Understanding Your Jurisdiction and Right Timing 1

Luke 4:25-27

²⁵ “But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were closed up for three years and six months, so that there came a great famine over all the land;

²⁶ And yet Elijah was not sent to a single one of them, but only to Zarephath in the country of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and yet not one of them was cleansed [by being healed]—but only Naaman the Syrian.” AMPC

Something that does not seem to be very clear to many in the body of Christ is the understanding of their sphere of influence and authority or jurisdiction of operation. Just like a policeman has a particular city where he is assigned to guard, make his rounds, and protect, and where his authority will be recognized, so it is in the spirit realm. God assigns to us a specific group of people, in a specific geographic area, and for a specific assignment.

God has also given us the grace and power to operate in that specific jurisdiction to advance His Kingdom and to conquer the enemy that has captured the people, so that when we go to evangelize, and be used by God to demonstrate His power to save, to heal, to deliver, and to be all that the people need from Him through us, we will see those great and mighty manifestations because we are ruling and reigning with God, walking under His authority, and being recognized in the spirit realm that we have the authority to operate in that place, and time, and on behalf of those particular people.

The passage above talks about this happening in the Old Testament by giving first the example of Elijah, who was sent to the widow of Zarephath. She was not a Jew but was chosen by God to be delivered of her famine when she and her son were about to die even though there were many people in the land that were going through the same situation. God used the prophet, Elijah, to demonstrate His supernatural power to provide out of what she thought was her last meal what would produce food for many days to come because she obeyed the command of the prophet to honor him by first feeding him. 1 Kings 17:12-15 says,

¹² “And she said, As the Lord your God lives, I have not a loaf baked but only a handful of meal in the jar and a little oil in the bottle. See, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it—and die.

¹³ Elijah said to her, Fear not; go and do as you have said. But make me a little cake of [it] first and bring it to me, and afterward prepare some for yourself and your son.

¹⁴ For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not waste away or the bottle of oil fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.

¹⁵ She did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.” AMPC

We can see in these verses that she was not even a believer, but she chose to trust the word of the prophet and also the God of the prophet because she also recognized his authority to say what he said to her and cause her to respond with obedience.

The second example of this in the Old Testament was manifested through Elijah’s successor, the prophet Elisha, 2 Kings 5:8-10, 14 explain the process that Namaan went through to obtain His healing. After being referred to the king of Israel by a servant girl, he was sent to the prophet Elisha who commanded him to dip in the Jordan River seven times in order to be healed. This instruction offended the army commander, but after being persuaded by his companions, he obeyed the command and was healed. This led him to testify to the prophet that there is only one God in Israel.

Jesus also understood this spiritual principle and applied it to his disciples in the New Testament, after He arose from the dead. Acts 10:40-41 discloses this when it says,

⁴⁰ “But God raised Him to life on the third day and caused Him to be manifest (to be plainly seen),

⁴¹ Not by all the people but to us who were chosen (designated) beforehand by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.” AMPC

This same principle applies to understanding our timing to receive in the area of finances. God can command us to give a financial offering to a specific individual or group but we sometimes come up with our own ideas of where to give. However, when we want to be a blessing to someone, it is best to ask the Lord to show us who would be the specific person or group that will be receiving the financial help and when is the best time to do it. One important reason is that people are in different seasons of a process in the area of finances. For this reason, we need to be people that help instead of hinder others for giving to them in the wrong season of their lives.

An example of this is demonstrated in the passage of 2 Kings 5:15-16. 15 “Then Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and stood before him. He said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. So now accept a gift from your servant.

“Elisha said, As the Lord lives, before Whom I stand, I will accept none. He urged him to take it, but Elisha refused” AMPC.

Here we see that the thankful commander returned to express his thanksgiving after he received his healing because he obeyed the command given by the prophet. But he also offered the prophet a substantial financial reward for what he received. However, the prophet refused to receive such type of reward even though the commander insisted that he would receive it.

