Contributor: Leye Olayiwola

INTRODUCTION:

In our last lesson, we considered how we (as believers in Christ Jesus) can exercise our authority over the Devil. We learnt that it is our responsibility (and not God's) to exercise this authority. The gospel according to Mark chapter 16 and verse 17 says: “These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils.”. During the course of the teaching, we learnt that our responsibility in exercising and taking authority over the Devil is non negotiable because of the authenticity of God's promises in His word. He has given us charge over the earth (Psalms 115:16) and has also given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). We will continue in our study by examining the wisdom of God and revelations in line with his Words. In the words of Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 - "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.". Thank God that we have access to this heavenly wisdom. This is the basis for our study this week.

The Wisdom of God (Ephesians 1:16-23; 3:14-21)
• We have been able to established that God has given us authority here on earth. It is very important to mention at this point that in order for us to exercise this authority effectively, the eyes of our spiritual understanding need to be enlightened. The understanding of spiritual matters is key to our continual successful living as Christians in the midst of adversities. We are joint heirs with Christ Jesus. One definition of a Heir says;
"someone who continues to do the work of someone important who has died, or someone who has the same position as the previous person who held that position".
Praise God that Jesus is alive and not dead. This is why the bible says;
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."
[Romans 8:16-17]
Thank God we are seated together with Him at the right hand of the Father. What an honour to be joint heirs with Him.

• So what is this wisdom?

Wisdom is the correct  application of true knowledge. Wisdom answers the How question. God is all knowing;
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and decisions and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO HAS BEEN HIS COUNSELLOR? " [Romans 11:33-34]
God is wisdom personified;
"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen." [1 Timothy 1:17]
To God our Saviour, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, Dominion and power,
both now and forever. Amen. [Jude 1:25]
It therefore follows that when we talk about the Wisdom of God, we are simply inquiring about God's ways (Hows) of doing things. Understanding of His mysteries as it relates to our dominion and authority as fellow believers in Jesus Christ is key to our triumphant reign over every situation and circumstances of life.

• As joint heirs, we have obtained an inheritance. The believer's inheritance in Christ is the wisdom of God which has been hidden throughout previous ages until it was revealed through Jesus Christ. Grasping this truth and walking in the reality of God's inheritance for us as siants of God is the key to taking our place as the triumphant Church, reigning as kings in this life. The riches of our inheritance are revealed more fully in the Book of Ephesians 1:16-23 and 3:14-21 than in any other book of the Bible. There are spirit-inspired prayers in these verses of scriptures given by the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ. As believers, we need to personalise these prayers, praying them as often as we can. As a matter of fact, we need to do this daily. The impact and result will surely exceed our wildest imaginations.
• The relevance of these Pauline prayers is that the Holy Spirit wants the eyes of our understanding opened to enable us understand and appropriate Jesus' complete victory over Satan in the triumph of the Cross. He wants us to understand what Jesus' seating on High really means to the believer. The wisdom and knowledge the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to us is the believer's joint-seating with Christ as a benefit of our redemption. Joint-seating with Christ is a position of authority and triumph over Satan. God wants us to see what we have as rights and privileges by being in Christ.

Revelations in Line With the Word - Testimonies of Brother Kenneth Hagin
In this section of the teaching, we will among other things, be considering the encounters of Brother Kenneth Hagin (of blessed memory) as a result of praying in line with the scriptures in Ephesians chapters 1 and 3. I believe strongly that we, as believers, can achieve more if we will be desciplined enough to sit down with not just these verses of scriptures, but the word of God generally.
• The Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, wants you as a believer to pray for the eyes of your understanding to be enlightened. The word "enlightened" means illuminated or flooded with light. Another translation says to pray that the eyes of your heart will be flooded with light.
• Believers have been ignorant of Satan's devices, so he has been able to take advantage of them. But the Spirit of God wants believers to get the wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Jesus and His Word so the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened to know their authority in Christ.
• After consistently praying with these verses of scriptures for a number of months, the Lord began to consistently show Brother Hagin revelations and visions in line with the Word of God. He received so much revelations from the Word of God after consistently praying with these scriptures for six months, than he had done in fourteen years of ministry. He also had eight different face to face encounters with Jesus Christ in the course of nine years.
• One of the revelations that the Spirit of God brought to Brother Hagin was the believer's authority in Christ over Satan. He received divine understanding concerning demons and evil spirits. This came after praying for his eyes of understanding to be enlightened. Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, gave him biblical truths in that vision so believers could be enlightened about Satan's wiles and strategies and not get off into error.

IN CONCLUSION
God wants believers to know they are no longer subject to Satan because they have been delivered from his dominion and authority (Col. 1:13). God wants the Body of Christ to know that we aren't a defeated Church—we are a triumphant Church. We are to reign in life through Jesus Christ because we have a position of authority over the devil. When the eyes of our understanding are enlightened, we can stand in our place of authority as the triumphant Church upon the earth.

Part of this study was culled from "The Triumphant Church" by Kenneth E. Hagin.