The Power Of Appropriation: Part I

"Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." Numbers 13:30

    The word appropriate in the Webster's dictionary means to take possession of by justification, or to take by force! The problem we have as the body of Christ is we don't take this to heart when believing God for healing, deliverance, finances or any other thing we are asking Him for. It is like every time we pray we are starting from scratch, hoping He will give us a favorable answer!

    This is why we don't see much answered prayer, because we are not appropriating that which has already been done! In other words, if you are a born again believer, your sins have all been forgiven and washed away by the blood shed on the cross,  generational curses were broken, diseases were healed, prosperity was provided and you are seated with Him in heavenly places. The Greek word Sozo means to save, where we get our English word for salvation and it is defined as safety, cured, preserved and recovered. Jesus bled in seven places giving us a complete deliverance from sin, sickness, generational curses and gave us all authority over the powers of darkness and power of attorney to act in His stead by the use of His name!

    We are children of the Most High God, we are not orphans, nor beggars and we have been given rights to operate in the supernatural kingdom of our Father. This divine inheritance has already been appropriated for us to use as born again, Spirit filled believers in Christ. We have been purchased with the very blood of the Son of the living God and set apart for good works in His kingdom here on earth!

    But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come (now) He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

POSSESSING THE LAND

    And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel, from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone a leader among them."   Numbers 13:1,2

    God was giving a land flowing with milk and honey to the children of Israel who had been wandering in the desert wastes, whom He had delivered from Egypt by mighty signs and wonders. The land of Canaan was appropriated for them but they had to go in and possess that which was already given.

    Moses was instructed to send spies into the land and bring back a report of what they saw and to see the fruitfulness of God's gift to them. The spies returned with a bounty of fruit but gave a bad report to the people about the enemies of Israel and the giants that resided there. The people therefore lifted up their voices and cried out to the Lord and complained against Moses and the anger of the Lord was aroused against them. Keep in mind, this is an example for us to follow when believing God for something that He has already given us. The land of Canaan was a gift, all they had to do was take it, God would have fought the enemy for them and they would have appropriated that which God had set aside for them!

    Are you getting the picture? God wants us to appropriate what He has already done for us through the death of His Son! The children of Israel were given that same thing, but rejected it because of a bad report that scared them to death and they lost the gift, not being allowed to enter what was already theirs for the taking! We too can lose the benefits of the kingdom that God has made available to us who believe, by succumbing to fear, doubt and unbelief.

    Now all these things happened to them as examples, and were written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the ages (now) have come. I Corinthians 10:11

RECEIVING YOUR INHERITANCE

    To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

    As believers in Christ we have received an inheritance from the Father, but like the world we can refuse to receive it as most have done in ignorance. If your great uncle died and left you a million dollars and his lawyer called and said, "Come down to my office and sign the papers and the money is yours!" But what if you decide this is just too good to be true and so you don't go and lose the benefit of your inheritance.

    Sounds ridiculous doesn't it, but millions of Christians have chosen not to believe and appropriate that which has been given to them, everything that pertains to life and godliness and all the promises of the word of God! All for the taking, by faith! The promises of God are given to us as His children to act upon and receive by faith, just like the promised land was set aside for the children of Israel, but they chose not to accept His offer because of fear and so they were not allowed to go into their possession, choosing to remain in the wilderness where they died in unbelief.

    Within this study I will attempt to teach this very important act of appropriating by faith the gifts, promises and the divine inheritance given to all who will step out by faith and possess what God has given us. The devil will fight you on this and tell you about all the giants in the land, the bad reports and bad news to get you to fear and turn away in unbelief, but I encourage you to press on and take possession of what is already yours!

    Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. II Peter 1:2-4

Your servant in Christ, Timothy Laughlin
   Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