Elisha understood that he was in a season when his dependence on God was required for his sustenance, therefore, he could not receive such large amounts in the wrong season of his life because that meant that he would get contaminated with a different spirit (the spirit of mammon). Elisha was in a process at this time in his life where he needed to be mindful of the supernatural ways of God and how He was using him on behalf of those God called him to serve through his prophetic words, and prayers that brought great manifestations for the unbelievers under his jurisdiction.

But Elisha’s servant, Gehazi failed to understand this principle of receiving the right thing at the right season of his life, and, full of greed, went after the reward. This caused him to get contaminated with the spirit of mammon because, first, the reward was not intended for him, and second, it was the wrong season for him to receive it because he too was in a process where his sole dependence on God for his sustenance was required.

Gehazi needed to be free from the influence of the spirit of mammon just like Elisha during their process because this meant that when he reached his time to become Elisha’s successor, he too would be able to call down fire on the manifestations of that spirit in his sphere of influence and authority, and not get burned. But because he failed to recognize this importance, he was expelled from the presence of Elisha. But that’s not all, his children also received the contamination that their father opened himself to.

One other wrong action on Gehazi’s part was that he lied to the prophet unsuccessfully about what he did. This means that, he went after the fulfillment of his destiny, at a time when he needed to understand different aspects of his calling that were necessary to know before he reached his destiny, since only then, could he demonstrate to his successor and others under his jurisdiction that the same God that provided everything he needed free from the influence of that spirit, could do it for them as well. Verses 22-27 describe,

²² And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’

²³ So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound the two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. ²⁴ When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. ²⁵ Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, ‘Where did you go, Gehazi?’

And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves, and vineyards, sheep, and oxen, male and female servants? ²⁷ Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.” NKJV

Therefore, it is extremely important that we understand the grace given to us in terms of the geographical place, the right timing, and the obedience to our process to be cleansed and delivered from everything that would become a hindrance to the supernatural demonstrations of God’s power through us. The antichrist spirit, which includes in its parts, the spirit of mammon, goes after reaching greatness and power, including financial power by neglecting God, His timing, His ways, and the process we are called to go through in order to become carriers of His glory to a dying world that desperately needs to see Him through us who believe.

In other words, going after fulfilling our destiny before the time and way God has planned and purposed for us to reach it, will cause us to not know how to handle what He wants to put in our hands, nor be able to sustain it because we did not allow ourselves to be properly prepared to know and recognize the contamination of the enemy on the way to our destiny, so we could reach the necessary levels of authority to come against it on behalf of those we are called to serve.

Instead, we would bow to that spirit and be greatly influenced by it. This is dangerous because we then would be calling evil good and good evil. Also, we could end up persecuting God’s people that do allow God’s process and timing in their lives because the contamination with the wrong spirit would propel us to seek the wrong types of alliances and methods to do what we are called to do, but in the end, it would take us out like it happened to King Saul in 1 Samuel 15 when the prophet Samuel told him by the leading of the Lord to do away with the Amalekite race which was representative of the antichrist spirit in that time. But he went after the plunder and did not kill the king. He only got rid of what did not look good in his sight, as mentioned in previous posts.

From the disobedience to do away with this contamination in his sphere of influence and authority, and also by going after large amounts of money and resources in the wrong time for him, he became influenced by it and persecuted David, who was chosen by God to replace him as king. This mistake caused him to get tormented by that spirit and eventually cost him his life and the lives of his sons in a battle that he had no authority to fight because he had relinquished it through his wrong actions at the wrong time.

To Him alone be all the glory. ▪

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Leaving the Familiar to Give Birth to God’s Promises

Luke 2:4-7

⁴ “So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child.⁶ While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth, ⁷ and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.” AMP

It is interesting to see that when the time came for Mary to give birth to her child, God orchestrated for her and Joseph to have to leave the area that was familiar to them in order to have what He had promised her through the Angel Gabriel. In Luke 1:28, the Angel greeted her by acknowledging that she was favored and that the Lord was with her. This is important to highlight because at the time that she and Joseph were going through their process that led them to the birth of the child, they ended up having to go to a stable, a place a few animals called home. It smelled there, and was full of animal refuse which made that scenario the least desired to give birth to a baby.

