RECOVERING THE ORIGINAL MANDATE!

Over the past few days, the Lord has been taking us on a remarkable journey. We have looked at the Seed, the Cross, feeding on Christ, and the Father’s great desire to raise many sons. I trust that the Holy Spirit has been opening your eyes to see His eternal purpose more clearly. Today, we return once again to the book of Genesis.

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By now, I hope you are beginning to see Genesis in a completely different light. It is not merely a book of beginnings or a collection of ancient stories. It is the foundation upon which the entire plan of God is built. If we misunderstand Genesis, we will misunderstand almost everything that follows in Scripture.

I remember when I was still a young Christian. Even then, I loved writing in my Bible. If you looked at my old Bibles today, you would only see a few notes and scribbles in Genesis, especially the few chapters. But as the Lord continued to grow me, the more I matured, the more Genesis opened up. Today, that is probably the part of my Bible with the least empty space because the Lord keeps unfolding fresh treasures from those chapters year by year. 

And that is one lesson I never want to forget. No matter how long we have walked with God, we must never think we have arrived. Never say, “I already understand Genesis.” Never say, “I already understand sonship.” Never say, “I already understand the Cross.”

The Word of God is inexhaustible. As we grow, the Holy Spirit continues to unveil deeper dimensions of Christ hidden within the Scriptures. My prayer is that God will give us humble hearts, hearts that are willing to sit over one chapter, one verse, even one phrase, until it breaks open with light. May He deliver us from familiarity with His Word and give us a fresh hunger for revelation. May we never stop learning at the feet of our Master in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

THE ORIGINAL MANDATE OF MAN

Today, we are going to look at God’s original plan for man. The original assignment and mandate that God gave humanity from the very beginning. Now think about what we have been learning over the past few days. Christ has opened the way for us. The veil has been torn. The way back to the Tree of Life is no longer closed. The flaming sword is no longer keeping us away. We can now come boldly into God’s presence and feed upon the Tree of Life, who is Christ Himself.

And if the way has now been opened… If we can now eat of Life… Then something else also becomes possible:

We can recover God’s original plan for mankind!!!!

Oh yes! The original purpose that was interrupted in Eden can now become a reality because the life that Adam never possessed is now available to us in Christ. Halelluyah!!!

So let us return once again to Genesis.

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“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26).

Sisters, this verse is loaded. In fact, we are going to return to it again tomorrow because there is so much hidden inside it that I do not want us to miss. But today, I want us to focus on one thing: The mandate.

Listen carefully to what God says. “…Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26).

Now let us move to verse 28. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” (Genesis 1:28).

My sisters, don’t rush past these verses. Stop. Read them again. Meditate on them. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes.

Did you notice something?

God first said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…” Why? So that man would have dominion.

The image was never an end in itself. The likeness was never an end in itself. The image and the likeness were given so that man could fulfil God’s assignment upon the earth as if it were God himself doing it through man. 

Now, for a moment, forget about the fish. Forget about the birds. Forget about the cattle. Look at the bigger picture. God was saying that man was to exercise dominion over every realm.

The sea. The air. The earth. Everything that moves upon the earth.

Then God blessed man and gave him five great mandates.

Be fruitful.

Multiply.

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Replenish the earth.

Subdue it.

Have dominion.

Can you see it?

The mandate of fruitfulness. The mandate of multiplication. The mandate of replenishing the earth. The mandate of subduing the earth. The mandate of dominion.

And this dominion was not limited to one small area. It was to extend over every realm God had entrusted to man.

My sisters, can you imagine this huge mandate of the Lord God for those who bear His image?

don’t you think this is something we must understand, pray for, and enter in?

WHY HAS GOD BEEN TEACHING US ALL THESE THINGS?

Now, sisters, can you see what the Lord originally intended for man?

But let me ask you a personal question. Is this how you are living? Are you fruitful? Are you multiplying? Are you replenishing the earth with the life of Christ? Are you subduing the earth? Or has the earth subdued you?

