At Christmas we see such a beautiful picture of God’s plan beginning its fulfillment on that night in Bethlehem. However, while this is a time of rejoicing and great joy as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds that night, it is also the story of how satan is determined to destroy everything that God is bringing forth in the earth.
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Show Notes:
We are filled with joy as we consider the story of Christmas, how the birth of Yeshua (Jesus) begins the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring to earth a Messiah to redeem mankind to Himself and to break satan’s hold on this world. But we cannot forget the determination of the adversary to thwart the plan of God while it is in motion.
We know the story of how Herod sought to destroy the child at his birth. The adversary’s purpose was to kill the Christ before He could mature—before he could go to the cross and fulfill the whole will of God and become the Savior of the world. So, the Body of Christ must understand the principles of spiritual warfare.
One of the greatest of these weapons of warfare is the authority Yeshua gave His Church to “bind” and to “loose.” Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven—and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” What is bound in heaven? What is loosed in heaven? Through us, God’s Kingdom on earth is to become the reflection—the mirror image—of all that exists in the Kingdom of Heaven. As we celebrate the story of Christmas, we must not forget that we are called to faithfully engage in this spiritual warfare in order to see God’s plan fulfilled.
Key Verses:
- Matthew 2:13. “An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.’”
- Matthew 18:18. “…whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
- Colossians 2:15. “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
- Daniel 7:13-14. “And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming… And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom.”
Quotes:
- “When God begins to move and bring about His will upon the earth and execute His plan and purposes, the adversary, satan, will begin executing his plan to thwart the will of God.”
- “If we ask anything that we know is bound in heaven, we will see those things manifest and begin to take place on the earth.”
- “If we are going to see the fulfillment of God’s Word and His will, we must understand our part as His disciples in bringing His will and His Kingdom to this earth.”
Takeaways:
- Let us enjoy this time of Christmas with a thankfulness in our hearts, celebrating the story with a joy that God brought His Son, His Messiah to earth.
- Let us keep in mind that we as the Body of Christ must engage in spiritual warfare and intercession in order to see God’s plan fulfilled.
- Let us become one in the Body of Christ, repenting of those things within us that hinder our prayers and disallow the authority of the Christ to move through us.
- Let us draw upon the spiritual weapons that have been provided for us, so that we are able to bind and to loose all things that have been bound and loosed in Heaven.