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Character, Stature and Achievement

Promise Number 4: God said if you walk and live in my presence I will make you a person of character, stature and achievements.

Summary:

God promises to make you fathers and mothers, young men and young women, boys and girls of character, stature and achievements. God promises to make you a person who builds stable, healthy and enduring relationships between spouses, parents and children, brethren, neighbours, colleagues and society at large. God promises to make you a person of stature and achievement in the affairs of this life through the knowledge and wisdom of Jesus Christ. This will be possible through 1.The knowledge of God and His essential attributes, 2. The knowledge of His word, 3. A strong conviction of His word and 4. Overcoming the wicked one (Satan).

Covered in this section: (all quotations are from the New King James Version [NKJV] unless otherwise stated

P4.1 Learning from Abraham the father of those who believe-the qualities he possessed.

P4.2 To receive His promises you need to understand the need to know God and His essential attributes

P4.3 To receive His promises you need to understand the need to have the knowledge of the word of God

P4.4 To receive His promise you need to understand the need to have a strong conviction, a high degree of persuadedness concerning His promises

P4.5 To receive His promises you need to understand how to overcome the wicked one

P4.5.1 To overcome the wicked one you need to understand the nature of Satan

P4.5.2 To overcome the wicked one you need to understand the origins of Satan

P4.6 Understanding the believer’s victory over Satan

P4.6.1 Understanding the authority of the believer to bind and rebuke Satan in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ

P4.6.2 Understanding the victory over Satan through the confession of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ

P4.1 Learning from Abraham the father of those who believe-the qualities he possessed.

The main qualities in Abraham that qualifies him to be the father of those who believe is that he believed the word of God in an unwavering way. He was fully persuaded about what God had spoken. He had a strong conviction on which he was able to act and obey. He also knew God and some of the critical qualities that He possesses that is that God raises the dead and speaks of non-existent things that he has foretold as if they already exist. Abraham staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief, considered not his own body as good as dead nor the deadness of Sarah his wife’s womb. When human reason for hope had gone he believed in a God who raises the dead and calls things that do not exist as if they already existed. We read in Genesis 15:1-6 “After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceeding great reward’. But Abram said ‘Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ Then Abram said, ‘Look you have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!’ And behold the word of the Lord came to him saying ‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’ Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now towards heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be”. And he believed in the Lord and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

In Genesis 17:1-5 the word of God says “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly.’ 3 Then Abram fell on his face and God talked with him, saying 4 As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.” In Isaiah 51:1-3 the word says “Listen to me you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from whom you were hewn, and to the hole from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him.” Here the word of the Lord declares that Abraham is the father of those who believe and Sarah is the mother of the women who believe. The word declares here that God called him alone and blessed him and increased him.

If you look further to Romans 4:16-22 says “Therefore [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith , in order that it might be given as an act of grace [unmerited favour], to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus]the father of us all. As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [ He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed. [For Abraham human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations as he had been promised, so [numberless] shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered]the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened]womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave glory to God, fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. That it why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).”(AMP)

P4.2 To receive His promises you need to have the knowledge of God and His essential attributes.

In 1 John 2;12-14 His word says, “I write to you , little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children because you have known the Father. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the wicked one.” Here the word of God summarises the critical components in a believer which give stature, character and achievement. The first of these is the knowledge of God -this is separate from knowing His word- this refers to knowing Him in operation, His acts, His ways and His character as experienced by a believer. This occurs when there is a personal relationship with Him enhanced by a repeated cycle of prayer and answered prayer. Psalms 103:7 says “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” Knowing His acts or works alone is not sufficient. The children of Israel continued to murmur with unbelief in the wilderness in spite of having seen the works of God repeatedly, they did not know the ways of God. Moses on the other hand knew the ways of God and also saw the acts of God. He says here I write to you fathers because you have known Him who was from the beginning. Knowledge of God is critical for God to manifest His character through you. For this to happen you need to engage with Him in prayer and reading His word. This results in spiritual growth.

P4.3 To receive His promises you need to understand the need to seek the knowledge of the word of God.

In 1 John 2 where we have read His word says “ I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you”. In Joshua 1:8 The word says “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to what is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.” In Psalms 119:105 His word says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Colossians 3:16 says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Acts 17:11 describes the Jews at Berea “These were more fair-minded than those at Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

In Ephesian 6:17 the Apostle Paul describing the armour of God says “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The apostle was describing the armour of the Roman soldier who was guarding him. In today’s terminology I believe he would not have used the term ‘sword’ but rather terms like the nuclear missile, the laser guided missile, the machine gun, the bazooka, or the hand grenade of the Spirit which is the word of God. In Spiritual warfare therefore, the word of God is an offensive weapon against the enemy which the child of God need to possess richly to the point where you can speak as well as act upon that word.

P4.4 :To receive His promise you need to understand the need to have a strong conviction, a high degree of persuadedness concerning His promises.

In Joshua 1:1-9 after the death of Moses God needed to raise another leader of character, stature and achievement to take the children of Israel into the Land of Promise, we read “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant saying: 2 ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them- the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea towards the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may proper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’” We see here that verse 6 says “Be strong and of good courage” and in verse 7 “Only be strong and very courageous” and in verse 9 “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid nor be dismayed”. The strength referred to here is strength of conviction and courage to act on the instruction of God. Fear and dismay would hinder strength of conviction and courage.

