One Thing
Day 24
Yesterday’s blog focused on displacing demon power by Kingdom authority. Today I am still thinking along these lines. In Luke 10 Jesus commissions seventy other disciples to proclaim the Kingdom message and upon their return the first thing they report is their success in subjugating demon power by the authority of Jesus’ name. Jesus responded by saying, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” What did He mean by that? Was this a historic memory or a current observation? I would say both. As the Eternal Son, Jesus saw Satan fall from his original estate in heaven, but when the Seventy went forth proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, Jesus was able to observe Satan falling from his position of spiritual dominion.
I remember ministering in Potosi, Bolivia a few years ago. Situated high in the Andes mountains at over 13,000 feet, Potosi is the world’s highest city. A literal “high place.” For numerous reasons Satan likes high places (part of it has to do with his expulsion from the mountain of God). Potosi is a city with a very dark history and literally dedicated to the devil. For three centuries millions of slaves were worked to death in the silver mines of Potosi to finance the wealth of the Spanish Empire. Today Potosi pays homage to Satan, giving him the honorific title of Tio (uncle). Images and idols of “Uncle Satan” as Tio are found throughout the city, including the gateway to the city and even in the Catholic cathedral! When I got to my room in the hotel, the bedspread had a giant image of Tio. The first thing I did was make a bold declaration: “Satan, there’s a new sheriff in town and His name is Jesus!” Then I fired up Handel’s Messiah on my iTunes and played it all night long. For three days I taught Bolivian pastors on spiritual warfare and the authority of the believer to exercise dominion over demonic influence and strongholds. Tio ain’t what he used to be. There was a breakthrough in Bolivia that is going on to this day. Jesus can look at Bolivia and say, “I see Satan falling from his perch of dominion — falling like lightning from heaven.” Hallelujah!
Every place where Satan holds spiritual dominion, he does so illegally. But he will only be displaced by the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the authoritative use of the name of Jesus. Every believer is deputized for this function and this is why we must go into all the world preaching the Gospel and challenging demon power in Jesus’ name.
Luke 10 closes with the story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus and Jesus declaring, “One thing is needful.” One thing is needful. To sit at Jesus’ feet. To seek Him. To know Him. Mary was a One Thing woman. David was a One Thing man.
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.-Psalm 27:4
One Thing men and One Thing women don’t just idly sit around trying to be modern day mystics. Instead they have ordered their lives according to the One Thing priority of seeking the Lord Jesus. From this will come effective and fruitful labors.
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I’m very excited about the message I’m preaching tonight at Friday Night Church. I’m calling it, Doing Life. It comes from this text: Luke 1:67-75. Don’t miss it. Either live online, or better yet, in person.
See you tonight!
BZ