[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyU17b4DbQ&w=640&h=360] There is a term that is used loosely and innocently by many in the church. The intentions of this phrase is good but it slightly misrepresents the truth of who God is, who we are, and the state of the world. In fact, most believers, at some point in their life are guilty of saying it at some point or another. It is a phrase used to bring comfort and assists in the justification of why bad things happen. However, one must understand that God's will is not everything that happens and everything that happens is not God's will. The phrase I am referring to is: God is in control.

When God made Adam and Eve, He did not create puppets. God is not a puppet on a string. Therefore, He could not truly create anyone in His image if they were under control. Instead, He gave dominion to mankind (Genesis 1:26-28). Psalms 115:16 states that the heavens belong to the Lord but the earth He has given to man. But we do not have control over the earth. We simply have what Jesus gave: authority.

There is a major difference between authority and control. If God is in control, why is there racism? Why is there war or terror? Why is there murder and rape? Why is there human trafficking? Why are there natural disasters wiping out entire cities? Why is anybody sick? God is either in control and mad, or we are co-heirs and seated in heavenly realms with Him operating in His authority, and He is madly in love with the entire world.

I Timothy 2:4 and II Peter 3:9 tell us that it is God's will that all be saved and come to the knowledge of salvation. The entire world was chosen, elected, and predestined to be in Christ. However, we know that many reject His love and the knowledge of His salvation. It still does not remove their inclusion in the finished work of the cross or mean that they were chosen by God not to be saved. It just means they simply choose to reject.

When we walk in the authority of Christ, sickness becomes extinct, solutions come easy, divine inspiration and creativity change nations for good, poverty becomes a thing of the past, the hungry are fed, the lonely are loved, and the orphans and widows are taken good care of. Heaven on earth is a utopia. We can know God's will when we look at Jesus. We can see what isn't God's will when we look at the absence of His authority. But now, there is no absence of authority for the believer whose goal is God's kingdom on earth.

Jonathan Fawcett

Written by Kermit Harpold; missionary to Jamaica, pastor of Destiny Church and Ministries, and Keeli's father. Kermit writes about a powerful, transforming encounter one demon possessed man had with Jesus Christ at Lemon Hall Church in Jamaica. Before church one night, I noticed a man sitting alone in the center of a pew. I walked back to shake his hand and, as I did, I was overwhelmed by the mixture of body odor and alcohol as well as the sight of bugs crawling in his long dreads. As I held his hand, he shared that his sister said if he went to church that I would be able to cast a demon out of him. He shared that he had not been sober in over 15 years and that he wanted to be normal and work again. I shared the love of God with him and took authority over the spirits that had wrecked his life. He received Jesus as his Lord, was baptized in the Holy Spirit, began to speak in tongues and, for the first time in 15 years, was instantly sober.

The next night, there was a man sitting in the same place this man had been sitting the night before. He was dressed very sharp and I thought he may be a preacher from one of the local churches who had come to visit. As I stepped forward to welcome him, I realized it was the man from the night before. God had not only done a miracle in his spirit, he had done a miracle in his physical body.

That night, he was healed of many ailments in his body, including diabetes and Hepatitis C. He ministered with me, seeing many healed as he laid hands on people in Jesus’ name. God, definitely, is good!

Kermit Harpold

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