Seven Unders that Will Put You Over by Tony Cooke
Seven Unders That Will Put You Over
by Rev. Tony Cooke
Introduction
People are continually looking for that special something that will give them an edge in life. They are looking for an advantage, something that will raise them to a higher level of living. People don’t want to be “under the weather,” “under pressure,” or “under the circumstances.” People want to rise above the challenges and the pressures of life and enjoy God’s blessings and the victory he offers His children.
In Deuteronomy 28:1, Moses told God’s people that if they would diligently obey His voice, and observe carefully all of His commandments, that He would set them on high above all nations of the earth. In verse 13, Moses said, “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.”
Following are seven principles from Scripture that all convey some concept of the term “under.” Each of these, when practiced by the believer, will result in that particular Christian “going over the top!”
1. Stay Under the Shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1-4
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Psalm 17:8 8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of your wings…
Psalm 36:7 7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
Thought: In times of trouble, there is no safer place to be than in the perfect will of God. When situations seem threatening, the believer can look to the protection and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Remember that “the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). Look to God! Remember His promises! Trust in Him at all times!
2. Stay Under Grace.
Romans 6:14-15 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Thought: Grace is not Divine permission to do wrong. Rather, it is Divine empowerment to do what is right! The Christian was never intended to be a slave of sin. The law never game man power to overcome sin. It merely defined sin and revealed to man that he was already a sinner. When God’s grace came through Jesus, it not only liberated man from sins that had already been committed, but it empowered the believer to rise victoriously above not only the penalty, but also the power of sin.
3. Keep Satan Under Your Feet.
Romans 16:20
20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Ephesians 1:22-23 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Thought: The believer should never see himself or herself as being under Satan’s power and dominion. The believer is “in Christ.” The believer is a part of the body of Christ. All things, all powers, all principalities have been conquered by Jesus. They are all under Him. Since we are in Christ, we have authority and dominion over all of Satan’s power through Jesus.
4. Keep Your Flesh Under.
1 Corinthians 9:27
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Thought: Your body is not evil. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are to present our bodies “a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God.” Paul calls this our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). However, your body was never meant to rule you. Your body is your servant, not your master. In Galatians 5, we see there are two routes we can take as a Christian… we can yield to fleshly dominance or we can yield to our spiritual nature. God has clearly called us to be spiritual, to be governed by the Word of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit. In doing this, we must often keep our body under and bring it into subjection.
5. Stay Under Authority.
Matthew 8:5-13
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Thought: Some people are very rebellious. They don’t want to be submitted to anyone. Even if they put on an appearance of submitting outwardly they continue to carry inward rebellion. Pride and rebellion cause people to be at odds against all types of authority. Being properly submitted to civic leaders, to employers, and to spiritual leaders does not bring bondage. Rather, it brings blessing into the life of a believer.
6. Stay Under the Blood.
Exodus 12:23
23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Thought: We should never neglect to be thankful for the continual influence of the blood of Jesus Christ. The old song says, “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” Another song reminds us that the blood shall never lose its power! While we should strive to live righteously before God, we should never fail to be thankful for the continual cleansing that is available to us through the power of Jesus’ blood.
7. Stay Under the Mighty Hand of God.
1 Peter 5:6
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Thought: Augustine said, “There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart.” In one sense, Christianity is a paradox. We go up by going down. We go over by going under. One who does not trust in God or acknowledge Him may strive relentlessly to reach the pinnacle of success. However, without God’s help, he will ultimately fall. The man who honors God and acknowledges Him in all things will have God’s help, aid, and assistance. Always remember that God is interested in lifting you up. Maintain a humble attitude in all things. Be sure to give God credit and glory for all of the good that comes into your life. Even though your efforts may have been involved in whatever blessings you experience, just remember whose air it was you were breathing while you were working, and remember who gave you the strength, the knowledge, and the gifts to make your success possible!
Conclusion
God wants to put you over in life! He wants you to be the head and not the tail. He wants you to be above and not beneath.
You have a part to play in your position in life. God has told you specific things that you can do in order to be raised up to the level of life He wants you to enjoy.
He instructed each of us to:
1. Stay Under the Shadow of the Almighty.
2. Stay Under Grace.
3. Keep Satan Under our Feet.
4. Keep our Flesh Under.
5. Stay Under Authority.
6. Stay Under the Blood.
7. Humble ourselves Under the Mighty Hand of God.
I know that when we do our part, that God will do His part.