Are you having dominion? In your spiritual life… In your home… In your thoughts… In your emotions… In your family… Are you reigning? Or are you constantly being defeated?

Can you now see where the Lord has been bringing us from over the past several days? He has not been teaching us these truths just to increase our knowledge. He has been laying a foundation. He has been taking us step by step: showing us the Seed, the Cross, feeding on Christ, sonship, and intimacy with Him, so that we can finally enter into His original purpose for our lives.

He is preparing us for dominion!!!

Sadly, many people only know Christianity as a place to seek deliverance. Whenever there is a prayer programme, they run there. Many people who are still living in open sin, who have never surrendered their lives to Christ, who have no desire to obey God, still join powerful prayer meetings because they want breakthroughs, miracles, healing, or deliverance. And many times, they even receive answers.

Why? Because God is merciful. God is kind. God delights in showing mercy. His goodness is meant to lead men to repentance (Romans 2:4).

But that is also where the danger lies.

When God keeps showing you mercy while you continue living carelessly, never conclude that He approves of your lifestyle. Never think His blessings are His endorsement. No. He is simply giving you time. He is stretching out His hand. He is drawing you to Himself. Do not waste that mercy.

Many people receive one deliverance today… Only to return a few months later for another. And another. And another. Sometimes the bondage even returns stronger than before. Why? Because the foundation was never dealt with. They wanted freedom without transformation. They wanted victory without sonship. They wanted power without the Cross.

But that is not God’s way.

My sisters, look at what the Lord has done for us throughout these past days. Instead of simply leading us into warfare prayers from the very beginning, He chose first to establish us. He has been building us from the inside out. He has not merely wanted to give us fish. He has been teaching us how to fish. He has been showing us who we are. What we carry. How His life works. How Christ is formed. How sons are raised.

So that when battles come, we are no longer fighting as spiritual infants. We know where we are coming from. We know what has been planted within us. We know the authority we carry. And we know how to stand.

That is what will endure. That is the life God has been preparing us for. And now, He is ready to show us what mature sons were always meant to do.

WHY ARE WE NOT LIVING THIS WAY?

Now, remember the question I asked earlier? Is this how you are living? If you honestly examine your life, you may discover that, for the most part, this is not how you have lived. In fact, you may realize that this is not even your present experience. Why?

The answer takes us back to Adam. The first man never lived this way!!!

And as long as we remain connected to Adam’s life and continue living by his principles, we can never rise above what Adam himself experienced.

As long as we are controlled by the old Adamic nature, living according to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16); as long as we are governed only by the natural life, by bios and psuchē, there is absolutely no way we can fulfil God’s original purpose. We will only reproduce the life of Adam.

Now think about it. Did Adam replenish the earth with the life of God?

No.

Did Adam subdue the earth?

No.

Did Adam exercise the dominion God had planned for him?

No.

Why? Because before he could even step into his assignment, he fell.

The very Life that would have empowered him to fulfil God’s mandate was never received.

Not only that, access to the Tree of Life was lost. The way was shut. For thousands of years, mankind had no access to the very Life that could enable God’s original purpose to become a reality.

So why are we surprised that humanity has lived exactly like Adam? This is why many of the popular sayings of this world sound so normal to us.

People say, “We came into this world with nothing. We fight for everything. Then we leave with nothing.”

My sisters, that is not God’s definition of life. That is Adam’s life. That is the story of fallen humanity.

A person is born empty. He spends his entire life chasing what the earth has to offer. Education. Career. Marriage. Money. Children. Achievements. Battles. Worries. One struggle after another. Then people comfort themselves by saying, “Well, life is full of challenges. Everybody has their own share.”

Eventually, in the middle of all those struggles, death comes. Then people conclude with Solomon’s words, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

But sisters, that was never the life God created man to live. God did not create life to end in vanity. He created life to be filled with His Life.

Jesus did not live a vanity upon vanity life.

Neither did Paul.

Nor did Peter!

Zoe is life that is fruitful. A life that multiplies. A life that replenishes the earth. A life that subdues darkness. A life that exercises dominion. A life that leaves behind the fragrance of Christ.

