Three "T's" to Triumph

This last Saturday, the Lord gave me a Word picture that has helped me overcome.  Each of us have a picture of the three crosses on Calvary in our minds.  I saw the silhouette of the hill and the three crosses on top of the hill.  Those three crosses help me remember the three "T's" of Triumph.

Because of what Christ has done on Calvary - the complete, finished total work, we can
Tread on serpents
Trample on scorpions
Take up serpents

The first two "T's" are from Luke 10:19 where our Savior reminds us He has gives us power and authority to tread on and trample serpents and scorpions and NOTHING shall by any means harm us.  Every time you take a thought captive to Christ's obedience, you are trampling on scorpions - those unclean thoughts from the kingdom of darkness are like scorpions.  When you bring the thoughts captive to Christ, you are NOT being taken captive.

Every time you choose to believe Christ and His report rather than your enemy's recommendation on how to handle the situations of life, you triumph AND you are treading on serpents.  The promise to Joshua, "everywhere your foot treads, I will give you that land" is also a promise to you.  Every time you tread on a serpent, you get to have that land.  Whether it's peace, prospering of your soul, financial provision, relationship unity or any other provision from God, you get to have it and enjoy it when you don't cooperate with your enemy - you overcome him instead.

The third "T" comes from Mark 16:17, "These signs shall follow them that have believed in MY NAME."  They will:
-cast out demons (you are doing this everyday when you are praying for other humans, meditating on the Word, speaking life - all of these are powers against demons and that kingdom of darkness)

-speak with new tongues (praying in tongues, Praying in the Spirit is how you "hear" the voice of Christ telling you what to do, telling you of His love, telling you how to overcome even if you don't understand the words.  Praying in tongues bypasses your own understanding so you won't lean on your own understanding, but wholly depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Let Him do the majority of the talking by praying in the Spirit during prayer as opposed to you monopolizing the time. You will be amazed at the understanding and wisdom that will come to you from this very important practice of praying in tongues.)

-take up serpents (The Greek word "airo" that we translate "take up" means to remove, to take up, to cast away.  See further explanation below)

-no harm from drinking any deadly thing (when my son was very young, he managed to get a bottle of Triaminic that had been left in the car and drank the entire thing.  While rushing him to the hospital, I kept saying this portion out loud over him.  When we arrived at the ER and the doctors examined him, he had NO SIGN of drinking anything harmful.  Not even dialated eyes or racing heartbeat - no adverse effects at all!)

-lay hands on the sick and they will recover (When you pray the prayer of faith over someone and lay hands on them, know that they will recover.  See them in your mind's eye recovering.  See them whole by the stripes of Christ that purchased healing for them.  These signs "follow" so don't be discouraged if its not immediate.  Recovery often takes time. 

When you see enemy activity (serpent / scorpion activity) against a fellow human remember 1 John 5:16 says, "If you see your brother sinning a sin not unto death, you shall ask (prayer) and God WILL for you give life to the one who is sinning."  Notice; you ask, He gives and the human gets life even while sinning.  That life will get them out of that sin trap.

Also, in Galatians 6:1,"Whoever sees a brother caught in a trespass or sin, you who are spiritual RESTORE such a one."  In this passage, the Greek word restore has the threads of meaning of fresh, daily bread.  The picture here is you have a fresh, full loaf of children's bread (Christ Himself - the bread of Life) and you go to the one who is caught and you take a hunk of your bread and give it to them.  This bread brings them life and strength and power to GET OUT of that sin.

As Christians, we are not judgers of humans, we are restorers.  When we see their sin, we do not judge - we pray FOR (not gossip about).  Our enemy always desires us to judge, criticize, condemn the humans we see sinning, but Christ calls us to a higher way of dealing with the humans which is to love, pray for and do good to them.

Our enemy's tactics will result in us being taken captive along with the one we are judging, but Christ's ways result in freedom for us and the one trapped in sin.  So remember our three "T's" of Triumph are to Tread, Trample and Take up.  Use these Three "T's" to overcome your enemy.

You have been given His power and authority to do so by the complete work of Calvary.