Tom Loud has been a personal hero and friend for many years. I have learned so much from his YouTube channel, from watching his life lived out for Jesus, and now from him as an author. I could not put this book down. Every chapter is full of incredible wisdom, encouragement, and empowerment. Tom provides crystal clarity on what Jesus has done for us and what He wants to do through us. The miracle stories will bring tears to your eyes, and the teaching will take limits off of your thinking. Unlocking Kingdom Power is a must-read for any believer who wants to manifest Jesus to the world! — Jason Chin, Founder of Love Says Go Ministries Unlocking Kingdom Power will convince you that God’s miraculous power is available to all who dare to believe. Get this book. Read it, apply it, and watch God show up! — David Stewart, Founder and Pastor of Arizona Healing Rooms Unlocking Kingdom Power takes all of the complexity and confusion out of an area the institutional church has struggled with for generations. This is one of those books that isn’t written as theory, but as powerful truths that Tom has practiced and lived out himself. Tom’s style makes these truths very accessible and easy to grasp. I am humbled and challenged by this book. I believe it is going to shatter doubts and help readers fully walk in God’s truth. — Pete Cabrera Jr, Evangelist and Director of Royal Family International University
Contents Introduction:
1. The Keys Exist
2. The Nature of the Keys
3. The Key of Identity
4. The Key of Authority
5. The Key of Overcoming the Carnal Mind
6. The Key of Walking in the Spirit Mind
7. The Key of Calling
8. Fishing for People
Introduction
My ministry has seen God perform thousands of healing miracles. Every time I go out to minister healing to people, I see people healed. My overall success rate runs somewhere between 70-80%, meaning that when I pray for someone to be healed, they experience some level of healing 70-80% of the time. Of course, none of this is because of anything special about me. As a believer in Jesus, you can get the same results. In this book, I’m going to teach you how to operate with that same type of success for healing miracles. But first, I’d like to give you some background on my journey. My Faith Journey When I was 17 years old, my major ambition in life was to become the next Bruce Lee. Achieving the status of a well-known martial arts expert was my burning desire. It was all I wanted, so I trained day and night to achieve this goal. Martial arts and the pursuit of fame were my great passions. But something came along and changed the course of my life completely: I met Jesus Christ. I was not brought up in a Christian household. The only thing I knew about God was what a Catholic friend of mine had once told me. He had explained, “You cannot go to Heaven unless you are baptized.” That was the extent of my theological training. But at the age of 17, everything changed. The city I grew up in was not what you would call racially diverse. While working as a busboy at a restaurant, I met a black man for the very first time. His name was Tom, just like mine. He was from a completely different world—one I had never even heard about. I was not even aware that this world existed. I started getting to know Tom a little, and he said that we should talk after work one day. He wanted to tell me about some bizarre supernatural things that I had never heard of before. I was curious, so I took the bait, agreeing to meet after work and talk to him. The talk with my friend Tom was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Looking back, I realize that for the first time in my life, someone was explaining the Gospel message to me. Something inside of me—a sort of longing, a deep desire, and a thirst that was unquenchable—began to grow. I felt compelled to seek more information, so I kept asking more questions. As I listened intently, he told me of things that were otherworldly. I sat shocked, struggling to believe that I had never heard of these things before. Tom told me about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Then there were some other claims that stretched the bounds of credulity. Still, I wanted to hear more. Next, he told me that if I wanted to be saved, I would need to repent of my sins and turn to Jesus. These were very foreign concepts to me, but before I knew it, these words came out of my mouth: “That’s what I need. Please show me the way.” Tom invited me to come to church with him the next Sunday. As it turned out, his dad was the pastor of an all-black Pentecostal church. I said I would attend, but I wanted a favor from him, if possible. Remembering what my Catholic friend had said about the need to be baptized with water, I asked Tom if he could get his father to baptize me for free, me being Tom’s co-worker and all. Tom told me he was sure he could swing that! Next thing you know, I was the only white guy in an all-black Pentecostal church, speaking in tongues and praising Jesus. I was filled with the Holy Spirit and I had a whole new perspective on life. I had found my family. The people I had never been around before were now my brothers and sisters. They felt closer to me than my own blood relatives! I stayed in that church for 8 years and grew in the Lord. My entire life changed, including all of my passions and desires. I have never been the same. But still, I had questions. After being saved, I spent 30 years working full-time in the secular world while also teaching adult Bible studies, serving as an assistant pastor, and doing other types of ministries. All the while, these questions plagued me, but they also became my new passion. These questions were like a thirst that demanded to be satisfied. If you are like most Christians, you still have questions too. And it can be difficult to get a clear answer. As a Spirit-filled, Bible-believing man of God, I believed in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Occasionally, someone would give a prophecy or an interpretation of tongues. There were times when God moved through me to give words of knowledge that proved accurate. I had received many revelations from the Lord, and had even seen visions. But the thing I was not seeing was authentic and indisputable miracles that defied the laws of nature. It cannot be ignored that these types of supernatural events appear to have been a regular part of the life of the early church. Of course, I believed in miracles. I had heard stories of miracles happening in far-off places. Every now and then, I would even meet someone who had experienced a miracle. But I had not ever seen or experienced one myself. The Early Church versus Today’s Church However, this is not at all like the experience of the early church. Even back before Jesus went to the cross, He had given His followers power to heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. And contrary to a popular-but-false notion, it wasn’t just for the apostles! We read in Luke 10:1-12 that Jesus sent 72 others out, telling them to go ahead of Him into each town and preach the message that the kingdom of God is near. He also told them to heal every sick person they encountered. Who were these people? Of the 72, we are not given a single name. All we know is that these were in addition to the 12 because chapter 9 starts out by telling us, “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2 NIV). Then chapter 10 begins by telling us of 72 “others” who were given power in addition to the 12: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go” (Luke 10:1 NIV). We know very little about them except that they were ordinary people who were drawn to Jesus. When Jesus asked them to join Him in His mission, they stepped up, answered the call, and went out in His name. And do you know what happened next? Miracles! The sick were healed. Those suffering demonic oppression were delivered. And many believed the message of the kingdom of God. So clearly one did not have to be an apostle or in any other special club to receive miraculous power from Jesus. But what about the church today? What about the average believer who is filled with God’s Holy Spirit? Where are the miracles in their lives? Those early disciples hadn’t even been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb yet. They were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, but miraculous signs and wonders confirmed the message they preached. What About You? At some point, you have to come to the place of believing the Word of God over your own personal experiences. Jesus Christ said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12 NIV). I know I am not alone here. Perhaps just like me, you have wondered, “What am I missing, Lord? My life experiences don’t match up with this description.” I hope you are also like me in this regard: I don’t want to miss out on anything Jesus paid for and intended for me to have! For nearly 40 years now, I have searched for answers. The missing puzzle pieces. The hidden keys that would unlock doors to the miraculous. Then one day, the answer came. I did not have a visitation from any angel. There was no near-death experience where Jesus came and told me secret things at the