When a possessor of Zoe, in whom Zoe got manifested, finishes his course, he does not leave this world lamenting that life was empty. Like Paul, he can say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).

That is a victorious life. That is a fruitful life. That is a life that has poured itself into others. By the time such a person departs, Christ has been reproduced in many lives. The earth has been enriched because that person lived.

That was God’s original intention from the very beginning. And the beautiful news is this: Through Christ, that original purpose can now be recovered!!!

THIS WAS NEVER GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN

My sisters, let us settle something in our hearts today. We were never created to be dominated by Satan. We were never created to spend our lives constantly defeated by darkness. That was never God’s intention. That was never His original plan for man.

Whenever you see Satan stealing, killing, or destroying, remember the words of Jesus: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” (John 10:10).

It is not the work of God. It is the work of the enemy. The devil only comes to attack what God has planted. He only fights where he sees God’s investment. He attacks because he fears what God’s life can produce. So whenever we see destruction, we should never become comfortable with it.

Sometimes we hear of a young believer, full of promise, whose life is suddenly cut short. Sometimes we hear of workers in the vineyard dying before their assignment is complete. Sometimes entire families remain under cycles of oppression, and people quickly say, “It must be the will of God.”

My sisters, we must be careful. God is sovereign, and there are times when His purposes are beyond our understanding. But we must never call the works of the thief the works of the Father.

Jesus clearly told us who comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Then He immediately told us why He came: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

That is the Father’s heart. Some people comfort themselves by saying, “But Jesus also died young.” Did He? No. Jesus finished His assignment. Nothing was cut short. Nothing was unfinished. Before He yielded up His spirit, He declared, “It is finished.” (John 19:30).

Paul also finished his course. He could boldly say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).

That should be our desire. To finish our race. To complete our assignment. To leave this earth only after Christ has accomplished His purpose through our lives.

Sadly, many believers are content with a Christianity that never matures. They know Christ is in them. But they never allow Him to be formed. They rejoice that the Seed has been planted. But they refuse the dealings that make the Seed grow.

It is like an egg celebrating that one day it will become a chick, yet refusing to allow the hen to sit upon it. What will happen? That egg will never produce life. The potential was there. But the process was rejected.

My sisters, this is the tragedy of much of Christianity today. We want Christ as an addition to our lives. We want Him as the icing on the cake. We want His blessings. We want heaven. We want rewards. But we do not want the Cross. We do not want His dealings. We do not want Him to break the earthen vessel so that His life can shine through.

Yet it is only as Christ is formed in us that we begin to walk in the dominion God intended from the beginning.

So wherever the enemy still finds easy access in our lives… Wherever sin still rules… Wherever fear still dominates… Wherever the flesh still reigns… Let us not make excuses. Let us run back to the Holy Spirit. Let Him continue His work. Let Him brood over the Seed. Let Him form Christ within us.

For as Christ is formed, the original mandate begins to be restored.

The earth will no longer subdue us. We will subdue the earth. Darkness will no longer dominate us. The life of Christ will push back the darkness.

That was God’s intention from the very beginning.

JESUS: THE FIRST MAN TO FULFIL THE MANDATE

Now, sisters, there is one truth that I do not know if I have emphasized enough throughout Juicy July. If I have not, please let us settle it today.

Jesus Christ was 100% man.

Yes, He is fully God. But when He came to earth, He did not live independently as God. He emptied Himself, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and lived as a Man completely submitted to the Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:5–8).

Please, when you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, never excuse His life by saying, “He walked on water because He was God,” “He healed the sick because He was God,” “He cast out demons because He was God,” or “He knew men’s hearts because He was God.” No. If that were the case, His life could never become our pattern.

The book of Hebrews tells us that He was made like us in every respect: “Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren…” (Hebrews 2:17).

He experienced hunger. He became tired. He slept. He was tempted. He was rejected. He suffered. He lived under authority just as we are called to live under authority.

He did not come to demonstrate what God can do. He came to demonstrate what a man completely yielded to God looks like.

Jesus is the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45).

