We are living in the end times, and the devil is doing all he can to oppose the spreading of the gospel globally. Peter describes him as an adversary who goes about looking for whom to devour (I Peter 5:8). But thanks to Yeshua who defeated him for us, His substitutionary work completely stripped the devil of power (Colossians 2:15; 1:13)! In view of recent opposition to the Gospel in Israel, I strongly believe this is one of the emphases that great commission media ministries like ours should be making today.
Knowing that God has given us authority and power over the works of the devil is not enough in and of itself. We have to learn how to use that authority and power to accomplish God’s will in the earth. Below are four ways I have found to effectively use our authority in Yeshua to reach the lost in Israel.
1. Build the Reality of Your Authority into Your Mind
We’ve heard several encouraging sermons about how Yeshua fulfilled the prophetic scriptures and purchased redemption for us. However, until now, very few have been taught about the authority and power that redemptive sacrifice won us.
You see, Yeshua satisfied all the claims against us. We are no longer found guilty! He paid the wages of our sin in full. While sin made us captives of the devil, Yeshua’s blood made us free men and women! Genesis 3:15 is now a reality: the Seed of the woman, Yeshua, has bruised the head of the serpent, the devil!
Using our God-given authority to reach the lost via Jewish evangelism ministries starts with building this reality into our spirits. This is different from having mere mental knowledge. To build this reality into our spirits means to feed on it until it becomes a reality in our subconscious minds.
2. Make Positive Confessions
A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything–or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. (James 3:5, The Message Bible)
Words are powerful. Like James said in the text above, they can achieve nearly anything or destroy it. Yeshua explained the same truth in Mark 11:23.
We must be careful of what we say about the spread of the Gospel in Israel. Our words can hinder us or empower us and set us on the move for kingdom success. I believe that God is going to do great things evangelistically through our individual efforts and those from great commission media ministries like ours. However, we must cooperate with Him in our words.
It is high time we started making positive confessions about evangelism in Israel. Let’s speak the revival we desire into being.
3. Give No Place to the Devil
Nor give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:27)
God’s Word tells us exactly what we should do to the devil: We are to reject him, not allowing him to gain entrance into our space. Peter asked believers to resist the devil (I Peter 5:9). Yes, Yeshua defeated the devil for us. However, he’ll still try to lift his ugly head against us and God’s work. That’s why we need to shut him down!
You see, the devil is behind every ignorance in the heart of men about Scripture (II Corinthians 4:4). He inspires false teachings to ensure that the liberating truth of the Gospel does not reach the dying world.
Dear brothers and sisters, we’ve permitted him to play his games long enough. We can withstand him with our God-given armor (Ephesians 6:11). Let’s take that stand of faith against all he’s doing today through our declaration of the Word and prayer. Prayer makes God’s power available in all situations. Why wouldn’t we pray?!
Many creative media ministries like ours are using social media and the internet to evangelize the lost and share the Gospel. However, all the activities we can take part in will never accomplish all they can without being mixed with our declaration of Scripture and time in prayer. These are critical to putting an end to the devil’s plans and releasing the Holy Spirit to soften hearts.
We can say all we want in outreaches; but it takes the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to convince a sinner of their need for a Savior. If we will talk to God about men, He will empower our words to talk to men about Yeshua.
4. Stay Full of Joy!
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
There’s something refreshing about staying full of joy. In the passage above, Nehemiah told the people that the joy of the Lord is their strength. In a similar manner, Paul kept reiterating the same truth in his letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians 3:1; 4:4).
No matter how hard the devil tries to oppose the Gospel today, he’s already defeated. The Lion of the tribe of Judah thwarted his dominion over 2,000 years ago. That’s worth shouting about! One of our reasons for putting out Israel music videos is that we want to sing the joyful truth of God’s Word over Israel. We want our praise to reach their ears! So, having done all things, let’s stay full of joy.
Final Thoughts
We’ve got victory over the devil. Yeshua delivered us from his grip and gave us authority and power over him. However, we must learn to use our God-given authority and power effectively to resist the devil and cause him to flee. Let’s start evangelizing the lost from the standpoint of our authority. I believe we will see God move in mighty ways!