By Felix Ngunjiri Gichuri

The Body We Have Gives Us Power to Destroy Works of the Devil when Preaching Christ

Without a body that has life, we are powerless. That is why when people die, they lose the power to rebuke, bind or cast out devils. When servants of God die, they lose the power to worship God or praise, adore, thank Him or preach the gospel. And the devil knows that full well that is why he wants you dead so that you do not rebuke him or bind him or preach Christ to the nations. The devil is powerless because he does not have a body. That is why he borrowed the body of a serpent to approach Eve so as to relate with her with the intention of deceiving her. His attempts at leading us astray lies in his ability to deceive us. Satan is a crafty fellow. He will often speak half-truths to get people to believe the lie. He will ask questions that can cast doubt upon the truth, causing people to disbelieve, or have no faith in the truth. The Bible says “he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). The body that has the breathe of life gives us power to rebuke the devil, bind him and cast him out of our bodies or our surroundings. When one is full of the Holy Spirit, he or she is anointed with God’s power on and in his body to bind what you don’t want and release what you want. Anointed servants of the Most High God have power to bind demons. Jesus gave His disciples and by extension to us power over every other power of the enemy the devil. “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 [KJV]) When the disciples came to the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, The Anointed One, Jesus gave them power to bind, rebuke or cast out what they don’t want and power to loose, or release what they want. “And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:19 [KJV])

When Christ is in You, He Gives You Power to Rebuke the Devil

A rebuke from Our Lord Jesus Christ or from His servants is a sharp warning or reprimand from heaven to the enemy to stop misbehaving and obey Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One who has the Anointing of the Holy  Spirit upon Him. Who is like our Lord Jesus who rebukes the storm in the sea and it behaves well and there is great calm? “And he said unto them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matt 8:26-27 [KJV]) Who is like our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who rebukes the devil and his diseases and he flees? “And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with diverse diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, You are the Christ, the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was the Christ.” (Luke 4:38-41 [KJV])

The Devil is a Coward and Fears being Rebuked by a Person of Authority

Before you cast the devil out of your life or out of a demon possessed individual, rebuke him first to silence him and then cast him out with a rebuke and he will flee. “And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.” (Mark 9:20-27 [ESV2011])

“And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.” (Luke 4:41 ESV)

The devil is a coward and fears being rebuked by a person of authority because the same mouth that rebukes him is the same that proceeds to cast him out. Sometimes he just flees after a rebuke fearing that the worst might come upon them: to be destroyed before their time. “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? are you come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matt 8:28-29 [KJV])

To Preach Christ to the Nations, You Need Power From Above Because the Devil Will Resist You

And this same power of the spoken word that Jesus had is available to whoever believes in Him as his Lord and Saviour because He is looking out for such believers to extend His kingdom here on earth. That is why He gave us power over every other power of the enemy the devil so that the devil will not stop us from preaching the word of God to every creature.

“But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 [KJV]) Power to tell sicknesses to leave and they leave, cast out devils and even the take up serpents and crucify them.

“And he said unto them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16:15-20 [KJV])

Jesus Christ gave those who believe in Him power to rebuke and cast out devils. “And it came to pass, as we (Paul, Silas, young Mark and perhaps Luke) went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out of her the same hour.” (Acts 16:16-18 [KJV])

Greater Miracles than Christ Did Shall we Do Because He Went to the Father and Left us His Holy Spirit

Jesus promised those who believe in Him that He shall give them power to perform miracles even greater than the ones He did. “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works or miracles that I do shall he do also; and greater works or miracles than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:11-18 [KJV])

And the apostles did greater miracles than the ones Jesus Christ did because He promised to give them power over the power of the enemy. “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” (Acts 19:11-12 [ESV2011])

“And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.” (Acts 5:14-16 [KJV])

Your Body (if You are a Believer) is a Temple of the Holy Spirit Dwelling inside of You

This body that you have has immense powers available for use because it is the temple of the living God. God will not dwell on trees or mountains or caves or rivers. He has already built a huge palace inside your body called the soul (which has your life and is in charge of your intellect, memory, affection and consciousness). Your soul houses your heart or spirit man (the spirit of man is the heart, and is the you in you or the ‘I’). The spirit of man in you has the ability to be controlled or relate or have fellowship with God. “But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers must worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) If your spirit man is not relating with the Holy Spirit of Jehovah God, your human nature will not allow a vacuum to exist and a different unclean evil spirit will come in and possess you to destroy you. “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.” (Mark 5:1-10 [KJV])

When you allow God to dwell in you, He enters into your soul and connects with your spirit and you become filled with Him. You become filled with the Holy Spirit of God and He starts teaching you all truth of how to glorify God the Father who dwells in heaven in the name of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit is in you, He is your treasure that you should guard because He is the Word of God dwelling in your heart. That is why God tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence lest it gets polluted by the foul words that might enter into our hearts through the mouth. “My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Guard your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Prov 4:20-23 [KJV])

The Devil if Allowed into our Hearts Can Alter the Configurations so that We Start Worshipping Him

The danger with that ability to relate with either the Spirit of God or an evil spirit is that the devil if allowed in would like to take over your soul and configure your spirit man to change the spirit man to obey him. That is what he did to the first man Adam and sin entered in the heart of man. The devil changed the configurations that God had set to install the faith infrastructure in man to enable the man to be worshipping God. The devil reset them with the commands to believe and worship the devil. The love man had for God was reset into lust for worldly pleasures and desires of the flesh. The devil then sat down on the throne of God in the heart of man and established himself on that throne. He assumed all powers and authority to control man through the seed of deception that he planted in Adam when he and his wife sinned against God in the Garden of Eden.