He is the first Man who perfectly fulfilled what the first Adam failed to fulfil.

This is why the Holy Spirit is not asking us merely to imitate Jesus outwardly. No. He is forming Christ within us: “…until Christ be formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19).

God is not looking for imitation. He is looking for formation.

When the Father looks upon our lives, He desires to see His Son. I often think of it like a pregnancy scan. As the baby grows, the parents rejoice. “Look! There are the hands.” “There are the feet.” “There is the face.” Everything is gradually taking shape. That is exactly what the Holy Spirit is doing.

Day by day, Christ is being formed within us: the eyes of Christ, the mouth of Christ, the heart of Christ, the patience of Christ, the obedience of Christ, and the love of Christ. This is the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit.

Now look again at Genesis 1. Jesus fulfilled that original mandate. He exercised dominion over the sea. He walked upon the water. He rebuked the storm, and the winds and waves obeyed Him (Mark 4:39–41; Matthew 14:25).

He exercised dominion over the air. The winds obeyed His voice. The spiritual realm submitted to Him. Demons cried out before Him and fled at His command (Luke 4:33–36).

He exercised dominion upon the earth. Disease bowed before Him. Death surrendered to Him. Creation recognized its rightful King.

Jesus fulfilled the mandate. Was He fruitful? Who has ever been more fruitful than Jesus? He poured His life into His disciples. After His resurrection, the Holy Spirit came, and about three thousand people were added to the Kingdom in a single day (Acts 2:41).

Since then, generation after generation has come to Christ because of the Seed He planted.

What extraordinary fruitfulness!

What extraordinary multiplication!

Yet the work is not finished. The Father said to Him, “Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 10:12-13).

How will the Father do that?

Through the Body of Christ! Through sons in whom Christ has been formed!

Jesus also subdued the earth. The earth found nothing in Him. He Himself said, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” (John 14:30).

Think about those words. Satan looks for dust to eat!

In Genesis, God declared that the serpent would feed upon the dust (Genesis 3:14). Wherever the enemy finds the works of the flesh, pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, selfish ambition, or rebellion, he finds ground from which to operate.

For example, you may be praying earnestly for your husband to be delivered from an addiction or to become the man God wants him to be. You may fast and pray with all your heart. But at the same time, you harbour bitterness, speak harshly to him, refuse to forgive, or deliberately withhold sexual intimacy.

My sisters, the accuser looks for those places. He feeds upon the dust. He exploits whatever still belongs to the old Adam. This is why many believers wonder why they pray so much and yet see so little lasting victory. The issue is not always that God has refused to answer. Sometimes the accuser is pointing to the dust that still remains.

Jesus gave Satan no such place. Nothing in Him belonged to the old Adam. Nothing in Him responded to the enemy. Nothing in Him provided ground for accusation. That is why He walked in continual dominion.

And that is exactly where the Holy Spirit is leading us today. He is removing the dust. He is forming Christ. So that, little by little, we too may walk in the original mandate that God intended from the very beginning.

SONS CAN RECOVER THE ORIGINAL MANDATE

Now, here is the joyful part. Here is the good news. Here is the hope that should make every one of us rejoice. The Father told the Lord Jesus, “Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 10:12–-13). But how is the Father going to do that? Through whom will He make the enemies of Christ His footstool?

This is exactly what the whole creation has been waiting for. The Bible says, “For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19).

Do you see it now? Babies are born into the Kingdom. Children begin to grow. But the Father is waiting for sons. Because only sons can recover the original mandate. Only sons can walk in what Adam lost. Only sons can fulfil what the Second Adam recovered.

The Bible says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8). Now compare that with Romans 8. The Son was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. The earth is waiting for the manifestation of sons. Can you see the connection?

The Firstborn Son came to destroy the works of darkness. Now the Father is raising many sons through whom the victory of His Firstborn will continue to spread throughout the earth.

But where does that work begin? It begins with sin. Before we talk about casting out demons… Before we talk about exercising authority… Before we talk about ruling… Sin must lose its dominion over us. Self must lose its dominion over us. We must become a “No-Go Area” for sin.

