How to Turn Your Trouble Into Triumph

We are kingdom rulers because God, through Jesus Christ, has delegated to us the authority to administrate His kingdom on Earth (Luke 9:1; 10:19). Ephesians 2:6 says that we’re both raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places. We rule and reign through Him (Rev. 5:10 ).

Often women struggle with this concept because it doesn’t seem feminine. We were taught to submit and be nice. It seems foreign to us because we’re used to being Daddy’s girl—a dancing princess, pirouetting through life.

However, we’re to be fully women and fully feminine, displaying a wonderful heart filled with love. Being kingdom releasers and enforcers should never cancel out our femininity.

Remember, God made male and female to rule this world. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion” (NKJV). God further said that male and female are to bear fruit, fill the earth and subdue the earth (v. 28).

He didn’t say this to the man and then tell the woman to just listen in. He said it to mankind—male and female, simultaneously and without any qualification. This is what you’re to do … no explanation and no exemptions.

This should get our attention. God didn’t first say to live a nice life, have a nice family, go to church and be good to your neighbors. He didn’t tell us to take notes while He talked to our male counterparts. No!

God gave women (along with men) a mandate to fulfill. This was before Adam and Eve married, had children and fell into sin.

A primary rule of biblical interpretation is the “law of first mention.” This involves the importance of examining the first appearance in Scripture of a particular doctrine or principle in order to understand it fully.

Genesis contains “laws of first mention.” In essence, everything in the Bible is found in Genesis in seed form. For instance, man was first told to take dominion over the earth in the book of Genesis. This is a “first mention.”

Acts 3:21 states that Jesus must remain in heaven “until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through his holy prophets.” So, before Jesus returns, male and female must be restored back to the relationship God originally designed for them. They must learn to take dominion over the earth.

The Hebrew word for dominion is radah. It means “to prevail against, to reign, to rule over and to take.” It’s a root word that means “to tread down, to subjugate and to crumble off.” Through Christ, we’re to take dominion by breaking through (crumbling off) every obstacle, hindrance and wall that prevents us from ruling.

There’s nothing neutral about this word “dominion.” It’s radical, confrontational, warring and filled with authority. It’s encouraging, empowering, compelling and forceful.

It’s also overwhelming, perplexing and, in one sense, frightening. In fact, wars have been fought over this word. Dominion draws a line in the sand. It pinpoints the difference between a Christian captured by modern-day cultural mind-sets versus one that’s broken through to a true biblical identity in Christ.

Divine Destiny

Women have power and authority in Christ. Jesus said, “‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations'” (Matt. 28:18-19). Authority in this passage means “delegated authority.” God, the Father, gave to Jesus, the Son, all authority and legal rights to rule.

In Ephesians 1:22, all things were put under His feet. Through His victory, Christ (the second Adam) took back influence over the earth from Satan. Christ is the head and we’re the body.

As the body, we’re also the eyes, ears, mouth, hands and feet of God. This means that we have both the power and clout to change the atmosphere around us. We can overcome every obstacle that stands in the way of God’s destinies for us.

We are part of that unseen kingdom, and we’re called to reign with the King of all kings. We have authority to rule in our homes as mothers and power to raise great kids who fulfill their destinies. We have influence in the workplace, wherever God positions us.

God has placed us on Earth to administer, release and enforce His kingdom. Luke 17:20-21 tells us that the kingdom of God doesn’t come from careful observation because it’s within us.

Judges 5, “‘Awake, awake Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song!'” (v. 12, NASB). It sounds like a crying out to Deborah, telling her to open her eyes and, literally, to wake up. She had been spiritually asleep, and she needed to see what was going on around her.