foot of my hospital bed. I wasn’t caught up to Heaven in a glorious vision. It was all much simpler than that. Years ago, I received salvation through a bit of knowledge that I did not previously have. In the same manner, I began to walk in the miraculous after receiving a bit of knowledge and understanding that I had previously been missing. That’s all it took—everything changed! The Lord showed me that there were certain keys to walking in the miraculous. These keys are very simple biblical truths, but for some reason, our minds struggle to walk them out. We struggle, first to grasp these truths, and then later to live in them. But ever since that day when the Lord gave me understanding, I have prayed for thousands of people from all over the world and witnessed many miracles. This book was written to pass on the knowledge I received from the Lord that day. Miraculous Power Is Available to Every Christian Every Christian can walk in the miraculous, whether they’ve been saved for 20 years or 20 minutes. Healing, miracles, and deliverance are happening in a move of God that is cutting across the boundaries of race, culture, education, or denomination. And the importance of the movement cannot be overemphasized. Just as it was in the days of the first disciples, the greatest tools for winning the lost to Christ are the Gospel backed up by a demonstration of God’s miraculous power. I can tell you firsthand that when an atheist becomes the personal recipient of God’s power, it’s very difficult for them to remain an atheist! Talk alone is cheap. When the world hears your message without a demonstration of God’s power, it’s very easy for them to dismiss it. This is how Paul described the issue: My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. — 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV The keys outlined in this book will cause you to walk in closer intimacy with Jesus. You’ll have a greater confidence in God’s willingness to back you up when you step out in faith to pray for the lost. He will put greater compassion in your heart. The keys exist. They are available. They work. They are offered to everyone. Many books make extraordinary claims and it’s frustrating when they don’t deliver. I don’t claim to be anything special or spectacular. I’m just a regular Christian like you. But since learning these truths and walking them out, I have taught them to many other Christians all over the world. The results are extraordinary. People are seeing book of Acts miracles when they begin to operate in these simple truths. What about you? Are you ready for an adventure? 1 The Keys Exist Haley was in her early 30s, but she was using a walker to shuffle around much like an elderly person would. Haley suffered from a rare condition that caused severe arthritis throughout her body. She was in constant pain, and her range of motion was very limited. In addition to her inability to walk normally, Haley could not bend over at all. In faith, I declared to Haley that if she would allow me to pray for her, that God would surely heal her and take away all of her pain. There was just one “problem.” I had never seen anyone healed before! My confidence did not come from previous experience. Rather, I was speaking out of pure faith. I was daring to believe that what Jesus says is true—that as a believer in Him, I was qualified and authorized to do the same works He did. After I prayed for Haley, her range of motion fully returned. She was shocked. But the good news did not stop there. All of the pain left her body. She was completely healed, and she has remained fully healthy to this day. As surprised as Haley was, I’m sure I was even more so. This was the first time I saw someone miraculously healed through my ministry, and since that time, there have been thousands more. I have seen God bless many people, and have even seen atheists saved right on the spot after experiencing a healing miracle. Reaching the Lost with Miracles After ministering to many lost and unchurched people, I have come to a firm conclusion. Most atheists are not actually atheists. Most of the time, there is a much deeper heart issue going on with them. Often, it’s because they feel that God personally let them down at some point. Maybe they prayed for a certain person or situation and did not see the answer they wanted. Other times, they’ve seen too much evil and suffering and they decide that a good God would never allow such things. But instead of truly believing that He doesn’t exist, most of the time what they are doing is actively hating God or living in bitterness toward Him. When you talk to atheists while doing ministry, they often become very angry and passionate about their “disbelief.” This betrays a fact that they really don’t want to face. I’ll try to explain using an illustration. When I was a child, I used to believe in the tooth fairy and in Santa Claus. In time, I grew up and realized that these were just mythical characters. They’re not real. If you bring either of them up to me, I have no unresolved feelings about them. In my mind, they are dismissed as nonsense. I would not get angry talking about them. Why would I get angry at beings that do not exist? However, atheists often express deep, passionate anger toward God—even while claiming that they don’t believe He exists. Why would someone be angry at a “fairy tale”? Again, the real problem is an intense hatred of God. That’s why the atheist often wants to do everything possible to discredit God and those who follow Him. Bitterness is often their underlying motivation, not a simple belief in the non-existence of God. Many times, I have prayed for atheists that I first had to challenge in some way in order to receive their permission. They will say something like, “You can’t heal me. I don’t believe in that nonsense. There is no God!” “Well then, here is a perfect opportunity for you to prove me wrong,” I will respond. “I will pray for you and if nothing happens, you will prove that you were right and I was wrong!” Sometimes this challenge works and they will agree to let me pray for them. The atheist who does this often feels certain that nothing is going to happen. But when God shows up on the scene, everything changes. Sometimes, they will appear to be in shock and will ask for time to process what happened. Other times, they will openly acknowledge the miracle and I get to respond, “Isn’t that amazing? The God you don’t believe in just healed you! He must love you!” But often, the result is even more dramatic. Many times, when we go out and minister healing to a non-believer, we get to celebrate with all of Heaven. As much as I love ministering to God’s people, my favorite healing miracles are the ones that involve a non-believer immediately becoming a Christian. Bobby In the middle of a parking deck on a hot August day, Bobby caught my eye as he walked with a limp. His arms were well on their way to being covered with tattoos, he wore a backward baseball cap, sunglasses, and those round earrings that put large holes inside people’s ears. Bobby was sporting a tank top that revealed his tattoos, but it also appeared to have satanic and occult symbols on it. The top of the shirt had the appearance of a Ouija board. There were crosses, flames, five-pointed stars, and other types of symbols, all sort of crowded around what looked like a large demonic face. At the bottom was the word, “Farewell.” I don’t know what any of it was really supposed to mean, I just know that the One who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world. Bobby did not express belief of any kind in God or Jesus, but he did not seem hostile either. When I asked if he had any pain, Bobby indicated that he had significant pain in his feet and lower legs. “So I’m going to pray for you and it’s going to take all the pain away,” I explained. “Okay . . .” he responded with some hesitancy, but no resistance. I said that if all the pain went away, that would be miraculous, and Bobby agreed. Then I explained more about the nature of what was about to take place. “So I’m going to tell you why that’s going to happen. It’s going to happen because even if you don’t know Him, Jesus loves you. He wants to take your pain away. That’s what He does. Okay?” “Okay.” Pointing at Bobby’s legs, I prayed, “Father, in Jesus’ name, I thank You for who You are, and I thank You for Bobby. And right now, I speak to Bobby’s feet and his legs. And I command all the pain, get out. Right now. All of it.” I stood silently for a moment. “Whoa,” said Bobby. “What are you feeling, Bobby?” He stood silent, staring at his legs. “What are you feeling?” I asked again. “Well . . . I don’t feel the pain right now,” he explained with surprise in his voice. “Move around and test it out,” I suggested. He began to walk, and I walked with him. “Yeah, I was just limping . . .” He continued to walk normally while adding, “Ten seconds ago, I was just limping and could barely walk.” “And now you can walk.” “Yeah, I feel like I could probably run right now.” “And you have no pain?” I asked. “No, actually, I really don’t feel the pain at all anymore.” Bobby was not a very excitable type of person, but you could tell he was somewhat