Hate your sin enough to leave it.

Listen to the Holy Spirit as He deals with every work of the flesh. Allow Him to crucify self. Allow Him to uproot pride. Allow Him to destroy rebellion. Allow Him to break everything that belongs to the old Adam. Only then can the Kingdom of God freely flow through you.

The Father has made us, “…kings and priests unto God…” (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). Think about that.

A priest stands before God on behalf of men.

A king stands before men on behalf of God.

 

That is why the Bible calls us, “A royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9). My sister, are you living like a priest? Do you stand in the gap for your family? Do you labour in prayer? Do you offer yourself continually as a living sacrifice? Or is your prayer life only about your own needs?

Then, are you living like a king? Or are you still praying like someone who has no authority? Remember the disciples during the storm. They cried, “Master, carest Thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). Jesus rebuked them. Why? Because authority was sitting inside the boat with them, yet they were ruled by fear. Many Christians still pray like that today. “Lord, don’t You care?” “My Father, won’t You do something?” But my sister, have you forgotten what has already been given to you?

It is like a government giving a policeman a uniform, a firearm, handcuffs, authority, and every legal backing, yet when robbers appear, he drops everything and begins shouting, “Government! Government! Won’t you come and rescue me?”

The government would ask, “What then did we equip you for?”

Sons know the authority they carry. The Bible says, “The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32). Do you know your Father? Do you know who you are? Do you know what He has placed within you?

Sons do!

Before their Father, they are humble. They cry, “Father, have mercy.” But when they stand before darkness, they do not tremble. They stand in the authority of their Father. They know whose Name they carry. They know whose Kingdom they represent. The Lion of the tribe of Judah lives within them.

My sisters, only sons can recover the original mandate. Babies cannot. Children cannot. Only sons. Sons have settled the question of self. They have settled the question of sin. Their daily cry is no longer, “What do I want?” It is, “Father, what do You want?” “Your will.” “Your purpose.” “Your Kingdom.” “Your glory.” That is sonship.

Sadly, the Church has many children. But the Father is looking for sons. Will you make your Father rich by becoming one? Will you allow Him to sharpen you until you become a sharp sword in His hand?

Iron sharpens iron. A sharpened sword sharpens another sword. A burning life sets other lives on fire. A true son raises more sons.

My sister, you are the daughter of the King. You are the child of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. A lion does not give birth to a goat. A lion does not give birth to a rat. If your Father is the Lion, then courage, authority, and dominion belong to your inheritance. So stop living beneath your calling. Rise into sonship. Recover the original mandate. And let the Kingdom of God advance through your life until all the enemies of Christ become His footstool.

ZOE IS DOMINION IN EVERY REALM

Now, sisters, do you notice something about God’s original mandate? God did not limit man’s dominion to one place. He mentioned the sea. He mentioned the air. He mentioned the earth. In other words, wherever the battle is, dominion belongs to the sons of God.

If the enemy carries the battle into the realm of the sea, Zoe has dominion there.

If the battle is in the air, Zoe has dominion there.

If the battle is upon the earth, Zoe has dominion there.

There is no realm where the life of Christ is helpless. There is no realm where the Kingdom of God cannot reign. That is why I keep telling you, Zoe is victory. Zoe is dominion. Zoe is the life that overcomes.

My sisters, let me ask you a question. Perhaps people know you on social media. You may have ten thousand followers. You may have fifty thousand followers. You may have hundreds of thousands of followers. Wonderful. Congratulations. But let me ask you another question.

Who are you in the spirit? Can Heaven recognize you? Can the kingdom of darkness recognize that Christ has been formed in you? When you pray, does Hell know that a son has spoken?

Remember the sons of Sceva. The evil spirit said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts 19:15). Think about that. Paul was known in the spirit. Not because of fame. Not because of titles. Not because of followers. But because Christ had been formed in him. My sisters, that is what truly matters.

This physical world is only the visible side of reality. The real government is in the spirit. That is where destinies are shaped. That is where battles are fought. That is where kingdoms advance. So I ask again: Who are you in the spirit?

