REIGNING and RESURRECTION
by Revivalist Todd Bentley
PART 1 of 2 

It's true! We don't need resurrection power in heaven; no one is going to be raised from the dead in heaven! But we certainly need the anointing to flow out of our lives here on earth. I mean the anointing that gives life-it's essential if we're going to partner with God to overthrow the powers of darkness-because both death and destruction stalk the earth continually. That anointing will empower us to walk full-out in our authority-reigning-being determined believers who advance God's kingdom in the earth, just like it is in heaven. The stakes are high, but resurrection power will make the difference!

Now, you might be wondering how "resurrection power" and "reigning" work together and how both can be activated in your life. To answer that, we'll examine several essential elements in this teaching series, real keys for reigning and walking in resurrection power. So here we go!

THE NEW BIRTH OPENS GOD'S KINGDOM!

First of all, let's acknowledge together that God is a God of order. Just try and imagine what the world would be like if He wasn't! He is orderly, and it's by His design that our first nature is spirit. Yes we have a body but the spirit comes first. He created us that way.

Now, think for a few moments about your first nature, spirit, in the context of your born again experience. Your new birth was momentous! Because everything about you today, in Christ, hinges on that experience! That's when your spirit came to life-alive in Christ (1 Pet. 3:18). You are no longer a natural being that has a spirit; you're a spiritual being that has a body! You're a brand new creation in Christ who lives, for a time, on the earth; one who is learning to live in your true nature, in Christ Jesus, which is spirit (2 Cor. 5:17).

The fact is, (for all true believers), the moment we're born again an earth-shaking shift takes place. We are transported from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son! As well, we come into the right position for receiving God's great benefits, which include the necessary keys for activating our spiritual senses. So, you can see that the new birth opens up God's kingdom. However, if you don't have the new birth, then you certainly won't be seeing or entering His kingdom!-(John 3:3, 5).

Yes, we have a body but we're spiritual beings first, and though we're here on earth, our citizenship is actually in heaven (Phil. 3:20). I'm a citizen of heaven first, and I'm a Canadian citizen. Keeping that revelation in mind, did you know that you and I don't have to wait to die and go to heaven for heaven to be a reality in our lives? I say that because God's word says that "the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15)-it's a "now" word-and "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). It's "Christ in you, the hope of glory," NOW (Col. 1:27).

LIVE IN CHRIST, DIE TO SELF & EXPERIENCE YOUR RESURRECTION!

Ironically, soon after the new birth, a death experience comes along-death to self, death to our carnal nature-that "old man!" But we can thank God for the resurrection that follows! One way to illustrate this whole paradox is by sharing about my water baptism. I was told, "Todd, something is going to happen when you go down in that water; you're going to come up a new man!" It was true. At the convergence of two acts something happened. Here's how:

First, when I went under the water, I purposefully identified with Christ when He died and was placed into a tomb; symbolically I was dying to self. In other words, when you're baptized-you identify with the truth, and that truth is that you have died-your old nature; its sins and passions-you've died. Believe it!-"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom 6:3, emphasis mine). It's done!

Second, when I came up out of the water, just as Christ was resurrected, so was I! Resurrection into newness of life!-"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (v. 4, emphasis mine)." Done! A spiritual impartation happened; it was activated by the power of what was taking place in the spirit by that prophetic act.

Although we tend to put resurrection in the future, it isn't just a future event! And when that revelation hit me I started developing a resurrection mindset, thinking: My spirit has been raised from the dead. I know what it's like, that same "glory" that raised Christ from the dead. That same glory is what's touched my spirit and made me alive! I've already experienced the very same resurrection power that raised Jesus up from the tomb; it not only has touched me, it's working inside of me! It's the anointing, the Holy Spirit that dwells in me! That revelation was like being gloriously born again, again!


SO WHAT DOES RESURRECTION LOOK LIKE?

I'm talking about the likeness of His resurrection and the idea that as we walk in "newness of life" we walk in victory. You can't tell me that there is resurrection power and ruling operating in your life if you're being defeated in your own spirit. That resurrection power is yours if you'll use it! At your disposal is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4), which is the Spirit of resurrection, and only He can make death die; only the Holy Spirit can help us to overcome what the flesh wants. He responds when we seek holiness and demonstrate reverential fear of the Lord.

Actually, the Spirit of holiness is seven things. The Holy Spirit: corrects, counsels, strengthens, helps, intercedes, is our defense attorney and the comforter called alongside. It's the Holy Spirit residing within us, and the effective working of His power working within us, that makes us holy, that sanctifies us, and makes us righteous. Two keys are: His grace and our obedience. We can't say that we're holy without obedience. In fact, we can only manifest God's kingdom to the extent we're willing to sacrifice, surrender and be obedient. The greater the obedience and total surrender, the greater the manifestation of power, and the model is Jesus.

With resurrection power, our old self becomes so dead that we become dead to the things that the flesh wants. It's newness of life, which means: overcoming sickness, disease and poverty; reigning in resurrection; raising the dead. What a rich inheritance! And it's ours today! Not just when we get to heaven.

FIRST INTIMACY, THEN INHERITANCE ON EARTH & IN HEAVEN

Just look at what the Apostle Paul said in his prayer to the Ephesian church about our inheritance: "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11). He goes on to describe three aspects in our inheritance: that we may know one, what is the hope of His calling; two, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; and three, what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (vv. 1:17-20, emphasis mine).

So, I'm not just focused on who I am in Christ, I'm focused on discovering who Christ is in me. In that discovery, I'm being drawn into a deep friendship with God in the secret place. That's where I'm finding out more and more about the scope of my inheritance-for instance, reigning and resurrection power, and more. Conversely, if I was continually ignoring the Holy Spirit, even though I am born again and God's word says I can enter the kingdom of God, I would not be in the right position to receive all of my inheritance.

Think about this. We can enter the kingdom of God, yes, but not everyone that enters the kingdom of God inherits the kingdom of God! The key to inheritance is intimacy and revelation and through this I know that, spiritually, I've been made a "king". This is my spiritual status, to reign on this earth-and so I'm beginning to reign today! But, of course, without intimacy with God, I won't have the reigning and resurrection power!

What's more, what we gain as we advance and grow here, we take with us into eternity. Don't miss this. The degree to which we faithfully act on the revelation God gives us, is the degree of responsibility that we will have in eternity. There are degrees; and this will affect our "brightness" in heaven. Every "star" differs in glory. We're mistaken if we think that if we all ended up in heaven right now, we'd be equals; that somehow once we enter the pearly gates everything that I see, you see; and everything that becomes my experience, becomes your experience. Or that whatever we've done here doesn't count.

I, for one, want to get to know God; I want to rule and reign in the universe and hang out with the angels. "God, can you create another planet with souls on it that need to be saved and send me there?" I want to talk about different things with Michael (archangel) and Gabriel (angel). "Come on Abraham! We've got to have a conversation about . . ." Heaven would be pretty boring if we just kind of showed up and said, "Here I am! Done!"

CLOSING

Reigning and resurrection certainly goes hand in hand with understanding the scope of our inheritance in Christ in the light of both the here and now, and eternity. Not only do we reign in eternity, we are meant to reign here on earth now. Resurrection is about reigning in life, having dominion, taking authority, advancing the kingdom, and destroying the works of the devil NOW!

by Todd Bentley