shocked. I said, “You don’t feel the pain anymore—isn’t that cool?” “That’s . . . insane,” he concluded. At that moment, I began to share the Gospel with Bobby. “That’s because Jesus loves you, Bobby, even if you don’t know Him.” “Whoa,” Bobby said again. Maybe he was just as surprised to hear that as he was that the pain was gone. I explained, “I won’t twist your arm because I don’t do that kind of stuff, okay? But Jesus wants to be part of your life. He wants to save you and make you a brand-new person . . .” As I shared the Gospel with Bobby, he looked down at the ground, his mouth open, as if he were feeling very surprised by what was taking place. I finished my Gospel presentation by asking, “Would you be interested in having Jesus come into your heart?” “Yeah,” was his immediate response. We moved over a bit to get out of the way of passing cars, and then I led Bobby through a prayer of salvation. “Heavenly Father . . .” “Heavenly Father . . .” “I know I’m a sinner.” “I know I’m a sinner.” Bobby repeated with earnestness in his voice. “And I know I need the Savior.” “And I know I need the Savior.” “And I believe Jesus is the Savior.” “And I believe Jesus is the Savior.” Slowly and peacefully, I guided Bobby through the process of receiving Christ as his Savior. “So, Jesus . . .” “So, Jesus . . .” “Right now . . .” “Right now . . .” Bobby’s voice began to quiver. “I repent for my sins.” “I repent for my sins.” Bobby got a little clearer on that part, as if emphasizing his wholehearted agreement. “And I ask you to forgive me for my sins.” “And I ask you to forgive me . . . for my sins.” Bobby was starting to choke up a little at this point. “And I ask You to come into my heart right now.” “And I ask You to come into my heart . . . right now.” “And be the Lord of my life.” “And be the Lord of my life.” At that moment, tears began streaming down Bobby’s face. You could feel his emotion. “I give You my whole life right now.” “I give You my whole life right now,” Bobby confessed, wiping the tears away. “And I live my life for You.” Pausing just long enough to compose himself, Bobby continued, “And I live my life for You.” “Thank You for saving me.” With deep gratitude in his voice, Bobby concluded his prayer of salvation, “Thank You for saving me.” “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” “In Jesus’ name.” “Amen!” I explained to Bobby that Jesus just came into his life and was filling him with light, peace, and love. “Jesus loves you, man. He loves you more than anyone has ever loved you. And He wants to give you a brand-new start—give you a brand-new life.” As Bobby continued to wipe the tears away from his face, I asked, “What does that feel like?” “It feels real.” I was sharing in his joy and wanted to know more. I asked again, “What do you feel like?” His next words were very revealing. “I feel like a new person,” Bobby confessed. Not 10 minutes before this, Bobby didn’t know a thing about Jesus. He was just headed along in life as most people are, not thinking anything about his eternal destiny. One little healing later, and Bobby was a brand-new person. The fields are ripe for harvest. Lost people are out there just waiting, practically begging for someone to show them that God is real. That He loves them. That He wants them in His family. There are so many people waiting for you to fulfill your assignment. Will you step up to the plate? Will you do the very simple things that need to be done to reach people like Bobby? Like Jaden? Jaden One time, I was out doing ministry and I came upon a group of young men who were playing Pokémon Go, a game in which people roam public places looking to pick up Pokémon creatures inside an app on their phones. I walked up to these young men and asked if they believed in miracles, and if so, where do they believe miracles come from? Several of the young men said that they do believe in miracles and that God is the source. Then there was Jaden. Jaden did not believe in God or in anything supernatural. I said, “So where do you think miracles come from then?” “From hard work and perseverance,” he responded. Next, I asked the entire group if any of them had any pain. Several of them did have pain, so I demonstrated God’s healing power to them. The ones who had been healed were amazed and thankful. Then there was Jaden. He had seen what was happening with the others, and he seemed interested. But he wasn’t convinced. Probing further, I learned that Jaden was suffering from a sprained ankle. His pain was not debilitating, but it was pretty serious. At that point, I asked Jaden if I could pray for God to heal him. He was skeptical, but he politely agreed to let me pray for him. I explained that I would not even touch him. I would simply put the shadow of my hand over his ankle and pray. I did so, and then asked Jaden, “What are you feeling?” He seemed very surprised and responded, “Something moved in my ankle.” I told him to test the ankle and see if there was any pain. At that point, Jaden was completely shocked. He shouted loudly to his friends, “No! That’s not possible! It’s gone! It’s completely gone! The pain is all gone!” After Jaden’s experience, there were a few others to pray for. They all experienced healing and at that point, I began to explain the reason for the healing. “Jesus is alive and well. He set up this encounter with you all today so that you could see a demonstration of His healing power. He did that because He loves you and wants to save you. He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of you. Jesus died on a cross to save you from your sins because He loves you and wants you to live in Heaven with Him forever. He wants you to be part of His family.” Then I asked, “Do any of you want to ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you today? Are you willing to turn away from a life of sin and serve Jesus instead?” At that moment, Jaden gave an enthusiastic “Yes!” I immediately led him in a prayer of repentance and dedication to Jesus. The young man who did not believe in God at all just a few moments prior was now a born-again child of God! Healing isn’t just about healing. Prophecy isn’t just about prophecy. Miracles aren’t just for the sake of the miracles. All of these wonderful workings of God are for the purpose of demonstrating His love and His power to people. God wants the lost to know His goodness so that He can lead them into a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. And when we step out to minister, He will show up. I believe that most Christians would love to see God’s kingdom advancing in this way. Imagine if every Christian in the United States began venturing out to invade the spiritual darkness with God’s light and love. We can do it! I spent years doing the regular church thing, but now I see God moving on a regular basis to save people, heal people, and bless people in all kinds of amazing ways. Yes, God’s supernatural power showed up in my ministry. Unfortunately, it came after a long period of me wrestling through various doubts. We All Have Questions Questions will always arise in the heart when we are endeavoring to walk in the supernatural things of God. For example, some of the most common questions people struggle with are: Does this line up with the character of Christ? Could I imagine Jesus doing this? Is this really something God intends for me to do, or is it only for a select few? Do I have authority to do this whenever I want to, or should I only do it when God specifically tells me to do it? Before I could walk in manifestations of the Spirit, I had to know that they were still in existence today, and that they were given to me for the purpose of advancing God’s kingdom. If you come from a cessationist background (i.e., a belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit stopped after the death of the Apostles), then you will not believe that these signs and wonders are for today, nor will you believe that they are for you to use. Fortunately for me, I had met people who had experienced things that no doctor or scientist could explain through natural means. God had also allowed me to personally witness many manifestations of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, as everyday Christians operated in them. There were also the many books by people who operated in the realm of miraculous signs and wonders. However, when I tried to step out in faith to see signs, wonders, healings, and other miracles, most of the time nothing would happen. God’s Truth versus Personal Experience If I had gone strictly by my own personal experience, I would undoubtedly have concluded that miracles are not for today. That the supernatural was only for the early church. That God no longer works this way. But I could not believe those things. I knew better. There were too many valid testimonies of people who were experiencing the same kinds of miracles the early church experienced. Miracles have not ceased. There was also the plain teaching of God’s Word. Remember, Jesus said that “whoever believes” in Him would do the same works He did, and even greater works. So that must have meant the problem was with me! Jesus stated another important truth, or principle, several