“Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground” (Gen. 1:6 NLT).
In the beginning, God created man and gave him power to have pre-eminence or dominion over the entire earth and all other creatures. Creation is the will of God, while Redemption is a rescue mission. That is why in creation, God commanded even the leaves to bring healing to man. Mankind was never designed for pain and hardship. They were created to rule and reign as care takers of the world. The leaves of trees have been given the power to bring healing and health to us, thus divine health was wired or factored into the existence of mankind.
I think it should be good to once again reiterate that God only ever lost the soul of man here on earth. Silver and gold weren’t Gods primary reason for sending His only begotten Son into the world. He was sent here to rescue us from our fallen state and to bring us back into God the Father’s presence where He would fulfill our dominion mandate.
The very day that mankind lost dominion or pre-eminence over all other creatures, pain and hardship immediately followed. That is why we struggle with pain. Pain was neither in the creation package, nor in the redemption package for human beings. That is not what we were created for. We were created to take charge – NOT to be on the receiving end of an out-of-control world. Therefore, in creation, dominion was given. In redemption, dominion is taken. Isn’t it high time to rise-up as the redeemed of God and take back our dominion?
Taking back pre-eminence or dominion is not an easy thing to do. Even after redemption, we have to labour in the word of God to take it back. No one will serve it to us. We must stop waiting. Life is not going to be fair. We reap what we sow.
There are five keys that aid our understanding concerning the regaining of our rightful dominion: The force of Grace, The force of Faith, The force of Righteousness, The force of Eternal Life, and Understanding the “New Creation” Realities…
#1: The Force of Grace:
Mankind cannot reign and exercise pre-eminence/dominion without grace. Grace is all of God, offered to us to do all we have been called to do on earth. “For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do” (Eph. 2:8-10 GNT).
#2: The Force of Faith:
Faith is the key to access all of God’s grace. It’s the only force, when exercised, that will get God’s attention and gain His support. None of us can please God without first exercising faith in Him. I have found this from my own personal walk with God. According to the gospels, every time Jesus sees faith in a person, He stops to attend to their needs. A typical example was the blind man, Bartimaeus, who cried out, pleading for mercy as Jesus walked by. Seeing Bartimaeus’ faith, Jesus had compassion on him and healed him… “Yes, said Jesus… Everything is possible for the person who has faith” (Mk. 9:23 GNT)
(Continued in “Taking Back Our Dominion – Part II”)
Shalom!
Pastor Sam Elijah
Dancing on Water 