Spiritual Principles and Wonders

If we are to walk with the Spirit in the realm of the miraculous, we will need to know by what principles the Spirit works.  The work of the Spirit is neither haphazard nor unpredictable, but happens along a very consistent set of laws that, if understood, will enable the supernatural power of God to move in the natural world of man. 

The particular principle at work with the Spirit in this case (feeding the 5,000) was being brought to attention when Jesus asked, “How many…?” The answer the disciples gave was “five loaves and two fish”, but Jesus knew another answer to that question.  He knew there were seven pieces of food and he knew that seven represented completion… he had all that he needed because there was a complete amount of food there.  This truth is evident to those who can see the spiritual side of the situation and not just the natural.

He also knew that the moment he broke a piece of bread or fish that there would be a new number of food pieces… eight!  In scripture the number seven is the complete number, that being true then one more than completion is what?  Obviously, it is the number eight, but what does it represent?  Jesus knew.

He knew that on the eight day of a male Hebrew’s life, the child was circumcised and named as even he had been.  Circumcision is the cutting away of the flesh.  When flesh is cut away there is a new beginning.  He knew that the eighth day from creation started a new week… a new beginning.  He knew that there were eight people who got off the ark of Noah… a new beginning.  He knew that there were seven sons of Jesse presented to Samuel as candidates for the throne of Israel and none of them were the new king.  But he knew the eighth was David and that David was a new beginning for Israel.  He knew David was in tune (pardon the pun) with musical theory and that music is based on a seven note scale.  David did not sing this song, but he probably understood the principle… “Doe, a deer, a female deer.  Ray, a golden drop of sun.  Me, a name…  which brings us back to Doe!”  The eighth note is the same as the first… a new beginning.   Jesus knew that a complete set of a complete set was seven sevens… or 49 and the next number was 50.  A jubilee… a new beginning.  He knew that 50 days after the Passover was Pentecost… a new beginning; for on this day the Holy Ghost fell in the upper room and filled all that were in it with power and a new life!  The Spirit worked in this principled way even from the beginning of the Church.

And He knew as soon as he broke a piece of food in two that the new piece was the same as the first and that in faith it would never run out!

Winning a war... Spiritual War

The next progression point in the Psalm is found in the phrase, “Praise Him in the firmament of His power”.  This introduction of power is the occupational phase of the spiritual war.  Warfare is encountered when praise is offered to God.  Not only does the Lord want us to sanctify a place by and for praise He wants, through continued praise, to introduce power into the atmosphere (firmament).  It takes power to establish spiritual territory after it has been gained through battle and conquest.

As Jesus was making preparation for his departure from this world, He commanded his disciples to return to Jerusalem to wait for the promise of the Holy Ghost.  The battle had been fought and the conquest won through His death, burial, and resurrection and now it was time for establishing the newly won spiritual territory.  The appointed city was Jerusalem and the appointed place was the upper room.  This upper room is the sanctuary Jesus established and would become the sanctuary of praise through which the Holy Ghost made its entrance.  With the Holy Ghost came power in a dimension not known until the day of Pentecost.  Jesus told his disciples that they “… shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” (Acts 1:4) This is the Spirit in which we are instructed to walk, and praise gives us a means of joining ourselves to its movement.  As revealed in the Psalm, by praise we move through spiritual phases that defeat satanic forces and establish Godly ones.

Using the illustration of military conquest it is easy to understand spiritual conquest.  Again the five stages of transition from one kingdom to another (Satan’s to God’s) are delineated in this Psalm and they are; Battle, Conquest, Occupation, Dominion, and Enthronement.  With the introduction of power into the firmament (atmosphere) the occupation phase begins.

This concept of the need of power was clearly seen in the war in Iraq in the spring of 2003.  The battle phase of the war was relatively quick and decisive.  In just twenty-one days the battle was over and the military found itself in the position not of battle, but of conquest as they had won the war and were in control of the geographical space of the enemy’s former territory.  It was quickly understood, however, that conquest was not enough and that there was much more work to do in making the transition from a dictatorship to a democracy.  A phrase that was much used concerning this matter was, “we knew how to win the war, but didn’t know how to win the peace.”   What was needed was a show of power in the newly obtained territory that would allow the same to be occupied. 

The idea of occupation is one that must be grasped lest the conquest and battle phases of the process be to no avail.  It is not just in fighting and winning that the objective is reached, but the process must be continued and an occupational “force” established. 

There have been many battles fought and won to no permanent good because God’s people did not know how to, or were unwilling to, place an occupational force in new territory.  The Korean War was over in 1953, but the presence of the United States is still there.  Power had to be maintained in order to keep the enemy from invading again.  Communism was halted there because our military knew that winning battles was not enough.

As you endeavor to walk in the Spirit you must remember this important fact: Battle and conquest must be followed with the will to occupy.  Conquest is an awesome thing to experience, but you must be prepared to occupy the spiritual territory that you win... occupy with power.  Jesus, by means of the parable of the absent nobleman, told his disciples that they must hold on to what they win, that is “occupy”, until he comes. 

The presence of power in newly won territory ensures the needed phases of dominion and enthronement can follow.  If all five phases are not completed the enemy will eventually retake the spiritual territory that was won.