Keys to Living the Abundant Life

Living in Dominion Mode

If you are to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus came to give you (John 10:10), you must learn to live in “dominion” mode. The starting point on the subject of “dominion” is actually in the first chapter of the book of Genesis where the Bible says that God created man for dominion (supremacy). In creating humankind and in delegating the oversight and administration of the earth’s governance to us, God made a calculated decision. It involved a risk only His love could be willing to make - a risk that the freedom of choice (in the exercise of this delegated dominion) could possibly violate His own plans and purposes. Nonetheless, He went ahead! Yet we minimise the awesome responsibility that’s been entrusted to us because we fail to understand this foundational biblical principle. That is, God created us to rule and reign “in this life.”

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NKJV)

On the basis of the Word of God, we as believers have been given a realm of great authority in Jesus Christ. This delegated authority is grounded in the original creative order God established for man, and God (in His wisdom) intended it to be a re-established and reinstated order through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, true dominion has to do with the privilege of the believer to resist those things that intrude upon or disrupt God’s proper and ordained purposes for man. What He intended and ordained are so often intruded upon by the rule of modern society and the rule of fallen flesh. But it’s our own fault because Jesus has overcome the world!

Included in this dilemma are the realm of man’s relationships, the realm of human well being (which includes our emotional, physical and mental health), and the realm of such practical details as our finances and possessions. In fact your dominion extends to every area that you operate in. There is no area of life that it doesn’t touch. And when we approach the issue of intercession, the concept of dominion broadens out to include spiritual warfare against the principalities and powers that seek to dominate in order to steal, to kill and to destroy. Our dominion in Christ is given to be exercised in intercession that such powers (that are counter to our “dominion”) are broken.

Ephesians 1:19-21 says Gods immeasurable and unlimited power is in us (because Christ is in us) and when God raised Christ from the dead He raised Him to sit at His own right hand and placed Him above all rule, principalities, powers, might, dominions and authorities. Hebrews 2:8 says the dominion and lordship of this earth and all its fullness is given back to Christ and Christ in turn passed that lordship on to us. The Amplified Bible translates Hebrews 2:8 in this way, “For You have put everything in subjection under his feet, Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside of man's control...” God said, “nothing in this earth is outside of our control.” If that is not dominion, authority and power over all the works of the devil - I don't know what is! God left nothing outside of your control. Many of you have probably not stood up and stopped distressing things from happening in your lives because you have not understood your full rights, authority and dominion ‘in this earth’.

You have limited the “immeasurable” and “unlimited” power of God. You may ask, “How can I limit something that has no measure or limit?” But that is exactly what you’ve done by not walking in your authority as a child of God, and by not taking dominion over what already belongs to you. The word says that people are destroyed because of their lack of knowledge. It goes on to say (in Hosea 4:6) that such people are destroyed simply because they “reject” knowledge. Many Christians lack knowledge and they lack it because they reject it. You do not walk in dominion and authority because you have “rejected” what the word of God says about you having dominion and authority. You have rejected the truth of God’s word concerning this powerful truth. The time has come for the body of Christ to rise up and lay claim to what belongs to us as children of the King of Kings. It is time for us to realise who we are in Christ and to take control over what already belongs to us through Christ. We need to understand once and for all that Satan is “a power dethroned” and that ‘in’ and ‘through’ Christ nothing is outside of our sphere of dominion.

God’s vision was that man would have dominion over all of Gods creation; however, since the fall of the first Adam we have been fighting to get back what Adam forfeited to the enemy. Now, through the power of Christ we can have that dominion back. We don’t have to settle for things ruling over us, because we have the power and authority of Christ to reign “in this life” once again. Romans 5:17 says, “For if by the offence of the one (Adam) death reigned by the one, how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace, and of the free gift of righteousness, reign in life by the one Jesus Christ.”

We need to fully understand our authority, believe it, and then exercise it. Do you know, the only One greater in authority is God Himself. Psalm 8:5,6 “You made them only a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority.” The Hebrew word for “angels” in verse 5 is ‘Elohim’, which is the name for God the Creator. God made man a little lower than Himself. In fact, the New American Standard version translates it this way. “Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty!” God crowned His creation (man), like a King of the earth. God didn't send an angel to do it. He Himself crowned this wonderful creation. And what did God make the crown of - gold? Wrong! To crown this new and awesome creature He used glory and honour - or majesty. The ‘glory’ this man was crowned with is the Hebrew word ‘kabob’, which means: glory, honour, abundance, riches, splendour, and dignity. This is what God Himself thought of His creation! And is referring to you and me. Unbelievable!

I am convinced that we, the body of Christ, must come to the understanding that we are a ‘majestic’ people - crowned with glory and honour - with a kingdom mandate to mould the power and authority of Christ into every aspect of our lives. This power is not limited to our worship experience, but such divine authority is to be exerted into our everyday living. I’m convinced that the power of God has not only saved us from our sins, but this awesome power gives us the ability to run corporations, become entrepreneurs, be model citizens, to rule over our fears - as well as be delivered from perverse living (caused by the addictions and bad practices that keep us from walking in true confidence and liberty).

This is a time for the body of Christ to wake up and stop neglecting the opportunities God has laid before us. We have to stop hindering the power of God in our lives and live a life of dominion. This is not a season to make excuses for why we are not ruling, but to get back in our rightful positions as sons and daughters of the Most High. Therefore, I pray - let every one of you receive the purpose and intention of God for you to have dominion in life. Don’t just sit there, rise up and take your rightful position in Christ and make this year (2010) a season of absolute dominion. When you accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour, as Ruler, as Master, as King - He took the boundaries off - He freed you from your own limitations. Now, all things are possible! God has given you complete liberty to reign in Him; so step into your new season right now and let’s rule and reign together. Amen!

Here are some dominion scriptures to meditate on:

Ephesians 1:19-21 “And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.”

Hebrews 2:8 “For You have put everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man's] control. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to him [man].”

Chris Demetriou, 24/01/2010