DEVOTIONAL INSIGHTS & REFLECTIONS

A SELF-CONTAINED GOVERNMENT - December 5

Jesus is the light of the world and the bread of life. He is our sustenance and without Him, we walk in darkness.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." ~Isaiah 9:6&7

"…which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,…" ~Ephesians 1:20-22

And in His stead, He has transferred to us all authority in heaven and in earth through the power of His Holy Spirit. So that when we pray, we pray with power----all heaven backs us when our prayers are in alignment with His will and purposes in the earth.

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." ~Matthew 16:19

"Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." ~Matthew 18:18

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." ~Luke 10:19&20

But the main place He expects us to exert our authority is over our own bodies----thoughts and actions. We are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We are to cast down imaginations and every high thought that exalts itself over the obedience to Christ. We are a self-contained government; and He expects us to rule and reign there. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 2:12)

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." ~1 Corinthians 3:16&17

Jesus says to us: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.…" ~Matthew 5:13-15

Oh how He loves us...