Many people spend years building influence before men. Very few spend years becoming weighty before God.

The day of battle will reveal the difference. Battles will come. The Scriptures never hide that from us. That is why it is better to allow God to train you now. Allow Him to deal with you now. Allow Him to carry you through His dealings while you are still young. Allow Him to form Christ in you now. Because when the day of battle comes, it is too late to begin building spiritual muscles.

Now go back to Genesis. Sea. Air. Earth. Dominion in every realm. That is God’s original intention.

My sisters, our greatest pursuit, therefore, is not power. It is not gifts. It is not titles. It is not influence. Our greatest pursuit is this:

“Holy Spirit, form Christ in me.” That is the secret.

As Christ is formed, new dimensions of Zoe are released. New dimensions of victory are released. New dimensions of discernment are released. New dimensions of authority are released. New dimensions of dominion are released.

Zoe is not merely a doctrine. Zoe is the very life of God. It overcomes. It reigns. It triumphs. It cannot be conquered. That is why our lifelong pursuit must never change.

Day after day… Cross after cross… Act of obedience after act of obedience… We allow the Holy Spirit to continue forming Christ within us.

For wherever Christ is fully revealed, dominion naturally follows.

My sisters, Zoe is everything. And if Christ is fully formed in us, the original mandate of God will once again become a living reality through His sons, to the glory of His Name.

REIGNING IN LIFE: THE FIVEFOLD MANDATE RECOVERED

Now, sisters, let us return to Genesis once more. God did not give Adam only one assignment; He gave him five: Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion. Every one of these is a revelation on its own. We have expanded on Dominion, let us see the other four now: 

1. BE FRUITFUL

The first command was not, “Have dominion.” It was, “Be fruitful.” (Genesis 1:28). Fruitfulness is the nature of life. Anything that is truly alive bears fruit. The Holy Spirit is producing fruit within us. Notice that Galatians says, “The fruit of the Spirit…” (Galatians 5:22–23). Not fruits, but fruit: one life producing many beautiful expressions: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

And there is another kind of fruit: the fruit of souls, the fruit of disciples, the fruit of sons. Some people have many children according to the flesh, yet none of them knows the Lord. That is not the fruitfulness God is talking about. The Father’s desire is godly seed: “…that He might seek a godly seed.” (Malachi 2:15). Our homes, our discipleship, and our very lives should produce sons. Wherever Christ has planted us, fruit should appear. As Jesus said, “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit…” (John 15:8).

2. MULTIPLY

The Father never intended Christ to remain alone. The Seed had to multiply. Jesus Himself said, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone…” (John 12:24). He died, He rose, and then He began reproducing Himself: first through the apostles, then through the Church, generation after generation. That multiplication is still happening today. Now the responsibility has come to us. Christ should not stop with me; He should multiply through me. I should leave behind people who know Him because they encountered my life and because Christ is being formed in them. A true son raises more sons, and a true disciple makes more disciples. A fruitful tree naturally multiplies.

3. REPLENISH THE EARTH

Then God said, “Replenish the earth.” What does that mean? The earth had been created to be filled with God’s glory. After the Fall, it became filled with darkness, violence, corruption, and death. Now Christ has come to fill the earth again. Through whom? Through His sons. 

My sisters, that is our assignment too. Every home we enter, every church, every office, every classroom, every nation, they should all become fuller of Christ because we were there, spreading life, not death. That is replenishing the earth.

The fourth mandate God gave man was this: “Subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28). What does it mean to subdue? To subdue is to bring something under government, to bring it into submission, and to refuse to let it rule over you. My sisters, before we ever subdue the world around us, we must first subdue the world within us. Our flesh, our emotions, our appetites, our ambitions, our pride, and our fears must no longer rule us.

That is why the Holy Spirit spends so much time dealing with us. He is teaching us to bring the old Adamic nature under the government of Christ. This is the daily carrying of the cross. This is saying “No” to self and “Yes” to God. This is learning to obey the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit even when our flesh wants something completely different.

