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The power of God. That, more than any other thing, is what we desperately need today. We need the power of God released in mighty ways to bring salvation, deliverance, healing and restoration into our lives, our families, our government and our world.

How do we tap into that power? It's no mystery, really. The Bible tells us very plainly in James 5:16 AMP: "The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available-dynamic in its working."

But let's be honest. Every one of us has prayed prayers we felt weren't answered. We've known people who prayed...and prayed...and prayed, but nothing happened. Those prayers didn't make tremendous, dynamic power available. Somehow they missed the mark.

We can't afford to miss the mark in prayer today. We must have dynamic power. It is essential in this hour. We must learn to stand up in the power of prayer and take dominion, bringing the will of God to pass on earth as it is in heaven.

In God's Image
"Dominion?" you ask. "I'm supposed to take dominion?"

Yes, you were destined and designed by God to be a ruler on this earth, not a victim of circumstance. You must clearly understand that you are to operate powerfully in prayer, because prayer is actually an act of dominion.

Your job in prayer is to find the will of God concerning a particular situation, take hold of it in faith, and refuse to let go until this natural world submits to spiritual truth and God's will is carried out in that situation.

You might say that through prayer, you are to be the executor of God's will on the earth.

Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. It was God's plan from the very beginning. The Bible says:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion...over all the earth....

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion.
(Gen. 1:26-28)
Of course, God didn't intend to simply give man rulership of the earth and then just walk off and leave him with it. No, during those days in the Garden of Eden, He fellowshipped with man. He communed with him, walking with him in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8).

God designed mankind to be so in union with Him that together they would subdue this earth.
But something happened. Adam committed high treason. He disobeyed God and submitted himself to Satan and, therefore, to sin.

The day he did that, the life and light of God was extinguished. Adam died spiritually and, as a result, he eventually died physically—and not just Adam but the whole race of man.

As Romans 5:12 says, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men."

A Reborn Race
It was a terrible tragedy, but even so, God would not go back on His Word. He had given mankind dominion, and it could never be reversed.

But God had a plan. He sent His own Son, Jesus, to the earth as a man. Born of the virgin Mary and of the incorruptible Word of God, this Son was born without the nature of sin in His spirit. He was born to be the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45).

The first of a new race of men, a race who would be born of the Spirit in His image, a race that would once again reign in life as kings with the power and dominion of God.

Jesus lived His life on this earth as a perfect example of how this new race of man was to function. He didn't live as God, although He was divine.

The Bible tells us that He let go of every divine privilege and power, "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7).

Jesus was not sent to be an alien-type creature that we could look at and say, "Oh my, isn't He wonderful?" He came to be an example to us of how we could and should be. He came to demonstrate what God wanted to do through us.

If you'll read through the New Testament, one of the most striking things you'll see about Him is the fact that He walked in dominion wherever He went. Acts 10:38 says He "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil."

There was nothing the devil could do to challenge Jesus successfully. Jesus was always in control. He cast out demons. He calmed the sea. He stopped the wind. He ended the fig tree's life. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He multiplied food.

Those who witnessed His life and ministry "were completely astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching as one who possessed authority, and not as the scribes...And they were all so amazed and almost terrified that they kept questioning and demanding one of another, saying, What is this? What new (fresh) teaching! With authority He gives orders even to the unclean spirits and they obey Him!" (Mark 1:22, 27 AMP).

Even those who resisted Jesus and refused to acknowledge Him as sent from God recognized His dominion: "And they kept saying to Him, By what (sort of) authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do them?" (Mark 11:28 AMP).

Position + Relationship = Power
Because of His sinless life, Jesus walked in perfect dominion. God did whatever He asked, not because He was God's Son, but because He held the position of a righteous man. His prayers made much power available, dynamic in their working!

"But that was Jesus!" you say. "What does His prayer life have to do with mine?"

Everything—because the Bible says that through our believing on Him, we've been given the same position of righteousness with God that Jesus has. The Bible says it this way:
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.
(Eph. 2:4-6)
Just think, you're sitting in the seat of dominion with Jesus! You have the right to come boldly before God's throne of grace and obtain help and mercy in your time of need (Heb. 4:16).

You have a right to stand holy and blameless before God, not because of anything you did, but because you received the cleansing blood of Jesus.

So when the Bible talks about the righteous man, it's talking about you!

If you've been around the Word of faith very long, you may be thinking, Yes, I know I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I know I have a position of right-standing with God, but my prayers are still lacking power!

That's because position is not enough. You must also have the relationship. Jesus didn't rely purely on His position as a sinless man; He had communion with God. He fellowshipped with Him. You can see how vital that communion was in Mark 9:
There we see the disciples unable to cast the devil out of a demon-possessed boy. They knew they had the authority to do it because Jesus had given it to them, but for some reason they were unable to successfully exercise that authority. So after Jesus Himself had delivered the boy, His disciples asked Him privately, 'Why could not we drive it out?' And He replied to them, 'This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.'
(vv. 28-29 AMP)
Notice that Jesus didn't say, "You couldn't cast it out because you're not the sinless Son of God."

He told them it was because of their lack of communion with God. If your prayers aren't as powerful as they should be, think of your communion with God. Has it been sincere and frequent? If not, purpose today to fellowship with God as Jesus did!

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Author Biography

Gloria Copeland
Web site: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
 
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God's WORD to their lives.
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