Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
In our last study we considered the topic - The Wisdom of Being in Christ. The study focused on the benefits of being spiritually matured in Christ. That when believers have the eyes of their understanding enlightened, they will understand exactly how complete the plan of redemption really is.
Today’s topic – “Blessed With All Spiritual Blessings in Christ” reveals a list of arsenal that a believer should be armed with in exercising their authority over the enemy. EPHESIANS 1:3 says:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS in heavenly places in Christ.” Emphasis mine

In Jesus' redemption, everything Jesus wrought—everything He bought and secured in His victory over Satan—He did for the Body of Christ—you and I. Jesus' triumph and victory belongs to every single believer. Because we are blessed with all spiritual blessings, that would certainly include triumph and authority over Satan, otherwise it wouldn't be ALL spiritual blessings.

THE BLESSINGS
Verses 4-13 tells us of these blessings:
1. Elected as saints: verse 4 says that He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” God has chosen to make us holy and blameless, and all because of His love, His good pleasure, and His grace (verses 5–6). What a blessing, that “even when we were dead in sins” (Ephesians 2:5), God chose to extend His grace to us and offer us salvation. This is even more amazing when we realize that He made that decision before sin even entered into the world.

2. Adopted as Children: verse 5. Not only has God chosen us to be made holy, but He grants us full status as His children, with all the benefits thereof. John 1:12 says, “As many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

3. Accepted in the Beloved: verse 6, where we are made “accepted in the beloved.” The word is related to grace and gives the idea of making us graceful or favourable through Christ, the beloved of God. When we put on Christ, the Father sees His loveliness when He looks at us. The blood of Christ has taken away the guilt of our sins, and we stand before the Father as perfectly accepted.

4. Redemption through His blood: verse 7 Redemption speaks of buying one's freedom, paying a ransom. The price for our sins, the payment to buy us out of eternal condemnation, was fully paid by the blood of Christ. In Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we become slaves to God. Since we are bought and paid for by His blood, we have an obligation to glorify God in our body and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:20).
5. Forgiveness of sins: verse 7 It is closely related to redemption, but looks at the other side of the coin. In paying the ransom for our sins, the debt of sin was cancelled, and we were forgiven. We no longer have the burden of guilt for violating God's holy laws.

6. Knowledge of the mystery of God’s will Vs 8-10: The sixth spiritual blessing listed is knowing the mystery of His will. God has given us wisdom and insight through His Word and has shown us His desire to bring all things together to glorify Christ. Since all of creation was made by Him and is for His good pleasure (Revelation 4:11), the consummation of His plan is when everything and everyone is brought in line to glorify Him. By aligning ourselves with Him by faith, we become part of His perfect plan and purpose.

7. The Inheritance given through Christ: Verse 11. What is included in that inheritance? “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The riches of glory, the presence of God, the eternal home – these don't even scratch the surface of all the blessings that belong to our inheritance.

8. The Seal of the Holy Spirit: Verse 13. When we become God's children, He places His mark of ownership on us, guaranteeing our eternal security. This is spoken of as the down-payment of our full redemption, to hold us until the day Christ brings us to Him.
All these spiritual blessings are to keep us continually aware and secure in Him when we exercise our authority over the enemy. People who enjoy the blessings of God, including their rightful authority over the devil, just know how to take advantage of what belongs to them to a greater degree than those who don't appropriate the blessings of God. If you don't know about your inheritance and authority in Christ, you will not be able to partake of what is rightfully yours.

CONCLUSION
Every one of us in the Body of Christ is blessed with all or every spiritual blessing in Christ, so no one has a corner on the authority we possess over the devil in Jesus' Name. The least member in the Body of Christ can be fearless in the face of demons, devils, and evil spirits because of who he is in Christ. No one is blessed with any more spiritual blessings than anyone else in the Body of Christ.
It's to be regretted that every member of the Body of Christ doesn't take advantage of what belongs to him, because his authority over the devil belongs to him whether he knows about it or not. But a person can't take advantage of something he doesn't know about or exercise.