times in Scripture. “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). Matthew 8:13 (ESV) records Jesus saying to the centurion, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” Over and over Jesus tells people that they are healed through their faith. If you are putting your faith in the idea that miracles are not for today, then you will receive results that line up with your belief. “According to your faith” it will be done for you, so you will probably not see any miracles. However, this does not prove that miracles are not for today. It only proves that you have received in accordance with what you believed. Knowing that God was still performing miracles on the earth today, I felt confident that I had satisfactorily worked through this issue. My faith said that Jesus Christ was still doing miracles on the earth today. They have not ceased. That left me with another important question. Are Miracles for Me? Once we recognize that God is still performing miracles just like He always has, we’re left to wonder: Am I supposed to walk in miracles? Are they for me? We don’t need to rely on personal experience for the answer. Just as we did with the last question, we can rely on the Word of God as our measuring stick for truth. Here’s what God’s word says about this topic: Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. — John 14:12 NIV, emphasis added Yes, we’re going to see this verse many times because it imparts an extremely important truth. Jesus even starts out the verse by basically saying, “Look, I’m not lying to you. I’m telling you the truth here!” Then He goes on to explain that “whoever believes in me” will do the works He had been doing. What works had He been doing? Healing miracles. Casting out demons. Raising the dead. Jesus did not say that only a select group of believers would do these things. He did not say that only believers who lived in a certain time period would do these things. He stated plainly and truthfully that “whoever” believes in Him would do these things. That includes you. That includes me. Once I came into agreement with this simple truth, miracles began to happen in my ministry. When the Lord first opened my eyes to the truth that miracles were available to me in my ministry, it still seemed like a theory. I had not tested it yet. However, I wasn’t going to wait around. The same day God opened my eyes to this truth is the same day I went out and looked for someone to pray for. As soon as I saw Haley, it was obvious she was in serious need of healing. Praise God, He healed her that day right on the spot, and ever since then, I’ve been able to witness His miracles over and over. But perhaps the most compelling part is that after I began to teach these principles to others, they had the same kind of experience. Once they received the truth that miracles are for today, and for them, they experienced similar results. Just like me, the people I’ve taught have seen miracle after miracle after miracle. What kind of miracles, you might ask? They include blind eyes seeing and deaf ears hearing. Cancer vanishing. Broken bones being instantly healed and restored as though they had never been broken. Tumors disappearing. People who could barely move having their full range of motion restored. Heart problems healed. Kidney problems healed. Fertility problems gone. The list goes on, and I’ll share more testimonies throughout the book. But for now, I’d like to tell you about Alberto. A Mangled Leg Is Restored Shortly after seeing my first successes in praying for the miraculous, a group of people from our church traveled to Mexico. There was a mission trip that had been planned by others, and late during the planning, I decided to go along. We got there and our primary objective was to help an orphanage in Tecate for several days. After working at the orphanage each day, we would go out into the nearby villages for personal ministry. Many of the homes in these communities had no running water, so we took a large water truck with us and offered to fill the barrels of anyone who needed water. While we were giving out the water, we would also, through an interpreter, ask if anyone in the household needed prayer. One of the small shacks we walked up to had a crude front porch area and the whole family had gathered there. After we asked if anyone in their house needed prayer, the father of the home, Alberto, emerged and stated that he was in desperate need. He had just been hired to work in a local factory and was supposed to start the next day. This new job was incredibly important to his family because they were extremely poor. But Alberto had a huge problem. Alberto stated that he had suffered from an injury, and he didn’t think he was going to be able to stand for a full day of work. I asked him exactly what the problem was and he pulled up his pant leg. What he showed us was nothing short of gruesome. Alberto’s leg and foot had been completely mangled. His calf had several deep grooves going from his knee to his ankle. It looked as if a bear or a lion had simply ripped through his leg with its claws, removing huge chunks of flesh along the way. The leg looked to have been left without any kind of professional medical treatment. Skin seems to have grown back over the gaping wounds. Besides that, his foot was completely twisted, pointing out to the side instead of straight ahead. He could not move the foot into a straightened position. It was permanently locked sideways. His leg was twisted and mangled, and all of this together made him lean drastically to one side when he stood up. As if all of that weren’t enough, Alberto’s pain was severe and constant. We asked him to rate the pain he was feeling in that moment on a scale of 1-10, and he indicated it was a 9. Remember, I had only recently begun seeing the miraculous in my ministry. Everyone in our group was pretty much brand new to pursuing healing and other miracles. But before I even realized what was coming out of my mouth, I stated confidently to the interpreter: “Tell him that I will pray for him right now, and his leg will grow back normal. His foot will become straight. And all of his pain will go.” One of the women from my church looked at me with a look of horror in her eyes. She looked both shocked and angry at me for having said this. Then she basically let me know that her disapproval was out of fear that Alberto would be severely disappointed if nothing happened. For some reason though, I was so full of faith that I was completely undeterred. I asked everyone to gather around and watch closely so that I could teach them how to pray for the injury. At that point, I had Alberto sit down. I took both of his ankles in my hands, and I was just getting ready to loudly command a miracle. Before I got a single word out of my mouth, Alberto’s leg shot out straight. His foot turned straight and all of his pain was completely gone. There were still scars, but his leg and foot became completely functional again—instantaneously. I remember being a little disappointed that I didn’t get to show everyone how to pray for healing. Of course, I quickly got over that. Alberto’s entire family erupted into cheers and praise to Jesus. We all cried tears of joy as we watched God’s goodness being poured out on this family that had been in desperate need. The woman who had been upset with me that day had been raised in a denomination that taught cessationism, and up until that miraculous moment, she still did not believe that miracles were for today. However, from that day on, she understood that not only are miracles for today, they are for “whoever believes.” She has now prayed for many people herself, and has witnessed many miraculous healings as a result. You can do the same. We just have to work on what you believe, and what you know. 2 The Nature of the Keys People from all over the world just show up at the doorstep of our church on Thursdays for our Marketplace Ministry training. One week, a man named Chris showed up and went out with us. I was able to train him in ministering the miraculous to strangers in public, and he was so impacted by the experience that he came back to our church about a month later. This time, Chris had come to one of our Sunday morning services. We have two services on Sunday mornings, and I have about a 15-minute window between the first and second service. Chris approached me during that time and said he had brought some friends who were in need of healing. Chris got right to the point and asked if I could take some time to pray for them. I felt a little rushed. Honestly, I was not really feeling “into it” at all. Explaining that I only had a few moments, I said I would pray quickly for them and then I would have to leave. They understood and agreed. The prayer time was so fast that I struggled to recall very much of it when a man named Scott called me about a month later and asked if I remembered him. Scott explained that I had prayed for him, his wife, Tanya, and Shinelle, his niece. Then Scott said he wanted to take me to lunch to tell me what happened. I agreed, and then went to meet Scott and Shinelle to listen to their story. As we sat waiting for our food, Scott asked