Scripture reading: Luke 10:19; Zechariah 4:6
“Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This says something. It says that the Church is in an attacking position! Gates are not used for attacking, but for defending. The Bible says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, which means that the Church will be anointed of God to tear down the gates of hell.
God divinely put in the Scriptures the story of a man called Samson in a harlot’s house. He awoke at midnight; he was touched and anointed by the Spirit of God, and transformed into a mighty wrecking machine. This terrible anointed wrecking machine took hold of the gate. Mighty men of valor were standing behind the walls with their swords ready to pierce him through.
You see, no man can stand against the anointing of God. There are many among us who are coming against the basic gospel of Jesus Christ. Some are coming against the Blood; some are coming against the baptism of the Holy Ghost; and others, against the speaking in tongues, etc. However, it is God they are really fighting against.
These men were ready to tear down the man Samson. Their covenant with the demons and devils that motivated them was destroyed by the anointing of the Lord upon Samson. They were sure they had Samson all cornered now, but God Almighty touched him and he became a mighty wrecking machine. Only the anointing of God could make an ordinary man be able to lay hold of and lift the gate of a city. It probably weighed a hundred tons. He shook the gate, and the walls were torn asunder; he rooted the gate out of the sockets as he backed off with it. The gates of Gaza could not stand against Samson, so the gates of hell will not stand against the church (God’s anointed people)! Jesus said, “Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
Remember – it is by faith! “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord (God) of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). By faith, the anointing will break the powers of hell and set the people of God free.
Start at your doorstep. Start in your home. Start in your area. Spot a man, spot a woman, target someone for Jesus. Start praying for them and the forces of hell will let them loose, because you believe God and because you are one of the “lively stones (Peter).” Hell will not be able to stand before the Church when she moves, for Jesus said, “…and whatsoever you bind on earth is bound in heaven! And whatsoever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven!”
What is Jesus talking about? Look at the Church. I am talking about all the people of God who have been washed by the Blood of Jesus. They do not have to belong to our group. They do not have to believe what we believe. They do not have to have the same sensibility towards God that we have, but just look at the Church on the whole, big and small, and tell me if you see a free people. Or, do you see a people who are bound?
The people of God are bound everywhere and God is rising up a people and giving them the power to lose them. Those who have received the Word of the Kingdom have become responsible. The church that has eyes to see, the church that has the Holy Spirit, the church that has the river of God flowing through them, the church that has the firstfruits of God – those who believe, those who speak of having the firstfruits of God, those who desire the fullness of Jesus Christ – you have now become responsible! Every single one of you, from the youngest to the oldest, has become responsible for the condition of the Church at large.
(Excerpt from The Omega Message, July 1997, pg. 12-13)
Thought for today: Take the power that has been given to you, start praying for the people of God, and the forces of hell will let them loose.
Sonlight Devotional 