Originally it was God’s intention that man should have free and eternal communion with his Maker. This was the plan He attempted to carry out in the Garden of Eden. But sin thwarted the original design of God. Man sinned, and God sent him forth from the garden. He was now separated from God, and henceforth sorrow would be his lot.

God Planned How He Will be Reunited with Fallen Man

But God conceived a plan whereby He and His people might again be united. If they could not live in Paradise, where they could enjoy open communion with Him, why should not God go out and live with them? And so in the fullness of time God sent word to His people: “Let them make for Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8. Wonderful love! God could not bear to be separated from His own, and so His love devised a plan whereby He might live among them! He would go with them on their journeys to and fro in the wilderness, and at last lead them into the Promised Land. God would be with His people again. True, there was a separating wall now, for God dwelt in the sanctuary, and man could not approach Him directly. But God is as near as sin will permit. God had to teach His people how they could relate with Him considering that He is Holy and that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”(Gen 6:5 [KJV])

God Asked the Israelites not to Have any Covenant with the Nations Around Them

He told the Israelites that “When the Lord your God shall bring you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and shall clear away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, 2 and when the Lord your God shall deliver them before you, and you shall defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. 3 Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you. 5 But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.… And you shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you” (Deuteronomy 7:1-5, 16; Deut 20:16-18).

Israelites Rebelled Against God and Served Idols

But they rebelled against Him and served other gods. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them. He told His prophet Ezekiel: “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. I brought them to the land which I swore to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’” (So it is called “High Place” to this day.)“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? When you present your sacrifices – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! “‘What you plan will never happen. You say, “We will be like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” (Ezekiel 20:27-32)

The Scattering of Israel

But God’s mercies are from everlasting to everlasting instead of destroying them, He scattered them to other countries.

It was prophesied that Israel would be scattered among the nations of the earth because of the people’s wickedness (see Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 4:23–27; 28:25, 37, 64; 1 Nephi 10:12–13; 21:1; 22:3–4).

The scattering began when the Assyrians carried the ten tribes away into captivity (see 2 Kings 15:29; 17:6).

The scattering continued when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, carried Judah away into captivity (see 2 Kings 25:1, 7, 11; 1 Nephi 10:3).

The Gathering of Israel

His mercies then said in the fullness of time, “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezek 11:16-20 [KJV])

God Decided to Send a Redeemer to Reclaim Man Back to Himself

“As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you (and ).” (Ezekiel 20:33) God decided to send His Begotten Son down here on earth to redeem man back to God and gain access into the heart of man to dwell in the hearts of whoever believes in Him. When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life after repenting of your sins, you experience new birth in Christ Jesus. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor 5:17 [KJV])

When You Accept Jesus, Your Body Becomes a Temple of God To Dwell Therein

But it is like people are not aware that when they accept Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives, their bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit that should be kept holy unto God.  “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.” (1Cor 3:16-17 [NET])

“The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Now God indeed raised the Lord and he will raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him. Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body” – but the immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.” (1Cor 6:13-20 [NET])

 Christ Gained Forgiveness for Your Sins at the Cost of His Own Blood that Had to Be Shed

Remember that you “are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1Cor 6:20 [KJV]) God bought your freedom from the bondage of sin with a price: the cost of the shed blood of His beloved and only Son Jesus Christ, for it had been predestined from eternity to eternity that “According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb 9:22 [HCSB])

Ephesians 1:7 says that, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”  Because of Christ’s shed blood, God is able to forgive us of our sins and give the punishment that we deserved to Christ. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Gal 3:13 [KJV])

Christ had a special way of explaining forgiveness through the shed blood to his disciples during the Last Supper, which also was the Passover meal celebration. He said, “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).  He was telling his disciples that just as the blood of the lamb delivered the Hebrews from the night of terrors in Egypt, so Christ’s own blood would deliver the people who were covered by it from the judgment of God on the last day. On the eve of the night that the Israelites were to be delivered from Egyptian bondage, they had been told by God through Moses to sprinkle the doorposts of their houses so that when the LORD sees the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, He would pass over that house and spare them who were inside.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” (Exod 12:5-8 [KJV])

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exod 12:12-13 [KJV])

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” (Rev 1:5 [KJV])

Because we have been delivered from the bondage of sin and from the curse of the law, we should therefore present our bodies as living sacrifices to be worshipping Him and our Father with our hands (blessing people and laying hands on the sick for them to get healed -Mark 16:17-18), legs (beautiful feet to help preach the gospel to them who are far off -Rom 10:15) and eyes (eyes that would see only what wants you to see: “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn to evil; it shall not cleave to me.” (Ps 101:3 [KJV])

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom 12:1-2 [KJV])

Amen.