When someone insults you, your flesh says, “Answer back.” The Holy Spirit says, “Keep quiet.” Who wins? That is subduing. When pride tells you, “Don’t apologize,” and the Holy Spirit says, “Go and humble yourself,” who wins? That is subduing. When lust pulls at your heart, when bitterness wants to settle in, when fear wants to control your decisions, or when anxiety tells you to trust yourself instead of God, the Holy Spirit quietly says, “Yield to Me.” Every time you obey Him, the earth is being subdued. The old Adam is losing ground. Christ is gaining ground.

Then that inward victory begins to spread outward. The person who has subdued himself by the Spirit becomes someone through whom God can subdue darkness. He is no longer mastered by the world; he begins to master it. As Paul said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection…” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

This is why true dominion always begins with self-government.

A man who cannot rule his own spirit cannot faithfully exercise God’s authority elsewhere. But a son who has allowed the Holy Spirit to subdue the flesh becomes a vessel through whom the Kingdom of God advances.

My sisters, the Father is looking for people who have first been conquered by Him, for only those who have been conquered by Christ can truly conquer for Christ.

This is where reigning becomes visible. Before, you struggled to explain one Scripture. Now revelation flows. Before, you were afraid to speak. Now the Holy Spirit gives you utterance. Before, people resisted everything you said. Now hearts begin to open to yout voice. People who never spoke to anyone suddenly pour out their hearts to you. Why? Because Christ is reigning and hearts are bowing! 

Sometimes the Lord reveals secrets. Sometimes He shows you exactly what someone is struggling with. Sometimes He warns you before danger comes. Sometimes He gives wisdom that nobody taught you. People ask, “How did you know?” And your answer is, “The Lord showed me.” That is reigning. Demons recognized Jesus before He spoke. They cried, “Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29). There was authority in His very presence.

My sisters, this is the life we are called to. Not a life constantly running in fear. Not a life of endless defeat. But a life governed by the Holy Spirit. Even in practical things. Perhaps you need money. You want to borrow. The Holy Spirit quietly says, “Don’t borrow.” You obey. He teaches you contentment. He teaches you stewardship. He teaches you trust. Later, He entrusts you with more. You are reigning over money. That is true dominion.

Moses knew God’s ways. Israel only saw His acts (Psalm 103:7). My sisters, let us pursue His ways. Let us recover the entire mandate. Let us become fruitful. Let us multiply. Let us replenish the earth with the life of Christ. Let us subdue everything that belongs to the old Adam. Let us reign in life through Jesus Christ. That is the original mandate. That is the life the Father intended from the very beginning.

RECOVER THE ORIGINAL MANDATE

The original mandate has never changed, sis. The Father has never changed His mind. He is still looking for sons who will be fruitful, sons who will multiply, sons who will replenish the earth with His life, sons who will subdue the earth, and sons who will exercise dominion in every realm.

The only difference is this: Adam could never fulfil it. The Last Adam did. Now the Last Adam lives in us. That means the mandate can once again become a reality. 

My sisters, let us stop settling for a powerless Christianity. Let us stop living beneath our calling. Let us stop excusing defeat. Let us stop making peace with sin. Let us stop admiring the world. The whole creation is waiting. Your family is waiting. Your generation is waiting. The Church is waiting. The Father is waiting. 

Waiting for sons!

Sons who know their Father. Sons who carry His authority. Sons who are no longer ruled by self. Sons through whom the Kingdom of God can break into the kingdoms of this world.

May we become those sons. May the Holy Spirit continue to brood over the Seed of Christ within us until nothing of Adam remains. May He deal with every trace of self, every work of the flesh, every compromise, every fear, and every form of unbelief. May Christ be fully formed in us.

May Zoe find unhindered expression through us. May the original mandate be restored in our generation. And may the Father finally receive what His heart has long desired; a family of mature sons through whom His Kingdom fills the earth and His enemies are made His footstool.

This is our calling. This is our inheritance. This is our destiny. May we never settle for anything less. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.