At that time, when they could not find a civilized place to stay where they could be more comfortable and have the sanitized amenities necessary to give birth to the child, it looked like they were far from being favored and where was God for them? That question probably went through their minds because they were being rejected everywhere they went, but God was with them all along, leading them away from their familiar surroundings in order to show Himself like the God that makes all things possible and the One who can make of a situation that seemed less than desirable, turn out to be the best thing that could have ever happened to them. Verse 35 of Luke 1 also says,

³⁵ Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God.” AMP

This birth came  by the power of the Holy Spirit and it could not be done in Mary and Joseph’s own strength and abilities. The Holy Spirit overshadowed her so this birth could take place and the child Jesus, the Son of God, could be holy, pure, and sinless throughout His time on earth. It is amazing to see that what was impure at the time of His debut on earth was the beginning of a life of purity and holiness, necessary for Jesus to overcome the enemy that rose up in His generation and for which He eventually allowed the Father to take Him through His own process that would help Him give birth to His victory over the enemy and the salvation of humanity in many generations after His.

But His process in the Garden of Gethsemani, where everything was less than comfortable, is where He had to face His own fears and weaknesses and exchange them for the Father’s grace to overcome. This was also a way that was contrary to the ways of man. For this, His process meant going to the Cross and die for three days in order to set many captives free and give men the gifts necessary to have a balanced spiritual nourishment that would help them reach the same spiritual stature, fortitude, and fullness He had reached. 

This way, He was also giving us the example that it takes going through the wilderness of testing and be in environments that are less than desirable for us to become strong in Spirit and obtain the levels of authority and power necessary to defeat the enemy that rises up in our generation and for which God will use us to fulfill His oath made to Moses in Exodus 17:14-16 which says,

¹⁴ “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this in the book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek [and his people] from under heaven.’ ¹⁵ And Moses built an altar and named it The Lord Is My Banner; ¹⁶ saying, ‘The Lord has sworn [an oath]; the Lord will have war against [the people of] Amalek from generation to generation.’” AMP

In this passage we see that God Most High made an oath and swore that through His people in every generation, He would fight the generation of the Antichrist spirit represented through the people of Amalek. This is a spirit of idolatry and rejection of God and His ways. The spirit that rules this world and influences many away from living in purity and holiness which are required to overcome this spirit. 

This process for every believer allows God to take them through the wilderness of testing and trials designed to remove the influence of the spirit of this world from us. It also helps us learn and understand our life’s calling and purpose, as well as total dependence on God and His unfathomable ways just like Mary and joseph learned when they were led by the Lord to place the child in a manger instead of a crib.

Likewise, because God led them to a situation that they were not familiar with, they had to cling to Him totally and acknowledge Him in all their ways (Proverbs 3:5-6) to be enabled to see a victorious outcome that was supernatural in its nature because they served a supernatural God. To this stable and not to a luxurious hotel is where the Shepherds were led to go and pay honor and the magi came to bring gifts to the child that would grow up to be great and accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God. Luke 1:32-33 says about Him,

^32 “He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.’” AMP

Moreover, the birth of the child Jesus also arose persecution from those influenced by the Antichrist spirit and this is something that we will see in our times in the wilderness, but those times serve for us to work out our warrior muscles that will help us become like David who was a worshiper but also a warrior. So too, in conditions such as persecution we also learn to worship the Lord as a lifestyle and partner with Him to see the fulfillment of His promise in Exodus 17. This fulfillment will first be on our behalf and then, through us, God will perform a great deliverance on behalf of those we are called to set free and influence for the Kingdom. 

Lastly, one more fact about how God takes us outside of what would be more comfortable and familiar to us in order to bring us to the place and time when we will have encounters with Him and see Him in new ways, is found in John 19:17-18, 

¹⁷ “And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, ¹⁸ where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.” NKJV 

Golgotha or Place of the Skull is where we see that Jesus was crucified. He had to carry His Cross by Himself and sometimes with help, but He was not crucified in Jerusalem which would have been the obvious place. He was led by God outside of the city in order to see the fulfillment of the prophecy about Him of becoming the King of the Jews, but in a manner that was contrary to the ways of man because the wisdom of God is not like ours. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

To God alone be all the glory. ▪

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