if I remembered the different issues we had prayed over. I explained that it was all a blur in my mind. Then he asked, “Do you remember praying for Tanya’s breast cancer?” Honestly, I did not remember. Then Scott explained, “You had her place her hand on the location of the tumor. Then you touched her hand and told the cancer to go. You instructed Tanya to go and have a doctor check it out. We did that, and she has no trace of cancer anywhere in her body!” “Wow! Praise God! Thank you for sharing that wonderful testimony,” I responded. Scott said, “There’s a lot more!” He continued, “Tanya fell off of a horse when she was a teenager and injured her back. She has been taking 15 Vicodin every day for over a decade to try to deal with the chronic pain. You prayed a simple prayer over her back, and she was healed. She has not had any pain since we left the church that day. She has not taken a single Vicodin, and get this—she never even had any kind of withdrawals!” “Wow! God is good . . .” I responded, before Scott interjected again. “There’s more!” he exclaimed. Scott continued to relay every detail and I listened excitedly. I may not have been “into” the prayer time in between services that day, but the results were riveting. Scott asked, “Do you remember that I told you I had lower back problems, and how you responded?” “No, I don’t. What did I say?” “You told my wife that the problem was with my legs. You told her to hold up my legs and pray over them. You told her what to pray, word for word, and when she did, I was healed from that time forward. What was interesting was that my wife has never prayed for anyone publicly, and has never felt comfortable doing that. Of course you didn’t know that. Well, this time she did pray, and I was healed!” Once again, I was quite surprised and thankful for what God had done. But it’s what he said next that really blew me away. “Do you remember praying for my kidney?” “No, sorry. Not really.” I honestly still could not recall any of the details of our brief prayer time that day. Scott explained, “I had been suffering from kidney disease and was in regular need of dialysis. Eventually, both of my kidneys shut down and died. My only hope for living a normal life was to get a transplant from a donor. Eventually, we discovered that my wife’s brother was a match, so he donated one of his kidneys to me several months before you prayed with us that day. I asked you to pray that everything would work out and that my body would not reject the new kidney.” “And I’m not sure why, but then I mentioned that the two dead kidneys were still inside my body because that is the normal procedure—to leave them in as long as they aren’t causing any other problems. You immediately responded, ‘How about bringing those two kidneys back to life?’ And after asking that question, you just commanded them to be restored.” As I listened, I felt certain that Scott was about to tell me that his body was now doing fine because the new kidney was working perfectly and his body had not rejected it. But that’s not what he said. “I went back to my doctor to have my kidney checked out and something really bizarre happened. The doctor told me that all three kidneys are now functioning perfectly! The two dead ones came back to life!” Scott went on to explain that there is a nationwide network of doctors who share information about kidney transplant recipients. They post the results of the chemical analysis of the urine of those patients, which tells the doctors how well the kidneys are functioning. Scott’s numbers were the best in the country! You can find Scott sharing a brief version of his testimony on my YouTube channel. The title of the video is: Scott Hoeck, THREE KIDNEY MIRACLE!!! – Tom Loud. What’s so interesting to me about this particular set of miracles is that it didn’t matter how I felt that day. Our access to kingdom power is not based on a feeling. And as you can tell from my reaction to Scott telling his story, the results really weren’t based on my personal level of belief. It’s not that I’m personally convinced about the specific outcome of any particular situation I face. There are simply some things I know to be true because the Bible says they are true. Knowledge of the Keys The keys to unlocking kingdom power are all tied to knowledge. Knowledge carries a far greater weight than simple “belief.” Knowledge is not a theory, not a supposition, and not even a product of blind faith. Rather, knowledge is indisputable fact. Think about it this way: Truth doesn’t change based on someone’s beliefs. Truth is true whether someone believes it to be true or not. So ask yourself the following: Who actually knows the truth about all things? There is only one right answer to this question, of course. God is the only eyewitness to every event that has ever occurred. The only insider to every secret that has ever been kept. The only creator and designer of everything that exists. The one who knows and understands every law of nature, because He’s the One who wrote them. Jesus Christ alone! Okay, so this One who knows everything, He doesn’t keep all of His knowledge to Himself. He shares many things with us. In fact, He has written a book that He gave to man. The Bible is God communicating truth to us. If we are going to build our faith on anything, let’s build it on God’s Word—which cannot be shaken, moved, or changed in any way. Let’s not believe what the pastors, the scholars, the rabbis, or the priests have to say. Let’s throw out man’s opinions and ideas, and let’s agree that what we can know for sure is what God tells us to be true. When what you believe disagrees with what God’s Word has plainly stated, then it’s certain that your belief is incorrect. So what else, exactly, does Jesus say about the people who believe in Him? And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well. — Mark 16:17-18 BSB If you are a true believer, then these words must apply to you. And now we’ve identified what the keys to unlocking kingdom power actually are—they are simply truths of God that need to be correctly understood, believed, and applied. Right now, you—as a born-again Christian—already have all the keys you will ever need to unlock the kingdom power within you. The Keys Must Be Used Say you possessed a key to a gate that held great riches on the other side. If you never used that key, you’d be missing out. But why would anyone have the key that unlocks great wealth, but never use it? The only rational responses would be, “Because they did not know they had the key.” Or, “They did not understand what the key was.” You could have something in your possession but still not understand what it is, or what it is for. Without the proper knowledge, the key would not be very useful. However, with the proper knowledge, the key is very useful. I recently went through this exact scenario in real life. I found a key in the pocket of an old jacket. However, I had no idea what the key went to, so I actually went around trying it. I checked various doors in our church and our home, all to no avail. The key is not useful to me right now, but the fact remains that it does have the power to unlock a door somewhere. Whether you believe it yet or not, you have all the keys within you to unlock everything pertaining to the kingdom of God. The keys dwell within you as a believer of Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, Jesus actually said that He would give to His followers, “the keys to the kingdom of Heaven.” At the time He spoke this truth, He had not yet paid the ultimate price for the sins of humankind. He was speaking about something that would take effect after He finished His work of redemption on the cross. That’s why He didn’t say, “I have given you . . .” He said, “I will give you . . .” We who have received Christ in our hearts are living in the post-Cross era. Everything humankind was waiting for, which could only be accomplished by the Messiah, is here now. We can now say along with Jesus, “It is finished!” We are no longer waiting to receive the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. They are here for all who believe. He has finished the work the Father sent Him to accomplish. Then He called us, equipped us, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation in this world. It is our mission to reconcile people to God by preaching the Gospel and demonstrating God’s power as a witness to the truth of that Gospel. We are not waiting for some distant future to receive the keys to the kingdom of God. We have them. Jesus did His part. He promised to give us the keys, and He fulfilled that promise. But it is up to us to recognize this reality and then use the keys as God intends. The full verse in Matthew explains it this way: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19 NIV). In that verse, Jesus says plainly that He will give us the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, but that verse does not tell us how to use the keys. So that’s what we need to learn. How do we use these keys to help usher people into God’s kingdom? This can only be accomplished once we gain a clearer understanding of how God’s kingdom works. Just like the natural world