Mark 16:17-18 ‘And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them’.

DAILY READING – 2 Corinthians 4:1-5:10; 2 Kings 17; Micah 6

William Burton was a pioneer Pentecostal missionary to the Congo, whom God used to do great exploits. He set sail for Africa in 1914, and was later joined by Jimmy Salter (who later married Smith Wigglesworth’s daughter). Their work was called the Congo Evangelistic Mission. However, in the village where they ministered, the native witch-doctor and sorcerer fraternity were relentless enemies of their evangelistic work. To get rid of the missionaries, these evil men plotted against them. Being experts in the use of tree barks deadly roots and fruits to prepare poison, they repeatedly tried to poison these missionaries.

One day the missionaries were enjoying a delicious plate of palm-nuts that had been brought to them as a present. They had almost finished eating when a young man ran to them and whispered to William, ‘White man, on no account must you eat those palm-nuts, they are poisoned’. But the warning came too late, they had already eaten the nuts. Understanding the power in God’s word, the missionaries knelt and committed themselves to God, claiming the promise of Mark 16:17-18 which said ‘if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them”.

Afterwards they felt absolutely no ill effects from the palm-nuts. Some years later William became very friendly with a converted ex-medicine-man and spirit-consultant. To William’s surprise, one day this man confessed to him that he was the one who had sent them the poisoned palm-nuts, but the poison which killed other people had no effect on them. He further told William of all the efforts made by all the witch-doctors to poison him, but eventually they found that their poisons didn’t work on the missionaries.

Mark 16:17-18 says ‘And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them’.

Indeed signs follow us when we believe God’s word. Through faith in the Word what consumes others cannot consume us. However it takes depth of understanding for us to experience the supernatural power of God’s word in our lives. Through their understanding of scriptures, these missionaries developed divine immunity to poison and could not be easily killed.

Indeed through redemption, our case has become different. As a result of our new positioning in Christ, we now possess the mind of Christ. This means we are to exhibit a superior and supernatural mentality in our approach to the issues of life. Proverbs 23:7 says ‘For as he thinketh in his heart’

We have to think in line with God’s Word. And according to God’s Word, we are more than conquerors in every battle of life. We have been given power over serpents and scorpions and over every power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt us. No weapon formed against us shall ever prosper.

But it is unto every man according to his faith. What you believe is what you will receive in life. Despite what is happening in the world today, if you dare to believe that no disease can ever have access to your body, so shall it be for you. It may be killing others, but if you will lay hold upon Gods Word and declare that your case is different so shall it be for you. God has already promised in Psalm 91, that ‘a thousand shall fall by thy side and ten thousand by thy right hand but it shall not come near thee’.

When you sincerely lay claim upon this word, it will certainly become your reality. Therefore instead of daily monitoring the statistics and how many people are dying from the virus ravaging the world, rather spend that time to mediate upon God’s Word and let faith be built up in your heart. Your faith is what will make the difference for you. Our deliverance is indeed a function of what we believe. And the extent of what we can believe will be as a result of our depth in God’s Word.

We are now living in an era where every child of God will have to continually manifest the supernatural in order to survive. The last days on earth are evil, climatic and perilous. And only the spiritually strong can thrive. We must therefore  build up our spiritual depth in Christ. Commitment to our Spiritual growth and development is a non-negotiable price at this time. It is not about how long we have been born again but the depth of our knowledge in the Word of God. Maturity is not a function of age but of depth. Our minds must be continually renewed through God’s word; for us to live in victory. Indeed it is the entrance of God’s Word that gives light and that light shines in darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to continually renew my mind through In-depth study of Your Word.  Through faith in Your word, I know indeed my case is different and I have overcome evil of these endtimes in  Jesus Name.

QUOTE

When we fight by God’s help we are sure of victory.    WORDBITE 222.