Mark 16:15-18 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.

 

Prior to His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus spoke to His followers and gave them instructions as to how they were to proceed after He was gone to be with the Father. They had been with Him throughout His Ministry. For more than three years they listened to Him teach and they watched as He cast demons out of people and laid His Hand on the sick.

 

Every person Jesus touched was healed and/or delivered and the Power that He had, we have today. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19) Jesus spoke these Words in a spiritual sense. He knew that He would soon be going to the Cross where He would defeat the power of the enemy in the lives of all who would choose to believe in Him.

 

Jesus did just that. He suffered horribly and died on the cruel Cross of Calvary so we can be set free from the bondage of sin in our lives. He took 39 lashes on His back which left deep scars. The Word of God refers to these scars as stripes which are for our physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Everything that harms us or hurts us was defeated on the Cross of Calvary. When Jesus gave up His Spirit and said “It is finished.” it was finished; the war was over.

 

The battle had been won. Jesus paid the price that God required for all the sins in the world. The penalty was death and Jesus paid for it all with His Life. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23a) Yes, we all deserve to die and spend eternity in Hell because of the sin in our lives but because of the Love of God and the Finished Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, our sin debt has been paid in full! But the Gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23b)

 

If you believe that, you are Saved and Justified. Now, there is work to be done. The world is full of lost and dying people who need to know that Jesus died for them too. They are headed straight for Hell. They are brokenhearted and bruised by this evil world. They are sick and suffer from diseases. They are bound by demonic spirits and are barely surviving.

 

These people need Jesus! They need to know that they have a Savior Who gave His Life for them. They need to know that there is Hope for them. When Jesus walked this earth, He went about healing all that were sick and demon-possessed. This is our job now. This is what Jesus told us to do just prior to His Ascension into Heaven. He said, 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. (Mark 16:15-18)

 

Jesus was not telling us to play with snakes and purposely drink poison. What He was saying is that He has given us the authority over all power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) We are to do exactly what He did when He walked this earth as a man and as we do these things, the Kingdom of God will grow in size and strength.

 

That is the Great Commission and every born-again believer is called to obey it. If you love Me, you will keep my Commandments. (John 14:15)

 

 

Obedience to the Word of God will…..…….turn the tide……..in your life.

 

Living for Jesus,         Doreen

 

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