One of the most powerful things I can do to encourage other parts of the body of Christ is to declare the greatness of our God to them. I know I find my own faith bolstered when I hear others boldly declaring the greatness of God. It just does something in my soul. It simultaneously reminds me of the truth as it stirs up the passion of my own gratitude for Who God is and for all He has done for me.
We need to declare to the enemy the words of 1 John 4:1-4. We need to declare this same passage to God as a declaration of our faith in His power. We need to declare it to our own spirit, soul, and body as a blessing of all that Jesus is. He lives in us and He lives through us.
1 John 4:1-4 NASB says, 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Let’s take a few minutes and make this declaration. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!
When the world opposes the body of Christ, how should we respond? When the world tries to silence us, how should we respond? When the world belittles us for our faith, how should we respond?
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome the following words that seem even more relevant to me today. In Romans 8:31-39 NASB, he writes, 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [is] against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? [Will] tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 Just as it is written: "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE REGARDED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Brothers and sisters of the body of Christ, we have need of one another. Let’s encourage one another in the coming days. And one more thing, brothers and sisters. Just be who Father says you are. He says you are conquerors. That means you are victors. That means you win. Let’s live as the conquerors our God says we are in the coming days. No matter what happens, we win!
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear a song on the subject, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/greater-are-you-who-is-in-me/
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