by Billye Brim
What would be your reply if I asked you, “How is your life going?”
Or “How is your business doing?”
Or “How is your ministry getting along?”
You might say, “Everything is going pretty good! The kids are doing well,” or “My business income picked up a little last year.” Or you might reply, “We are building a new church facility, and we had 250 in service last week.”
You would speak to me about things in your life in terms of performance.
The success of our earthly life has everything to do with how well we are able to perform. And by “life” I’m talking about every realm—personal, family, church, community, state, nation and world. We speak of the progress of God’s purpose and plan in our generation in terms of our and others’ performance.
For most of us, our lives go along very smoothly, but we may have certain persistent obstacles or periodic detours that challenge us. And for others, their lives just seem to be one long rocky road, filled with potholes and breakdowns at every turn.
In this life on earth we are going to face challenges that hinder our productive performance. But the question I’m really asking is, how are we handling the hindrances? Have we identified their origin? Are we responding according to God’s Word when we face them?
Over recent months, the Lord has renewed my understanding of how our performance and fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose for our lives is accomplished and how hindrances are overcome.
The key is this—the authority of the believer.
The renewal of this biblical foundation to the Church couldn’t be more timely. I know in my own life and ministry, and from accounts I’m hearing from other people, we are under attack of the enemy of our soul like we have never known before. Satan and his demonic powers on every level are on the move. Actually, they are on the run because their time is short, and they are attempting to drag down everything and everyone in their path of destruction.
We know Jesus’ return to this earth is close. And the devils know it, too. By standing up and taking its rightful authority over the works of enemy, The Body of Christ will pave the way for total fulfillment of God’s purpose and plan for the earth and humanity.
We Must Be Who We Are
Our days of complacency and ignoring the Word on this subject are over. The time has come that the Church step up and be who the Word says we are and exercise the authority the Word says we have. The authority of the believer is a heavenly ministry to which we have all been called.
Pick up your Bible right now and read Ephesians 1-2:7, paying close attention to verses 17-23 in chapter 1.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Look also at chapter 2, verses 4-7:
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
I have focused on these scriptures for over 40 years. But in these prophetic days, my eyes are more enlightened toward them than ever before. The Holy Ghost has awakened me to see the vital position of the authority of the believer in His end-time plan—His last-day move as we fulfill our heavenly ministry.
We are at a threshold—at the doorway to a great realm of revelation and operation in our authority. The Lord has shown me that, as Ephesians 1:20 and 2:6 so clearly reveal, the ultimate goal of the gospel is that we assume our position in Christ—risen and seated with Him at the right hand of the Father.
When the Father raised Jesus to this exalted place, He raised us and seated us there. Even when we were dead in sins, God made us alive and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Everything Jesus accomplished from His birth to His ascension was to lift us to that place of authority.
Before He went to the cross, He laid out all the truths of the new covenant for the disciples, and for those who would come after them. He emphasized the relationship we would have with the Father in the days ahead. In John 14:1-2 we are told that Jesus was going to prepare the place. He said to the disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
The Body of Christ throughout the centuries has accepted these truths. But we have relegated them to life after death or after-the-Rapture status. Of course, our future holds wonderful things for us. Yet, there is a place at the right hand of the Father we are to occupy now. It is the place from which we can work with Him to perform His plans and purposes for this last hour.
It’s Time We Take Our Place
In his powerful little book The Authority of the Believer, John A. MacMillan wrote:
The elevation of His people with Him to the heavenlies has no other meaning than that they share His throne. To share a throne means without question to partake of the authority which it represents. Indeed, they have been thus elevated in the plan of God, for this very purpose, that they may even now exercise, to the extent of their spiritual apprehension, authority over the powers of the air and over the conditions which those powers have brought about on the earth and are still creating through their ceaseless manipulations of the minds and circumstances of mankind.
The time has come that we take our place and refuse to be unseated. We must stop putting up with the work of the enemy in our lives. We must stop his attempts to distract us from the purpose and plan of God on every level.
Do you believe we share the throne with Christ Jesus? Do you believe we have the right—the responsibility—to take authority over these things from our position in the heavenlies? I believe it and I’ve begun to act on it!
I have been dealing with a once very close, personal relationship that has been broken for more than 10 years. One morning last December, I took my place in the heavenlies and began to exercise authority over it. I spoke to the enemy who had contributed to the break and fueled it through the years with his harassment and lies. I commanded him to cease and desist in the Name of Jesus. That was on a Friday. I phoned that person and thought I left a voice message. As it turned out, I had dialed the wrong number. Yet, on Sunday afternoon I received a call from that person. Before the call was over, our fellowship was restored. We spent Christmas together for the first time in years! We went to church and worshiped the Lord together at Prayer Mountain. We have talked several times now, confirming our love for one another and praying together. How wonderful to have that sweet relationship restored.
My children and staff are taking their place and exercising their authority in the Name of Jesus in their families and ministry. They are even taking authority over demonic influences against their children’s academic and athletic activities. Things are changing on all fronts. As a family and ministry team, we are becoming skilled at exercising authority against the enemy’s attempts to hinder our performance of God’s plans and purposes for us.
We Are the One
God has a plan and purpose for the earth and all mankind…to show forth His glory, to bring the revival and move that will bring the greatest harvest of all time. We know it’s true. We want it! But, there is a hindering force. The enemy is so frightened that he is endeavoring with everything in his power to stop it.
We must take our place and stop his maneuvers. The enemy recognizes the authority we have and he must obey us, just as he obeyed Jesus.
The unified, glorious Church, walking in the love of Jesus, is the one force that will usher in this end-time work of the Lord. We are many gathered into one Body. We need each other and God needs us! We each must “take care of business” with what I call low-level devils in our own homes and churches, and then cooperate with the whole Body of Christ in taking our authority over principalities and powers that are wreaking havoc around the world.
God has opened doors for us to walk through in 2007—doors no man can shut. The only thing that can keep us from being in the right place at the right time is our unwillingness to take our place. I am willing and I trust you are, too! Let’s firmly plant ourselves with Jesus at the right hand of God and take our authority over the enemy. He’s depending on us to fulfill our heavenly ministry!
Billye Brim is president and founder of Billye Brim Ministries and Prayer Mountain in the Ozarks. For information or ministry materials write to Billye Brim Ministries, P.O. Box 40, Branson, MO 65615, call 417-336-4877 or visit her Web site at www.billyebrim.org.
