For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required…Luke 12:48 NKJV

The angel stood over me, his head maybe eight feet in the air, and leaned on his huge sword. He looked up to Heaven, with a look of disdain on his face, and said, “Is this man serious?” I was taking a nap on a couch in our den, not working in my office as I should have been. I saw all the details of our den clearly in this dream, which was occurring just as I was doing exactly what I saw in my dream. I awoke immediately and hustled back to my office, saying, “I’m serious! I’m serious! Take not thy Holy Spirit from me!”

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matt 10:8 NKJV

Responsibility is the ability to respond. My friend Bill says that when he sees someone with a cane or walker, it’s ‘game on!’ and a divine appointment, and he must go talk to them about prayer for healing. Same thing with Lorna his wife, and Josiah, Caelyn and Caroline! If you meet him, ask him to show you some of the video testimonies he has recorded on his phone. Game on!

The angel looked up to heaven and seemed disgusted by the fact that he had to minister to someone who wasn’t serious enough about fulfilling his ministry. Angels are serious about doing God’s perfect will. They have learned by experience over thousands of years what happens when God’s sons and daughters do the will of God, and when they don’t. One of my objectives in life is to keep my angel happy.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Eph 1:22-23 NKJV

Before we get to the real crux of this article, let’s briefly review basic authority theology. The Lord gave to man authority over all the earth, and everything in it including demons, in Genesis. Adam transferred it to Satan. Jesus came and legally took it from Satan through His death and resurrection, and restored it to man through the Church, His saints, the rightful and legal heirs of His glory. Now, the born again ones, individually and collectively, have authority over the earth and everything that goes on in it.

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16:13 NKJV

Now, we are still covering the basics of authority. God is a practical God. He will show you things to come in your life, your family, your community, province and nation, so that you are prepared to exercise authority over those things to bring the will of God to pass. A lot of things happen outside of the will of God simply because the born again ones don’t exercise the authority that they have been given. These are basic governing authority principles!

In many countries, the presidential election season can be a time of great unrest in the nation. One time I was in a capital city when the president’s party was having a big meeting downtown, and the opposition party decided to have a march right next to the president’s meeting. When we heard about it, we got together and prayed, decreeing that there would not be one rock thrown, or one act of violence in the city. Then we went to the president’s rally. When the opposition group marched by, it was as if there was an invisible barrier between the two groups. Later that night, the TV commentators were astonished to report that there was no violence, not even a rock thrown all throughout the city that day!

And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. Jer 29:7 NKJV

One of the great principles of intercession is that you must embrace in love the thing for which you are interceding.

Love energizes faith. Your authority is extended as greatly as your ability to love. You see, everything the Lord asks us to do, every attitude He wants us to walk in, every grace that He wants us to carry is for our benefit. Unbelievers say that they have more fun than the saints. It is true that there is pleasure in sin…the Word says so! But what you sow, you reap, and they have far more misery than God’s holy ones. They are hopeless. At least we know how to turn things around! And, oh yes! I have a lot of fun with the saints…

Here is a long verse, but an incredibly instructive one….

But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. Acts 27:21-25 NKJV

“Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. – Disaster and loss are avoidable, even for the unsaved, if they will listen to the saved one bringing the RHEMA word. Unbelievers need to respect you. You and I must carry ourselves in such a way that even the unbelievers respect us, and are willing to listen to us.

And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you – Do you see the love in Paul? Paul was a prisoner, yet he had such love, even for his captors, that he had faith for their deliverance as well. Most people have an ‘every man for himself’ attitude in a crisis, but not Paul. Paul loved everyone, even his captors, which is why Paul was the great Apostle that we respect and love.

For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying –  You are never alone. Let that sink in! One great aspect of the gift of discerning of spirits in the recognition and awareness of angels. We don’t seek angels; we seek God. But we can certainly be aware of their presence and ministry. One major aspect of their ministry is in delivering messages…

‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you – After many days of intercession, fasting and prayer, Paul gets the RHEMA that he will survive – His earlier RHEMA in verse ten “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives” indicated that many if not all would die – and so would everyone on the ship. Why does an omniscient God change revelation? God can change revelation when the circumstances change. The circumstance that changed God’s mind, so to speak, was the intense intercession with fasting of the Apostle.

Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. – God will do EXACTLY what He says. At times, it is so precise that it is shocking. When you have a RHEMA word, write it down accurately, precisely. If you believe, God will fulfill it perfectly.

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Rom 16:20 NKJV

Have you guessed what the cost of authority is yet? It’s the responsibility to act with that authority to bless the whole creation, and all the dear ones in it. Every born again is called to pray and intercede. When the Lord shows you what the enemy is trying to do, planning to do, stomp on it in the name of Jesus.  Command that it will fail! The school shooting in south Florida, which all the world knows about now, could have been stopped by intercessors knowing the devils plans beforehand. Disasters are avoidable, premature death is avoidable, accidents are avoidable. You can’t control people, but you can control the demons that control people. That’s right! We have seen that a thousand times in face to face situations.

As an interceding child of God, when God shows you HIS will, decree it will come to pass in the name of Jesus! We can thwart the devils plans, and advance the plans of God, simply by being in prayer for others in love. It was Paul’s prayers that saved the life of everyone on that ship. Embrace your city and pray for it. Rebuke the devils plans and pray down the will of God for your city, your province, your nation. Your authority extends as far as your love can drive it. Game on!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…