Timeless Teachings

//Kenneth E. Hagin

WHY DON'T SOME people believe that their faith in God will work? I know from experience that a lot of people have faith in my faith and the faith of others. But they do not have confidence that their own faith in God will work. For some reason, they do not believe in themselves. They do not believe in what Christ has wrought for them. They do not believe who and what they are in Christ Jesus.

This kind of thinking can defeat anyone. When we don't know the truth of God's Word, Satan can rob us of the blessings God intended for us to have and enjoy in Christ.

A Bible fact that gave me faith was this: God, my Heavenly Father, does not have any favorite children. He loves every one of us with the same love.

Sometimes natural parents have a favorite child, but God doesn't have any favorites. Get that fact down in your spirit by saying out loud, "God has no favorites."

Every person born into the family of God has the same redemption. You are not any more saved than I am, and I am not any more saved than you are.

Somehow in people's faulty thinking, they assume that another Christian has more than they do. Yes, somebody else may have more light, and they may be walking in that light, but everyone born into the family of God enjoys the same redemption.

The child of God has been redeemed out of the hand of the enemy. Every one of us has. Satan was conquered for you personally. Satan was conquered for me personally. (When I say it like that, it buoys up my faith.)

The believer can say, along with the Apostle Paul, "[Jesus] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). A translation I like better reads, "He was delivered up on account of our trespasses, and He was raised for our justification."

It's ours—mine and yours! It belongs to us, so I can make that personal. I can say He was delivered on account of my offenses, and He was raised for my justification.

Redemption belongs to every one of us. Furthermore, I'm not any more justified than you are, and you're not any more justified than I am. (The same Greek word translated "justified" can also be translated "made righteous.") Jesus didn't die for my trespasses any more than He died for your trespasses. It's ours, glory to God!

COLOSSIANS 1:13–14
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

The Christian, then, can confidently say, "He delivered us," or to make it personal, "He delivered me."

The individual Christian can confidently say, "He delivered me out of the power (or authority) of darkness." The Greek word translated "power" here is translated "authority" elsewhere in the King James New Testament. So we could say, "God delivered me out of the authority of darkness and has translated me into the Kingdom of his dear Son."

Friends this does not belong to just a few. This absolute redemption is the personal property of every child of God, whether he knows it or not. (If he doesn't know it, he can't walk in the light of it—but it's still his.)

This redemption is personal. It is an absolute redemption from the dominion of the devil.

Satan does not have dominion over us any longer.

Satan is not our Lord or our Master. Jesus is.

Satan has no right to rule us with sin, sickness, or anything else that belongs to him.

This redemption belongs to every believer. It's my personal property and your personal property.

Put Satan on the Run
The Bible teaches us that Jesus put Satan to nought and He triumphed over him (Col. 2:15). Another translation reads, "He stripped him." What did He strip Satan of? His authority over man.

When Jesus put Satan to nought and stripped him of his authority, it was you in Christ who did that work. Christ acted in your stead—in your place. He did it for you.

1 JOHN 4:4
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Who is the "them" we have overcome? We find from reading the first three verses of First John chapter 4 that John was talking about the devil and all of his cohorts.

Notice he did not say we are going to overcome them; he said we have overcome them. How could we have overcome these demons? Because what Christ did was marked to our credit. He did it as our Substitute. (He did it in my place, and God marked it to my credit as though I were the one who did it!)

"Well," somebody will ask, "if we've overcome them, why are we having such a problem with them?"

Because we don't know we have overcome them. We don't know what the Bible says about it. When we know what the Bible says, we don't need somebody else to exercise his faith for us; when the devil comes around, we can just laugh at him.

Every one of God's children can enjoy the blessings He has provided for us in Christ Jesus. When we exercise our faith in God, according to His Word, we receive the results His Word promises. God, our Heavenly Father, has no favorites. He loves each one of his children with the same love.

[Editor's note: This article was adapted from Kenneth E. Hagin's minibook Your Faith in God Will Work.]

FAITH IN ACTION

Increase Your Faith!
Know the facts of God's Word—what belongs to you and who you are in Him. Here is one such Bible fact: In the mind of God, we were raised up with Christ (Eph. 2:6).

To increase your faith, make this fact personal. REPEAT OUT LOUD, "But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved me, even when I was dead in my sins, made me alive together with Christ. By grace have I been saved (or healed). And He raised me up with Him, and made me sit with Him in the heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 2:4–6).