Working For God
As ambassadors for Christ, we have been given the authority and power to do the works Jesus did during His earthly ministry. The Great Commission confirms this authority and power we have in the name of Jesus. The primary purpose for our lives is to be transformed into the image of Christ and as a result, bring revelation of God by doing the works of Christ, i.e. preaching, teaching, and healing. God desires us to work for Him--for us to give Him our all because He gave His all for us.
Because God gave dominion over the earth to man, He needs man in order to accomplish His work here. In other words, He needs a person to cooperate and agree with Him. God is always at work and He is looking for someone willing to be used for His purposes. The Bible says: For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. [2 Chronicles 16:9] Every blessing, healing, deliverance, and work of God has already been done in Heaven, and God is searching for a vessel through which He can release these works on earth.
Whenever Jesus preached, taught, or healed, He did it with the authority given to Him by the Father. He didn't ask God to heal anyone. Instead He commanded, declared, and confirmed healing through His words of faith. And we must do the same. We have been given the power and authority in Jesus' name to preach, teach, and heal, so why do we ask for God to perform a work He has already given us power to do? Our prayers, especially for healing, should be prayers of faith that release what has already been done by God, through the power and authority given to us. Instead of asking God to heal someone, we should command and declare the release of the healing according to the power and authority given to us.
At your job you have been given authority to do the work you were hired to do, right? Every time you do your job, must you consult with your boss before doing it? I doubt it. A salesperson has the authority and power to sell goods offered, to collect the money, and probably many other duties. Does the salesperson ask the owner of the store to make the sale each time he is presented with a customer? No, as an employee of the store, the salesperson has been given the power to make a sale and is expected to exercise this authority and power without having to go through the owner. Working for God is the same way. We have become servants (voluntarily I might add) of God by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the same sense that we are servants, we are employees commissioned to work for our Master. God has given us the authority and power to work on His behalf and He expects us to exercise this authority without having to ask Him to do it. The Bible is, in essence, our employee handbook, which outlines our duties, responsibilities, benefits, and rights as believers.
As I am as guilty as anyone. I have prayed for healing, asking God to heal someone when I should have been using the power of God within me to command, declare, and confirm healing. This is the reason many are not healed--because prayers are not made in faith. What demonstrates faith more? A prayer begging God, or a prayer declaring what God has already done? God desires us to walk in faith and prayers that amount to begging, leaving room for the possibility of it not coming to pass, is not faith in action ("If it be God's will"). Declaring someone healed and commanding a sickness to leave is the prayer of faith that saves the sick (James 5:15).
It's time now for God's employees to begin utilizing the power and authority they have in Christ to do the works of Christ. Stop asking God to do something He has already done and promised in His word, and has given you the authority and power to do. Declare, command, and confirm in faith the release of the promise or work in the name of Jesus and expect immediate results. Jesus taught us in Mark 11: 23 to speak to the mountain to remove it, not ask God to remove it for you. Dominion is power and it has been given back to man through Jesus Christ and we are the ones that have to exercise it.
Now, as the owner of the store receives the profit from whatever sales his employees make, God receives glory whenever one of His servants does his or her job. The power and authority are not of us, but of God and we must give Him glory for the manifestation of the work. In addition, since servants of Christ work on commission (a Great Commission), our rewards at the end of the age will be based on how much work we have done.
Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven. Thank You for the power and authority given to us as servants of Jesus Christ. I now understand the authority and power You have given us and promise to exercise it, not by asking You, but by commanding, declaring, and confirming Your Word in faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.