is governed by natural laws, there are laws in place in the spirit realm. If I’m going to live by the spirit and operate according to the rules of the spirit realm, then I need a clear understanding of those rules. The Spirit Realm The first thing to understand is that the rules or “laws” of the spirit realm are different from the laws of the natural realm. Some of the differences are obvious. God and His angels aren’t constrained by time and space the way we are. They seem to have the ability to become visible to the natural world at times, while most of the time remaining invisible. But whether visible or invisible, the spirit world is always interacting with and impacting the natural world. Because the spirit realm is invisible to us, we have a tendency to think of it as being “less real.” However, if we truly ponder the case for existence, we would have to conclude that the spirit realm is more “real”—if there is such a thing. The reason being that the spirit realm is eternal. Everything we see is temporary. Almost like a shadow. The spirit realm, on the other hand, will exist forever. It is eternal. The spirit realm is an exciting place to consider. But it is also very difficult for us to grasp because it is different from the natural world—the only world we’ve ever known. Understanding the spirit realm is more like putting together a jigsaw puzzle than it is building a house. If you were building a house, you’d need to know exactly which materials to start with. But when putting together a jigsaw puzzle, you can start with any piece. The order you put them together doesn’t matter so much as long as you have all the pieces and eventually put them in the right place. Once you understand all of the keys, you’ll be able to assemble the puzzle and the picture will become very clear. Where Are the Keys? Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:20-21 NKJV All the gifts of the Spirit are in you right now because the Holy Spirit is within you. When the Holy Spirit makes His home in you, He doesn’t come empty-handed. He brings all of his gifts with Him. Isn’t this very straightforward logic? It’s a wonder that we struggle to grasp it. The Holy Spirit is living within us and that means all of His supernatural power resides there with Him. That power just needs to be uncovered, or maybe we should say “discovered.” When you begin to discover what resides within you because of Who resides within you, then you can begin to walk in kingdom power! My goal is that every born-again believer would walk in the fullness of everything God has given to us, His children. However, we must desire and be willing to walk in that power. We must want to see the power of His kingdom opening up the watchful eyes of a lost and dying world. The ones who are desperately looking for evidence that God is alive and well and active in the world today. We must desire that goal more than our own personal comfort, doubts, insecurities, or anything else that might seek to get in the way. 3 The Key of Identity Our identity in Christ is paramount to everything we do and everything we believe. Think about this: Your opinion will never carry the same weight as God’s assessment. God assesses and rightly judges each and every person, situation, or thing. He’s never wrong. He has complete and perfect understanding. The rest of us mostly have opinions. My opinions, your opinions, and other people’s opinions will never carry the weight of God’s perfect understanding. But often we challenge what God says about who we are. Sometimes we see ourselves as unclean. Powerless. Victims. Mere mortals. There are a thousand other possible limitations and weaknesses we place on ourselves in our own minds and hearts. But the truth about who we are is found in what God thinks and says about us. It’s His view that is accurate, not ours. Not anyone else’s. So who are you, according to God’s view? You are the righteousness of God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV, emphasis added You are not defeated. You are a conqueror. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. — Romans 8:37 NIV, emphasis added You are a member of God’s household. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. — Ephesians 2:19 NIV, emphasis added Jesus Christ was the Son of God. His status as “Son” is what enabled Him to do the amazing works he did. But how does God see you? What is your status? Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. — 1 John 3:1 KJV, emphasis added You are a son of God. We can often view ourselves as beggars, living off of scraps that fall from God’s table. But that is not at all how God sees us. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. — Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV, emphasis added We could keep going, as there are many more verses in the Bible that tell us what God really thinks about us. But the point right now is to recognize that the way you think about yourself is probably a lot different from the way God thinks about you. I don’t walk around in my daily life thinking of myself as a king. You probably don’t either. But as a child of God, that’s what you are. You are royalty. And the spirit realm recognizes that authority. The issue is whether or not you recognize it. Think about it this way. Say there is a certain kingdom. The king has many wives and therefore many children. The children of the king have special rights and privileges. But even more important than that, they have authority. When people come into the presence of a prince, they bow down. They don’t argue. They don’t challenge. They definitely don’t fight. Now, what if one of those princes didn’t understand who he was? Say he lost his memory and he is living out among the common people. He’s wearing common clothes and working a normal job, paying rent, paying taxes, and putting up with his boss. Worse than that, there are deceivers about who are taking advantage of the prince. These people hate the king and the kingdom. They know who the prince really is, but since he doesn’t know, they enjoy doing things that harm him. And they’re just going to keep doing that. They’re not going to recognize and acknowledge his authority. Why? Because he himself doesn’t recognize it. So why would they? If the prince doesn’t recognize who he is and the power he has, they certainly aren’t going to tell him. Instead, they will just keep taking advantage of him and trampling on him. But as soon as that prince comes into an understanding of who he is—his true identity—everything changes. The prince takes his rightful place in the kingdom. He puts on his royal robes, takes his seat on a throne, and begins to give commands that have the weight of law. What will those same people do now? Will they obey the commands of the prince? You bet they will. They have to. They don’t even have a choice. And that’s how it is with the enemy. Once we recognize who we are in Christ, it’s all over for the devil. You have the authority of a king. You have the spiritual status of a priest. God says that you carry the same power and authority that Jesus demonstrated while He was on the earth. Understanding who we are in God’s eyes is what allows us to walk in confident authority. We encounter the enemy more often than we probably realize. The Bible teaches us that whenever someone is in unbelief, the enemy is holding them captive. God didn’t create sickness, and it doesn’t come from Him. In fact, He told His people even in Old Testament times that He would “take away all sickness” from among them if they would simply obey His commands. Now that we’ve become the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ, that requirement has been fulfilled. We just get to enjoy the benefit! So when we encounter sickness, we are able to take authority over it. Just like Jesus encountered people who were oppressed, enslaved, blind, or living in fear and hopelessness, we encounter those same strongholds of the enemy and we have the power to liberate people. Just like Jesus did, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and that means we have everything necessary to meet people’s needs. Called and Equipped As God’s sons and daughters, we don’t just have the ability to meet people’s needs for healing, deliverance, and provision. We have the responsibility to do those things. Just like the Father called Jesus to demonstrate His power so that the Father would be glorified, we are called to do the same. You are called by God to do the same things Jesus did. Several years ago, I was teaching in London when a woman from India came up and explained that she had come to see me because she knew that if I prayed for her, she would receive the impartation of the gift of speaking in other tongues. Okay, this is different, I thought to myself. Honestly, I don’t know whether I truly believed I could impart this special gift to her or not. There seemed to be some doubt. But I set aside my own thoughts and opinions, and instead went to God’s truth. “Whatever the need, the Father has equipped me as His son to fill it,” I told myself. Then I laid my hands on her and believed that God would meet the need just as He would if Jesus Himself was laying His hands