Everybody struggles with issues such as discouragement, fear, insecurity, disappointment and a host of other things that suck the life out of us. Many people today are often dragged into an abyss of darkness and do not know how to pull out. They often either self-medicate or become hopeless and complacent living in the darkness. Jesus comes and invites us into discovering the fullness of life in Him. One particular story highlights this truth.
One night I had a peculiar dream. I was exploring a home unfamiliar to me with a friend. We wandered about, as you do in dreams, and stumbled upon an old friend who I knew to be struggling greatly. We abandoned my old friend and preceded upstairs. Then we walked into an empty room. Since there was nothing to see, my accompaniment left me to travel further up some more steps, but there was something that caught my eye as I was leaving that room. My old friend was sitting on the floor, only, it wasn’t my friend. I had this strange sense that it was related to something attacking her spiritually, so I spoke out, “God has dominion over all things.” Then I left to join my other friend who had already traversed up the stairs, and again, we entered an empty room. My friend waltzed out of the room, and my old friend appeared again inside that space. Once again, I proclaimed, “God has dominion over all things, and I know that you know that.” Then I immediately awoke.
I began pondering whether what I said was true because I was unable to understand its implications. It appears I didn’t understand what the Bible meant by God being sovereign over all. But after contemplating it, I realized that the enemy really does not have power over us because God has all the power. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) Our strength comes from God through the power He has given us. It is ironic how we give power to the things that have no power. If this is the case, how often do we remember to put on the full armor of God? Do we allow things such as fear, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness to have power over us? Because it says in the Bible that God did not give us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and of a sound mind. God has not called us to be afraid, nor did He call us to be disquieted within ourselves, or hopeless. These are things that rob us from the life that God wants us to live. He died on the cross, rose from the grave, and is now seated on the throne. He is the King who has redeemed us from the evil one and offered us a new life in Him. He has the power to turn any situation around. Moreover, if we fail to recognize that God has given us power to overcome these things we will live a life that falls short of what He died to give us. Because of Him, we have strength to overcome the things that weigh us down.
I must clarify, however, that God must be the source of our strength and God alone. He must be the rock upon which we build our lives. Without God we are weak, as scripture says: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mathew 26:41) Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we live a life that is plagued by our flesh. Fortunately for us, we can stand in the face of evil with full confidence in the power of God. In fact, if a treacherous creature of Hell were to charge into the room you are currently sitting in and confront you, you have no reason to be afraid. Stand strong and put on the full armor of God! You know that the enemy has no power over you when you are filled with God’s Spirit. You know that the enemy cannot rob you of the love that you have for God nor the love that God has for you. You are God’s and He is yours. Do not be afraid of the perils of this world for God is sovereign over all. Have hope and praise Him as it says in Psalms 43.
In fact, I have personally experienced our King taking times of worry and transforming them into exciting moments of trusting in Him and experiencing His peace. There were times where I struggled with anxiety then God has revealed to me the truth that set me free. There were moments where I was convinced that I was stuck with things in my life that I could not get rid of but God revealed a way out. These are the things that our Lord does in everyone’s lives when we call on His name. Because of Him and His truth I was able to have strength to be lifted out of darkness. Instead of staying in the muddy pit, God wanted me to be full of life and excited even during my trials. Moreover, He wants every single person to enter his Kingdom and into joy even in the presence of the enemy who desires to steal that from us. We have the strength to overcome the attacks of the enemy because the Lord has dominion over all. That means He has dominion over the powers of darkness. When the enemy attacks, do not be dismayed, for God has control over all things. Let that kindle a hope inside of you as you traverse through your day, knowing that the enemy cannot have a hold on you when God has you in His sovereign hands.
As I pondered the proclamation “God has dominion over all things” from my dream and unpacked it through meditating on scripture I discovered that when God reveals things to us from His word it leads to experiencing the life Christ died to give us. Realizing God has dominion gives us strength and courage to face everything life throws at us and to overcome everything that would rob us of life. Although Christ has dominion over all things, we only truly discover that truth and the fullness of life when we give the dominion of our lives freely to Christ. Surrendering to Jesus as our Lord is the key to living life to the full and overcoming the enemy who seeks to steal life from us.
Rachel Brannan – 9th Grade