This continues my previous discussion of Jesus' use of God's finger. Jesus drove out a mute demon and some smart Alecks attributed the power to some devil. These smart Alecks had a lot to say about what they didn't understand even if they had never driven out a demon in their lives. But Jesus did, just like that, like a simple snap of his fingers. So he likened it to God's finger. They were amazed at his power to command demons, and yet that was just God's finger he demonstrated.
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. [Luke 11.20]
The main thing here is, make sure it's really God in you doing the ministry, not you, not your own efforts or understanding, not your knowhow from bible school or seminary, especially not your human theology or denominational doctrine. Make sure it's Christ in you doing everything. CHRIST in you the hope of glory. And if it's God doing everything (and you're just resting in Him), then simply using His finger would solve everything.
Just His finger will release God's tremendous supernatural power.
Problem is, church doesn't use even God's finger for ministry today, so on-the-spot supernatural signs and wonders are nowhere in church. It uses what it understands through human theology. So it doesn't know anything about God's finger or His supernatural power. Jesus' critics then thought it was demonic. The same with church today--anything it does not understand or doesn't agree with its denominational doctrine is demonic, or at least it keeps a safe distance from.
The Lord's Hand and Arm
In the Old Testament, we see passages referring to God's use of his hand and arm that worked supernatural things. Often we just read past them and take for granted. But they're powerful Kingdom concepts. We should look at them closer.
Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
[Deuteronomy 4.34]
A mighty and hand and outstretched arm. Why did the bible describe what God did this way? Why did Jesus have to mention about the finger of God? These were all for a vital reason. God does not just say things out of whim or fancy. Every word of God from his mouth teaches a powerful Kingdom principle. It's "bread" meant for us to live on.
When God did signs and wonders to redeem a nation within another nation, fought wars and used great terrors, he did it himself, but he also used his servants. Often, he refers to this as the work of his hands and outstretched arms. For instance, he split the Red Sea himself, but used Moses with his raised hand holding his wooden staff, the "staff of God."
Specifically, the bible says:
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. [Exodus 15]
You see how it works?
When you understand and take faith in how it is God who does everything but he does it in you and through you, you become part of God, being his finger or arm. More so in Christ because we are in him. Thus, Jesus often says "Your faith has healed you." It means you believed the supernatural faith process. You ate it and swallowed it. God did a mighty work, and it was through you.
Often, our attitude is to pray and see what happens--if something happens. If nothing happens, we say it's not God's will, to save face. Jesus never said that. He never prayed and said "it's not God's will." Everything in Jesus is a YES [2 Corinthians 1.20]. He often said "Your faith has healed you," emphasizing that, yes it's God who does it but it's also you how does it--especially now that you are in Christ.
You have to believe you are that finger or arm, or at least believe you're using God's finger or arm. And God's finger or hand or arm cannot fail! It cannot come up with a NO answer from God. Jesus always got a YES. He believed he was using God's finger to work a miracle. Jesus did that to teach and show us how to operate in the supernatural and the miraculous. Any believer in Christ (a radical believer) can be God's finger or arm (or use God's finger and arm) to perform signs and wonders and display God's power and splendor.
How much more if all believers do this as one body? If the hand or arm can defeat devils, how much more the entire body? That is, if the body unites as one in believing they can do supernatural things I Jesus did them.
Take Away the Enemy's Armor
This is exactly how we take away or confiscate the enemy's armor. The enemy has an armor or defense or protection he trusts in, just like we have God's spiritual armor. When the Israelites were afraid to attack Canaan, Joshua and Caleb revealed how the enemy had lost his "protection" and this made him vulnerable to Israel's attack.
"Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” [Numbers 14]
Israel had a physical enemy then, but this shows us what happens during spiritual warfare in our time. The things in the Old Testament (OT) are shadows of the realities in Christ (Colossians 2.17]. Things in the OT teach us principles about spiritual warfare, among other things. They're not just stories and history. We can extract powerful Kingdom principles from them that serve relevantly today.
Before you attempt to plunge headlong into rebuking devils or doing signs and wonders, understand the spiritual workings of using God's finger and arm. Then you confiscate the enemy's armor and take plunder from him.
Taking Plunder from the Enemy
What's the enemy's plunder? These are spiritual things that should be yours but which the devil stole from you. He plundered you when you were in sin. It doesn't matter if you're active in church, support it and participate in all the ministries (or worship with tears, say Amen as loud as you can, or post nothing on your FB wall but bible verses). The enemy can still plunder you if you refuse to believe and surrender to everything God says in His Word. I mean EVERYTHING. This is the reason why Christians pray or claim bible promises but have nothing happen. The devil has plundered them and taken the armor they trust in.
You have to take them all back. It's yours. You have to plunder the enemy. You cannot plunder the enemy of anything else except what he stole from you, because the devil owns nothing but what he steals. And you cannot plunder him except with the finger of God (or his hand or arm), NOT your human theology or title or degree. They are garbage in the spiritual realms.
And anything you plunder from the enemy, the Lord will double. The Lord will multiply it by two. That's powerful!
Instead of your shame (when you lived in sin)
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours. [Isaiah 61.7]
Taking plunder is often spiritual, though it can be physical, material or financial because nothing is impossible with God. It can mean physical healing or financial blessings but often it's added revelation of God's Word because knowing God and his Word more deeply means access to His spiritual riches that mightily sustain you even in your spiritual wilderness and give you abundant spiritual supplies in dry and barren places--in "wastelands." It means more spiritual power that nonbelievers and the enemy have not yet seen or known.
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—" [1 Corinthians 2.9]
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. [Isaiah 43.19]
But everything starts with total surrender to Jesus.
Surrendering to Jesus
“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]
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