DOMINION
You have made him (us) to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his (our) feet. Psalm 8:6
My wife and I and some of our friends have discussed in depth the fact that God has given us dominion, even though we don't see all the benefits of it! Jesus said He has put all things under our feet, and that covers a lot of ground!
Dominion is sovereignty that means supreme power and authority. In other words, we holddominion over the kingdom of God on the earth! So why don't we seem to have it, we hit and miss, some get healed, and others die, some prayers are answered, and some are not! I don't think we really believe who we are and what we possess.
Most have learned from their religious leaders and relied on what they have learned from the tradition passed down from their leaders and so on. But who are we supposed to learn from? The answer is, the Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith, our Teacher and our Leader.
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Matthew 16:13
REVELATION
Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 16:16,17
The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that Jesus was the "Anointed One," the Son of God. As His disciples we share in His anointing, and we also share His blood that flows through our veins. In order to use effectively these powers, we must first know who we are and to Whom we belong!
Because Peter received the revelation of who Jesus was, He gave him the keys to the kingdom. Jesus then declared that He would build His church, not on Peter but on the revelation available to all believers! We are to be led by the revelation we receive from the Holy Spirit and not on what the flesh wants to do.
Receiving the keys to God's kingdom is like a teenager receiving the keys to a new Corvette, before he can use this Divine power, he must first be led by the Holy Spirit to utilize them. Peter was soon to find out that holding the keys would bring about his first test of spiritual warfare.
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven." Matthew 16:19
PETER'S TRIAL
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You; Lord, this shall not happen to You!" Matthew 16:22
Jesus had just told His disciples about what He would suffer in Jerusalem as well as His death and resurrection, but Peter rebuked Him and said this shall not happen, but Jesus turned and said to him, "Get behind Me Satan!"
Peter had just received the keys of the kingdom and Satan was already trying to steal them! Although God has given us dominion we have to always be led by the Holy Spirit when using our gifts whether for healing or deliverance because there are many circumstances to consider when dealing with someone.
Before Peter could try the keys, the enemy attacked him, and we should always take this to heart when attempting to pray for someone knowing that there will always be a counterattack!
"Get behind Me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23
Your servant in Christ, Timothy Laughlin
Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