Contributor: Noel Osaghae

INTRODUCTION
In last week’s study we considered the topic: “The Seating and Reigning of Christ”. The study was mostly a truth finding adventure. We learnt that our seating with Christ was a part of our inheritance and that our position as believers is of joint-seating with Christ in heavenly places. Although this may not always be our circumstance, but that is our position. If you want to rise above your circumstances, take advantage of your position in Christ. In the study we stressed that we shouldn’t only find these truths but we should by His grace let them set us free! (John 8:32).
In today’s study we will be looking at the topic: “The Wisdom of Being in Christ.” This study will show us the benefits of being spiritually matured in Christ.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:6,7
“we do discuss 'wisdom' with those who are mature; only it is not the wisdom of this world or of the dethroned powers who rule this world, it is the mysterious wisdom of God that we discuss, that hidden wisdom which God decreed from all eternity for our glory.”

WHAT IS THE WISDOM OF GOD THAT THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY MATURE IN THE WORD WILL SEE AND UNDERSTAND?
1. It is knowledge of the inheritance that God has already prepared for them in Christ;

It is the wisdom of knowing who they are in Christ. The wisdom of God is that believers only need to stand against demons in the finished work of the Cross—in the victory that Jesus Christ already won for them.
If believers would begin to stand in their position of authority in Christ against a foe that has already been defeated and dethroned, it would solve so many of their problems.
Many well-meaning believers have fallen into the error of thinking they have to do something to overcome the devil. They seem to think that somehow they have to "fight" the devil and conquer him. According to 1Corinthians 2:6, one reason believers have fallen into this error is that they aren't mature in the Word: "We speak the wisdom of God to those who are mature."

People who are wrestling against the devil in their own strength, always trying to defeat a "dethroned power," are not yet mature or full grown in the Word.
The Bible says: "... we speak wisdom among them that are perfect [mature or full grown]: yet not the wisdom of this world.... But we speak The Wisdom Of God ..." (1 Cor. 2:6,7).

2. The wisdom of God is the wisdom of His Word.

Your mind will have to be renewed to the wisdom of God—the wisdom of God's Word—to see what Jesus has already wrought for you in your redemption. That's what will make you mature in your knowledge of being in Christ.
When believers have the eyes of their understanding enlightened, they will understand exactly how complete the plan of redemption really is.
Those who are still waging war on the devil haven't had the eyes of their understanding enlightened to see the wisdom of God. (Ephesians 1:18). But when you are mature in the Word and have the wisdom of God—Bible wisdom—you know Satan and his hosts are already conquered, defeated, dethroned, and deprived of their power and that you are the triumphant one in Christ.
But you will have to stand your ground with the Word of God against Satan because his wiles are deceptive, and he will try to blind your eyes to make you think he has power and authority over you.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  2 Corinthians 4:4

He will always try to get you out of the realm of faith in God's Word by making you doubt the Word, doubt God, and doubt what God has told you. That's why the fight against him is in the arena of faith—faith in God and faith in God's Word—not in trying to defeat an enemy who is already defeated.

3. The wisdom of God is only seen in its application
One reason many believers are having so much trouble with the devil is that they are always trying to do something themselves about the devil, instead of acting on what the Word says Jesus already did about the devil. That means they aren't doers of the Word. They say, "Let's declare war on the devil!" and they try to carry out some kind of combat against him.
But when you understand that Satan is dethroned, you know war has already been declared on the devil, and the victory has been won by the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ arose the Victor!
So just take your position of joint-seating with Christ in His victory over the devil. Colossians 2:15 says:
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

If Satan and his cohorts have been dethroned, then why are the hosts of darkness ruling over so many believers? Either believers don't know their authority in Christ, or they aren't exercising their authority in Christ.

CONCLUSION
Satan will keep on ruling people in the world who aren't saved, of course, because they don't know any better. But if believers will preach the gospel to unsaved folks, they'll get saved and come out from under Satan's dominion. The Church is to preach the good news to every creature and tell them that they don't have to be dominated by the devil anymore. That's how we are to "wage war" on the devil! When people get a hold of the good news in Christ and are born again, Satan won't be able to rule over them anymore. That is how believers are to put Satan's kingdom to nought and reduce it to nothing.