rulership over the serpent and commanded the serpent to be silent and go away.
If Eve had done, what God commanded her to do, then nothing would have happened and the serpent would have obeyed her and left.
If she had obeyed the words and commandments of God, she would have stayed obedient to the will of God. But Eve didn’t walk in obedience to God in the dominion that God had given her. Minflok, Eve listened to the serpent (the creation) and obeyed the serpent instead of God.
Minħabba l-fatt, that man didn’t take authority over the serpent, the serpent took authority over man. And we all know, what the consequences were (Aqra wkoll: Il-battalja fil-ġnien).
The dominion in Jesus Christ
What the devil destroyed and took from man in the garden of Eden, Jesus Christ restored. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to restore the position and dominion of man and reconcile man back to God. Jesus became the Lamb of God and took all the sins and iniquities of humanity upon Himself. He shed His blood, died on the cross, went to hell, and rose as Victor from the dead.
Through His redemptive work, Jesus destroyed the works and power of the devil and restored man’s position and dominion, and reconciled man back to God.
Only through Jesus Christ and regeneration in Him, you can become a new creation; born of water and the Spirit of God.
When a sinner comes to Jesus, repents, and becomes born again, the sinner is no longer a sinner. The sinner has been made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. The old man has become a new man (a new creation) by laying down the flesh (through the water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit).
When your spirit is raised from the dead and you become a new creation, you don’t belong to the devil anymore.
The devil is no longer your father, but God has become your Father.
You have been delivered by the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of Heaven, where Jesus Christ is King.
You’ve got a new position in Jesus Christ. You are seated in Him and you will reign with Him, in the heavenly places, over all powers, principalities, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places, eċċ.
The devil and the other fallen angels, powers, principalities, death, and hell don’t have any legal right and dominion over you. Because you have been bought, with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
You belong to God and are now seated in Christ. As long as you stay in Him, you have all authority over them.
Christians should know the knowledge of His will
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Kolossin 1:9-10)
Now that you are seated in Him, the Word, you will spend much time in the Word (the Bible). Because only through the Word of God, you can renew your mind and get to know Jesus Christ and the knowledge of His will.
Through the Word, you will find out who you are as a new creation, what your new position in Christ contains, and what kind of authority and spiritual blessings have been given to you. When you spend time in the Word, the Kingdom of Heaven becomes visible to you.
If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Kolossin 3:1-3)
Christians are born for the spiritual battle
As a Christian, you are born and called for the spiritual battle between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. As soon as you become born again in the spirit, the devil and his minions become your adversary. Just as they are the adversaries of God. They will do anything to tempt you, attack you, and destroy your life.
Their battleground is your flesh (soul and body). Therefore it’s important to lay down your flesh; the works of the flesh.
Don’t believe his disceptions and don’t give into his temptation and feed the lust and desires of your flesh. You have been given the power to resist the temptation and rule over sin (Aqra wkoll: Can you resist the temptation?).
You have to stay strong and awake in the spirit and not slumber or fall asleep.
Unfortunately, many Christians keep walking after the flesh, doing their will, instead of living after the Spirit, doing the will of Jesus; the Word.
They are led by their flesh and ruled by their senses, emozzjonijiet, thoughts, sentimenti, etc.. They are slaves of their flesh because the flesh with its sinful nature rules over them.
As long as the flesh rules over them, they shall obey their flesh, feed their flesh, and do the works of the flesh (sin).
Praying to God
Many Christians keep praying to God for things, that God has already done and provided for or pray for something, that God has commanded them to do.
God has done and given everything to heal man; restore man’s position, give back their dominion and authority through Jesus Christ, and reconcile man back to Him.
God has given all authority in heavens and on earth and all there is within, to Jesus and to those who are born again in Him and seated in Him.
Christians should speak and become doers of the Word
This dominion and authority have been given to the new creations, who are seated in Jesus Christ. Just like God gave dominion to man, before they sinned, to rule over the heaven, sea, and earth and all there is within.
Since you are born again and have received a new nature (God’s nature) and position, you shall walk from this new position according to your new nature. You shall walk in the dominion that God has given you. You shall speak His words, obey His words and commandments, and become a doer of the Word. (Aqra wkoll: The reason why you don’t experience any victory).
Remember, you are no longer carnal and don’t wrestle (fight) against flesh and blood (people), but you are spiritual and wrestle against dark powers, rulers, principalities, and forces in the heavens and upon the earth.
You will not live after your carnal senses, thoughts, emozzjonijiet, sentimenti, etc., and what they tell you. But you live after what your spirit senses and what the Holy Spirit tells you. The words of the Holy Spirit will always line up with the words in the Bible. Because the Holy Spirit says what He hears from Jesus.
That’s why it is so important, that this ‘invisible’ spiritual realm becomes visible and a reality for you and you discern the spirits.
Therefore read and study the Bible, spend time with Jesus, pray in the Holy Ghost, fast, and listen to Him.
What is the mission of the devil?
The devil has one mission and that is to destroy every human being on the face of this earth. When a sinner repents, accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and becomes a new creation (born of water and Spirit), then the devil shall do everything he can, to keep Christians ignorant and asleep. Għaliex?
If you do not know what you have and what you possess, you shall not use it and you shall not walk in it.
The devil doesn’t want Christians to take their position in Jesus Christ and walk in the dominion that God has given them. Because that would mean the end for the devil, his power, and his kingdom.
The way the devil tries to hinder Christians from walking in the dominion that God has given them is through false doctrines and teachings.
False doctrines and teachings cause the new creation to stay carnal and keep living after the flesh, instead of living after the Spirit (Aqra wkoll: Why the prosperity gospel is preached?).
When you apply for a new job, there are responsibilities that come with the job. You decide whether you want to take on these responsibilities or not. When you don’t think that you can handle the responsibilities, then you won’t take the job. But when you do think you can handle the responsibilities and take the job, then the company expects of you, that you keep these responsibilities.
If it appears after 6 months or after a year, that you didn’t keep your responsibilities, then there will be consequences. You might get a warning or be fired.
You have a responsibility in the Kingdom of God
In Jesus Christ, you have been given responsibilities. You can’t hand over these responsibilities to God through begging prayers and asking. Because God has given these responsibilities to you.
God wants to have a relationship with you and He wants you to reign with Him. Because if you don’t take your position and reign with Him, the perfect redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the shedding of His blood have all been for nothing. (Aqra wkoll: Ġesù wera l-imħabba tiegħu, x'tagħmel biex turi l-imħabba tiegħek għal Ġesù?).
When you don’t take your responsibility and your position in Jesus Christ, and don’t reign over the enemy and his whole army, then it won’t be long before the enemy and his army shall reign over you.
Adam and Eve didn’t walk in the dominion that God had given them. They didn’t reign over the serpent and because of that man lost his position and dominion over the earth and lost his spiritual connection with God.
Don’t lose your dominion in Jesus Christ
Don’t lose the dominion you have received in Jesus Christ. Open the Word, and get to know Him. Know in Whom you are seated. Find out what dominion you have been given in Him and walk in the dominion that God gave you.
Reveal the works of the devil and destroy the works of the devil, before they destroy you.
In the next blog post, the mind and the many thoughts of a person will be discussed. How the enemy attacks a person through his or he thoughts. But most importantly, how you can take authority over your thoughts and prevent them from ruling your life.
‘Kun il-melħ tal-art’
