Your Right in Christ Jesus

   Your right in Christ Jesus. When we are dealing with a sensitive topic like this one; first we should ask ourselves: what are Rights? What's my Right? Do I really have a genuine Right in this world? Of course you have----your right is in Christ Jesus. Now what is Right? "Right is anything that is in accordance with principle of justice." Being rightful or rightish about yourself is not what you just get like that especially in this world, but we have a better "right in Christ." Therefore, Every genuine Christian is no longer under the dominion of Satan, for God has "delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son."

God's Original Design for Man

   God's original design for man was that he should have dominion over every created thing on the earth because he was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The world "Dominion" as used here, means lordship, rulership and sovereignty. It can also been seen as an act of having power through legal authority. In Genesis chapter one, we read that God gave to Adam, the first man He created, a kingdom and also gave him dominion over it. God was so interested in the man He created in so much that He crowned him with glory and honour (Psalms 8:5). His kingdom was magnificent in scope; it covered the whole earthly realm; he was to be the king of the universe under God's leadership. Everything was placed under his authority (Psalms 8:3-8). He was designed to rule over everything that God had made in the universe; all creatures were to be subject to his dictates and direction. Being the king of the kingdom meant that man was to guard and protect his kingdom on earth from all intruders including the devil and his cohorts. And as long as Adam walked according to God's commands, he was to retain his position and dominion.

   But alas, Regrettably! Man lost this unique position as a result of his sin. How deadly is sin? Adam's responsibility was to safeguard the earth and preserve it from all external forces but he failed to do this when he allowed Satan in and obeyed his voice. Satan was an archangel who was dismissed from God's service and cast out of Heaven to the earth because of his inordinate ambition to be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:12-14). He wanted to overthrow God and be in control of God's kingdom as if it was possible. So by disobeying the express commandment of God and yielding to sin and Satan in Eden, Adam committed treason against God and relinquished his authority over the earth to Satan, for as the Scripture says, "His servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness" (Romans 6:16). Adam traded his divine position for the knowledge of good and evil and Satan become the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). The devastating consequence of this is that the whole humanity came under the bondage of Satan.

   Now, being the god of this world, Satan  wreaks so much havoc on earth. As the Scripture puts it clearly, that Satan's only intention is to "steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10a). The extraordinary level of decadence, corruption and wickedness being experienced today is a direct consequence of Satan's reign on this earth. This present world lies in evil because it is by an evil personality working in direct antagonism to God's programme band purpose for the earth. Millions of people in various parts of the world are held captive by Satan and are under the influence and at the mercy of demonic powers. They are bound by the chains of sin, fear, worry and anxiety, diseases, tormenting habits, to mention only a few.

The Christian's Position in Christ

   While this world remains under the governance of Satan for the meantime, God initiated a programme to get the kingdom back from him just immediately after Adam's fall in Genesis chapter three. Propelled by His love for humanity, God promised to send a deliverer who would bruise the head of Satan, the old serpent, and wrest the kingdom from his hand (Genesis 3:15). This was a great mystery that even Satan had not the slightest knowledge of (1 Corinthians 2:7-8). The promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born; He was the seed of the woman who was to bruise the serpent's head.

   When Jesus Christ died in the cross and rose again the third day, He conquered Satan and purchased eternal redemption for us. As part of the divine master plan, Jesus Christ----the second person in the Godhead----voluntarily assumed human nature and subjected Himself to the death of the Cross so that "through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15). Therefore, by His death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven, Jesus did not only bruised Satan's head but also "destroyed his works, disarmed his principalities and powers, and took the captives out of his hands, and saved those he would have devoured" ----according to John Gill's own words.

   The Bible tells us that having overpowered principalities and powers, and conquered the dominion of Satan, Jesus now sits "in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:" And [God] put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church " (Ephesians 1:20-22). Christ now has all the glory, power and dominion of this world. This implication of this is that every genuine Christian is no longer under the dominion of Satan, for God has "delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom if his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). He saves us from the dominion of sin and Satan, and from eternal damnation in hell. Through Jesus, we have the forgiveness of our sins, redemption from all the works of the devil and healing from all forms of diseases (Colossians 1:14). When Jesus delivered us from the chains of sin and the yoke of Satan's dominion, He raised us up to sit with Him in Heaven: He has "quickened us together with Christ, And hath raised us up together, and and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:5-6). For every born-again child of God, this is our true and present position in Christ Jesus. We are seated with Him in heavenly places, which is far above all authorities, rulers, principalities, powers and forces of this world.

   It is therefore, an aberration and a substandard life for a Christian to live under servitude to Satan and his hordes of fiendish agents. As a born-again Christian, you should enter into the liberty which Jesus Christ has purchased for you, and not be subject anymore to the dominion of sin and Satan.

Exercising Your Dominion in Christ

   Many Christians live defeated lives because they are ignorant of who they are n Christ. They walk feeling defeated and humiliated while the the devil and circumstances of life toss them about like a rudderless ship. But this shouldn't be so. As a Christian man, woman, youth boy or girl and teenage children alike, you are to determine the course of your life according to the will of God and do not allow the devil to drift you about in life. Good enough, God has promised to help you (Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 41:10; 49:24-26).

   In this year my very dear reader reading this message now, take dominion over your life, heath, workplace (career), business, ministry and family. Beloveth, rise up and assert your authority over the devil and move on from victory to victory for this is your portion in Christ Jesus. Enough of this spineless Christian life; exercise your rights in Christ, live out your DNA----because you resemble God your Father.

   In fact, when you repented of your sins and forsake them and became born-again, you became a child of God----heir of God and a joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17). What Christ has is what He's given to you. He has dominion and authority, and He has given all of these to you also (Luke 10:19).

   Instead of living in fear or bondage, Jesus expects that you exercise the authority and dominion He has given to you. Take dominion over everything concerning your life and well-being. There are three realms in which you need to exercise your dominion as a Christian: body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Don't let sickness have dominion over your body; because you have been healed  (Isaiah 53:5). Don't let sin have dominion over your soul and spirit (Romans 6:14). Don't let Satan have dominion over you in any form. Beloveth, rise and walk in the dominion that Christ has given you for free.

God bless you.