on this lady. This was beyond my personal experience. It was not something I had ever done. But I just let God be God, acting through me, and sure enough the lady received exactly what she came for. If Jesus never met a challenge that He could not overcome, then Jesus living in you should also never meet a challenge that cannot be overcome. When you realize what God’s Word says about you is who you really are, and what God says you can do is what you can actually do, then you can begin to operate in the fullness of power that God has made available to all of His children. Identity Determines Rights Citizenship matters. Think about this. If someone is a US citizen and they travel abroad, does that mean they cease to be a citizen? Did they give up their citizenship for a time? No, definitely not. And there are benefits to that citizenship. If war breaks out or there is some other type of problem, the US citizen can go find refuge at the US Embassy located in that country. You’ve probably seen the movies where a US citizen gets into trouble with the local authorities. As they are being chased by the authorities of that land, they run up toward the gate of the embassy yelling “US citizen!” The Marines guarding the gate open it just enough to let the US citizen pass through, and they slam it shut just before the “bad guys” can get through. That’s it. The fight is over. The local authorities have no power or authority to cross the gate and get the US citizen. Where is your citizenship? Philippians 3:20 tells us that if we are saved, we are citizens of Heaven! We’re not in Heaven right now, but we are still full-fledged citizens with all of the rights and privileges that come along with that. We are citizens of the highest and most powerful kingdom in the entire universe! I’d like to tell you about the process I underwent to become a US citizen. It was very long and hard. Are you ready? I was born here. Obviously, I’m kidding about the process being long and hard. I did nothing to earn my citizenship. I was born into it. When we are born again, we are immediately conferred with full citizenship in Heaven. We don’t have to do anything to earn any of our rights. When I was a baby, I had all the rights of a US citizen. I had them the moment I was born, and that’s exactly how it is in the kingdom of God. You don’t have to work your way up to some point where you finally receive your rights. You have them from the very beginning! The devil obviously doesn’t want us to know this or understand the implications of it. Because basically, the implication is that we don’t have to put up with his garbage! So he does everything he can to keep us in the dark on this. That is how he seeks to keep control, even over people who have kingdom power and authority. He cannot actually take power from them because he doesn’t have the authority to do that. But what he does—and it’s very effective—is to lie to us. He is constantly working to deceive those who have rights, power, and authority into thinking they don’t have those things. That’s why it’s so very important to fully grasp our identity in Christ! Perhaps you’ve heard the story about elephants in Thailand. The story goes that for centuries, elephants have been used as beasts of burden in Thailand. Instead of a bulldozer or a forklift, the local people there have historically used elephants to harvest the valuable teak trees from the jungle. The elephants are critically valuable to the industry, and sometimes the workers must go out into the jungle to capture a young wild elephant. Of course, that wild elephant will need to be tamed and trained to submit to its human masters. When a wild elephant is first caught, it is understandably not very cooperative. It doesn’t want to be tamed or trained. So the handlers will chain one of the young elephant’s rear legs to a very flexible tree. In an attempt to get free, the elephant will start to pull on that chain. He will pull and pull with all of his might, then he’ll pull some more. As he yanks that chain, it becomes tighter and tighter around his ankle, cutting into his skin and making his leg very sore. As the soreness around his leg gets worse, he will still pull, but with less force. Then a little less. Then less. After a while, the elephant finally stops pulling. He has learned that he cannot break the chain, and he accepts his defeat. Once that day finally comes, the elephant is ready to be put to work. He can now be used by his masters to harvest teak trees. His handler can lead him around with a simple rope, and he will follow and obey. He will not try to run away. Why? Because the chain is still around his leg. It’s not attached to anything on the other side. But the elephant still believes that escape is not possible, so he will not even try. He’s actually free. He could walk away at any time. But he believes he is a captive, and that’s what keeps him held captive. This is exactly what happens to many Christians. When we become born again, the chain is broken. But the enemy comes along and says, “You’re still captive. You’re still mine. I’ve got you. You have no power to escape.” We look down at the chain around our ankle and say, “Yep, sure enough, he’s right. I’m still a prisoner. If I try to fight, it will only end in defeat.” The enemy will attempt to blind our eyes to what we possess. He wants to keep our identity in the dark. He wants to darken and blur the truth about our identity as it is revealed in God’s Word. If he is successful, he’ll have us groping around blindly, in the dark, saying, “I guess I don’t have it.” Don’t let him do that to you, friend. I need you to dig down deep right now and get determined. Decide that you aren’t going to let him do that to you or anyone else from this point forward. Determine that you are going to walk in the fullness of who you are in Christ. Determine that you are going to finish this book all the way to the end. Determine that you are going to fully grasp the truth of God’s Word that is outlined in this book. Go all in. Identity Determines Authority The word “power” in the New Testament has been translated from a couple of different Greek words. Exousia speaks of power in the sense of authority that a given person possesses. If I said the President of the United States had a lot of power, I’d be talking about exousia. The other Greek word is dunamis. Dunamis speaks of power in the sense of dynamic energy. It’s the same root word we use to get the English word “dynamite.” The President of the United States also has dunamis power, at least at his disposal. His exousia power gives him the authority to command and wield physical dunamis power like human muscle, military equipment, and military weapons. Just like the President, God possesses both types of power. He has armies of angels at his disposal, and He also has the ability to physically subdue, harm, or destroy His enemies all on His own if He chooses. What He has given us to use for operating in the spirit realm, at least primarily, is exousia power. When a child of God who understands their God-given authority speaks in faith, spiritual beings and spiritual realities will conform to the authoritative command. Then the physical reality will reflect what has taken place in the spirit realm. This happens without any physical exertion from the speaker. The child of God does not have to use physical force, at least not personally. Angels may or may not play a role in carrying out the command. The child of God doesn’t need to be privy to the details of how his or her command is carried out. A military general doesn’t necessarily have to know the details of how his orders will be carried out when he gives them. He can simply say “bomb that enemy” or “take out that airstrip” or “destroy every road and bridge leading into that enemy stronghold” and someone else will carry out the command. Everything in creation has been programmed to obey God’s authority. Yes, God gives free will. He commands certain things and people can choose to obey or not obey. Fallen angels and demons have chosen to generally live in rebellion against God. They don’t obey the general commands He has given all of us for how to live. But when there is a specific command of authority, they don’t have a choice. They must obey. When it comes to the enemy, you can think of him like a captured criminal. If a violent criminal is left alone to run free, he will live in disobedience and rebellion, wreaking havoc in people’s lives. But when the FBI finds him and raids his house, he is bound and thrown into prison. He is subdued and forced into compliance. Even though he doesn’t want to, he will now do what he is told. He has no other choice. You are not the military soldier or the FBI agent in these scenarios. You are the director of the FBI! You are the President. You are the king and the priest. All you have to do is recognize your authority and issue the command. The armies of God are at your disposal. They are waiting for you to give orders. Why Our Identity Matters So Much God’s will has not yet been fully accomplished in this world. Once everything has been restored and we’re living in what the Bible calls “the new Heaven and the new earth,” everyone