In 1 Chronicles28:20 we read “And David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God- my God- will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord’”. Again here David admonishes his son Solomon to be strong in conviction and of good courage and to act and do what God has commanded-not to be fearful or dismayed as fear and dismay paralyse God’s people so that they are not able to act on the word of the Lord. In Ephesians 6:10 the word says “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”. Strength of conviction to act on His word, conviction that the word which God speaks is backed by His power, not being fearful or dismayed are critical components for receiving the promises of God.

P4.5 To receive His promises you need to understand how to overcome the wicked one

I will dwell on overcoming the wicked one AS IT IS CRITICAL for every child of God to know the enemy we are dealing with, his nature, his origins, the weapons he uses and above all how he was defeated openly and publicly by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. In no other area of walking with God is the acquiring of KNOWLEDGE more critical.

P4.5.1 To overcome the wicked one you need to understand the nature of Satan

The Devil, Satan, the wicked one, is described in the word of God as a thief, a murderer, a destroyer, a liar, the father of lies, the accuser of brethren, the deceiver of the whole world, the old serpent, the adversary. The Devil is the architect and orchestrator of all sin, all wrong doing and all evil. In John 10:10 the Lord Jesus says “The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”. In John 8:44 the Lord Jesus spoke to people seeking to kill Him and said “ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because he has no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it”. 1 John 3:8 says, “[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned [violated the divine law] from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done] (AMP)”. In 1 Peter 5:8-9 the word of God says “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

P4.5.2 To overcome the wicked one you need to understand the origins of Satan.

Satan was created by God and was once a highly decorated angel called Lucifer. Due to pride, he rebelled against God, taking with him a third of the angels of God and was thrown out of heaven and ‘fell’ to the earth. The other angels who fell with him became demons. His aim is to frustrate every plan and purpose of God on the earth and in mankind. Isaiah 14:12-17 describes the fall of Lucifer: “How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest side of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High’. Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depth of the Pit, those who see you will gaze at you and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners.’” Rev elations 12:3-4 “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them on the earth.” Revelations 12:7-9 says “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Ezekiel 28:12-19 describes the beauty and splendour of Lucifer before he fell: “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading, you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they may gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you. And I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”’ “ The Lord Jesus Christ witnessed this fall of Lucifer. In Luke 10:18 “ And He (Lord Jesus Christ) said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’.

P4.6 Understanding the believer’s victory over Satan.

Our victory over Satan is in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice He made on the cross when He died for us and rose again from the dead. In John 10:10 “The thief comes (referring to Satan) only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance” (to the full, till it overflows) (AMP). In John 3:16 “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life”(AMP). In John 14:6”Jesus said to him ‘I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” The Lord Jesus’s agenda was and is to undo the Devil’s agenda in every person – He came to give life and in abundance, He is the Way the Truth and the Life, He was the essence of God’s love to the world so that whosoever (anyone of every colour, creed, even religion) believes in Him should not come to destruction (eternal) but have everlasting life.

1 John 4:4 also says “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world.” When one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ , calls on His name and receives Him as Lord of his life, one gets saved, receives eternal life and is delivered from the Devil’s principal agenda which is to lead people to eternal separation with God, eternal death and eternal damnation. The believer also needs to have an understanding and a revelation of the victory that was won for them when the Lord Jesus died on the cross. That Satan was disarmed, defeated and made to march down the road naked and was humiliated publicly. Colossians 2:15 says “[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]” ( AMP). In Hebrews 2:14-15 His word also says “Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting ]fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.” The Lord Jesus Christ therefore by dying on the cross nullified, brought to nought, destroyed, him who had the power of death and set free those who were subjected to bondage all their lives through the fear of death- people who have been living petrified by fear of death are set free when they acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ because He conquered death. Therefore He says in Luke 10:19-20 “Behold I give you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses];and nothing shall in any way hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven”(AMP).

P4.6.1 Understanding the authority of the believer to bind and rebuke Satan in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

In Matthew 12:29 The Lord Jesus referring to Satan said “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” In Zechariah 3;1-2 the word says “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, ’The Lord rebukes you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’” The authority that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to the believer gives authority and power to trample or over-run Satan and his strategies over one’s life or situation, to bind Satan and stop him from hindering or interfering in the affairs of one’s life and to rebuke Satan in the name of and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is important for the believer to remember to use this authority often.

P4.6.2 Understanding the victory over Satan through the confession of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ

The believer also needs to know and understand the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Exodus 12:7 and 13 says “And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they shall eat it… Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” The blood of the sheep or goats symbolised the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was shed on the cross, it is the blood of the Passover. That blood was the purchase price for our redemption from the bondage and all the rights which Satan had over mankind as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like gold and silver, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” In Revelations 12:10-11 the word says “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their loves to the death.’”

The confession of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ gives the believer victory and deliverance from the bondage of Satan when confessed in faith. The believer has the authority to sprinkle the blood of Lord Jesus Christ over their lives, their loved ones, their possessions etc and make a declaration of victory over Satan. In Matthew 26:27-28 the word of God reads “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” The blood of the Lord Jesus that was shed is therefore the seal of the New Covenant. And the confession of that blood gives the believer victory over Satan.