will be living in perfect harmony with God’s will. But for now, there is still rebellion everywhere. The effects of that rebellion are still with us, and the enemy’s armies are still generally on the loose. They are running free and wreaking havoc in people’s lives. That’s why God has commissioned us to heal the sick, cast out demons, work miracles, and preach His Word. His power is in the hands of His children. As His children, it’s our responsibility to partner with Him and do the work of His kingdom. He has given us fairly broad leeway in regard to how we exercise our authority. God wants us to use our judgment in any situation we encounter to accomplish His will. We are not perfect, but the good news is that we don’t have to be. We are very imperfect vessels in this life, but God uses us anyway! When I was first saved, I mainly read the King James Version. In the KJV, 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 says, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Back then, I interpreted that verse to mean that we are allowed to look into the realm of the spirit as if we are looking through a dark and hazy pane of glass. I thought it meant that we couldn’t fully see things right now the way we will one day when we’re in Heaven. But that is actually not what this verse is about. The Greek word translated as “glass” is esoptron. Esoptron actually refers to a mirror, not just a regular piece of glass. This brings quite a different meaning from the one I had originally understood. The verse is actually saying that we look into a mirror under dim lighting conditions. We’re looking into a mirror and what we see is not fully illuminated. The image is a little dark. The verse is not talking about the spirit realm at all. What does a mirror show us? It shows us ourselves! We also know that the Bible likens itself to a mirror. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. — James 1:23-24 NIV The Word of God is a mirror. It’s God’s mirror. This verse from James uses the same Greek word, esoptron, as the verse from 1 Corinthians. So what is the verse from 1 Corinthians talking about? It’s talking about seeing yourself the way you actually are. God’s mirror gives you the most accurate reflection of who you really are. It tells you how God really sees you, and His vision isn’t distorted! He is the One who can see clearly. It’s what He says about you that’s true. So when you look into what God’s Word says about you, you will see who you really are. The passage in James also encourages us to be doers of the Word. It teaches that anyone who doesn’t do what the Word says is not using the mirror very effectively. So how can we best use the mirror of God’s Word? Make sure we follow a lot of rules? No pants in church for the ladies? No hats inside, and no swear words? Some people mistakenly believe that this Scripture in James is telling us to use the Word of God as some kind of inspection device. Instead of “mirror” they somehow read, “magnifying glass” and believe that the primary purpose of God’s Word is to get us looking at all of our flaws. Seeing all the ways we don’t measure up, so that we can work harder at avoiding all the things that are wrong. God’s rules are good and necessary, but they do not get to the heart of the matter. Likewise, focusing on our flaws is not the goal. Once we clearly see our sin, repent, and ask forgiveness, God doesn’t want us to go around thinking about it anymore. He forgets it completely. If you look at the preaching and teaching of Jesus, you’ll see that He does not recommend focusing on our own flaws in some unachievable pursuit of moral perfection. So how do we become doers of the Word? The best way to be a doer of the Word is to advance God’s kingdom just like Jesus did. By going out among the lost to tell them the good news and do good works. Meet their needs and introduce them to a Father that loves them. Liberate all who are oppressed by the devil. This is what Jesus encourages His followers to do. In order to do that, we must deeply and fully understand who we are in Christ. The person who does not live according to their identity in Christ is not being diligent to live according to the Word. They look at the Word and get a glimpse of who they really are according to God, but then they do not go out and live according to what it says about them. They lose their true identity and they become vulnerable to taking on a false identity imposed on them by the world, the devil, or even their own carnal mind. Don’t be a person who forgets what they see in the Word of God! Remember what it says about you. God’s Word Is Trustworthy A mirror does not create the image we see when we look into it. The mirror simply reflects what’s actually there. In other words, the mirror does not lie. It does not exaggerate. The mirror just tells it like it is by reflecting light. Did you know that a mirror can reflect a beam of sunlight to a distance of up to five miles? But have you ever tried to reflect a beam of darkness? Darkness cannot be reflected. Truthfully, there is no such thing as a beam of darkness because darkness doesn’t exist, at least not on its own. It has no physical properties. It cannot be measured. It cannot be channeled or corralled or used for any purpose. Darkness is just the absence of light. It’s the absence of power. And what does the Bible call Satan? The Bible calls him “the prince of darkness.” We could say that the Bible calls him “the prince of the absence of power.” Or the “prince of the absence of light.” And that would accurately communicate two things about him. He has no real power. The only “power” he has is delegated power. God has the real power. The other thing it communicates is that Satan is working constantly to try to keep humankind in the dark—meaning he is trying to keep us away from the light of God’s Word! He knows that if he can keep us from understanding and fully receiving what the Bible says about us, he can keep an upper hand. But he also fears you fully understanding what the Bible says about you. He knows that if you learn the truth of what God’s Word says about who you are, he will be no match for you. When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” — Luke 10:17 NLT The devil knows that when you walk in the spiritual realm with the full knowledge of who you are in Christ, his knee must bow. When you speak with kingdom authority, he’s done. The enemy has nothing to stand against kingdom authority—no weapon, no power, no defense. Demons will actually fear you. Isn’t that interesting? Most people think of demons as something to be afraid of, but the Bible teaches that the enemy will be afraid of us! What God’s Word says about you is what’s true. The mirror does not lie. The New Creation The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” The old life is not hanging around, gradually getting lesser and lesser. It’s completely gone! You were a sinner, but now you’re a saint. You were a slave, but now you’re a king. God has given a new script for your life—the Word of God—and He wants us to fully understand our new role. He desires for us to think and act according to what we actually are. Unfortunately, too many Christians think that they are still basically the same person they were before. They think that they are supposed to live better now, but they fail to grasp that their very essence has fundamentally changed. The old role has been written out of the play, but of course the enemy keeps trying to get us to play according to that old role. Sinner. Defeated. Conquered. Slave. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. — Ephesians 4:20-24 NIV It’s so easy to forget that you are a new creation. The devil wants us to believe that we are still the same “old man.” He tries to make that into an identity that we will never escape. Don’t believe him. He’s a liar. Believe what God’s Word says about you. Agree with what He says. He says you are a king. A priest. Not just a conqueror, but more than a conqueror. He says that you are a saint. His child. His son. His daughter. A full heir with all rights and privileges. If you live like that isn’t true, you are disagreeing with God. Some Christians make the mistake of thinking this is an issue of humility. Humility is considering other people more important than yourself. Humility is not agreeing with what the enemy says about you. In fact, if you disagree with what God says about you, that could be considered the height of pride. Who are you to disagree with what He says? Our God loves us and He shares His magnificent power and nature with us. The level and nature of His love for us is beyond our wildest imaginations. It’s beyond anything we can conceive of. God says that you are an amazing creation—His masterpiece. You are His beloved son or daughter. You’re not just some random stranger that came in off the street and is wandering around in His house. You’re part of the family. You have God’s spiritual DNA running through your veins. You have His power in you, and He has called you to use it for His kingdom. That’s who you are. The Bible says it, so you must believe it. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. — Mark 16:15-20 NKJV